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April 2005 - The Philippines is a beautiful country with many nice beaches and mountains. I grew up in Hawaii and in my opinion, the Philippines is nicer and has much more to offer. During my Peace Corps service, I did not feel comfortable going on trips without my host family. I leared that travel is a luxury for people from my community and I did not want to distance my lifestyle from theirs. I lerned a lot from living a move modest lifestyle and gained a greater appreciation for life.
After I completed my Peace Corps contract, I took the summer (April - June here in the Philippines) to explore more of the Philippines. |
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| My fellow PCV Joe (pictured above) and I first went to the Bicol region to visit another PCV, Kate (picture right). Sbe is assigned to the town of Sangay and one of her projects is to direct the conservation efforts of the ocean. We participated in a coastal cleanup where we dove for the "thorny seastar" (I can't remember the correct name) you see Joe holding above and in the boat to your right. She persuaded local fishermen to participate by offering a bounty of 5 pesos per seastar. It was humbling to watch young filipino boys free-diving so gracefully and powerfully. Some of the boys earned 500 pesos that day. |
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After a few days of Kate's hospitality, we continued south in Bicol to the town of Donsol. In Donsol, visitors are able to swim alongside whalesharks. The whalesharks visit Donsol every year from about November to April when they feed off plankton in the calm waters.
The experience is regulated by the WWF and the Philippine government. For nature lovers and explorers, it is one of the most interesting experiences in the world. The Philippines is one of only 3 places in the world where you can swim with these |
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giant creatures. Up above you can see a picture of a whaleshark. But it doesn't quite capture the size and the gracefulness of these creatures.
The procedure is you hire a boat and a guide (picture right) for a day. It is best to start early in the morning. The boat spots the whlesharks, then the guide tells you when to hop in the water with your snorkel and fins. You swim as fast as you can to where he points. The water is murky as it is filled with plankton, so visibility is low. Then all of a sudden, a big black blob appears before you, moving very fast. It was quite scary for me, I almost swallowed |
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water a few times. Then, you do your best to swim alongside the whaleshark. The whalesharks are quite harmless and will tolerate you swimming with them for a while. Then, they get tired of you and dive deep. But just to see them swimming is amazing and a lot of fun. It is one of the hidden secrets of the Philippines. If more people knew you could do this here, they would surely visit, it is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. |
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