Blogs from Moalboal, Cebu, Philippines, Asia

After a couple of nights in Manilla our next goal was one of the top 10 must do activities in The Philippines. The MoalBoal sardine run was described as a world unique experience to see vast shoals of sardines in an easily accessible location. It sounded like a Tourist Brochure advertisement which often let you down however in this case it was extremely accurate. An hour long flight from Manilla, a 2 hour bus ride and a 10 minute tricycle ride had us outside the beach side room we had booked. Our balcony overlooked a very tatty beach covered in dog crap and a host of various local boats blotting the view. Not a good start we thought. We needed snorkels to accompany the masks we had bought in Singapore so wandered down the alley that ... read more

A small hiccup with the booking meant that we were upgraded to a sea view deluxe room. We were quite excited by this, until I realised that we were moved from a bungalow to a motel style room. Hmmm. Does a glimpse of the sea trump a standalone, traditional style bungalow? No, but at least we had a room. If it was peak season, we'd probably find ourselves sleeping in the goat's quarter's next door. This place is known for its snorkelling and diving, so Dean and El went over to Pescador Island for a day trip. Upon returning, El declared she is never going in THAT water again. With jellyfish sting marks covering her legs, she wasn't a happy snorkeller. Dean had a more successful trip, seeing lots of fish but apparently they were very ... read more

Not a big city girl After the first day in Cebu city I started to feel a bit homesick for the first time in 13 months. I spent another night with my host before she was heading to the coast for the weekend and I was invited. The only thing I have planned is my date of departure so I just go along with whatever comes up. The next day I spent in the city with an American guy that also was couchsurfing at the same place, we walked around went on some jeepneys before we got bored and went back to the apartment. I started to regret that I booked 1 whole month and was just wait for our host to come back so we could go. The bus ride Jumped on the bus to ... read more

Our first days were spent exactly as we'd planned: eating, diving, napping, hanging out on the deck or walking along the beach peering into tide pools. The ocean is definitely the draw here. Locals comb the beach at low tide for mussels and other shellfish and men use nets, spears and lines to fish from boats or by standing in the shallows. Dive tourism provides another source of income and the dive shops, though often owned by foreigners, seem to employ many Filipino divemasters and instructors. In an attempt to attract more tourists some people have tried to harness the draw of whale sharks, by hand feeding them from boats. Matt and I have always wanted to see a whale shark in the water, but after researching the operation in Oslob (another town here on Cebu) ... read more

I said to my self before to explore other countries i must explore first my own land. I believe theirs a lot of beautiful places in the Phils.... read more