esaav22
erik Joined: October 14th 2006
Logged in: September 11th 2011
Logged in: September 11th 2011
From September 12th to December 8th, 2011, I will be traveling through Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador and Colombia. There will be fresh blogs coming...
For any reason you would like to contact me outside of travel blog, my email is esaav22@yahoo.com
Travel Blog Posts
no words needed
The reason people come to Coron is for the diving. Specifically for the wreck diving. During World War II, the Japanese put a large amount of their supply ships in Coron Bay. Their thinking was that its location was too remote and far from USA troops to be affected. That was a major miscalculation. In 1944 the US launched its longest range attack ever. They had just enough fuel to get to Coron Bay, drop bombs for 15 minutes, and then head back to their base. During that short time several ships were sunk. Luckily, for scuba divers, many sunk in waters shallow enough to dive. I ended up entering 7 ships, all about 150 meters long. They were actual ships that you can enter and squeeze through parts. If you feel comfortable in tight spaces ... read more
entering Big Lagoon
El Nido has to be one of the most beautiful scenic areas that I have ever been to. Its bays and countless islands are amazing. Most are made up of eroding limestone and shoot up from the water. There are hidden beaches everywhere, so finding one to call your own for the day is very, very easy. Shortly after getting to El Nido I teamed up with a mixed crew. There was William (New Zealand), Nadine (Germany), Sisters Bora and Sunmi (Korea), and Andy (England). Every day we did island hopping tours with the great guide Mascardo Villaraza (mobile +639192034199). He made sure that we were never rushed and saw exactly what we wanted. His wife and son helped out on board and would join us during some great snorkeling sessions. During our days out on ... read more
beach in front of my room
My week in Cebu was packed full of diving. I spent half the time at Malapascua Island off the north tip and Moalboal in the south. Malapascua is a great place. Especially the week that I was there. Since it is low season, the island was almost to myself. It is covered with pristine white sand beaches and very friendly locals. It is the beginning of the rainy season, but I got lucky and it was sunny during my stay there. The major reason for me going was to scuba dive. There's a spot there where Thresher Sharks make regular shows. I was able to see one, but with poor visibility, I wasn't able to get a photo. I did the next best thing and took one of the thresher shark painting that was on the ... read more
swimming with friends
My sole reason for coming back to Borneo this time was to dive again off of the world famous island of Sipadan. Every year, it is voted within the top 3 dive destinations in the world. Its steep walls attract all sorts of open water animals along with several reef species. There are so many sites that would be highlights anywhere else that are common there. On one dive we ran into a school of at least 1000 barracuda. When swimming within the school, they would be so close that the sunlight would dim. Another great school was that of giant bumphead parrotfish. These we saw before even getting under the water. They were massive and just sat there and let us come close. We also encountered 2 times, giant schools of jackfish with the occasional ... read more
reclining buddha: wat pho
Bangkok! It a place that almost everyone has heard of. I had no idea what to expect. I knew that there would be the endless calls from tuk-tuk drivers, busy traffic, and deals, deals, deals everywhere. Would I like it? That was the big question before coming. The answer with no doubt is a big yes. The city is big. It's big not is just area and population, but in diversity. There are so many unique sections of the town, that there will be at least one you'll like. You can go from tourist town to china town to uptown shopping by simply changing streets. That was a big seller for me. For sites, there's more than enough to keep you busy for a week. Temples, palaces, museums are everywhere and most are worth a look. ... read more
offerings
Three places that 99.9999999% of the tourists that visit Laos go are Luang Prabang, Vang Vieng and Vientiene. All three were on my route to Bangkok, so I stopped by in each for a visit. Luang Prabang is rapidly growing in popularity these days. One reason is the concentration of Buddhist temples in the area. Another is the tasty international food and the peaceful atmosphere. The tourist center is almost like another town in itself. It is self contained and slightly separated from the actual Lao part of town. French style buildings line the streets and cafes and tourists are numerous. It has a good feel. The Lao are not pushy towards the tourists and their laid back style of living is felt throughout the city. I didn't spend much time in the city only ... read more
the bat cave
The journey to Vieng Phoukha was a long one, but well worth the ride. From Vientiane it involves taking a 23 hour long local bus to the city of Luang Nam Tha. From there it is a quick 1 1/2 pickup truck ride to town. I ended up staying the night in Luang Nam Tha to rest and get a good meal and shower. On the bus there I met a Japanese traveler, Moo, who has been on the road for the last 13 months. We compared stories and went separate ways the next day. He was off to China and I was off to Vieng Phoukha. When the pickup dropped me off into the muddy center of Vieng Phoukha I felt good. I had finally arrived and the town looked like a place I ... read more
pho bo: the best 30 cent meal you can get
After waiting too long in Hanoi for my Vietnamese visa extension, I was almost ready to explode and needed to go some place where there were no tourists or people trying to sell me things or scams. Not saying that all of Hanoi is bad, just select parts. From Hanoi I took a 7 hour, local bus to Son La. It's a city in the northwest and I thought it would be a good base to check out the area. The people in the town were really friendly and honest, but that was only if you could find them. The town is wide and spread out. It was totally paved over and was empty. Not just of tourists, but locals too. Maybe there was a local event going on because it was eerily empty and ... read more
bang giang river
After going from tourist trap to tourist trap the last couple weeks, my head was hurting from the constant yells for transport or tours. I had seen way too many backpackers (nothing against them, after all I am one too) and I just wanted to see a town where it was just Vietnamese living there. With that mindset I made the bet that Cao Bang was just that type of place. Its eight hours north of Hanoi and no tourist buses run that way. I figured that no tourist bus meant no tourists, so I gave it a shot. On the road to Cao Bang there were countless rice paddies and several mountain views. When getting into town I felt as if a giant weight had been lifted off of my shoulders. The moto drivers ... read more
a peanut selling peanuts
When getting off the tourist bus from Hoi An I was quickly surrounded by hotel touts. The bus drops you off right in the middle of the hotel district and the touts sit back all day waiting for the chance to pounce on a tired foreigner. I kept telling them that I already had a hotel and they kept answering back to check out their place. Didn't get the hint that I wasn't interested, but after walking 500m they get up. The place I stayed at was tucked in a little alley off of 66 Le Loi st. It's a main road that runs along the Perfume River. There are plenty of places there for budget travelers. I took a nap and was ready to hit the town. After walking a bit, one of the ... read more
