Blogs from Malapascua Island, Philippines, Asia

I had come to an island that was quiet, had a nice stretch of sand, plenty of sunshine, but best of all I would be staying put for six days diving one of the most pristine environments in The Philippines. I was eager to get back into the water and take one last series of plunges into the blue depths of the ocean. I love the alien world the seas provide and the zero gravity environment being underwater allows me to have to explore it. Getting certified way back in Colombia to scuba dive in what has now become seven different countries around the world is one of the best things I have ever done. As an added thrill Malapascua Island just happens to be home to the mighty Thresher Shark. I had come to seek ... read more

Dans la communauté des plongeurs on entend parfois vaguement parler d'un spot de plongée où il y a une très grande probabilité de voir des requins renard, ces requins des profondeurs dont l'aileron de la queue est aussi grand que leur corps. Enfin l'opportunité se présente pour moi d'aller voir la bête de mes propres yeux. Ce sont des lève-tôt, ou plutôt ils se lavent tôt. Car si ces animaux vivant à des centaines de mètres de profondeur remontent aux aurores, c'est pour se faire nettoyer sur des plateaux sous-marins par de petits poissons, qui leur nettoient les peaux-mortes et les parasites. C'est parti donc pour des plongées à 5h du matin mais sur les 3 plongées que je fais à Monad Shoal, leur station de nettoyage, ils sont toujours là, même si il faut vraiment ... read more

This post came a bit late and it’s about Malapascua. Malapascua was my favorite destination in the Philippines. But just to give continuance to my last post, I’ll write about the previous days (I left off in Makassar, Sulawesi Island, Indonesia and from there flew to Manila and then went to Malapascua), so I’ll go off topic in the first paragraphs. From Toraja (Sulawesi Island, Indonesia) I had the same 10 hour bus ride back to Makassar. Even though the bus was pretty decent, the guy next to me wasn’t. After 10 hours of him elbowing me, talking loudly on the phone, etc., just before arriving to the bus station, apparently he couldn’t control his bladder any longer and he asked me “permission” to pee in a plastic bottle while sitting on the seat next to ... read more

We have been on the road exploring the world since August and quite frankly, we are tired. Mentally and sometimes physically we have extended ourselves for days on end, rarely staying in one spot longer than two or three nights. We did stay in Berlin six nights and truly enjoyed it. We do not seek sympathy, but only to provide a state of being as we begin the next segment of our adventure. It has been simply grand. All the fabulous things that we have seen and done sometimes surprise us. But it is now time for us to rest and relax before we re-enter the real world and go back to work, so after spending a few days in Manila with friends we headed to the islands to do nothing …….very slowly. We want to ... read more

After our trip to Flores and Komodo Islands, we spent our last week as a traveling family in Bali before the kids flew home to Canada. We definitely missed our house and our cook, but enjoyed staying at a guest- house and trying the various restaurants around Ubud. We celebrated Gemma’s 14th birthday that week with an afternoon at the spa and out for sushi. On May 1stLucas and Gemma left for Singapore then flew back to Canada. Jeff and I had a few more days in Ubud saying tearful good-byes to good friends and reflecting on our six months in Indonesia. We’ve heard good things about the Philippines (countless isolated beaches, reefs, mountains and islands) from friends and fellow travelers, so we decided to spend our last 5 weeks in Asia visiting this enigmatic country. ... read more