jlushious

So as I promised, I am doing a recap of my packing list so I can learn from my travels and maybe others can learn too. A lot of these things are just personal preferences, and may be limited to this particular trip, but I think any trip I take in the future to warm tropical climates would probably result in a similar list. Main items Rubber flip flops Pink runners Beige slip on sandals Toms slip on shoes Purple 40L Patagonia carry-on sized backpack – loved it! 4 larger mesh packing cubes 3 small mesh packing bags Green over the shoulder purse Red daypack Dry bag From this category I wouldn’t bring the slip on fancy sandals I had packed. I didn’t use them at all, and while they didn’t take up a lot of ... read more

I arrived in Coron on the heels of the typhoon and due to the stormy weather there hadn't been any diving for a few days. The coast guard here is quite strict and won't allow boats out in certain areas when the weather is challenging. The day I arrived in Coron they had planned to run some dives the next day for the first time in a few days - but no wrecks. Coron is famous for a whole bunch of Japanese wrecks from World War 2 that were sunk in a huge American bombing run in 1944. Anyways, I signed up to do the non-wreck dives that were scheduled and went the next day to two beautiful reefs and a freshwater/saltwater lake where the salt water layer - which was lower - was 38˚C! Needless ... read more

I landed in Manila safe and sound but didn't get to my hostel until fairly late. The traffic in Manila is totally nuts. It's not that they are crazier drivers than anywhere else I've been (just as crazy), it's that there's just so many people and not enough road! Everything is locked into inching gridlock... I spent one night at the hostel and an entire day wandering around Manila before jumping on a night bus to the North Lauzon area - to Banaue to be specific. Manila was interesting, I stayed in a more tourist/backpacker sort of area but it still had a weird vibe. Most people at my hostel didn't leave it and I honestly didn't see a lot of tourists wandering around. It gave me a strange feeling that I haven't experienced in any ... read more

Since I last updated my blog I've been up to a lot of fun stuff! My dive trip was great, it was just a day trip with two dives, there was only me diving with the one dive master (the rest of the people on the boat were snorkelling) so I was able to have him spend some time refreshing things with me (it had been almost 9 years since I last went diving!). I didn't have to memorize all the dive tables and depth calculations all over again luckily! But I did get a refresher on equipment and did jyst fine (took me a bit to get the right buoyancy and to breathe and swim calmly though). They were both drift dives along the side of a big drop off, so it was an easy ... read more

My last day in Pangandaran was more fun than I thought. It didn't rain much past early morning and the lady who ran the guesthouse said I didn't have to check out at noon - I could stay until my bus left at 6:30. So I decided to rent a motorbike. It was a daily rental so I scootered around the whole town. I was very noticeable. I wasn't wearing anything crazy revealing and it was a hot day so many people were also in shorts and tshirts (which is a bit unusual since Java is fairly Muslim and most women wear head coverings of some kind) - but I stuck out like a sore thumb. Everyone stared at me, some people actually took photos of me. Many people were just friendly and wanted to say ... read more