Today, Albert became my tour guide once again. Molong wanted me to experience one of Cebu's most famous attractions--swimming with the Whale Sharks!
Albert and I left at 5:30 AM to avoid the traffic, because it was a long journey to the far southern end of the island of Cebu. We jumped on the motorbike and started on our three hour journey. Now, I know that in previous posts I stated that I enjoyed riding the motor bike, and that has not changed, however, three hours is quite a challenge, as I had a backpack on, and there was no back rest. I learned evey possible posture and repositioning to allow for minimal discomfort.
Albert took every opportunity to make time on open roads where he could. The whales have a schedule, and they don't take people out after noon. Apparently, they learned this the hard way when they took a young French visitor there some time ago, and they got there at one o'clock, only to be told they missed it. Albert was not going to let this happen again. We stopped along the road for breakfast. I know you are thinking Dunkin Donuts, McDonalds, etc., but that would not be accurate. We usually stop at roadside "eateries", which would look like a small shack or small unfinished building with a counter and lots of pots of cooked food. The first thing you do is to go up and start looking under the lids of the pots to see what was cooked that day. Then, if you decide to eat there, you tell the person behind the counter which items you want. If they have tables available, you sit down (and it is quite rustic), and they bring your food and some rice. We found some tremendous food at these stops, and experienced true Filippino food. Some of the soups were outstanding!
We ate our breakfast, which was like any other meal (no eggs or cereal or the like) and went on our way. We paid less than 200 pesos for both of us to eat, which is about five dollars.
We arrived at our destination, changed into our swimsuits, then paid, went through orientatioin, and got our life jackets on. Because we were going out into the open ocean to swim, I couldn't take my cell phone for pictures. Albert, however, did have a waterproof camera that he used to take some great shots, and possibly video, but it wasn't yet available to me as of this writing.
We boarded a small canoe with support beams on either side, and three men began rowing out as hard as they could, out to where the whale sharks were. There were other boats there, too. The whale sharks are basically harmless. We were told to stay four meters away, but that is not always possible. When we got to the location, we jumped in the water. We had been issued a snorkeling mask and breathing tube so we could watch underwater. Sure enough, the whale sharks would come between the boats. I noticed that some of the boats had only a few staff people who would feed them so they would keep coming. At first, I didn't see the whale shark coming, and it came underneath me, and I felt it brush against my feet. They are truly marvelous creatures, and to see them so close up was incredible! They have large mouths, and are brownish in color with whitish spots all over them. Quite a site to behold. They allowed us 30 minutes, then we had to climb on board the canoe and they rowed us back to shore. The water was beautiful, bluish in color, and the waves were rolling. into shore.
Afterward, we climbed back on the cycle again, and went to Tumalog Falls. Molong had taken many people there in the past. I've seen many falls, but did not anticipate the beauty of this one. We had to go up a steep mountain road, then we parked and had to pay to get in. We then had to go down a very steep road, but we had to either walk, or pay one of the other "transport experts" to take us down, which was nothing more than a few young men who had cycles, and for a few pesos (about 50 cents) would take you down, or bring you back up. We decided to walk.
The falls was absolutely the most amazing falls I had ever seen. Pictures can't do it justice, as they don't give a true indication of the height and depth of it all. Albert took the water proof camera, and got closer than I could because we were able to swim in the natural pool below the falls. The water was MUCH cooler than the warm ocean we were just in, but quite refreshing. We spent about 30-45 minutes there, relaxing and taking pictures, but decided to go because it was starting to get quite crowded as it got closer to lunch time.
We changed back into our riding clothes, took a few more pictures and started off for home. The way back seemed so much longer because the traffic was much heavier. The road ran right along the coast, so much of the way, until we reached Cebu City, I was able to see the ocean. We went through many small towns, most were quite poor. We took a few more breaks just to stretch. We stopped in a small city about 20 km south of Cebu City, called Carcar. It was bustling with people, cars, and transport busses passing through. We stopped in the square (which was actually a circle), and got something to drink and a quick snack. No sooner did we stop the bike we were bombarded with sales ladies selling all types of prepackaged food--charros (pig skins), rice cakes, candy, etc. I watched Albert, and he ignored them as best he could, shooed them away and walked right by them, so I did the same. We went up to a merchant stand and bought a few things and stood and ate. I watched as other cars would pull up to the curb and would each be swarmed with these sales ladies. Some bought and then went on their way. This was quite interesting to watch.
Before we got back home, it was almost supper time, about 4:00, so we stopped at a nice place on the coast that they take visitors to when they come. It was very nice, open on all sides, with a pavilion-like roof. The seating was wooden and quite comortable. We enjoyed some very nice food and relaxed before the last leg our our journey, through the busy cities of Cebu and Mandau.
By this time, the traffic was quite heavy, but I could tell Albert was getting tired, too. He did all he could to weave in and out of traffc. Every traffic light, we weaved our way through and past the cars to the front of the line. All the cyclists do that, so it's expected. We would talk about those kind of people in the US and tell them to get in line where they belong, but here it is the norm.
We arrived home safely. I was tired and took some time to rest. Molong was just returning, also, from the store to cook supper. We were having guests--his father and aunt were coming for a wedding that weekend and would stay with Molong. So, about 6:30 or 7:00, I ate again--the fourth meal of the day! Too much eating!
Anyhow, I got a bit long winded this time, but things are winding down. I will begin my final 24 hours here, now, and will go to the airport after dinner Friday night. Molong's sister, Nickie, will be leaving for Singapore on Sunday to find work, and his other sister and mother will be leaving for Dublin, Ireland, as soon as his mother's visa comes through. Filippinos don't have much work opportunity here, so many go to other countries to work if they are at all able to do so.
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