The Philippines

It was been a very long day. Last night we left shanghai at 12:30. We arrived in Manilla at 4am and then caught our connecting flight to the island of Bohol.

After leaving the airport, we hired a driver to take us to see the Tarsier Monkey’s native to Bohol. The monkeys are endangered, but recently a sanctuary has been built for them in order to save the species. They are very small and have HUGE eyes (they were the inspiration for Spielberg’s “Gremlins” movie). On the way to the sanctuary, we passed some really interesting scenery – cows and feral dogs on the side of the road, people hanging from the backs of buses, poverty-stricken buildings, many catholic churches, and dense rainforest.

Next, we headed to our guesthouse on Alona beach, a resort area well known for its world class diving. I spoke with the owner of a dive shop, who told me I could dive for very reasonable prices, because I got my diving certificate last year in Thailand.

Tomorrow I will be diving on the island of Balicasag, which I have been looking forward to since I started taking an interest in diving.