Laurent and Mattheau met me at D-Mall this morning at 10:00 so we could all go snorkeling together. They had already found a tour and we had to hurry because the boat was waiting for us. I say boat but it is more like an overgrown canoe with a cover, open sides, and huge bamboo poles out to the sides for balance. The crew were Filipino sea men, dark skinned from the sun, tattooed, sturdy balancing on the bamboo poles, and smiling.
Shoving off from the beach proved difficult so Laurent and Mattheau hopped off to help push. Off we set on a gorgeous 6 hour tour around Boracay Island with 5 stops, including a buffet lunch. The first stop was snorkeling and the water again so beautiful but not that many little fishes. We saw a purple star fish – one of the crew brought it to me underwater. Second stop was Crystal Cove – a bit of a bust. An “optional” 150 pesos to go see a cave. I opted not and stayed on the beach, chatting with Carl and his girlfriend June.
Carl and June are Filipino. Carl lives here, in Mindanao, working in Marketing for Unilever and June lives for now in Dubai working as a photographer for an Indian fashion designer. They are a lovely couple, so happy and so glad to be enjoying life and their time together. Carl is also a chef, having studied at a culinary institute and speaks French cooking terms. He was quizzing Laurent on the correct pronunciation of boullaibase, croissant and other French foods. He is a photographer too and became our small band’s de facto photo shoot organizer.
We ventured to lunch at another part of the island, disembarking down the very narrow gang plank into the ocean with a bamboo pole propped for us to hold onto. Little kids lined up around the boat clapping and doing backflips, waiting for a coin to be thrown into the water so they could show their diving prowess and make some money. I sat with Carl, Jane and the Frenchies. Carl explained we were having roasted baby tuna, chicken and pork skewers, stir fried veggies, etc.
Our next stop was Puka Beach. Remote, not developed, pristine and gorgeous. We swam and let the gentle waves lap us around for almost an hour. Our view was the crystal blue ocean and the lush green vegetation, with white sand and a cliff.
Next we stopped to snorkel some more, this time with many little colored fish and vibrant living coral. And then back to Station 3, White Beach, where we said goodbye with a plan to meet up later at Station 1 at Guilly’s Island bar and disco.
I am having a Mango Margarita on the beach for happy hour and sunset and am looking forward to a nibble at the hotel, then out and tomorrow morning a massage at Mandala Spa on the mountain in the jungle.
1 comment:
Sound like you're having a blast so far. Post some pictures when you get a cahnce so I can feel bad about working all the time. Me and em will have to make it down there soon. She just finished her big engineering certification exam (like the bar for engineers, it was two days long) and my project is winding down so we are looking foward to things being a little more normal around here.
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