12/6/13 Oslob & Malapascua Days 1-4

Oslob and Malapascua Day 1 and 2

It was an early morning.  We got up about 5 a.m. which gave us just enough time to get dressed and get our final pieces of luggage packed and set out on the front porch for our 5:30 van ride to Oslob to snorkel with the whale sharks.  It was a very nice two hour drive from Asian-Belgian Resort in Moalboal over to Oslob.  Since it was early in the morning the traffic was not too hectic.  It was mostly school children getting ready or on their way to school for the day.  They get an early start here as there is no air conditioning in the schools.  Most schools are concrete construction with open windows for the breeze to blow through (if there is any).  I imagine it can get pretty hot inside in the afternoon.  

We arrived at BCD’s Place to snorkel with the whale sharks about 7:30 a.m.  The weather was perfect and the location was perfect as it is on the east side of southern Cebu and with the sun coming up in the morning the lighting was perfect for picture taking and video.  Since we arrived pretty early we were actually the second boat out in the queue to see the sharks.  They give each boatload of people exactly 30 minutes (although it seemed longer) in the water with the whale sharks and then they load you back in the boat and head back to shore.  Luckily our boat only contained me, Jordan, and Eric.  It is a very short boat ride from the shore.  They use small bancas that a couple of guys paddle out.  None of the boats have motors.  Eric got a few good shots of them and I got a few video clips that were not too bad.

It is an amazing experience to be in the water with such gentle giants.  They are like great big puppy dogs.  One of them came up behind me after I got in the water and nudged me in the butt and swam right underneath me.  

After we got back to shore they had free showers and changing rooms that we used to get cleaned up before we got in the car for the approximately six hour car ride to the northern most town in Cebu (Maya) to catch our boat over to Malapascua.  We had a van that picked us up at the resort in Moalboal to take us to Oslob and then we had another car that met us in Oslob to drive us to Maya.  So after we got all of our luggage transferred from the van to the car, the journey began.  

Our driver took a detour around Cebu City to avoid all the city traffic which took us back over to the western coast and then up north.  We did not start to see any evidence of typhoon damage until we were about two hours out from Maya.  The further north we got the more extensive the damage was.  The northern tip of Cebu definitely got hit hard by the typhoon, but no where near the extend of Leyte and the city of Tacloban which is what most people have seen on the news.  It was sad to see the destruction but encouraging to see people trying to get their lives back to normal.  Kids were going to school, laundry was hanging out to dry, stores were open and selling goods, and of course people were busy trying to repair and rebuild their homes.  

The damage was rather odd, kind of like the aftermath of some tornados, where some houses were untouched and yet the house next door was destroyed.  The destruction was not always dictated by the type of construction either.  Some solidly built concrete houses were damaged and some not and some bamboo and thatch constructed houses were destroyed and some not.

We finally made it to Maya and had to wait just a few minutes before our boat arrived.  We finally found our boat and got all our luggage loaded on.  It looked like we were ready to travel for a few months with all the luggage we had.  We had to wait a few minutes on the boat as they  guys had to fill up five or six big jugs with diesel fuel to bring back for the generator at Matt’s house.  After they got those loaded on the boat we were on our way.  Evolution only had two boats that survived the typhoon, the one that picked us up and the Haldane (their larger boat).  The boat that picked us up is the newest in their fleet, but after surviving the typhoon it looked a little rough around the edges.  It had been freshly painted, but the writing on one side is now very faint after the major sandblasting it took with the winds from the typhoon.  This boat also does not have outriggers so it was a little bit of a slower journey to Malapascua as we had to go slower to avoid being drenching with seaspray from the small rollers.

As we approached, the damage was evident but everywhere you looked people were busy cleaning up and making repairs.  The cleanup at Evolution has been amazing.  Their older rooms were damaged in the storm but basically just need new roofs put on.  The bar/restaurant area was destroyed, but they have set up a temporary bar/dining area on the beach and are busy building the new and improved restaurant which should be completed by Christmas.  

The main building housing the kitchen, reception, gear room, compressor room, etc., only suffered minor damage and just needs some new thatching on the roof, the metal underneath was not damaged.  The new two-story concrete rooms that they just build last year only experienced minor mostly cosmetic damage to some of the exterior and roof.      

Their new air conditioned rooms at Evolution are amazing.  It is the nicest room we have ever stayed in in the Philippines and probably nicer than a lot of the hotels we have stayed in in the states.  The rooms have spacious tiled front patios with comfy seating and a drying rack for wet swim cloths.  The inside has very nice tile floors, a granite sink/vanity area with vessel sink, a writing desk, two queen size beds, a large closet with a safe, and a separate very nicely tiled shower and toilet room with glass block separating the shower from the toilet.  They definitely put a lot of thought into the design, layout, and materials they chose to use.  

The island still does not have 24-hour power and most power on the island is coming from individual generators.  Sitting on our patio it was encouraging to hear the hum of generators all around, chickens clucking, roosters crowing, and workers busy everywhere hammering and sawing—the signs of progress.

The hours for power at Evolution are from 4 a.m.-11 a.m. and from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m.  So we have no power in the middle of the day and after 11 p.m. at night.  I think these hours are partly due to the need for power during construction hours.  It is too hot to work during the middle of the day, so everyone takes off then.  

The lack of power in the middle of the day was not a problem as we were out diving and the outage at night was not bad as we had pre-cooled our room before the power went out at 11 p.m.  With the walls and floor of the room being concrete it managed to stay pretty cool until the power came back on in the morning.  

Since Malapascua only got 24-hour power within the last few years the lack of power was not a shock to the people who live on the island.  A lot of them are used to cooking over an open wood fire and living their daily lives without power.   

I think Eric almost wanted to go for a dive the first day we got here, but seeing as we did not get here until around 4 p.m. and Jordan and I were tired from traveling all day, we decided to wait until the next day to start diving.  We ended up unpacking our dive gear and getting that ready for the next day and relaxing at the bar area and ordering dinner.  By the time dinner rolled around we were quite hungry as we left Asian-Belgian resort before breakfast and we were on the road all day long.  So our breakfast and lunch consisted of peanut M&Ms that we had brought with us from home and a bag of Trail Mix Jordan had brought from home.  Needless to say we were ready for some real food.  

They still have a lot of the same staff, including the cook and some of the bar girls, who remembered us from last year.  They have a limited menu right now, but the food is just as good as it was before and presentation is like it is coming out of a five-star restaurant.  Eric had the chicken escalope with slaw and fries and Jordan and I had the beer-battered fish and chips.

We got up early Tuesday morning for the shark dive.  The boat leaves at 5 a.m. and the briefing is at 4:45 a.m.  I think we were one of the first boats at the dive site.  There are only a few other dive resorts that are operational right now, so we only saw a few other divers on our dive.  We saw at least two or three or maybe more thresher sharks (hard to tell as they circle around a lot).  I got a few snippets of good video and Eric may have gotten one or two good photos.  At least we have proof that we saw them and Jordan got to see then too.  

After the shark dive we headed back to Evolution for breakfast.  I had two eggs with toast and butter and a fresh mango, Eric had a fresh mango and toast, and Jordan had two eggs with toast and bacon.  

The next dive was at 9:30, so we relaxed for a little while after breakfast and then headed out again.  Some of the dive sites suffered only minimal damage if any and others like the house reef were destroyed.  There are still lots of dive sites to go to that have plenty of things to see, the thresher sharks are still here, and the reefs that were damaged will recover in time.  

Eric and I also went out and did the dive at 1:30.  Jordan sat that one out.  Then Eric and Jordan went out for the 4:15 p.m. mandarin fish dive and I stayed back to type up the blog.  As I sit and type on the patio of our room Anna and her crew are busy equally dividing up supplies of screws, bolts, nails, metal roofing sheets, and bags of concrete that were purchased with relief money.

Malapascua Day 3 and 4

Today was another nice day on the island.  We got up bright and early at 4:20 a.m. to be able to check our tanks before the dive briefing at 4:45.  We promptly got under way around 5 a.m. to head out to see the sharks.  We were the first boat to the dive site again today.  This time we had a total of seven divers plus our guides.  Shortly after we arrived another couple boats from the other two diver operators that are operational right now also showed up with divers.  It is definitely not as busy as it used to be pre-typhoon, but there are still plenty of sharks to see and they came in really close.  I got some really nice video and Eric got a few good shots of them.

After the dive we headed back to Evolution to have some breakfast and relax for a bit before the second dive at 9:30.  The second dive site was one we had been to before and it did not look like it sustained any damage from the storm.  It was covered in beautiful soft corals.  Jo-Jo managed find a frogfish hiding in the soft corals, a very large cuttlefish, and various types of nudibranchs.  Toward the end of the dive on the top of the reef we also came across a sea snake.  Unfortunately, it was dead and missing its head.  

After this dive we again headed back to the resort to have some lunch and hang out before the third dive at 1:30.  As we came back from the second dive there was a very large banca unloading what must have been at least 100 or more huge stalks of massive bamboo.  It was quite a sight to see.  They would toss them off the outriggers of the banca one by one into the water and there were a bunch of guys swimming in the water and up on the beach to get the pieces of bamboo one by one onto the beach.  It was apparent that a lot of this bamboo was going to be used to make new outriggers for a lot of the damaged boats.  Most of the boats that were damaged in the storm had the outriggers broken off.  

Also, when we were coming back from the second dive we had noticed a very large military looking ship not far off the coast and two smaller boats that seemed to be following it.  As we were waiting for our lunch to be served we looked out in front of the resort and not far out in the water were two amphibious military vehicles traveling along parallel to the coast line.  Our young Swedish dive guide, who by the way is tall, blonde, and gorgeous, walked out onto the beach and was waving her arms at them and the next thing you know they turned the vehicle toward the shore and drove right up onto the beach.  

Much to her amazement, two women got off and walked up the beach to talk to her (not who she was expecting to get off of two boats full of men).  Someone told us they thought it was the Australian marines.  Apparently they were lost and looking for the north end of the island.  The two women who got off had a Google map on their phone and could not figure out which direction was which.  That is pretty bad when the marines can’t figure out how to use a compass.  I told Eric the women probably demanded that they pull the vehicle over so they could get off and ask for directions instead of circling the island aimlessly.  When they drove up on the beach in the amphibious vehicle they drew quite the crowd.  I think everyone on that side of the island dropped everything they were doing to come and look.  After getting directions they got back in the vehicle and drove back down the beach and into the water and headed North. 

After lunch we went out for the third dive.  This dive site had some minimal damage but was still very nice and had lots of stuff to see.  We found several cuttlefish, lots of nudibranchs, a porcelain crab in an anemone, a flatworm, and a leaf fish to name just a few things we saw.  

We then made our way back to the resort again for a short break before our fourth dive of the day, the mandarin fish dive.  This is an evening/night dive.  The briefing for this dive is around 4:00-4:15 and you get in the water just as the sun is going down, around 5 p.m.  The Mandarin fish mate every evening just as it is getting dark.  First you have to be lucky enough to find a pair to watch and then you have to be extremely lucky to get pictures and video of the split-second mating.  When ready to mate the pair slowly rises up from their coral and within seconds it is all over.  We were lucky enough to find three or four mating pairs.  However, they were all so quick I don’t think I got any video and I don’t think Eric got any pictures either.  

After the mandarin fish display was over we proceeded on with our night dive.  We saw a small octopus, a bunch of different kinds of nudibranchs, a tiny turtle (which turned out to be a toy that was planted by Jo-Jo), and at the end Eric was lucky enough to spot two seahorses, apparently male and female as it appeared one was carrying babies.  I got some pretty good video of the seahorses.  

With that dive over, it was the end of our diving for the trip.  We finally made it back to the resort after we had a bit of trouble finding the buoy for the Haldane to tie up to.  The storm destroyed a lot of the buoys and with them having to use one in a different location and it being pitch black out I can see how it would be hard to find.  We made it back to shore and had a quick dinner before heading off to bed.  We were all looking forward to being able to sleep in the next morning.  

The power was on when we got back and was to go off at 11 p.m. as usual and then come back on at 4 a.m.  However, it never came on in the morning.  We ended up sleeping in until about 7:30 and then got up.  Apparently the fuel filter had been acting up on the generator and they had managed to get it working the day before but it finally bit the dust.  Of course there were no parts on the island to fix it with.  So we had to go without power all day.  Worst part is when the power goes out there is no water also as the pump to pump the water up to the water tank does not work.  So they got us a large basin filled with water so we could scoop water into the toilet tank to flush the toilet.  

Matt and David ordered a 2-1/2 ton generator (at a cost of 1.5 million Philippine pesos) that was to be delivered today around 1:30 and along with it was coming the fuel filter to fix the existing generator.  However, later in the morning we found out they could not bring the generator across from Maya because the waves were too big coming across the channel (it was quite a bit windier today).  However, they did manage to get it loaded onto the boat in Maya, so I guess they will attempt to bring it across tomorrow.  They did get the part for the existing generator so we finally got power about 3 p.m.  It will be interesting when they get the generator delivered as they will only be able to use manpower to get it off the boat and put into position behind the resort.  A lot of pulling by a lot of people will be involved.  

We managed to cool ourselves down for an hour or so before we all headed over to the restaurant to have a bite to eat around 5:30 p.m. before catching our boat back to Maya at 6 p.m.  We got all our luggage loaded on the boat and set out for the approximately hour-long crossing in the dark.  We made it safely across and our car was waiting for us to take us on the three hour trip back to Cebu City.  We had a very good driver who liked to take it a bit slower and not take any chances in the dark, which was good.  I think all of us ended up falling asleep for at least part of the trip.  As far as car ride go for this trip, I think we have now covered every major road from one end of Cebu to the other.  We basically made a giant figure-of-eight.  

We arrived at the airport and got our luggage checked, got our boarding passes, made it through security (piece of cake compared to US security) and made our way to the Asiana Lounge to wait for a few hours before our flight.  It is pretty nice, when you are in business class and wait in the lounge they come and get you when your flight is ready to board and they escort you to your gate.  Eric and I were the first two people on the plane.  Business class on our four-hour flight from Cebu to Incheon only had seven people out of 15 available seats and that included Jordan, Eric, and I.

We had an uneventful flight to Incheon and I think we each slept a little bit.  By the time we got off the plane though we were all good and ready for a nice hot shower and a real bed.  We made our way to transfer security and headed straight to the transit hotel to check in.  Eric and I went straight to bed and slept for about six hours and then got up and took a good long hot shower.  Now on to the next leg of the journey, Incheon to Seattle and Seattle to Phoenix.

12/01/13 Moalboal Day 10

Sunday, December 1, 2013

We stayed up a little later last night since Eric and Jordan did the night dive, so we actually slept until the alarm clock went off at 6:45.  We then went down and sat at the restaurant and enjoyed the morning.  Jordan then joined us.  

Last night we had decided we would do two dives in the morning today, but after we got up this morning Jordan and I decided we would just skip diving today and relax instead.  Eric decided to go ahead and do just one dive in the morning.  It was rather calm this morning so Albert recommended they go to the Sanctuary again.  So it was just Eric and Albert on the dive so Eric got to do exactly what he wanted.  He had fun experimenting with camera settings, etc. and got some nice shots.  

We had thought about taking a tricycle into Moalboal to see the “big city” but we were all too pooped, so we spent the afternoon sitting around, working on the computer, packing up our stuff and trying to dry out our gear to pack up for tomorrow.  

We have a car coming for us at 5:30 a.m. to take us and all of our luggage to Oslob.  It is about a two hour car ride from Moalboal to Oslob.  We have plans to snorkel with the whale sharks and then we have another car meeting us there to transfer our luggage and drive us to the other end of Cebu (Maya).  Then Evolution is picking us up with their boat and taking us over to Malapascua.  They have gotten everything cleaned up and are back open for business.  We are looking forward to being their first official customers after the typhoon.

They may or may not have wifi working on Malapascua, so you may not hear anything from us for a few days.  We will be leaving Malapascua the evening of December 5 for our 1 a.m. flight December 6 from Cebu back to South Korea.

11/30/13 Moalboal Day 9

Saturday, November 30, 2013

Today was another beautiful day in the Philippines.  The sun was shining and the breeze was blowing.  Eric managed to get up and get out the door this morning without waking me up.  I must have been dead to the world.  I finally woke up around 6:30 and wandered down to the restaurant to join him.  Jordan then joined us a short time later.  

We ordered our standard mangos for breakfast along with mango juice, eggs, and toast with mango jam.  Jordan is hooked now too, so he has to have at least one or two mangos a day.  

Our first dive was to the Sanctuary/airplane site.  Eric, Jordan and I got in first with Albert as we like to take it slow and take pictures of everything we see.  The Australian family joined Roland to go and see the airplane and then cruise around the reef.  We got some really good video and photos of some ocellaris clownfish.  Jordan got some really good pictures too.  We also managed to find a couple different nudibranchs and some other different types of fish.

We came back to the resort to have some lunch and go back out for a second dive around 1:30.  Eric and Jordan both had garlic rice for lunch.  I think Eric is going to turn into a giant piece of rice.  He had garlic rice for lunch and dinner both yesterday.  I had my standard chicken sandwich, so I guess I will turn into a chicken soon.  

After lunch we headed out for the second dive.  We went to a dive site called Palisades.  It had a lot of pretty coral and lots of tiny fish and of course tons of turtles.  Eric found a huge group of razor fish.  He also found a couple of whip coral shrimp.  

After we collected everyone up we made our way back to the resort.  Eric and Jordan decided they would do a night dive tonight.  So we hung out for a few hours and looked at a few pictures and some of my video before they headed out for their night dive around 6 p.m.

Dinner will be late tonight.  I ordered ahead to have their food ready around 7:00 or 7:15 so they can have it as soon as they get back from their dive.  They ended up getting back around 7:20 or so.  They saw lots of lion fish, lots of decorator crabs, and Jordan actually found a sea snake.

11/29/13 Moalboal Day 8

Friday, November 29, 2013

We woke up around 6:30 again today.  Per our usual routine we headed down to the restaurant and sat and enjoyed the morning until the girls arrived at 7:30 a.m.  Eric worked on some video on the computer and then Jordan joined us a little bit later.  We ordered breakfast around 7:30 and then got all the cameras and gear ready to go for our 9 a.m. dive.  It was just the three of us and our guide, Albert, this morning, so we got to choose where we wanted to go.  

Our first dive we went to Pescador island and dove the south side again.  We did this dive the other day and it was really nice, so we wanted to take Jordan to do this dive.  This time we were about the only boat at the dive site so we had the whole place to ourselves.  The south side is sheltered from current so it was very calm and we took our time and had a nice relaxing dive.  I got a bunch of footage of a turtle and of course tons of little fish everywhere.  We also found a stone fish and a few nudibranchs.  

After our first dive we had a rather rough crossing coming back across the channel to get back to Moalboal.  The winds had picked up a bit and there were some small white caps so we got splashed a bit, but nothing we have not experienced before.  Our second dive was at a site just across the channel from Pescador island.  

The second dive was rather shallow so we stayed down for a good length of time and there was lots to see.  We found the largest green turtle we have seen yet.  It had to be at least 5 feet in length and 3-4 feet across.  It was just laying on a ledge and I got some good video of it turning around and then yawning.  

Toward the end of the dive Eric found a bright yellow juvenile box fish.  I got video of it and then later Eric said it was eating or nipping at a flatworm.  I of course never saw this part while I was filming it, but I managed to get it on video.  At the end of the dive we also saw a school of large needlefish hanging out near the surface.  

We then made our way back to the resort and had some lunch so we could head back out about 2:30 p.m. for our third dive.  One of the other guests, Anna, joined us on this dive.  Since the water was a little rougher today we headed just a little way down the shore to the spot that we really like.  This spot is nice because you can stay really shallow and there are lots of things to see, including more turtles.  

After this dive we made the short trip back to the resort and got cleaned up and had some dinner and started the process of sifting through photos and video—the usual nightly routine.

11/28/13 Moalboal Day 7

Thursday, November 28, 2013

HAPPY THANKSGIVING.

It was another beautiful morning.  The sun was shining when we got up and headed to the restaurant around 6:45 a.m.  We sat and enjoyed the morning and talked with Cyril and Claire.  They were leaving around 9 a.m. this morning to head to another island before heading back to Cebu City and then back home to China.  

Eric and I both ordered a mango and I ordered two eggs with toast.  After breakfast we got our gear ready to go diving at 9 a.m.  We were heading out to Pescador island for the first dive.  We had a full boat with 11 divers.  We broke up into two groups and Eric and I brought up the rear as usual.  It was a very beautiful dive.  Tons and tons of colorful fish and beautiful hard and soft corals and sponges everywhere.  There was not much current for most of the dive, which made it nice.  Right at the end we got a pretty strong current but by that time we were ready to head up to the surface.  

By the time we made it back to the resort it was about 11:45 so consensus was to have lunch and a break and then go back out around 2 o’clock.  Right about the time we got back from the first dive Jordan arrived via car from Cebu City.  So after putting his stuff in his room he joined us for some lunch.  

After lunch Jordan headed back to his room to get his stuff together so he could join us for the 2 o’clock dive.  We had another full boat with 13 divers for the second dive.  We went just down the shore to check out the sardines.  The reef is not really very good there, but the main attraction is the sardines.  However, I did see quite a few nudibranchs, a banded pipefish, and a turtle amongst the millions of sardines that were blocking the sunlight at times.  

After we got back to the resort Eric and I got cleaned up and then headed down to the restaurant to check out our photos and video and had a nice visit with Anneliek (proper spelling this time).  She is the young Dutch doctor that has been diving with us the last few days.  She is quite the world traveler and very fun to talk with and share stories.  

Eric and I ordered our vegetarian spaghetti carbonara to split for dinner again and of course our ice cream bars.  Then Jordan joined us a bit later.  He got cleaned up after diving and laid down on his bed and fell asleep.  I can’t blame him.  We were really tired the first day we got here too, but boy did we sleep good that first night.

11/27/13 Moalboal Day 6

Wednesday, November 27, 2013

We got up around 6:30 a.m. and headed down to the restaurant to hang out and enjoy the morning before the girls showed up to serve breakfast.  It was another beautiful morning.  The sun was shining and the water was like glass.  I took a nice silhouette photo of Eric sitting in the restaurant with the water behind him that he posted to our Facebook page.  

After our breakfast of fresh mango slices, Belgian bread with butter and mango jam, and mango juice we sat and enjoyed the morning for a while before getting our dive gear ready for the first dive of the day.  We headed out on the boat about 9 a.m.  It was Eric and I, Analique (a Dutch doctor) and Cyril (whom we have dove with the last two days) and our German guide, Albert.  

We went to a site where they have a small plane that was placed as an artificial reef.  Just to the side of the plane there is a small patch of garden eels.  Eric set up Tim’s camera and got some good video of the garden eels.  Eric also got some video of a pipe seahorse carrying eggs on its belly.  Not too far from the plane wreck was a large purple/pink barrel sponge.  I swam over to look down inside and what did I see in the bottom but an anemone with a clownfish living in it.  That is something I will probably never see again.  

After we all swam away from the wreck to explore the rest of the reef I came across an anemone with some very protective clownfish.  As I approached they both swam up and were looking me in the eye and swimming in front of my face.  One of them actually nipped at the front of my forehead (on my beanie).  Eric got photo of them looking me in the eye.  

Right at the end of the dive Cyril pointed up in the shallow water and at first I saw something which I eventually figured out was a large squid.  I then looked to the right of it and there was a line of about 20.  Of course we did not get any video or pictures as they know how to stay just out of camera range.  Cyril said he actually counted them and there were 20.  They were the largest squid I have ever seen.  When I saw the first one I thought it was a cuttlefish.

After that dive we headed back to the resort.  We all decided to take a break and have some lunch and then head out in the afternoon around 1:30 for an afternoon dive.  We had our standard lunch of garlic rice, Belgian fries, and chicken sandwich with my mango juice.  Unfortunately, we discovered last night that they also have ice cream bars (dipped in what else but Belgian chocolate).  So we of course had to have one of those after lunch.  

The afternoon dive we went back to the spot we went yesterday where we saw the ornate ghost pipefish.  It is a very pretty spot with lots of healthy colorful coral and tons of fish.  We must have seen at least five or six large turtles too.  

We then came back to the resort.  As we were taking off our dive gear to rinse and hang up I looked up in the tree above the bench to see a very large beautiful yellow-backed spider.  It was very large and sitting right in the middle of a very ornate web with the sun glistening through the tree and illuminating the web.  Eric got some good photos of it.  It is not something I would want to find in my room, but beautiful to see in its natural habitat.  

They were actually doing a night dive tonight but Eric decided to sit it out and relax and work on photos, etc.  We ended up talking with a lot of the other guests and the next thing we knew it was dark and time for dinner.  For dinner tonight we decided to try spaghetti carbonara (vegetarian).  Eric and I split it (the servings are very big) and it was really good.  After dinner we of course had to have ice cream, again.  I will probably come home 10 pound heavier.  The food is so good here.  Of course I will have mango running through my blood too.

11/26/13 Moalbual Day 5

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

We kept the same schedule as yesterday as far as diving.  We got up and headed to breakfast around 7 a.m. and ordered a couple of fresh mangos and I also ordered some Belgian bread with butter and homemade mango jam.  I have also been keeping up with my schedule of mango juice with every meal.  There are no words to describe how good these mangos are.  

After breakfast we got our gear together and headed out to do two dives around 9 a.m.  This time we had a full boat again.  The Australian family of four went with one guide and Eric and I and Cyril went with Albert (our guide).  We saw quite a few turtles but not as many as everyone else as we had our heads stuck in the coral (of course).  Apparently our group saw about nine turtles in total.  There is lots of small stuff to see too.  

On the second dive we also saw a few more turtles and a huge school of leaf fish and some type of scorpion fish.  We also saw the biggest octopus either one of us has ever seen.  I got quite a bit of video of him, but most of it was of him playing hide and seek in and out of his hiding holes.  

After the two morning dives we came back and had some lunch.  Eric had garlic rice and I had my chicken sandwich and we split some Belgian fries.  The food has been really good.  Of course it can’t hurt that you are sitting by the ocean in the fresh air enjoying the food.  

After lunch we headed out for our third dive of the day.  This time it was just Albert, Eric and I.  So we took a short boat road down the coast a little ways to a spot that Albert said not many people go because there is no buoy there.  It was a very beautiful spot with very healthy coral and lots of colorful fish.  We saw a small ornate ghost pipefish, a pair of banded pipefish, another scorpionfish and tons of clownfish of all colors and types.  I swear on top of the reef there is an anemone with a clownfish in it about every 2 ft.  

The third dive was nice as we poked along at our own pace and did our own thing.  We actually stayed down for about 70 minutes and still came up with anywhere from 1000-1300 PSI.  

The weather was pretty nice again today.  We had a little rain shower as we were getting on the boat for the first dive, but other than that most of the day was sunny and nice.

11/25/13 Moalbual Day 4

Monday, November 25, 2013

We woke up around 6 a.m. this morning and checked e-mail and text messages and then headed to the restaurant for breakfast.  Eric decided to order Belgian pancakes and I ordered mango pancakes.  They were good but way too much for one person to eat.  Next time we will order just one plate.  

After breakfast we got all our camera gear together and headed out for two morning dives about 9 a.m.  Our first dive we went to Pescador Island.  It was a very nice dive with lots of colorful coral and fish all the way around.  It was a drift dive but there was very little current which made it nice for photography and video.  After we got out we then motored to the next dive site which was where the sardines had moved to.  They are actually now right in front of one of the resorts down the beach a couple miles.  

It was amazing to see so many sardines so close to the shore.  The groups were so big they actually blocked out the sunlight and there was no way I could possibly get all of them in one frame.  After we got our fill of sardines and other critters we got back on the boat and made the short trip back to our resort, the Asian-Belgian Dive resort.  

We got somewhat rinsed off and made our way back to the restaurant to have our lunch.  At breakfast time I had gone ahead and ordered our lunch for around 1 o’clock when we got back.  That way we would not have to wait so long for our food.  It does take them a while to prepare meals here, but then again they cook everything from scratch and they have a very extensive menu compared to most places.  So far everything we have had has been very good.  Both days so far I have had the chicken sandwich.  They obviously bake their own Belgian bread also, which is very good.  

After lunch we got the camera equipment ready to go out again at 2:30 p.m.  This time we had a full boat with an Australian family doing their open water diver course and another person in addition to Eric and me.  We got to go off on our own with our dive guide, Albert.  He pretty much lets us do what we want and just hangs back and watches, which is nice.  As anyone that has dove with us know, we like to poke along and stick our head in every hole we find.  

The visibility on this dive was not so good, but we were looking for small stuff anyway.  We found a ton of clownfish of all types and colors, including the famous Nemo (ocellaris clownfish).  This dive was fairly shallow so we were out for about an hour.  After everyone made it back on the boat we headed back to the resort.  

After we got all our gear rinsed and hung up we went back to our room and took a shower so we could head back to the restaurant to get some dinner and check e-mails and of course type up the all-important blog.  I think so far I have had a mango juice/shake with every meal since I got here.  I also had another tomato salad for dinner and Eric ordered the vegetarian Bolognese again.  

The weather so far has been beautiful.  This morning the ocean in front of the resort was like glass.  There were a few clouds around today, but it was sunny all day with very little wind.  Another beautiful day in the Philippines.

11/24/13 Moalboal Days 1-3

Friday, November 22, 2013

We headed to the airport about 6 a.m. for our 8:45 flight from Phoenix to Seattle.  This was our first time both using the TSA precheck line for security.  Boy was that a breeze.  You can keep your jacket and your shoes on and you don’t have to get out your liquids or your laptop, etc.  You pretty much walk up, throw your bags on the conveyer, and walk through the metal detector.    No body scanning either.  We wondered how it would go with all of our camera gear, but they didn’t even bat and eye.  The whole security check took about two minutes.  Definitely worth the money for sure. 

We headed to the US Airways lounge and got something to eat for breakfast and then headed to our gate.  This whole trip we are flying first class/business class.  So of course we are first on and off the plane too.  The trip from Phoenix to Seattle was uneventful.  It was quite a change leaving rainy Phoenix and landing in sunny Seattle.  Once in Seattle we then went to the Asiana gate and changed out our boarding passes for Asiana boarding passes for the rest of the trip.  Then we went and hung out in the Delta Lounge until it was time for our flight.  Asiana uses the Delta Lounge for their business class passengers.  

We then boarded the Asiana flight from Seattle to Inchon South Korea.  This 12-hour flight was uneventful.  The seats on this plane were not the lie flat seats like we had the last time we flew Asiana business class, but they lay almost flat (more of an incline).  I think we got some sleep intermixed with eating and watching movies, etc.  

After landing in Inchon we made our way to transit security and got through there relatively quickly and then went to the transit hotel to confirm our reservation coming back for Eric and I and Jordan and cancel Jody’s reservation (as she decided not to come on the trip).  After we had that all straightened out we made our way to the Asiana Business Class Lounge.  As of the end of October they actually moved the location a few gates down from where it used to be.  

We hung out in that lounge for a while before make our way to the gate for our last leg of the trip to the Philippines, the Inchon to Cebu flight.  This flight was about four and a half hours.  It was just Eric and I and another couple and their child in the entire business class section.  Needless to say we had plenty of attention from the flight attendants on this flight.  However, I think both of us slept most of the flight, so it made their job easy.  

We landed in Cebu a little late as there were some pretty strong headwinds.  We landed just after midnight.  Eric and I were the first people off the plane and thus the first people at the Immigration counter and I think the first people to get their bags.  We were out the door in nothing flat.  We had requested a car from the Hotel, but never heard back from them so we were giving it a 50/50 chance that they would have someone there to pick us up.  Of course there was not, so we decided to walk since the hotel is directly in front of the airport.  However, this involved a lot of zigging and zagging and going up ramps and over curbs.  It was not very far, but they don't exactly make the pathway pedestrian/luggage friendly.  

Nevertheless, we made it to the lobby and got checked into our executive suite.  The room was huge.  It had a separate living room with sitting area and dining table and a separate kitchen area along with a half bath in addition to the bedroom and huge bathroom.  We pretty much crashed into bed and set the alarm to get up around 7 a.m.  Our plan was to get up and shower in the morning and then head down to get breakfast before our driver picked us up around 9 a.m. to take us to Moalboal.  

We woke up the next morning to the sun shining and beautiful weather.  I looked out our fifth floor window and you could not tell there had been a typhoon come through a few weeks ago.  We went down and had our breakfast and then our driver came to pick us up right about 9 a.m.  We loaded all our bags in the car for the approximately three hour trip to Moalboal.  As it always is in the Philippines it was a wild ride of weaving in and out of traffic, crawling along and then going as fast as we could, and of course involved a lot of horn honking.  We could find no evidence on the entire journey that there had ever been a typhoon in the area.  Everything looked as it should for the Philippines.  As our driver told us, most of the damage was North of Cebu City, which is what we had heard.  

We arrived in Moalboal just after noon and got all our luggage into our room and headed over to the restaurant to get some lunch.  I ordered a chicken sandwich and a Mango shake (of course) and Eric ordered a coke and Belgian fries (of course).  Then we made plans to go out for an afternoon dive around 2:30 p.m.  Eric got busy after lunch putting together all the camera gear and then we got all our dive stuff together to take down to the dive shop.  By that time it was 2:30 p.m.  We just went out and dove the house reef.  

The house reef was very pretty with lost of fish and lots of hard and soft corals.  I have never seen so many pipe seahorses in my life—they were everywhere you looked.  We also saw a really big turtle and I got some good video of him swimming right at me.  The house reef is nice because it is not very deep.  A lot of the dive was between 15 and 35 feet.  We stayed out for about an hour.  

After we got back we got all our gear rinsed out and made plans for tomorrow.  I think we are doing three dives tomorrow, two in the morning and then one after lunch.  After we got cleaned up we headed back to the restaurant to get some dinner.  They are very accommodating and so far the food has been very good.  I had a tomato salad and Eric had some more Belgian fries and then we split some chicken Bolognese.  

It is only 7:30p.m. by the time I finished typing this blog and Eric already headed off to bed as he could not keep his eyes open.  We are both pretty beat tonight, so I think we will sleep well for sure.

Bahamas 9/7/2013 - 9/14/13

Friday, Saturday, Sunday

My dad picked up Jody, Eric, and I around 8:30 p.m. and we headed to the airport.  We all checked in our bags and made it through security.  There was actually no one in line at security.  Then we headed to the US Airways Lounge to pass some time before our flight to Philadelphia.  Unfortunately, it was at this point that Eric discovered he had forgotten a couple key items, his Club Card and his credit card.  Fortunately, most of the trip was already paid for and Jody and Tim said they would cover us for any other expenses we would have.  

So after a slight bit of panic and some disgust at forgetting these items, we managed to move on.  Eric, Tim and Jody had some drinks at the bar and then we headed for our gate to board the plane.  Our flight left Phoenix at 10:45 and was about four hours long.  Eric and I slept pretty much the whole flight.  

After we got to Philadelphia we all headed to the United Lounge.  Eric was able to get in there without his card because he has his United number memorized.  So the four of us hung out there for a couple hours and had some light breakfast items before boarding our flight to the Bahamas.  The flight to the Bahamas was only a little over two hours.  I think Eric and I slept for most of this flight also.  We arrived in Bahamas around 1 p.m. on Saturday.  

After deplaning we made our way outside to the Taxi stand and managed to fit all of our bags and ourselves in one taxi.  Our taxi driver was not quite sure where she was taking us.  Everyone kept asking us if we were going to the yoga retreat and we said no.  As it turns out, the yoga retreat dock is the same place where the Carib Dancer is docked.  Anyway, our taxi diver found a spot to drop us off and we hauled all our bags over to the boat.  Fortunately, we were able to drop off our bags so we did not have to haul them around with us.  

We were all very hungry by this time and the Carib Dancer did not board until after 4 p.m., so after dropping off our bags we headed out in search of food.  We wandered quite a ways down the street before we started finding places to eat.  There were a lot of souvenir shops up and down the street, but not much in the way of eating establishments.  We finally settled on eating at the Hard Rock Cafe because it was pretty much the first thing we came across.  

We all split some nachos and then Eric ordered a chicken sandwich, and Jody, Tim, and I all split a chicken club sandwich that was huge.  It was either really good or we were just really hungry.  Either way it hit the spot.  

After having lunch we headed directly across the street to the Starbucks where Jody and Tim each bought a coffee so that they could get WiFi access.  There happened to be a lady standing out in front of Starbucks eating an ice cream that looked really good.  I asked her where she got it and she said just down the street.  So Eric and I headed down the street in search of ice cream.  There we found an ice cream shop and a souvenir shop combined.  We split three scoops of amazing ice cream and then checked out the T-shirts in the souvenir shop.  

We headed back to Starbucks to see if Jody and Tim were still there and they were.  I told Jody about the souvenir shop so the two of us headed back down the street to check it out.  Eric and Tim hung out at Starbucks.  We did not see anything overly exciting at the shop, so we headed down the main street to check out some more shops.  Eric and Tim finally found us quite a ways down the street.  By that time it was almost time to board the boat so we started working our way back toward the marina.

We got back to the boat and they said they needed about 15 more minutes before they were ready, so we headed to the bar/sushi restaurant right there on the dock to have a drink and pass some more time.  By the time we were done with our drinks people had already started to board the boat, so we headed back down.  

As soon as we got on the boat we picked out some dive stations and got to work setting up our dive gear and taking the rest of the stuff to our room.  Our room was surprisingly spacious for having four bunks in it.  I think we were a little worried there might not be enough room for our stuff and all our bags, but there was plenty of space to unpack our stuff and put it in our individual cubbies and then put the bags under the two bunks.

The bathroom attached to our room is a wet-room type bathroom.  It is not the most attractive bathroom, but t serves it purpose.  I soon discovered, though, that when you flush the toilet you get a nice shower as the water line to the toilet must have a hole in it and it sprays up from behind the toilet every time you flush.  I also discovered that you want to be careful when you get up from the toilet not to bump the lever for the shower.  I did that and got a nice shower with my clothes on.  Right after I did this Jody came in the room and I told her to be careful about this possible situation.  So what does she do but go in the bathroom to use the toilet and then I hear her screaming as she accidentally bumped the shower lever.

After getting everything set up and unpacked we all met in the lounge for the boat briefing and introduction to the crew and the other divers.  Not too long after all the introductions we set off on the way to our first dive site for the next morning and then dinner was served.  They boat has a new chef.  He has only been on the boat for about a week or so, but boy is he good.  He made us the most amazing chicken for dinner.  I had made note when we booked that we only ate boneless and skinless chicken or turkey, so when everyone else is having beef, pork or fish, we get to have some type of chicken dish.   

We were all beat and headed to bed around 9 o’clock.  Our bunks are not very wide, 30 inches I think.  I think we are all a little spoiled from sleeping in our big beds at home.  Jody was whining and carrying on that her bed was too small and she made Tim get out of his bed to try it to see if it was any bigger, which it wasn’t.  Even though we were all beat, I think it took us all a while to get to sleep, but then we slept pretty good.  Jody woke me up in the middle of the night and told me to roll over because she thought I was snoring, but I think it was Eric.  Then Tim said Jody woke him up at 2:30 in the morning wanting to know where her light was that the boat might sink or some crazy story.  I guess we shouldn’t have told her the story before bed about the Siren Liveaboard sinking.  

Amazingly we all slept until about 7 a.m.  The first dive was at 8 a.m. so we had to get up and get moving and get our breakfast before we dove.  At 8 a.m. we had the dive deck briefing and them we all jumped in the water.  We did a total of five dives today.  Four dives plus the night dive.  I did all the day dives and skipped the night dive.  We have pretty much started our routine for the week:  Breakfast, dive, snack, dive, lunch, dive, snack, dive, dinner, dive.  So far all the food has been amazing.  The diving hasn’t been too bad either.  The water is really warm, around 84-86 degrees.  Most people are diving just in their swimsuits.  I get cold easily so I am still wearing my thermocline both for warmth and exposure protection.  You never know what you might accidentally bump into.  

So far we have not seen anything new and super exciting.  We have seen a few sharks that have come in fairly close, some silversides, lots and lots of queen angelfish, gray angelfish, filefish, grunts, chubs, big lionfish, a great barracuda, a free swimming remora, and a ton of yellow-headed jawfish.      

Monday and Tuesday

We have been having fun diving and eating our hearts out.  We have settled in nicely to the breakfast, dive, snack, dive, lunch, dive, snack, dive, dinner, dive routine.  Just about everyone has done the five dives a day.  I have sat out the night dives, though.  I think we are settling into sleeping in our microbunks for now, or at least Jody has stopped whining--I think she is too tired to whine now.  

Yesterday we had some really pretty dive sites that we visited with lots of soft and hard coral on the top of the reef.  Today we also visited some nice dive sites.  One dive site in particular had a giant coral head with a cave.  I got some good video of yellowhead jawfish, goldspot goby’s, a juvenile spotted drum, angelfish, a hermit crab in a big shell, and two yellow stingrays.    

Eric and I sat out the night dive but Jody and Tim went.  Apparently at some point during the dive a squid ran into Jody’s chest and inked her.  According to Tim she screamed so loud in her regulator we probably could have heard it on the boat.

Wednesday

Today we woke up to very dark skies, heavy rain, lightening and thunder.  So needless to say we did the first dive in the rain.  It was very dark under water, kind of like doing an evening dive.  The first dive we dove a site they call the Cobia cage which is a giant alien spaceship looking structure they raise Cobia fish in.  There were a couple large grouper, a hermit crab, and a large school of bait fish being herded by a grouper and a barracuda.

Luckily after the first dive the sun decided to make its way out from behind the clouds.  We made our way to a different dive site for the second dive.  The second dive was on a  wall with some coral heads on top.  There was not really much to see there.  The reef was covered with red and green algae and had a lot of diseased areas.  

 We did the third dive at the same site.  Jody and I sat out this dive or I should say we slept it out.  The fourth dive of the day we moved to an area where they feed the sharks,  so we all did this dive and had a lot of fun watching all the sharks.  Many of them got very close.  They seemed to be especially interested in our white fins.  

Jody and I sat out the night dive, but Tim and Eric went.  They saw a shark, a ray, and some of the group saw an octopus.  Apparently there were a bunch of sea wasps when they came back to the boat, so it is probably a good thing Jody and I sat this one out.

Thursday

Today was our final full day of diving.  Tomorrow morning we are getting up early and doing two dives.  I don’t think Jody could take much more.  She has itchy vesicles on her legs, her arms, and all around her neck line, and now one even on her earlobe.  If she gets any more bumps they are going to make her report to a leper colony.  

The first dive of the day was on a reef that was pretty much dead from red algae, green algae, and various diseases.  We did not see anything really interesting.  

The second dive was at the Austin Smith (a sunken coast guard cutter) where we fed the sharks again.  The sharks must not have been as hungry today.  They really were not that interested in the bait in the box.  

The third, fourth, and fifth dives were at the same site.  This was a very nice dive site.  Eric took the GoPro camera down with him on this dive also.  He sat it up to video the jawfish.  We came back from the first dive and got on the boat and Eric realized he had everything but the GoPro.  So he went back out and looked right away and could not find it.  The captain and one of the other guests also went out and snorkeled around looking for it and could not find it either.  

So the fourth dive pretty much everyone was looking for the camera.  We backtracked our path about three or four times and never did find it.  We had pretty much given up and were at the end of the dive when another one of the guests brought it up to us.  Apparently it had fallen out of his pocket when he was getting out at the boat ladder and had drifted away from the back of the boat.  So the fourth dive ended well.  

Jody and I decided to sit out the night dive again, but Eric and Tim went.

Friday, Saturday

Friday we did two morning dives and then we started the journey back to the marina at Nassau.  We made it back to the marina around noon time, after they stopped to gas up the boat ($4500 later).  

The journey back to Nassau gave everyone a chance to start rinsing their gear and getting everything hung out to dry so it could be packed up for the trip home on Saturday.  

By Friday afternoon we managed to have everything dried out and mostly packed up.  The crew was hosting a cocktail party at 6 p.m. on the boat and then it was up to everyone to find their own place to dine for dinner.  After the cocktail party we decided to walk down the street about 15 minutes to a place called the Green Parrot.  Several other people from the boat also joined us for dinner.  We had fun talking with everyone about their past diving experiences, etc.  

After Jody got done dancing and we had paid the bill for dinner we all headed back down the street to the boat.  We were all pretty tired so we headed off to bed.  Everyone had to be off the boat by 8 a.m. Saturday morning so the crew could clean the entire boat and have everything ready for the next group of guests boarding at 4 p.m.

At 8 a.m. we left our luggage in their care and made our way down the street in search of something to do since our flight did not leave until approximately 1:30 in the afternoon.  At this hour of the morning all the shops and stores were still closed, but we wandered by the Straw Market and some of the vendors were opening up already, so Jody bought a couple wraps.  The captain of the boat had told us that there was a pirate museum down the street that was nice, so we headed out in search for that.  

We finally found the pirate museum but they were not open yet, so we made our way across the street to Dunkin Donuts to get something to eat and drink and mainly so we could sit in the air conditioning.  Like most tropical environments, it was extremely hot and humid.  

By this time the pirate museum was open and we wandered over to check it out.  Luckily it was air conditioned inside, so it was well worth the admission price to get in.  The museum took us a while to get through and by the time we were done it was time to head back to the boat.  The boat had arranged for a taxi to take us to the airport around 10:30 a.m.  

We met our taxi driver and got all our stuff loaded in and headed toward the airport.  We had a minor delay on the way to the airport when the taxi driver was pulled over by the police.  Apparently they wanted to write him a ticket, claiming his window tint was too dark.  However, when we looked around at all the other taxis, they all had the exact same tint.  So after some back and forth between our driver and the police officer, he got back in the taxi and we proceeded to the airport.  

The Bahamas has a very nice airport and you actually go through immigration and customs for the US before you leave the Bahamas, which saves a lot of time when you reach your destination in the US.  We all checked in our luggage with the airline and then made our way through Customs and immigration and then had some lunch at the food court in the airport before our flight to Philadelphia.  

Our flight to Philly was uneventful and we spent our layover in the United Lounge before our flight to Phoenix.  The flight to Phoenix was also uneventful and we all got our bags and headed out to the curb to wait for Tim’s dad to pick us up.  We all piled into the truck and Tim’s dad was nice enough to drop Jody off at her house and then Eric and I off at our house.  

We had a very nice trip and met some very nice people.  I think it is safe to say that Jody and Tim are both ready to do another liveaboard vacation.

Hong Kong April 20, 2013

Final Day--Hong Kong and Home

We decided to sleep in until we woke up, so we got up about 7:45 a.m.  After organizing our luggage a little bit we headed down to breakfast.  When I booked the room I booked the special package that included breakfast.  The breakfast was very nice.  It was a buffet at their “Market” restaurant.  They had fresh pastries, fresh fruit, waffles, French toast, cereals, salad, and hot items also.  I ended up having homemade yogurt with fresh fruit, granola and honey.  They had fresh pineapple that was super sweet.  I think I have probably eaten a truckload of pineapples on this trip they have been so tasty.

After breakfast we headed back up to our room to get our final packing done.  Check-out time was noon, but or flight from Hong Kong to San Francisco did not leave until 10:30 at night.  We made plans to have the hotel store our bags so we could wander around the city and sightsee and shop.  

So when we finally got all our bags organized, the bellman came up and picked up our bags and then we were off for a day on the town.  The hotel has a shuttle that makes stops at the Peninsula hotel and the harbor front area, so we took the shuttle to the harbor front which dropped us off right near the Star Ferry terminal.  The Star Ferry has been transporting people back and forth across the harbor for years and is something of an icon in Hong Kong.  

So we bought our tickets which were only the equivalent of $0.50 US and boarded the top deck of the double decker ferry (built in 1949) and made the short trip over to Hong Kong island.  We then boarded the #15 double-decker city bus which took us through town and up the very narrow road all the way to the top of Victoria Peak.  That was quite the ride up the mountain.  

At the top of the mountain they have several observation areas, one free and one you have to pay for, and of course a shopping mall (what else).  Hong Kong is basically one giant shopping mall.  I have never seen a city that was so shopping oriented.  Even the subway is filled with stores.  In fact, every single subway stop appeared to have a Mrs. Field’s cookies.  At least it made the subway smell good. 

After quickly checking out the free observation area, it started to rain and then pour, so we headed into the mall to find a snack for lunch.  We ended up having Haagen Dazs ice cream.  That was about all my stomach could take.  It has not been too happy since we got back to Singapore from Kota Kinabalu.  

We finished off our ice cream and then had to make a dash across to another building to buy our tickets to take the tram back down to the bottom of the peak.  Luckily we had packed one umbrella so we did not get totally drenched.  Note:  If you are traveling to Singapore or Hong Kong make sure you take an umbrella--you will need it.  

The line for the tram was a little long but moved pretty quickly and in no time were on our way down the hill.  Boy oh boy was that a steep trip down the hill.  We were actually sitting backwards on the ride down, but that was probably a good thing.  The ride seemed much shorter when you go straight down the hill versus taking the bus up the winding road.  We got off the tram and decided to walk back to the Star Ferry terminal.

Distances on the map here in Hong Kong are very deceiving.  What looks like a long distance on the map is actually only a couple of blocks.  It is amazing what all they can pack on such a small island.  We also could have taken the MTR (subway) back across (it goes under the harbor), but I much preferred the Star Ferry.  It was actually fairly quick, cheap, less crowded, and you had a nice view of the city.  

After we got back to the Kowloon area, Eric wanted to check out a few camera shops to see if prices on camera lenses were any better here than in the states.  Before we left home I had found some websites with information on the best places to buy camera gear so we decided to check a couple of them out.  Fortunately two of them were very close to each other so we hopped on the subway and headed for the stop that was closest to both of them.

I have never seen so many people in my life.  I had kind of forgotten what day of the week it was.  Of course it was Saturday and it appears that the millions of people that live and visit Hong Kong all go out shopping on Saturday.  We wedged ourselves onto the subway and went the few stops that we needed to go and then got off.  Then we wedged our way off the subway and up the several floors of steps to the street level which was an even bigger mass of people.  

Luckily the two camera shops were just around the corner from the subway station.  We slowly made our way around the corner and into the camera stores.  They did have the lens that Eric was looking for but the price was not that big of a difference from what he could get it for in the states.  After checking another few stores and shuffling our way up and down the street with the masses of people, we decided to head back to the hotel and maybe find some place to get a bite to eat on the way back.  

We got back on the subway and went back to the stop closest to our hotel.  We decided to go back to Bulldogs Bar and Grill and get a snack before making our way back to the hotel.  After our snack we decided to take a walk along the harbor front.  

They had a very nice walkway all along the harbor and over the bridge near our hotel.  Looking into the water we saw lots of really big jellyfish.  We also discovered on our walk that poodles are obviously the dog of choice of people living in Hong Kong.  We saw about seven poodles in just a short distance, many of them dressed up in little outfits, and several of their owners pushing their dog strollers.  It was rather entertaining.

Then we made our way back to the hotel.  We went out and sat by the pool on the 9th floor for a little while.  The hotel has a very nice lounge for guests to hang out in to either wait for their room to be readied or if they have a late departure.  So we got a couple of our bags out of storage and took advantage of the showers and changing room to freshen up before heading to the airport for our flight.  We then got the rest of our bags out of storage and loaded them into the taxi for the ride to the airport.  

Since it was about 8 p.m. the traffic was much lighter, so we got to the airport fairly quickly.  The taxi was also much cheaper as we did not have to take a toll road back to the airport.  We unloaded our bags and went into the terminal to find the ticket counter.  We happened to walk up and ask a ticket agent where we needed to go and we were actually at the right counter so she took us right to another agent who checked us in--no waiting.  

After making our way through security and passport control we went and hung out in the Star Alliance lounge before our flight.  We then headed to our gate to board the plane for our 13 hour flight back to San Francisco.  I think I passed out and slept most of the flight and Eric snoozed for a little bit but spent most of the time watching movies.  The flight actually left about 45 minutes late but we managed to make up that time in the air and landed in San Francisco on time.  

We were scheduled to take United’s last flight of the night out of SF back to Phoenix.  We had a pretty close connection so we had just enough time to go through passport control, claim and recheck our bags, and go back through security to get to our gate.  Luckily there was a United Lounge near our gate so we went in and used the bathroom and grabbed a few snacks before heading to our gate.  

The flight back to Phoenix only had about 27 people on it, so we obviously got upgraded to first class for the 1 hour 20 minute ride back.  I spent the flight typing up some of this blog--before I forgot half of what we did.  The interesting part of the flight came after we landed.  We made our way to the gate and the pilot parked the plane.  Then we sat and waited for about 20 minutes because they could not get the gate maneuvered up to the plane.  The pilot finally told us that we were going to have to all sit back down and put our bags away so that they could move the plane to another gate.  Just after that they finally managed to get the gate up to the plane.

By the time we got to the baggage claim area our bags were obviously waiting for us, so we collected them up and headed out the door.  Jody was nice enough to provide taxi services for us for this trip--Thanks Jody.

It is always fun taking vacations and seeing new places, but there is nothing like your own bed and boy were we ready to crawl into it.