April 6, 2013 Singapore
Our journey to Layang Layang begins. Jody picked us up at our house around 7 a.m. and we all went for breakfast at the Nosh before she dropped us off at the airport for our 10:30 flight to Los Angeles. We got to the airport extra early to beat the rush and it worked. There was no waiting at the ticket counter and only a few people in line at security. We relaxed and hung out for a while in the United lounge before our flight.
Our flight to LA was uneventful. Once we got to LA, though, we had to switch over to the International terminal to catch our flight to Tokyo. LA airport is set up kind of like Phoenix where you have to go outside and catch a bus to get to the terminal you need to go to and then of course go through security again--pretty much sucks. We waited forever for the proper bus to show up to take us to the international terminal, but we finally made it there and got through security fairly quickly.
Our next leg of the journey was from LA to Tokyo. This was a 12-hour flight. We flew on Singapore Airlines--one of the top rated airlines in the world. There is definitely a difference in the level of service between the US and the Asian airlines. We traveled coach class this time, which was a bit of a let-down after flying business class the last time we went to Asia, but the service, food, and entertainment were still top notch even in coach.
We flew on the A380 (the big double decker plane that holds close to 500 people). It was our first time flying on one and our seats were on the upper deck, which worked out well. The plane was very quiet and smooth and being we were in the upper deck we actually got off the plane faster, thus beating the rush to customs, etc.
Our flight to Tokyo was very smooth, hardly any turbulence, but we got in about an hour late because of strong headwinds. We were flying on the same plane all the way to Singapore but everyone had to get off and go through security in Tokyo before re-boarding the plane for the Tokyo to Singapore leg of the trip.
So after everyone had gone through security and the new crew had boarded the plane, we re-boarded and took our same seats for the 7-hour flight to Singapore. We landed in Singapore just after 4 a.m. and took a taxi to our hotel which was just a 10-minute ride from the airport. I think we finally crawled into bed in our hotel room at about 5:30 a.m. after taking a quick shower. Boy did that bed feel good.
We ended up waking up about 10:30 a.m. and headed down to the deli at the hotel to get something to eat for breakfast/lunch before we were to go and meet up with Roger at 2:00 p.m. near downtown Singapore.
We checked with the front desk at the hotel to get our bearings on how to get to the Expo MRT station and then we set off on our journey for the day. We managed to kind of figure out how to buy tickets at the station to get on the train (we did not get the tickets we wanted, but we got something that got us there anyway). Their trains are extremely clean, very punctual, and packed with people. It is actually the most economical way to travel around Singapore. You can get just about anywhere on the MRT.
We met up with Roger at the Outram Park station and set off on our 8-9 hour tour of the city. First we went through Chinatown and saw a couple of the Indian temples and wandered through some of the street vendors on our way to Clark Quay--kind of like a boardwalk along the Singapore river. It is a big spot for nightlife with tons of restaurants and river boat cruises and dinner cruises. It is a very nice area with a nice walking area on both sides. We walked down one side and crossed over to the other and headed toward the Marina Bay Sands hotel.
Along the way to Marina Bay Sands hotel we stopped and got some pictures of the famous Merlion statue at the mouth of the Singapore Harbour. Then we all stopped at Starbuck’s (yes, they have them everywhere) and had something to drink and Eric and I had a cookie. As is typical for a lot of tropical places it was starting to get dark and look like it was going to rain so we headed out to see if we could beat the rain. Just about the time we were almost to the Marina Bay Sands is started to rain. Thankfully it did not pour until we got inside where it was dry.
We wandered around the shops in the hotel for a while waiting to see if the rain would let up so that we could go up on the observation deck on the top (55 stories high). Unfortunately they were not recommending people buy tickets because of the rain and the poor visibility (it is an uncovered observation area).
We thought the rain had let up enough that we set out for the Singapore Flyer next, which was a relatively short walk away. We got about half way there when the skies opened up again. Luckily we had one small umbrella with us so we opened it up and attempted to take cover under it and jogged as fast as we could to get to some cover.
Roger was kind enough to have already purchased tickets for us to go on the Singapore Flyer. However, when we got there they had suspended operations because of lightening in the area. So we sat in the food vendor area and had a drink to see if they would resume before 6 p.m. (our tickets were only good before 6 p.m.) We got lucky and about 5:40 p.m. they started up again. It was still a little rainy but the view from the top was amazing.
Eric was all excited because the Singapore Formula One track runs right around the Singapore Flyer and the pit area and garages are right there also. So after our ride on the Flyer we wandered down the race course so Eric could get some photos of the starting line and the garages, etc.
The next thing we wanted to see was the laser light in the harbor back to the Marina Bay Sands hotel. The first show was at 8 p.m. so we wandered across the spiral bridge which has a great view of the harbor and city skyline also and headed for the viewing area they have set up for the show. We sat there for about half and hour or so waiting for the show to begin and during that time Eric could barely keep his eyes open.
The show finally started at 8 p.m. It is kind of a mix of Bellagio fountains with laser lights, etc. It was nice to see but probably not the greatest thing I have ever seen. We had originally made plans to go to dinner afterward and have satays, but Eric was about spent and we still needed to get back to our hotel and make sure all our packing was in order for the flight the next morning to Kota Kinabalu. So we ended up taking a rain check for dinner until we come back to Singapore on the 15th.
Roger walked us to the MRT station at Raffles Place and made sure we knew how to get back to our hotel. He was so nice, he even bought us a couple EZ Link cards, which is what we had originally intended to buy, but could not seem to figure out how to. After we made it back to the Expo station we walked through the Expo mall, which is basically connected to our hotel and got and ice cream before heading back to our room.
We finally made it back to our room and after taking a shower and getting all our packing in order and sending some e-mails I think we finally made it to bed around 11:30 p.m. We set the alarm clock to get up about 4:50 a.m. so we could take the 6 a.m. shuttle to the airport to catch our flight to Kota Kinabalu.
The next morning we settled up our bill at the hotel and caught the shuttle to the airport no problem. Our check-in at the Silk Air counter was quick and painless and then we went to find our gate for our flight. We thought it was kind of strange that we had not gone through security, yet were wandering around in the terminal. We found out you actually go through security at the gate for your flight and then you wait in a secure area for your plane to board.
After we figured out that was how things worked we walked around the terminal to find a place to have breakfast. We ended up eating at O’Leary’s pub. I had pancakes with eggs and hashbrowns and Eric actually ordered a chicken sandwich and fries. After we had some food in us, we headed back to our gate to see if they had opened up the doors yet. Shortly after we got back to the gate they opened up. We got screened and proceeded to wait for our flight to board.
We boarded our plane and made the short approximately 2 hour flight to Kota Kinabalu. Customs in Kota Kinabalu was a breeze. No paperwork to fill out. They just scan your fingers for fingerprints and stamp your passport and you are on your way. We then picked up our luggage and headed out the door to find a white manta crew member waiting for us with a sign. We was actually picking up seven of us off the flight from Singapore. After everyone was accounted for we loaded up into two vans and headed for the Sutera Harbor where the White Manta is docked.
It was a very short trip from the airport to the Harbor. We boarded the boat and set about getting our bearings on where everything on the boat was. It turned out that at the last minute three other people could not come on the boat because they did not get their passport information in soon enough for clearance to go to the island. This meant there was an en suite room available and Vincent (the owner of White Manta--who happens to be coming out on the boat with us this week) offered us the room. Of course we would have to pay the difference to upgrade, but after seeing the room, we jumped on it in a heartbeat.
Once all the passengers were aboard, we met up in the salon for the boat briefing and so everyone could introduce themselves and meet, etc. After our briefing and after we had set sail for the island lunch was served. We had fried rice and fresh fruit that was amazing.
After lunch we headed back to our room to get unpacked and get the room organized and the camera gear assembled, etc. That is when I finally had a chance to type up this blog. In a little while I am sure we will be having dinner and then Eric and I will probably sleep like zombies tonight we are so tired. We have a 15-17 hour trip to get out to Layang Layang, so we should probably get there some time around 8 a.m. tomorrow.
April 9, 2013 Layang Layang
It was quite a crossing to get to Layang Layang--an all afternoon and all night affair. We went to bed about 8 o’clock or so to some significant rocking back and forth and it only got worse as the night went on. I was awoken in the middle of the night when one of the water bottles flew off the nightstand and hit me in the head. I thought maybe it was just us thinking it was awfully rough, but in the morning everyone else was commenting it was the roughest crossing they had ever been on. Let’s just say it was quite challenging getting up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom and get back to bed. One thing is for sure, if I can go through 15 hours of that rocking back and forth and not get seasick I don’t think I ever will.
We finally arrived at our destination, Layang Layang, around 8 a.m. in the morning. We pulled into the lagoon at the island and had breakfast. They had a light breakfast out for early risers consisting of dry cereal, toast with jams and jellies and peanut butter and bananas. Then a little while later we had salad, grilled cheese, poached eggs, etc. for the full breakfast.
Toward the latter end of breakfast we had to go through the Malaysian military clearance process which consisted of a boat load of military men with machine guns boarding our boat and inspecting every cabin and room on the boat and looking at passports and questioning the crew. Then after they had thoroughly checked all our cabins they took multiple group photos of us--kind of like a group mug shot I guess.
After the military finally got back on their boat and left we had our morning dive briefing for our first dive of the day and of the trip. The first dive was at shark cave. This was really more of a check-out dive to make sure everyone was okay with their weighting and buddies and groups, etc. The dive went well. Toward the end I happened to turn my head out toward the blue just as a group of Mobula rays came gliding by. I don’t think I got very good video of them, but the were neat to see.
After our first dive we got out and dried off and had a snack before heading out to do the second dive about 2:30 in the afternoon. This dive was very close to where we did the first one but a little more shallow. Several in the group saw a shark and a manta, but I missed both of those. However, I did see a really large turtle. My ear started bothering me about half way through this dive so Eric and I actually ended the dive early.
After the second dive lunch was served. We had fried noodles, rice, fresh fruit etc.
The next dive they had planned was for 5:30 p.m. I decided to sit this one out and let Eric go out with the rest of the group. Instead I took a shower and got changed into dry clothes and did some filming of the group jumping in for their dive, the dolphins swimming around the front of the boat, etc. Then I scheduled a Thai massage for 7 p.m. This was my first Thai massage and I have to say it was really good. Not as painful as I had been told by some people.
By the time my massage was finished dinner had been served so I went down to get some. They had a really good sweet and a little bit spicy cashew chicken with rice, along with fresh fruit. Pretty much every meal comes with fresh fruit and rice. After some good dinner conversation we headed to bed so we could get up at 6:30 the next morning to do an early morning dive. I hear our target is hammerheads...
April 11, 2013 Layang Layang
We got up about 6:15 to head up to the dining deck to have a light breakfast before the dive briefing for our first dive. This is the first trip of the season to Layang Layang for the MV White Manta and apparently this year the resort on the island has decided to institute some new rules for liveaboards. I guess they figured they were cutting into their business so they are requiring that the liveaboards use their services for at least one day of their visit. So today we had to do all of our dives using the resorts boats and crew.
Our first dive of the day we went out in search of hammerheads. The boat dropped us all in the water and we dropped down and swam out into the blue and wandered around for about 20 minutes in search of the elusive hammerheads. Unfortunately, we did not spot any. So we all headed back in toward the reef for the remainder of our dive. Apparently some of the divers saw a Thresher shark and a turtle. Somehow Eric and I keep missing this stuff.
After we got back from the first dive we had our proper breakfast which consisted of French toast, scrambled eggs with tomato and onion, sausage links, vegetables and of course fresh fruit which included pineapple, papaya, oranges, and apples. The pineapple is amazing. I have probably eaten at least a whole pineapple every day.
After breakfast we got ready for the second dive. We again went out looking for hammerheads, again with no luck. We swam around in the blue for a while and saw nothing and then came back in onto the reef for the remainder of our dive. So far we really have not seen anything too out of the ordinary, just your typical reef fish. However, the sweetlips here are huge.
After the second dive we came back and after a short bit lunch was served. They had a calamari dish, garlic rice, vegetables and some really good chicken. Then on the side they had three different types of sauces to put on it, ranging from mild to super spicy. And of course there was more fresh fruit.
The third dive of the day we went back out to wrasse strip, which is a wall drift dive. I got some good video of my favorite subjects--clownfish. There were a few other fish that sparked my interest that I got some video of and just tons of little fish darting around on top of the reef. We also saw a giant Napoleon Wrasse, but he was way up on top of the reef so we did not get any pictures of him.
I was commenting that so far this trip I really have not taken that much video because nothing has really sparked my interest and our dive guide, Mike, said he felt the same way so far this trip. Hopefully things will get a little more interesting. Our weather so far yesterday and today really has not been that great. Most of the day today it was rather overcast and rainy. The only positive to that is the temperature has been much cooler and we really have not needed to use sunscreen.
After our third dive we were quite excited to find out that our after dive snack was ice cream and crepes with all kinds of toppings. One thing is for sure, we did not waste any time getting to the dining area to have our snack.
After our afternoon snack they had a night dive planned before dinner, which I decided to pass on. Eventually, Eric decided to pass on it too and instead scheduled himself a Thai massage.
Right now we are justing waiting to see what kind of scrumptious meal they have prepared for us for dinner. The smells wafting out of the kitchen smell pretty darn good. They posted the schedule for tomorrow and it looks like we are getting up at 5:30 to get an earlier start. Supposedly we are heading to another reef nearby called Dallas reef. We supposedly have to go through military clearance there too before we can dive, so we are not sure how long that will take. Supposedly they have had luck seeing hammerheads there before in past seasons. So hopefully we will get lucky tomorrow.
April 12, 2013 Layang Layang
Today the boat started up the engines around 5:15 a.m., so there was no need for an alarm clock. We all reported up to the dining area for our morning briefing and a light breakfast before the first dive.
The boat had started up around 5:15 so that we could move out of the lagoon at Layang Layang to the first dive site in an attempt to find the elusive hammerheads again. The first dive was shortly after sunrise.
For this dive everyone did a giant stride off the dive platform and when the group was all together we dropped down. When we all went to drop down for some reason I could not go down. I knew I had my weight belt on and I had let all the air out of by BC, but I just was not going anywhere. When I checked my computer it showed I only had 689 PSI in my tank. Either my tank did not get filled or it had leaked out overnight--I still don’t know. The zodiac picked me up and took me back to the boat. They could have switched out my tank real quick and I could have gone out with the second wave of divers, but I figured maybe this was a sign that I should not go, so I just stayed on the boat.
I figured for sure if I stayed on the boat they would see some hammerheads, but no such luck. Actually most everyone said the dive was rather dull. They did not see a whole lot.
After the first dive we had our proper breakfast of eggs, ham, toast, tuna salad, and fresh fruit, etc. During breakfast we motored our way to the next dive site which was a different atoll/reef called Dallas Reef.
After breakfast I had a headache and did not feel so well, so I decided to opt out of the second dive. I guess the current was really ripping along on this dive. They saw some white tip sharks and Eric spotted a couple anemones that were closed up, but other than that they did not see anything extra special.
After the second dive we had lunch. We had rice (as you do with pretty much every meal in Asia) and some type of chicken with green beans that was a little bit spicy, stir fry vegetables, a pork dish along with soup and of course fresh fruit.
They had a third dive and a fourth evening dive that I also decided to pass on. I just have not had very good luck so far this trip with my mask fogging up on every dive and then my tank not being full, etc. I figured maybe I should just take a day off. In addition, the weather today was actually probably the worst we have seen so far. Right after the first dive the clouds moved over and we had an extremely heavy drain for a good long time. Then it rained for pretty much the rest of the day, finally letting up later in the afternoon.
We certainly hope tomorrow will be a new day with sunny skies and lots of hammerheads.
April 13, 2013 Layang Layang
Today we got an early wake-up call so to speak. At 3:30 a.m. the boat started up and pulled up anchor so that we could move from Dallas Reef to Maravelles reef. Luckily after the initial noise I was able to fall back to sleep. The official wake-up call came just after 6 a.m., which was about the time we finally made it to the reef.
We actually saw some sun this morning and it looked like it was going to be a nice day today. Our first dive was very nice with lots of fish and stuff to see on the top of the reef. It was nice to have more light under water with the sun being out. The corals here are actually quite colorful. I also got some video of a pigmy seahorse on a sea fan at about 100 ft. Unfortunately, most of my video has another diver on the other side of the fan taking pictures, but at least I have proof that we saw one.
After our first dive we came back and had our proper breakfast which consisted of cheese omelets, baked beans, fresh fruit, sausage, and fresh vegetables.
Our second dive was a pinnacle just off the atoll that Vincent had discovered last year. None of the dive guides had dove this site before either, so it was a virgin dive for everyone. It was truly a spectacular dive. I have never seen so many small fish in my life. They were literally everywhere. It was like swimming in fish soup. As Eric said it almost obscured your vision there were so many little fish. There was a lot of colorful coral also. I also spotted two huge lobsters that were hiding under a coral together. This was an extremely nice dive site--just like the first one we did today.
Eric and I used up a lot of air on the second dive as there was quite a bit of current, so we surfaced before the rest of the group and the zodiac picked us up along with Vincent. The water was a bit rough and unfortunately when we got back to the White Manta and we were about to get out of the zodiac a big wave came and tipped the zodiac up in the air and it threw me pretty hard onto the metal floor. It knocked the wind out of me and let’s just say I am really sore and have a lot of bruises. Other than that I am fine.
After we got back from the second dive we had a snack and the boat made its way back to Dallas reef to do the third dive. The third dive was mostly a wall dive. It was a very colorful wall and we saw a couple bivalve type clams and a few anemones with clownfish and some large sea fans, but nothing super exciting.
After the third dive of course we had lunch. Lunch consisted of rice, some really good chicken, stir fry vegetables, barracuda that they caught the night before, and tuna (raw) along with soup and fresh fruit. The boat also got underway to head back to Layang Layang for the fourth dive of the day and so we could be at Layang Layang to do two early dives tomorrow morning before we make the long trip back to Kota Kinabalu tomorrow.
We did end up having some rain today but it was nothing like the last few days and most of the day the sun was actually out. We are hoping that tomorrow will be even better and will be the magical day when we will see the hammerheads.
April 13, 2013 Layang Layang
Today we got an early wake-up call so to speak. At 3:30 a.m. the boat started up and pulled up anchor so that we could move from Dallas Reef to Maravelles reef. Luckily after the initial noise I was able to fall back to sleep. The official wake-up call came just after 6 a.m., which was about the time we finally made it to the reef.
We actually saw some sun this morning and it looked like it was going to be a nice day today. Our first dive was very nice with lots of fish and stuff to see on the top of the reef. It was nice to have more light under water with the sun being out. The corals here are actually quite colorful. I also got some video of a pigmy seahorse on a sea fan at about 100 ft. Unfortunately, most of my video has another diver on the other side of the fan taking pictures, but at least I have proof that we saw one.
After our first dive we came back and had our proper breakfast which consisted of cheese omelets, baked beans, fresh fruit, sausage, and fresh vegetables.
Our second dive was a pinnacle just off the atoll that Vincent had discovered last year. None of the dive guides had dove this site before either, so it was a virgin dive for everyone. It was truly a spectacular dive. I have never seen so many small fish in my life. They were literally everywhere. It was like swimming in fish soup. As Eric said it almost obscured your vision there were so many little fish. There was a lot of colorful coral also. I also spotted two huge lobsters that were hiding under a coral together. This was an extremely nice dive site--just like the first one we did today.
Eric and I used up a lot of air on the second dive as there was quite a bit of current, so we surfaced before the rest of the group and the zodiac picked us up along with Vincent. The water was a bit rough and unfortunately when we got back to the White Manta and we were about to get out of the zodiac a big wave came and tipped the zodiac up in the air and it threw me pretty hard onto the metal floor. It knocked the wind out of me and let’s just say I am really sore and have a lot of bruises. Other than that I am fine.
After we got back from the second dive we had a snack and the boat made its way back to Dallas reef to do the third dive. The third dive was mostly a wall dive. It was a very colorful wall and we saw a couple bivalve type clams and a few anemones with clownfish and some large sea fans, but nothing super exciting.
After the third dive of course we had lunch. Lunch consisted of rice, some really good chicken, stir fry vegetables, barracuda that they caught the night before, and tuna (raw) along with soup and fresh fruit. The boat also got underway to head back to Layang Layang for the fourth dive of the day and so we could be at Layang Layang to do two early dives tomorrow morning before we make the long trip back to Kota Kinabalu tomorrow.
We did end up having some rain today but it was nothing like the last few days and most of the day the sun was actually out. We are hoping that tomorrow will be even better and will be the magical day when we will see the hammerheads.
