Day 14: A long day of discovery, and yes, I walked a little bit —-Part 1
Tuesday March 15, 2016
Up at 5:30, on the road at 6:00 AM. I am on a tour with the family from SF/Singapore. The tour is led by the son of the owner of the dive shop…a very personable young man in his 20’s? named CJ. Side notes: 1) Basketball is king here in the Philippines. Every town, or bend in a curve, has a basketball court….usually no nets; 2) CJ was in San Francisco last year for a travel convention and he and his friend got tickets to a Warriors game in Oakland. They worked their way towards the exit tunnel at the end of the game. CJ’s friend made it all the way to the edge and got to high-5 some of the players at the end of the game. CJ stayed back as he didn’t want to weave in and out of security as his friend did. CJ saw Steph Curry take off his shoes prepared to throw into the stands. The first one was close to the edge. The second one was exactly where CJ’s friend would have been if he didn’t move all the way forward. CJ caught the shoe, and he probably doesn’t know it, but he is certainly one of the most popular guys in all the Philippines – he has one of Steph Curry’s shoes!!!
The world is awake at 6:30 AM in the Philippines. The road to Oslob is along the coast, with businesses, schools, churches, and homes along the sides of the road for the entire ride. The actual site for whale shark diving is organized, and divers are allowed only 30 minutes with the sharks, have to stay 15 feet away, and cannot use sunscreen lotion or flash with the camera. Also, everyone is required to wear a vest.
Since some of you are bored with so many words, and I love writing…..here is a shot I took of a whale shark swallowing in shrimp:
These animals are HUGE….20 feet or more. I could not get a picture of an entire shark in the frame. They were too big and too close.
We went out in a small boat. The boat tethered in a line of another 20 boats or so.
Line of boats as seen from the shore
Heading out (blurry picture of another full boat – we only had 2 adults and 2 kids)
The boat next to us when tethered (objects are closer than they appear!!!)
The captains were feeding the whale sharks so they were staying in the area, about 100 yards off shore. The 15 foot rule was not obeyed…..by the whale sharks. They go where they want to go, AND, the boat captains throw the shrimp towards the swimmers until the whale shark opens its mouth 2 to 3 feet from you. I tried to take pictures that close but frankly, was concerned about either getting run over by the whale shark or getting partially sucked into its mouth. At least twice they opened their mouth within 2 feet of my face. Exciting, but yet, too exciting, and I freaked out and DIDN’T TAKE THE PICTURE.
When I am underwater taking pictures I just snap away like a happy idiot. I allow the camera to focus, then snap. If I can get two or three good shots out of 100, I’m happy. Here are two artistic (by accident) shots I got during the swim.
I really think the eye of the fish in the lower left corner makes the shot (top photo)
And, the best “full shark” and close-ups I got of the whale sharks.
After 30 minutes in the water we had lunch provided by CJ.
BUT: The world is really small.
In preparation for this trip, and during this trip, I have searched the Internet extensively (a lot?), reading blogs about Southeast Asia, Ex-patriot Forums, Tour Guides, Guides to traveling with only a carry-on, etc. As we were getting ready to get into our boats I couldn’t stop looking at a young couple (yes, they were very attractive and obviously in love, but there was more). I remembered the man as the author of a blog post…can’t remember the topic, but the guy looked just like him.
We went on our tour. When we got back the two were rinsing off in the fresh water showers. I scrunched up the courage and asked if they were bloggers. He replied, “Yes, about Thailand”. I turned into a 10 year old meeting a baseball star…..”I knew it! I recognized the two of you”. I probably giggled a little bit…it was embarrassing.
A few minutes later and I got the courage to ask if I could take their picture. “Of Course” was their reply (below)
Then of course they asked what I used for my blog, and I mumbled “blogspot” in partial (total?) embarrassment because it is free. Also, calling me a blogger is flattering, as I only have one post up right now, and only 4 followers: my 2 children and 2 teachers from my former school. The couple was very polite and I was amazed that in one little site, in the Philippine Islands, I would recognize a blogger couple from Thailand. It is a small world.
CJ drove us back to the resort, and I HAVE to start taking photos from vans and taxis…life is so fascinating here.
When we got back, I was ready for a nap…..but Oh, No……Part 2 was about to happen