Entries about manila

I have discovered it is possible for people to come wreck diving with me from the comfort of their very own office chair!

But firstly, it requires a bit of imagination;
You are geared up, suited up and it's getting really humid out. The sun is at a funny angle which irritates you no matter where you look and it's heat is causing beads of sweat of your brow. You jump straight over the edge of the restaurant into emerald green water and feel the cool water run down the back of your wetsuit. As you descend you hear nothing but the sound of your own breathing and the bubbles drifting past your ears on the way to the surface. Two or three kicks and from the green abyss emerges something that shouldn't be there; a dark, solid structure and a myriad of fish schooling who are just as curious as you.....

Be prepared to get wet on your very own virtual 'discover scuba' class at Vasco's Dive Centre.
Vasco's Aeroplane

I would like to say thank you to the History Channel for airing a documentary on crucifixion at 10:30 last night. Yes, it gave me nightmares. So what better excuse than to sit up and make movies?

Here is the second installment of Subic Bay dive sites. This is quite possibly my favourite dive and at a maximum of 10m, it is a really great one for first timers and open water divers. I've never seen anyone surface without a huge smile on their face...

The Barges

Tonight will be the 4th grand re-opening of Tanya's bar 'Rascals' in Barretto. All the boys are going and it has even drawn the girls out of the woodwork for an epic night. Some gin and tonics will be on the cards....

The recipe? One solid-concrete mold of half a cannon, add some available soft corals, giant clams and throw in some schooling fish and VOILA! Instant artificial reef available today at Vasco's Dive Centre, Subic Bay.

Last night was the official farewell for Vasco's regular Mark Vickers and his lovely partner Shirley who after 5 long years in Subic have made the brave decision to return to the UK. On behalf of the whole crew, I wanted to say goodbye and good luck Mark! My gift to you is this quick video below. Forgive me, it has taken 3 months in Subic to discover I am actually capable of producing my own home movies (even longer to work out how to pack my 'Pack 'N Go' raincoat into it's pocket) and this first attempt may be a bit rough but at least you will get to see what I was up to on the day I told you I was interior decorating 6m below sea level.

What We Do When We're Bored

We have had remarkable success in deducing the species of our resident mystery fish!

Originally spotted in this video:

....It wasn't until we pulled apart the fish identification journal that we discovered it is a juvenile sweetlips! How a baby fish that is so delicate and beautiful can grow into something so bland and unimaginative I will never understand but that is what the fish bible says so that is what it must be!

Of course, I have had an ear infection for the past few days. Lucky me! So diving is absolutely out... Pfft! I thought I could get a sneaky one in yesterday in just 5m of water which has only succeeded in aggravating the problem further. As it is with my luck, the weather today has been some of the most magnificent I have seen since arriving in the Philippines, not only is the sky blue but the ocean is the most irridescent hue of emerald green I have ever seen in my life. To make matters worse, I can stand out the front of the dive shop, and look straight down at the bottom of the ocean, and follow the sunken barges to the hideout of our little local; the baby Sweetlips. Today he teased me and my debilitating short-comings from 6m below the surface as he danced around with his friend the excessively-large trigger fish who also calls Vasco's his home.

The journey to Ditumabo Waterfalls, the highlight of our road trip, was an amazing experience in itself and the reward was more than worth the journey. I tell our tale through pictures......

To reach waterfall base camp takes less than twenty minute drive from downtown Baler. Well that is, if you're not held up by a standard Baler road block....

From this point, our party of intrepid travellers made a magnificent thirty minute trek into lush rainforest, scaling the pipework of a mini hydro-electric plant, clambering over slippery rocks and structurally-questionable bamboo bridges.

Or you can cheat and just walk through the river!

The mini 'pre-waterfall' waterfall

What we saw when we arrived is what I'd like the call the REAL Philippines; the kind of scenery that belongs on the cover of a travel brochure.

These photos just don't do it justice due to the amount of spray in the air but it was so beautiful and SO COLD!!!

We clearly weren't bothered.

Of course, it wouldn't be Asia without the occasional oddity to keep things exciting.

So after reaching our peak at the waterfalls and having way too much excitement, one too many injuries sustained through stupidity and a little too much sun and good food, we threw in the towel and decided to head home

These were my new little friends that I met on the way to the ATM, before sadly departing back to the real world.


Of course we couldn't say goodbye without picking up the obligatory souvenirs that we didn't need but can't live without

So exhausted we nearly didn't make it home after colliding with a giant penis carving
a goat with testicles bigger than it's head and two or three road cones. Don't worry, only one cone was mortally wounded. But now we're all going to need a holiday to get over our holiday!

Aahhh home at last!