Philippines

Our Philippines trip was a long time in the making. When our friends, Seon and Ki, returned from their trip last April, they immediately started planning a group trip to return. Traveling with a group of (mostly) easy-going, fun divers definitely has its perks. As groups go, this was a good one!

We arrived in the Philippines after flying from Seattle to Vancouver to Hong Kong to Manila. Once we arrived at our hotel, I stayed in its glorious air conditioning, ate sushi, and spent a couple hours at the spa. Now that is how to beat jet lag. :-)

The next morning, we headed back to the airport for our brief flight to Puerto Princesa. I'll never forget the flight because it's the first time I've ever seen flight attendants coordinate trivia games for passengers. When we landed, it was clear that we were in the tropics. Any products I had on my face instantly melted; my deodorant went into overdrive; and my hair tripled in size. Before I knew it, we were aboard the boat that would be our home for the next week. A couple of hours later, we were steaming toward the Tubbataha reef for a fantastic week of diving.

Most of the days we were on the boat, we did four dives. It's a hard life. Most days looked something like this:

5 or 6am: wake up and grab quick snack

6 or 6:45am: first dive

8:00am: breakfast

9:30am: second dive

11:00am: sit in the sun and read

12:00pm: lunch

1:30pm: third dive

3:00pm: sit in the sun and read

4:30pm: fourth dive

6:00pm: dinner

9:00pm: retire

The diving at Tubbataha was spectacular. The reef is in excellent condition (despite the number of plastic bags we saw floating and picked up when possible), so the coral, sponges, and sea anemones were beautiful in their color, quantity, size, and diversity. In particular, the fan coral and barrel sponges were enormous (like 2-3 meters wide and a meter wide and deep, respectively).

I could have crawled inside a lot of the barrel sponges. The anemones provide homes to lots of critters, and I was particularly taken with all of the anemone and clown fish (think Nemo) playing in and around the anemones. Despite Tubbataha being an attraction for big life, I often found really interesting small life whenever I got frustrated looking for octopus (my favorite, anywhere in the world) and decided to check out the reef at close proximity.

As far as the big stuff, the highlight was definitely the 20' long whale shark that came out of the blue at 80'. George spotted it and called me out to join him. It took a while for the rest of the group to notice, and I was able to swim about 50 meters with the shark.

Apparently I didn't get quite close enough to get in George's video, so I'll have to remember that for next time. We also saw a sole manta ray, though I have a hard time getting excited about one manta when we were able to spend whole dives in the Maldives with 10 or more mantas at once. There were also some turtles, cool lobster with purple antennae, lots of moray eels, tons and tons of reef sharks, a handful of octopus, and a wide variety of somewhat ordinary fish, including schooling jacks, large tuna, bat fish, puffer fish, and many, many more.

By far the most memorable dive aboard the Siren was wormageddon. On a night dive, our lights attracted the worms out of the deep. Within minutes of our lights being turned on, we were surrounded by worms of varying lengths, colors, girths, and shapes. I lasted 25 minutes before I reached my creepy limit. This was about the same time that most others did the same. When it was all done, we were completely grossed out and even had worms in our hair. Interestingly, this is something that the dive masters on the boat had not seen before. Needless to say, that was the only night dive at Tubbataha.

It seemed like our time on the Philippines Siren flew by, and we were soon bound for Manila again. From Manila, we took a bus and a boat to get to Puerto Galera, where we stayed at the Atlantis. The staff at the hotel included some of the nicest strangers-turned-friends I've ever met, and we were lucky to have been assigned some truly excellent dive masters to show us the waters around Puerto Galera.

The diving in Puerto Galera was completely different than Tubbataha. While some dive sites had beautiful coral, many were muck or wrecks. And rather than look for big life, we were looking for tiny things. It's truly amazing how many complex and interesting critters are the size of a fingernail or smaller. We saw things like pygmy seahorses (which is on most diving bucket lists), regular seahorses, many varieties of shrimp (including mantis shrimp), and a whole host of other interesting things, including lots of variety of nudibranch (sea slugs). We also quite a few octopus, which made me very happy. I was also happy to do my very first wreck penetration.

In the evenings, after the diving was done, we spent most nights celebrating at the hotel's ocean-front bar. Sadly, we also spent a lot of our non-diving time talking about the sex tourism that was quite obvious around Puerto Galera (hopefully none of it went beyond that into human trafficking). At our hotel, for example, there was a group of British men who had, quite obviously, hired young girls for the week. It was sad, sickening, and frustrating to observe and made it more difficult to let the mind rest and truly be on vacation.

All-in-all, it was a good trip, though, and I'm glad that George and I were able to spend it with some great friends. I think I speak for both of us when I say that the trip made me realize why I love diving and inspired me to splash in the Puget Sound a little more often.

More photos are here and here.

Trip photos...

...are up. Philippines photos are here. HK photos are here.

I'll try to write a little something about the trip before the day is over, but given my 5am jetlag wake-up and the morning I had in the garden, I am not making any promises.

Maldives - George's Photos and Videos

George has posted his Maldives photos here and created a YouTube channel here. Enjoy!

Maldives

Where: Soneva Fushi, Aggressor Liveaboard, and Soneva Gili in the Maldives

When: September 8-12, 12-19, and 19, 2010

Why: Proper honeymoon and post-bar exam trip

On Tuesday, September 7th, we flew to Male, Maldives via Singapore for the main part of our trip. We landed quite late in the evening and stayed at an airport hotel. On Wednesday morning, we woke up to absolute beauty - even at the hotel airport.

As soon as we were ready, we went back to the international airport where we were transported to the float plane airport and Soneva's lounge. After an hour or so wait, we were on a float plane bound for Soneva Fushi. The flight was one of the most memorable parts of the trip because we had a bird's eye view of paradise. The colors were more vivid than I have ever seen in my life, and maybe even more rich than I could have imagined. Sure, the islands are gorgeous, but I thought the color variations in the water around the numerous reefs were even more stunning. It was also amusing to be in a plane with a barefoot pilot and no cockpit door.

We had a fantastic time at the resort once we arrived. Every detail was considered in advance, and it was nearly effortless to forget about reality in such beautiful surroundings. We did a fair bit of reading, sunbathing, wandering around the island, snorkeling, and patronizing the over-water bar. The food was absolutely spectacular: fresh, complex, varied, well-prepared, and in perfect proportion. I loved that we had an espresso machine in our room because it allowed us to have morning and after coffee without going the least bit out of the way. Most people we ran into at Soneva Fushi said that it was not their first time, and I can definitely see why someone would want to return there.

After about 5 days at the resort, it was time to fly back to Male and pick up the Maldives Aggressor for a week of non-stop diving. You can read the crew's log of our trip here. While aboard the Aggressor, we did three to four dives a day and saw some incredible wildlife. We saw, snorkeled with, and dove with whale sharks, but I actually thought the manta rays were more impressive. It was really very special to be hovering just a few feet below a cluster of magnificent creatures in their natural habitat. We also saw more moray eels that I'd seen in my entire life combined. There was one particular night dive where we saw probably 20 moray eels out hunting - amazing. Of course, we also saw hawksbill turtles, green turtles, and more fish than I can even begin to describe. It really was a diver's paradise.

In addition to the diving, we made new friends aboard the Aggressor, meeting people from all over the world who have had some really interesting life and dive experiences. In this day and age of social media, I'm hopeful that we'll be able to stay in touch with many of them.

One of the most memorable parts of the Aggressor week was our visit to an island. About halfway through the week, we pulled up to an island that appeared deserted. As sunset approached, several of us took one of the smaller boats to the island to have a walk around it. The sand was incredibly soft, and it was a spectacular sunset. We really enjoyed our hour or so lingering on the island, exploring, and enjoying each others' company. In hind sight, it was particularly special because that sunset was the last we saw of the sun in the Maldives as it rained the remaining days on the boat and our final day in country at Soneva Gili.

George and I really enjoyed ourselves in the Maldives, and I would not be surprised if we eventually make a return trip. For now, it remains a very special trip and one we won't soon be able to duplicate or supersede.

Photos of Soneva Fushi: here

Photos of the Aggressor: here

Photos of Soneva Gili: here

Oh, heaven is a place on earth...

...called the Maldives.

We've just (about 3 hours ago) returned from a wonderful trip to Hong Kong and the Maldives. I'm hoping to get most of the photos sorted and posted tomorrow. In the mean time, I'll leave you with these photos:

(Pet) Fish Market in Hong Kong

Sunset from Soneva Fushi, Maldives

Passing Scene from the Maldives Aggressor

February Update

George and I have experienced a busy start to the year. We have some construction going on at our house (stay tuned for future posts), George has been working really hard, and my semester has been very busy so far.

This weekend was a great break from the hustle and bustle. We went for a boat dive on Saturday. We had been out of the water for months, so we really appreciated getting out.

Yesterday, we went to Mt. Baker with some friends for a day of snowboarding. Last weekend, Tina and I (and Tina's sister) took a boarding lesson. We were both excited to spend the day falling and being beat by the mountain. And, by the end of the day, we were both successfully turning our boards to use both edges...thanks to persistence and some tips from the experts (Jamey and George). It was a spectacularly sunny day spent with friends in the snow. Does it get any better than that?

Teaser Photos

Here are a few photos of the trip thus far...

The Great Wall more than midway from Jinshaling to Simatai shows the majestic and fragile sides of the steep wall.









This is a glimpse at one of the pits of Terra Cotta Warriors located in Xian, China. These warriors have been repaired and placed into formation as they would have originally been set in the tomb.





PANDAS!!!











Tracy and I were asked to take photos with many families. This one is on the south end of Tienanmen Square near Mao's tomb.














This is a shot of the beautiful Sydney Opera House on a sunny "winter" day. What a fabulous time I had in Sydney!



Here we are enjoying a nice hot drink after our first dive in the Poor Knight Islands.





This photo was taken from Mount Eden and shows a bit of the crater along with Auckland's skyline and harbor.



It was a beautiful, sunny Sunday in Wellington. Paul and Robyn snapped this photo of George and I enjoying our walk.

Northland, New Zealand

We arrived in Auckland at midday (noon) on Monday. After renting a mobile and very basic car, we met up with George's best mate, Pierre, for a coffee and bit of lunch. Soon after, we headed north to Whangarei.

We spent nearly three days in and around Whangarei. We were booked in to dive the Poor Knight Islands on Tuesday, but an unexpected swell postponed the dive trip to Wednesday. So, we spent the morning and early afternoon checking out the sparkling bays and phenomenal seaside views around Tutukaka and the Whangarei Falls. The best way I can describe the scenery is a combination of the best parts of many places I've visited: green pastures of Ireland, sheer cliffs of central California, sparkling water of the Caribbean, glowing sun of coastal Spain, and ever changing weather of Costa Rica and tropical Ecuador. You get the picture - it's gorgeous! In the afternoon and evening, we had coffee with a dive friend from the UK and dinner with George's best mate's in-laws, Jenni and Rick.

On Wednesday, our diving came through. We went out on a charter for two dives. Since it's winter here, there were only six divers, one non-diver, and two crew. The visibility was somewhere around 12 meters, and the water felt warmer than the air. The first dive was mainly a wall with reefy areas on either end. We saw so many eels that we lost count. While these eels were much smaller than the wolfies we see in the Puget Sound, they're certainly less shy. A favorite moment was when George signaled to look at the two eels. I signaled back asking where the second eel was hiding. When George nudged the one I saw, it disturbed the second, and a bit of an eel fight ensued. I laughed, and of course my mask flooded.

The second dive was Blue Mao Mao Arch, supposedly rated one of the top ten dive sites in the world by Jacques Cousteau. We let the surge carry us through the arch and into a sparkling underwater extravaganza. Ok, maybe that's a bit much, but we did see schools of blue mao mao fish, various types of colorful perch, a carpet shark, colorful nudibranchs, a bunch more eels, and a whole lot more. We were able to go through the arch, circle around the outside of the island, go back through the arch, turn around and go back through the arch in the reverse direction, and look around the channel before surfacing. This may well be my favorite dive to date.

Yesterday morning, we caught up on well-deserved sleep and enjoyed breakfast with Jenni before heading into Whangarei for some shopping. Even in the relatively small town of Whangarei, the shopping overwhelmed me. It's so hard to choose between the beautiful paua shell, NZ jade, bone carvings, kauri wood, and wool products that are available just about everywhere. I made some selections, George had a short black (espresso), and we headed for Auckland via Matakohe.

In Matakohe, we stopped at the Kauri Museum on recommendation from Rick and Jenni. Unfortunately, we only had an hour before closing to check out the museum. Fortunately, though, we managed to skim nearly the entire thing. Kauri is a huge, native tree that has been growing in New Zealand for the last 190-135 million years. The wood is strikingly beautiful, and gum from the tree is a resin similar to amber used for jewelry, varnish, and other practical means. These days, only 4% of the kauri population remains, so very few kauri trees are allowed to be cut. Because the wood is so hard, kauri trees that were cut many years ago have survived in swamps and are now being recovered for use as furniture and the like. The museum and shop were well worth our small detour.

We finally returned to Auckland last night in time for dinner with Pierre and Anna. They're graciously hosting us for the next few nights. I'm enjoying getting to know Pierre and Anna after hearing so much about them over the past year and a half. I think George and Pierre are pretty happy to be reunited as well.

Thus far, I am thoroughly enjoying New Zealand. The people are unforgettable, food superb, and scenery gorgeous. Oh, and the coffee isn't bad either. I'll have a flat white, please!

I love Sydney!

Yesterday morning, I arrived in Sydney. George greeted me and got me set up with a map of the city before he dashed off to work.

I had a glorious day exploring the city! The day was sunny with temperatures in the upper 60s and made for walking. I wandered around the Sydney Harbor Bridge and Sydney Opera House for most of the day. The adjacent botanical gardens are also quite beautiful. I'm amazed at how Sydney pulls off clean, hip, professional, and fun vibes all at once! This is a walkable, well-planned city. George and I went out for dinner on Darling Harbor last night, and we had an overwhelming amount of choices. The only draw back I've found so far is the outrageous cost of pretty much everything.

This morning we went out on a dive charter for two morning dives. Amazing. Really. The visibility on both dives was 50+ feet. At the shallow site, I could see where we were diving to before even breaking the surface. This is the best visibility I've ever experienced, and it makes me gitty! I could get used to safety stops mid-blue water. We wore wetsuits with no gloves or booties, and stayed plenty warm below water...and it's winter here. Again, truly incredible.

As for the critters we saw, they included three varieties of sharks (grey nurse, Australian ugly, and Port Jackson), two cuttle fish, two huge bull rays, trigger fish, and an eel. There were schools of tropical fish all around. Being that we're in Sydney, I felt like I was suddenly part of Finding Nemo.

George is finishing his last moments of work before vacation as I type. We're looking forward to a weekend outside Sydney with Paul and then three weeks in New Zealand. Cheers!