almost tubba, but not quite

when you've been planning for a trip for almost a year already - money, time, equipment, & mind set - only to be told by the boat manager that there's a problem in the boat's bearing after only about 6hrs into the open sea and can't possibly proceed to sail to Apo / Tubbataha, you'd challenge Murphy's Law and push your way to salvage the trip.

saturday morning, when we're supposed to have finished our 1st Apo dive, we learned that Borneo Explorer is on its way to Mamburao waters (where we were stranded) so we can transfer and continue the trip. oblivious of what to be announced that night, we opted to maximize the day by doing an exploratory dive around the area. the dive spot being too close to a fishing village, and not protected under Marine Park jurisdiction, there was literally no life at all, or was there? i can't actually remember. the 50min dive was longer than i can recall. i was sooo bored that i chose to skip the second dive. it didn't help to think that around that time we should already be in Apo Reef and frolicking on the beauty of the splendid marine biodiversity of the atoll.

8ish that night, as BE gets closer to us, our hopes were high that we'd sail in a few hours and would miss only about 2 dives in Cuyo Island. but another bomb was dropped when we were told by G, the boat manager, that the owner, Mr. Wee, wanted both boats back in Anilao and will just cancel the trip. Mr. Wee sent BE to tow PE2 and not to actually pick us up to sail forward to Apo/ Tubba. with 24 fully paid divers, and very eager not to waste the week trip, despite the frustration, came to a compromise to agree to be towed back on the premise that as soon as the boats reached Anilao, will board BE and head to Apo/ Tubba immediately. we all understood that we lost 2 diving days already, but who the hell cares? we wanted the trip sooo bad, and we're all willing to bend our backs. we thought we'd deal with the owner, once the trip is over.

Sunday morning bout 7ish, when we're supposed to have finished our 1st dive in Cuyo, we were again hit by another devastating news, Mr. Wee wanted us to disembark and just refund the money we paid for the trip, just that! no discussion, no negotiation! As if money was the only concern of the divers who have planned this trip and redesigned their schedules so as to be able to have an 8-day dive trip.

everyone was so furious, as we, the clients, felt we have been bending our backs when there was no effort on the other side of the table at all. he didn't even try to call any of us to hear our compromise just to proceed the Apo/ Tubba trip.

it was a perfect example of bad business practice - not delivering to your clients what has been agreed and not knowing how to handle crisis properly. arrrrrg!!! it boils down to the fact too that Cruise Island Adventure (more known as Scuba World) has the monopoly of the Tubbataha route, thus the less care for clients so much so of their safety.

as we were left without a choice, we disembarked the boat and trusted that they will keep their word of a full refund the next day (monday). we were though offered a free overnight stay at Outrigger Resort (owned by Mr. Wee too), and do dives for free for that day.

of the 24 divers, 18 stayed overnight and enjoyed the day whilst planning for the next best alternative for the failed tubba trip. within few hours, 13 divers were booked for a flight to Busuanga and do ship wrecked dives instead.

sunday, 10ish evening, abs-cbn batangas went to the resort to interview our group. we wanted to make sure that CIA owner understands the gravity of the situation - safety & bad business practice.

PE2 is solely dedicated for tubba trips with March to June season only. they had july to feb to ensure that their boats are fit to sail to commence new tubba season. how on earth can a bearing be overlooked (when it's actually a wear and tear part of the engine) and be the source of failure? 24 divers along with at least a 10-member boat crew's safety were put to risk, by letting an unfit boat sail to open seas. something worse could have happened if it wasn't discovered right away.

next morning, Monday, we were driven back to Manila at the resort's expense, and headed straight to CIA/ Scuba World's office. we were actually prepared for a long and unpleasant argument with the owner, but we were surprised that the discussion went like a breeze - full refund, including booked flights to Palawan. he was apologetic and looked like he didn't know any better when he made the decision to tow us back. he even said he didn't know we were ready to make a compromises and cut the tubba dive days. we don't actually know who was telling the truth -the boat manager or the owner. was he really unaware of the compromises willing to take just to proceed the trip which we have clearly expressed to G, or was he just trying to cover his @$$e from embarassment?

whilst others opted to refund the money - our foreign friends who can't possibly stay longer in MNL for a rebooked trip - majority chose to rebook a later date.

have to mention though how accommodating and extra apologetic the crew members were when we're still on the boat. even when we were already at the resort, they took care of us unconditionally. Mr.Wee is lucky to have very good employees like them.

we dashed to the airport to catch a 1PM flight. lo & behold!!! just after we've haggled (but failed) to give us a free kg for each head as we checked-in our baggage (with already prepaid addl 5kg each), we heard the PA of our flight's cancellation due to bush fire at the Busuanga Airport!!!

i never felt Murphy's law as i did that day. we were so bummed we were stripped off with emotions. we thought if the world was indeed conspiring against us, why were we spared in the open seas? how did we manage to get a booking to Coron in a snap? obviously our unbreakable spirits are in the works.

we managed to get a rebooking on the next earliest flight the next day. i said though to Z, if after tomorrow's attempt, we'd again fail, i'd accept defeat, let go of the week-long holiday and head home.

determined not to miss our early morning flight the next day, we decided to spend overnight at K's place at Magallanes and relaxed the night away. we called masseuse to come over her place and had an awesome an hour and a half massage :-)

7ish of Tuesday morning, it felt like deja vu to be back at the airport and queue for our baggages to be checked-in. we lack the strength already to negotiate for the baggage allowance so we just paid whatever the officer charged us. it's past the baording time already when we heard another announcement - "Flight 5J5298 bound to Busuanga is temporarily on-hold due to low visibility around the area. please wait for further announcement in the next 15minutes."

for people who had mishaps after mishaps for the past 4 days, 15minutes mean an eternity of waiting! there wasn't a word uttered, wasn't a complaint vented. silence was the prevailing element.

until a real upper was announced. flight pushed thru and in a little over an hour, we have landed the busuanga airport!!!

we were quick to let go of a guffaw and articulated - "F-I-N-A-L-L-Y!!!!!"

what we went through the past days was unimaginable. and to finally set foot again in Coron was an effin relief!!! i whispered to myself, 'thank God we're safe'

we may have failed to conquer Apo Reef / Tubbataha Reef, but we're blessed a hundred fold over to gain new dive buddies!!! amidst all that went on in the past days, we were actually still having fun.

we may have been deprived to experience Tubbataha's beauty that time, but we have experienced real & beautiful friendship!!! how can i complain?

***

- Coron adventure on my next post :-)

- photos from indayguapa, jayvzter, bembong, boni & suzette


- cross-posted to wandersoles

i don't like scuba diving...

...when water is below 25C! brrrrrrr!

been months since my solemates and i dove together. and the inch thick dust our SCUBA equipment has gathered can tell you how much we all wanted to breathe dry compressed air soon.

thus the day-trip dive Z & L planned became a reminiscent of our bellarocca escapade (deserves a separate posting), when all 5 of us - wandersoles plus G are present. the world was still asleep but there we were, 6 girls, giddily chants for the awesome dives ahead!

830ish we were already parking at Planet Dive. oh Planet Dive! i luv how the words roll on my tongue. i miss the resort big time, especially after diving 5 weekends without fail last August-September (till i flew to US). glad to have also all my girlfriends agree to join me in PD, my turf! :-)

10ish off we're off to Sombrero island. we requested our DM to dive Batok, which he easily said yes to. dive plan was to dive Batok but to continue hovering till we reach Beatrice (one of my favorite dive spots). volunteered to do the first jump, and oh boy!!! sun was up, but water was rather cold!!! but then again we were warned during the brief, and we thought we're here to brave the cold waters of Anilao!

true enough, halfway through of the dive, i'm getting uncomfortable already. i thought the water is getting even colder. my dive computer registered 24C. brrrrr. plus there was a moderately strong current too. it could have been a different story if there was a good visibility so i can enjoy the sea life. we're close to Beatrice when our DM gave us the daisy chain signal already.

back on the boat, inspite it not being a 'macho' dive, head felt like being hammered. good thing, DM decided to go back to resort and have our lunch first before proceeding to our second dive.

lunch as always was great! buttered tulingan + pork bbq (skipped it though) + vegetable salad + sweetened banana slice = happy diver.

2ish we headed back to the waters re-energised. second spot was Mainit, so we're looking forward to seeing white-tip shark around 70ft below. descent was easier cuz there was no current initially. but after 10mins has lapsed i felt the hammering again on my head. boooo! even with gloves on top of my 3mm wet suit to insulate me, the 24C water can spoil what could have been a great dive. if not for the huge hawksbill sea turtle we saw and the numerous cute little nudis, it felt like forever underwater. so i made up my mind and signaled to my buddy, i'm going ahead. i'll just finish my safety stops and i'd surface to water.

on our way back to the resort, all i can think about was to lie my back on the deck and be warm under the sun. i knew i insisted to my solemates that i want to have at least 3 dives, but with water like that, i'd rather chill under the gorgeous sunset on the deck.

our dive fix may have been far from being great, but with crazy beautiful company, lovely sunset and good conversation, i can't think of a better way to kick-off wandersoles' 2010! i'm pretty sure it's gonna be a swell ride once more! :-)

so do i really dislike SCUBA diving now?? no way!!! only when it's effin cold like that! :-)

***

- photos courtesy of my solemates, indayguapa & wanderlass

- cross-posted to coffee mug

naga - pili - albay leg

finally our bicolandia adventure became a reality last weekend. i was really a bugger to my travel buddies on this for weeks, cos it has started to rain already, and i don’t wanna miss the chance of exploring donsol and experiencing butandings*

in my earlier post, i have mentioned our mishaps of the said trip. but all these are nothing if i’d count all the amazing experiences we had when we saw the majestic mayon, the nostalgic cagsawa ruins, the highly sophisticated wakeboarding paradise cwc, the whimsical fire fly watching and of course the splendid humbling butanding (whaleshark) encounter.

we changed our itinerary and headed first to naga. it was M’s request that we pay visit to the penafrancia image at the cathedral. so there, i was expecting that the image resides in an old grand church but it isn’t. we were told that it was relocated there only few years ago, however its old dwelling is just a few blocks away. but we decided not to go there anymore cos we realized how hungry we were and a mean breakfast meal was the only thing we can think of.

then we visited another church, which i liked more btw. both churches have big and beautifully landscaped gardens to boot. its green gives you the much needed calming fresh air.

we then proceeded to pili to see its latest attraction – camsur watersports complex. a flagship project of mayor villafuerte. i particularly got interested when i saw their gigantic billboard proudly claiming 'the best cable park in the world'. i don’t know about it cos it's the first time i saw something of that kind. but to host an international wakeboarding competition (too bad we missed this last week), there must be a degree of truth to their claim :p

oh well, i like its overall design, both in space planning and aesthetics points of view. and i like the idea that it’s a wifi free zone ;-) woot!woot! was thinking of wakeboarding, but my fancy (now i think it’s so silly of me) over an oh-so-hunky bloke – whom i eventually found out to be paulo paraiso (actor/model) made me just lounge on the side and watch the wakeboarders/kneeboarders instead. hahaha! so showbiz of me! pero promise i never thought he's that hottie in person :-)

an hour and a quarter after we left pili, we’re in daraga. cagsawa ruins is another must-see and we spent our late afternoon there just staring at the majestic volcano and the ruins. we climbed the tower and sat on its window facing mayon. it felt good sitting there, whilst sun is peeking through the clouds covering the cone’s tip. up there, all my cares seem to have vanished. how i wish to have the same view…same air…same peace in manila. but it came to me in an epiphany that the very calmness i’m savouring is the very result of a tragic death of almost 500 people and hundreds more missing on top of millions worth of properties and crops that were wiped out by the supertyphoon reming, and the eventual mudslide of volcanic ash and boulders of the then active mayon. *sigh*

it then made me admire bicolanos for their resiliency. bicol is the most badly damaged in 2006, but only a little over 6 months, there they are seemingly unscathed and can even afford to smile to tourists who visit their place. sure there are still some broken roads, some families still living in relief areas and some wooden crosses planted randomly on the field (signifying that on that spot a person was buried alive of the mudslide) but apart from these, bicolanos have slowly risen up and is now restoring their lives.

haaay! galing talaga ng pinoy! kakabilib! an expat friend J in thailand once told me, we are known to be the most resilient people of asia, we can be bended but we're never broken. wow naman!

so there next stop: donsol

i’ll post it though separately as donsol is in itself a totally different adventure!!!

*orignally posted here

CDO woohoo!

because of our extended stay in camiguin (blame it to the white island chill :p), we crunched all our adventures to a day. we arrived cdo 8ish, and even a spur-of-the-moment idea of seeing transformers at sm cdo, turned out to be not viable cos it’s mall has closed at 8pm. haaay. we decided instead a night of gastronomic delight at fiesta sa balsa sa sugbahan. (similar to dampa or seaside here in manila). this one deserves 4 stars. food is great especially the tinolang maya maya (like nilagang baka of tagalogs)! and i like how they undercooked the veggies :-) if only not for the slow service, i can give it a 5.

called it a night at 11. we need to be up the next day 5ish to be ready for the 6am pick up time of the rafting team.

barely 8ish, our adventure has started. woot woot! thanks to L we did not take the basic course but the extreme as he has advised.

extreme white water rafting course = 21 rapids = 18.5 kilometers = 1,001 action photos! woopeee!

more shots here.

and our zipline, canopy walk…geeez! i heard J & S cussing me whilst they're on the platform 120 ft above the ground! they said it was all my idea…and that i’m crazy and all…hahah! but after the activities…all they can think of is SPECTACULAR!

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* if you wish to experience the helluva fun, feel free to email us at wandersoles@gmail.com. we'd be glad to answer your queries on budget, bookings & accommodation. we'd luv to share the fun!

*originally posted from here

hearts day with kites and balloons

it was a wonderful weekend out of town, different from the previous valentines i have experienced so far. armed with good vibes and spunky spirit, the secret society decided to celebrate the hearts day neither inside some fancy restaurants nor posh hotel ballrooms but there on the green field of Clark, with a thousand more spectators, waited patiently for the first hot air balloon to take off.

it’s amazing to see so many people up on their feet before the sun peeked its first rays against mt.arayat that served as the fest’s backdrop. the morning breeze that seemingly reminded me of what i miss living outside a crowded city was highlighted with quiet laughter of playing kids whilst chasing for flying kites. and the clear blue sky set a perfect contrast to the burst of colours presented by lifting-off hot air balloons, dancing paragliders and sky divers.

the number of cars parked side by side and the jam just before the SLEX exit were clear indicators of how strong local tourism is. if only all festivals in the country would be as well marketed as this, hefty revenue from tourism sector can be really promising.

it’s my 3^rd year attending the festival but its novelty has not faded a bit. the sight of flying kites brings back fond memories of my childhood. friends who came with me know how excited i was to fly a kite that morning. it’s like me going back to the days when i have less cares. and the emancipation that the taking off hot air balloons gives me whilst i lay there on the grass field is something i really needed these days. the hectic city life can easily gets into you that you sometimes lose balance of it all and moments such as that is all that you need to refocus and recharge.

but the fair would just be another fair like the past years i’ve attended if i have not decided to celebrate it with my fellow wandersoles (sans indayguapa) and N & M – collectively the secret society. no one can jazz up a day more than the combined energy of these crazy beautiful peeps. :-)