Day 04 - A photo of the last place you went on holiday I was supposed to post this last weekend, when the photo was taken, but mylaptop wouldn’t read the CD where the file was stored. So hello from the depths of the Sulu Sea! FINALLY I was able to visit Boracay — the single local destination I’ve been raring to go to since I can remember. It beats me why I didn’t book a trip to Caticlan when I snagged free roundtrip tickets to any local destination in 2008. I guess I just wasn’t up for the idea of traveling back then. But now that the wanderlust bug has bitten, I just can’t stay put anymore! Over the years I’ve heard from different people that Boracay is overrated and overcrowded, and that there are better local islands to visit. I arrived in Boracay around 9pm so I didn’t think much of the beach at that hour. But the next morning I was beside myself in wonderment when I first caught glimpse of the sea, sand, and sky. How could such breathtaking scene be overrated? The first thing that came to mind was the chillout track Face of Beauty by Lover’s Lane from Café del Mar Volumen Diez. There’s a recurring line in the song that goes, Ang Boracay ay ang pinakamagandang isla sa buong mundo. Could it be? Granted, I haven’t been to many islands/beaches but I can definitely say that Boracay, by far, is the best one in the country that I’ve been to. And I also happen to think it’s the most beautiful part of the Philippines that I’ve seen yet. There weren’t too many people when I was there — lucky for me because a local said that it was quite crowded just the week before. Also, I was able to “experience” the beach. This might sound silly but I actually got in the water. You see, I love the beach but it isn’t exactly my thing to swim because I don’t like getting wet haha. (It’s a different story with swimming pools though.) I was telling my friend how I didn’t “test the waters” when I was in Bali and all he could say was, are you nuts? And I didn’t just swim in Boracay — I went helmet diving! I donned a pressurized helmet to keep the water at bay, thus allowing me to breathe normally under the sea (oxygen was likewise pumped into the helmet). Oh this thing was HEAVY, weighing 30kg (~2kg underwater). At first I felt like my head was going to split but I managed to acclimatize to the change in water pressure by the time my feet touched the sea floor. I’m not naturally one for adventure so I felt slightly claustrophobic underwater, with this big, hefty thing on my head and shoulders. The trained diver taught us basic sign language before we ventured in the water and I felt the urge to give him the “I WANT TO SURFACE!!!” sign just a few seconds in. (You can’t surface on your own when you’re encumbered by this helmet!) But at the same time I found myself marveling at the ecology underwater that my initial phobia just dissipated. I’d never been this close to schools of bright, colorful fishes! The predicament about wearing this helmet is, what you see is not exactly what you get. You think the fishes are swimming right by your face but they’re actually feet away. Plus, you can’t see what’s directly below you because the base of the helmet blocks the view. So while I was happily surveying this new environment I accidentally tripped on this colossal coral, scathing my knee and fingers, and displacing the helmet — causing the water to come flowing in. Good thing one of the divers witnessed this mishap right away and helped me up! Unfortunately, it was around this time that the other diver decided to whip out the underwater camera and start shooting. I had saltwater in my eyes and a burning knee wound, and this diver was making us look joyful for the camera. * * * This entry a part of the 30 Day Picture Challenge

Day 04 - A photo of the last place you went on holiday

I was supposed to post this last weekend, when the photo was taken, but mylaptop wouldn’t read the CD where the file was stored.

So hello from the depths of the Sulu Sea! FINALLY I was able to visit Boracay — the single local destination I’ve been raring to go to since I can remember. It beats me why I didn’t book a trip to Caticlan when I snagged free roundtrip tickets to any local destination in 2008. I guess I just wasn’t up for the idea of traveling back then. But now that the wanderlust bug has bitten, I just can’t stay put anymore!

Over the years I’ve heard from different people that Boracay is overrated and overcrowded, and that there are better local islands to visit. I arrived in Boracay around 9pm so I didn’t think much of the beach at that hour. But the next morning I was beside myself in wonderment when I first caught glimpse of the sea, sand, and sky. How could such breathtaking scene be overrated? The first thing that came to mind was the chillout track Face of Beauty by Lover’s Lane from Café del Mar Volumen Diez. There’s a recurring line in the song that goes, Ang Boracay ay ang pinakamagandang isla sa buong mundo. Could it be?

Granted, I haven’t been to many islands/beaches but I can definitely say that Boracay, by far, is the best one in the country that I’ve been to. And I also happen to think it’s the most beautiful part of the Philippines that I’ve seen yet. There weren’t too many people when I was there — lucky for me because a local said that it was quite crowded just the week before. Also, I was able to “experience” the beach. This might sound silly but I actually got in the water. You see, I love the beach but it isn’t exactly my thing to swim because I don’t like getting wet haha. (It’s a different story with swimming pools though.) I was telling my friend how I didn’t “test the waters” when I was in Bali and all he could say was, are you nuts? And I didn’t just swim in Boracay — I went helmet diving!

I donned a pressurized helmet to keep the water at bay, thus allowing me to breathe normally under the sea (oxygen was likewise pumped into the helmet). Oh this thing was HEAVY, weighing 30kg (~2kg underwater). At first I felt like my head was going to split but I managed to acclimatize to the change in water pressure by the time my feet touched the sea floor.

I’m not naturally one for adventure so I felt slightly claustrophobic underwater, with this big, hefty thing on my head and shoulders. The trained diver taught us basic sign language before we ventured in the water and I felt the urge to give him the “I WANT TO SURFACE!!!” sign just a few seconds in. (You can’t surface on your own when you’re encumbered by this helmet!) But at the same time I found myself marveling at the ecology underwater that my initial phobia just dissipated. I’d never been this close to schools of bright, colorful fishes!

The predicament about wearing this helmet is, what you see is not exactly what you get. You think the fishes are swimming right by your face but they’re actually feet away. Plus, you can’t see what’s directly below you because the base of the helmet blocks the view. So while I was happily surveying this new environment I accidentally tripped on this colossal coral, scathing my knee and fingers, and displacing the helmet — causing the water to come flowing in.

Good thing one of the divers witnessed this mishap right away and helped me up! Unfortunately, it was around this time that the other diver decided to whip out the underwater camera and start shooting. I had saltwater in my eyes and a burning knee wound, and this diver was making us look joyful for the camera.

* * *

This entry a part of the 30 Day Picture Challenge