Shanghai - Manila - Cebu - Maya - Malapascua

Departure 2013-0ct-01 - 0.30     Arrival 2013-Oct-01 - 17.30 

 

bound for eden, eva marie lobmaier, travel photography
On the way to Malapascua, Cebu
bound for eden, eva marie lobmaier, travel photography
Arriving on Malapascua Island
eva marie lobmaier, boundforeden, travel website, southeast asia, photographs, philippines, squid, nets
bound for eden, eva marie lobmaier, travel photography
bound for eden, eva marie lobmaier, travel photography
Cloudy Sunset, Malapascua, Cebu

It was a nightlong journey from Shanghai to Cebu in the Philippines. There, I had planned to meet my friend Fransiska, who was there on vacation for breakfast before heading up north. Going to the Mövenpick Hotel was supposed to be a 20min taxi-ride from the airport, basically just around the corner, instead it turned out to be an hour-or-so-journey through the city-center, as the driver had no clue where I wanted to go or he was going. Finally. We arrived at the destination, and he asked my to pay the full journey price! He even threatened my karma, would I not do so …. Great start! As this was only the first day of my trip I did not want to take a risk and bought my karma back for only 200PP….

 

Seeing my friend, some fried eggs and a cup of coffee helped me to get over this unpleasant encounter and shortly after I made my way up to Malapascua. Another taxi-ride, a 5-hour bus-ride (including 3 movies) and a one-hour banka-ride till I made it to this small island, famous for its thresher-sharks ("Fuchshaie").

bound for eden, eva marie lobmaier, travel photography

I stayed in White Sands Bungalows; simple cottages on the beach, perfect to hang-out, relax, explore the island and do some diving. As it was the Golden Week Holiday there were plenty of Chinese travel-groups, diving those famous thresher-sharks as well. Luckily, they used a different dive-shop than I did.

Apparently, thresher sharks are best seen at 6 o'clock in the morning at a depth of 30m. They come up from 300m to get a good scrub from small cleaner-fishes. It is said to be magical, how they peacefully circle around this cleaning-station before they disappear in the blue infinity again. 

 

 

So on my last day on the island I decided to go for it, get up at 4.30 to have a look myself. Luck wasn't on my side though! When I came down to 30m there was absolutely nothing to see for 15 to 20 minutes (of a 35 minute dive). Then, for a brief moment one thresher shark came out of the blue, did one quick loop and disappeared again ……  Unpredictable nature; or should I have given the cab-driver more then 200PP for a bit of diving-karma …?!

continue with ... LEYTE