Swimming with the Whale Sharks

I left you hanging on the edge of your seat with the last post… and now you know why! Whale Sharks!

I stayed in a relaxed city called Dumaguete on an island called Negros. The whale sharks are nearby Dumaguete, and I spent an amazing half hour swimming with the ‘gentle giants’.

Whale sharks are the most amazing animal I have ever seen. They are absolutely massive and elegant to look at. The people feed the whale sharks to keep them around for the tourists, otherwise they would swim away. But there were quite a few sharks with me in the water –I think 4 or 5.

I had a guy following me around with an underwater camera, and everytime I would be watching a whale shark, he would tap me, and I would turn around and see another one swimming by me from the other side. It was a fantastic experience!

Swimming pool in the jungle

I was very fortunate to have two local friends of mine, Chris and Meme, show me around their town. They took me to Apo Reef where we went snorkeling with beautiful sea turtles, and to a jungle swimming spot on the side of a volcano.

Mmmm, tasty balut

Chris and Meme enjoyed watching me eat my very first balut. Balut is an unhatched chicken. Mine had been incubated for 16 days, so it wasn’t as developed as some chicks that the Filipinos like to munch on. It was still pretty challenging to convince myself to eat it. Surprisingly, it actually tastes pretty good –I’d say it tastes 50/50 like an egg and chicken.

Local kids hanging out at Pebbles Beach

I spent an afternoon relaxing on a picturesque little beach that has a view of Dumaguete and the surrounding volcanoes. My only company were the local spearfishermen.

Sunset at Boracay

After Dumaguete I spent a long day traveling to the (somewhat) famous Boracay island. The sand is unbelievably white and fine. It feels like you’re walking on flour. I took a sailboat ride last night to watch the sunset; it was very peaceful.

Today I fly to Manila, and then on to the rice terraces and other gems of Luzon island. Only 11 days left before I return home to Calgary!