Our time in Cebu was incredible. I had no idea that the Philippines had such beautiful sandy beaches and palm trees like that. Driving along it felt much like I imagine the Polynesian islands to be like.
We stayed at a little AirBnB with a back porch right our to the ocean. We pulled in pretty late and got to enjoy a nice sunset. The tiny little spit of beach held more awesome shells than anywhere on our entire trip. In the quickly fading light we collected the most incredible shells. It was like an entire museum clinked merrily in my bag.
The next morning we got up earlier than the sun and headed off to swim with the whale sharks. It was a similar feeling to riding the elephant—you just feel instant respect for such a gentle giant. Floating there next to the 25 foot long spotted fish, I could just feel how powerful this creature was. One flick of the tail would send me sprawling. But they were only interested in the small fishes they were sucking into their vast mouths in great gulps. If you got in the wrong place you would fall right in. I almost did once—I was watching a shark right in front of me and I felt a strange pull on my head as the water started to drain into the huge mouth of a shark coming up behind me. I was pulled out of the way just in time. I absolutely loved to dive down deep and just swim alongside the huge spotted shark. It felt like an old friend—no need to talk, but still good company.
We spent the afternoon cruising around this incredible island on a motorcycle and snorkeling out from our Airbnb. We ended up seeing a stripy sea snake with a yellow head! It slithered through the water just like it would on land. Our AirBnB that night got upgraded for deee and ended up in a little bungalow on stilts that overhung the sea. Big windows opened up to a gorgeous view of the next island across the way and the sunset. Our bed went right up to the window so we could lay right in bed and put our feet out the window. At this point of our trip we were pretty exhausted, so we spent the most incredibly relaxing evening watching the sunset over the ocean from bed. The lights on the island across the way slowly came on as the starts came out. I could hardly believe how beautiful and calm it was. Then I saw something in the water, blinked, and looked again. Yep—bioluminescent flashes in the water. It was like a little gift from God just for us. It felt so nice to just…relax. 🙂
The next day we went Canyoneering above Kawasan falls in an area called Alegria. The limestone carved away into these canyons with jungle falling into it on each side. We jumped down the waterfalls past dangling vines into bright blue water. It was a total blast! Jumping off of the waterfalls in gorgeous scenery is exhilarating. One drop we went over headfirst and backwards, back diving over the falls. We absolutely loved it—I think Tyler loved it the most. 🙂
Walkabout 