Philippines

For someone who doesn’t travel without a mask and snorkel, the Philippines is a place where boredom doesn’t exist. It’s a country of islands, reefs and coral gardens. There are also volcanoes, waterfalls, cities and historical sites, but with such an abundance of spectacular places to explore in the water I found it difficult to spend my time in Philippines this past month doing much else besides being on and under the sea.

I started my trip in Cebu City, a rather grimy city of three million with fast food restaurants on every corner and algae covered gutters that seem to flow continuously. The airport is in Lapu Lapu City, named for the island chief that killed the explorer Ferdinand Magellan as the islanders resisted forced conversion to Christianity. There’s a shrine to Lapu Lapu and memorial to Magellan just outside the airport. I, very unfortunately, did not realize it was the 503rd anniversary of the battle and rather than attend the reenactment and festivities that were attended by the president of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr., I instead hopped on a bus to get out of the city.

As an island country, the Philippines is made up of many different ethnicities and languages. Centuries of colonialism and outside influences replaced much of the original religious traditions with Christianity and Islam. The religious Christian culture of the area of the Philippines in which I traveled often seemed to me to contrast with the very exotic feeling of the islands and village life. The people, though, seem to embrace all aspects of their history and it’s not unusual to meet people or places with names of Spanish, English or local origins.

The first time I stick my head in the waters of Cebu, I see a vortex of sardines. Within minutes a turtle swims by. Cebu is also a popular place to see whale sharks. In most places, it takes a lot of patience and energy to be able to swim with a whale shark, but in Cebu they are fed close to shore and people line up to have their photo taken with these underwater giants.

Siquijor, a smaller island just a short ferry ride away, is another tropical paradise. The main town here is kind of quiet and pleasant, unusual for towns in the Philippines. I rented a motorbike at the dock and spent a few days driving around the island and exploring the best reefs and snorkeling spots.

It would be worthwhile if Cambodia could trade away a few ancient temples to Philippines for a few of their beaches because like Cambodia with it’s many amazing archeological sites, Philippines just has too many beautiful beaches to visit. It’s great for travelers who like to get away from the crowds though as many beaches are completely deserted except for fishermen and local dogs running up and down through the sand.

An hour away by propeller plane is a small town on the relatively remote island of Busuanga. Tourists fly here not to visit Busuanga itself, but to explore the nearby uninhabited island of Coron where sharp limestone walls, multi-colored lagoons and hidden clear water lakes transport visitors into another world.

Few places in the world are as stunningly beautiful as Coron Island with it’s various shades of turquoise seas towered over by craggy, jungle-clad peaks. It’s the kind of place where taking photos is disappointing because no photo can capture the 360 degree, 4-dimensional feel of being in a perfect paradise. And then, unsurprisingly, under the water is just as amazing with endless coral gardens and fish.

As remote as these islands are, they experienced some action in World War 2 when US bombers attacked a fleet of Japanese ships anchored off of the islands. Today the wrecks of these ships remain relatively intact, although most are quite deep. These are just a few more points of interest for under-water enthusiasts in a country already overly abundant in them.

The Philippines is a place I have visited before and I will visit again because for someone who never gets tired of the sea, there are endless attractions. I managed to visit 7 islands on this trip, so there are still about 7000 more to see.