Sailing and Cebu

I left Napantao very early on Wednesday morning and headed to Maasin. Here I met the crew of the South Sea Nomads. Rich was a former SO at CCC and, along with Katie, Kitt and boat captain Arial, had built a boat which they were sailing to Malaysia in order to set up a dive operation. They had arrived at CCC and few weeks earlier for a Saturday night and we had also bumped into them whilst in Maasin. Luckily for me they were due to start their epic voyage on the day I was leaving CCC and offered to take me along! The boat was moored on a small island close to Maasin which was a bit of a holiday resort – but mid week it was really quiet. The paperwork they require took some time coming through so we stayed there for my first night. We had a BBQ on the beach with some really yummy fish and veggies.

The next day we set off (a little later than planned) for Cebu. It was really cool to see the crew (inc. puppies Jack and Lettie) get so excited to be starting something they had been planning and working on for so long. The crossing was good and I fell asleep at the front of the boat (and got quite sunburnt too!). We arrive into Cebu just as it was getting dark which made the city look really pretty but made docking just a little more stressful. But all was well in the end and we set off into town for a TGI Friday and a few drinks.

The next day was pretty stressful one for me. I had lots of things to sort out and buy before setting of travelling proper and spent most of the day in the two big shopping malls of Cebu. In the evening though I went to the cinema which was great. It was a big cinema but the tickets were about £2.50! They played the national anthem before the film (like they do before just about anything) and the power went down for a few minutes in the middle of the film.

On Saturday morning I said goodbye to the crew, thanked them for their kindness and wished them luck for the rest of the journey. I set off to SM mall to meet Nick, from the Thresher Shark Project, who would be my travelling buddy for the next couple of weeks.

Last Adventures at CCC

Lots of exciting things happened in my last few weeks at CCC. Tim and Petchy, the new SOs, did really well in learning the ropes and with my last SDP finished I was able to get in the water and diving on surveys a lot more. However, we all took a break from diving to spend a few nights in the provincial capital of Southern Leyte, Maasin. It was the 50^th anniversary of the region and we had been invited to take part in the celebrations. The first evening we went down to the Capitol – a big grassy area in front of the government buildings. There they were holding the Miss Southern Leyte beauty pageant on the massive stage. All around were food and other stalls; it was just like a festival. The next morning was the main event and we gathered on the main street for the big parade. Everyone seemed to be taking part from school children to government officials at all levels. Every so often there was a marching band and majorettes to keep the pace. We were near the end of the parade and all walked with our matching t-shirts behind our banner. It was really fun, despite the light drizzle, and everyone watching liked to wave and cheer. I felt really proud and honoured to be invited to take part in such an important occasion. When the parade finished, back at the Capitol, there was a short ceremony and Rach, Holly and I were invited to sit on the stage during it. I got to meet the governor of Southern Leyte but it was a little embarrassing as we were all wearing shorts and t-shirts and looking a bit bedraggled while everyone else were in the poshest outfits! Afterward we were free to enjoy all of the things that had been put on such as stalls with crafts from each of the regions in S. Leyte. And of course there was also time to fit in some shopping in the ‘big city’ for things we don’t get at Napantao. That evening we had our own celebrations as it was Holly and Rach’s birthdays while we were away. The next morning all the girls went to a beauty salon for birthday treatments.

On Saturday we had yet more celebrations for the birthdays (inc. Emily’s too) and my last Saturday night. We all went into Liloan to a bar for BBQ and karaoke which was lots of fun.

On Wednesday it was time for me to say goodbye to CCC and hit the road for a few weeks of travel. Tuesday was a really emotional day as I had a lot of things to sort out and really didn’t want to leave. On Tuesday evening we had the traditional goodbye after dinner. Everyone especially Rach and Holly were really nice and I even got presents! I had to say a few words and said how inspirational the people I’d met and the things I’d seen were.