Philippines
UPDATE – El Nido Coral
By Tony on February 5, 2012 | 2 Comments »
We just received this very detailed letter from one of our readers named Johnny, who took the time to update us on the condition of the coral in El Nido on the island of Palawan in the Philippines.
If you were following our blog while we were traveling through Palawan, you might remember that our post 100 Ways to Kill Coral generated some controversy among the locals and we received several informative comments from Lee Goldman at S.E.Asia Kayak Tours.
According to Johnny, not much has improved since then and he even seems to suggest that the situation has worsened. If anyone has any additional opinions (including El Nido locals), we would love to hear them in this post’s comment section.
Here is a copy of Johnny’s letter:
Hello Tony,
Thank you for the report.
I have been to El Nido twice… in November 2010 and more recently, last week. On my first visit, I did island hopping tour A (Miniloc Island and surroundings) and found that most of the coral was dead, and consisted mainly of rubble. The snorkelling sites were shallow and I assumed the rubble was due to the daily stamping of careless tourists.
Last week, I did tour C (Matinloc and Tapuitan Islands). The tour operator collected both the tour fee and Eco Tourism Development Fee (P200) from each person the day before. The operator did not » Continue reading this post »
Happy New Year’s!
By Tony and Thomas on December 31, 2010 | 3 Comments »
We can’t believe another year has passed. And, yes, we are still in Asia. To celebrate 2010, we’ve put together a video retrospective covering our travels to Cambodia, Laos, the Philippines, Vietnam and Thailand. Stay tuned for more TnT adventures to come in 2011!
One Last Look at the Philippines
By Tony on October 5, 2010 | 4 Comments »
When we came to the Philippines, we only intended to stay for two to three months. Over five months later, we’re still here. Clearly, we like it.
Amazing underwater treasures, beautiful jungles, deserted white-sand beaches, stunning landscapes, and some of the friendliest people in the world make it a hard country to leave. To recall our terrific time here, we’ve put together a Philippines pictorial of some of the highlights.
Dolphin Superpod
By Tony on October 4, 2010 | 1 Comment »
Ripples throughout the picture only hint at the number of dolphins below the surface.
Returning from our dive trip to Calanggaman Island, we had yet another stroke of extraordinary luck. Well before we arrived on the scene, we could make out chaotic splashing on the horizon and what appeared to be animals leaping out of the water. As we approached, we realized that we had stumbled upon yet another of nature’s great spectacles: a dolphin superpod.
I’ve seen dolphins from California to Madagascar to Indonesia, but I had never seen anything like this in my life. Hundreds upon hundreds of spinner dolphins forming one massive group. At the center a chaotic splashing in what appeared to be a unified attack on a large school of fish. Hyped from the hunt, all around us dolphins leapt through the air. Some shot up high above the surface performing feats of aerial acrobatics straight out of a Seaworld show. Incredible. Thresher sharks, a manta, off-shore tornadoes, pygmy seahorses, and a dolphin superpod. Perhaps, the Philippines is giving us a few good-bye gifts before we leave the country.
Pygmy Seahorses
By Tony on October 2, 2010 | No Comments »
It took us three dives, but we have finally sighted the elusive pygmy seahorse. This tiny creature is, perhaps, the ultimate testament to the miracles of evolution. (I’ve said it before, Darwin would have loved scuba diving.) But finding these little guys isn’t easy. After several minutes of searching a large sea fan gently clearing debris and carefully examining each branch, our divemaster pointed out the ultra-tiny seahorse, which was about 1/3 of an inch (8mm) long. When he first pointed it out, I mistook it for a part of the fan. I stared at it for several seconds before I realized “the tiny piece of fan” had an eyeball. Its unbelievable adaption to the surrounding fan branches allows the tiny seahorse to blend in perfectly. Man, the underwater world really blows me away!
