i actually like traveling alone. i do a lot of just wandering around, looking at things, thinking. the weather here has been crappy since i arrived - rainy and cloudy - which means no sun-bathing and that i am reliant on restuarants/bars not kicking me out for sitting there too long. especially right now, where it is pouring outside and i am probably more than a kilometer from my hotel.
the beauty of traveling alone is that you get invited to do things on a fairly regular basis. every night i get asked to join people at the bar for a drink, to play cards, or whatever. it's nice, and it doesn't happen if you're traveling with someone else.
the tourist area of boracay is called white sand beach and is actually a pedestrian walkway, lined with hotels, restaurants, bars, and dive shops right along beautiful beaches. because it is the off-season (quite windy), there are screens along the walkway in attempts to block out rain. the off-season also means cheaper rates and that there aren't very many white people here. a lot of koreans, but honestly, i'm one of the only white people i've seen. as such, i stick out, and am followed around by vendors, people advertising for boat rides, snorkeling, everything. i answer their questions in filipino, and that definitely surprises them.
[screens]
[outriggers on the beach]
my first days here, i did a lot of asking at dive shops about prices, where to dive, etc. everything is about the same price, but i really feel like you can tell what kind of dive you'll get just by talking to the person who is there. some just answer your question directly "$30 US" and that's the end of the conversation, while others actually take time to take to you about the dive sites. at one place, lapu-lapu, the guys standing out front asked me in for a cup of coffee and chatted with me for a long time. they are both dive masters-in-training and very kind and so i decided to go diving with them. one of the guys is an american who's been here for about a year, and it is just so good to talk to him and hear his thoughts, ideas, etc. little things like those conversations make me feel so much better about being here, even in the midst of struggles and challenges. it's just the reassurance that yes, things here take time; yes, the position i'm in is experienced by most westerners coming here - it just ... makes me feel more positive and optimistic. more like i can handle this, i can do this for six months, it will be ok. the challenge of not going and doing is teaching me more than i could possibly imagine.
anyways, i went diving with these guys this morning at a site called 'crocodile island'. really beautiful wall and reef - lots of colors, fishies, etc. i brought my camera with me for the first time (!!) and it did splendidly. i was so nervous about using it, but really it worked wonderfully. i took somewhere around 80 photos and i'd say that 5 or so are decent. i have a lot to learn about underwater photography - it's so difficult. and it seems to be absolutely impossible to capture the color.
regardless, i have a few to post, even if they're not too great.
[i was really pissing off this clownfish and he was chasing me around. very cute. you can see how angry he is at me in this photo.]
[general scene]
[trumpet fish]
[i am obsessed with texture]
[not the best photo, but it really shows all the texture down there. it's pretty amazing]
[me. my hair looks all crazy]
anyways, it is good for me to be here. i am really enjoying me time, and just am feeling much better about the way things are going. i think the key is to be optimistic about the entire experience. back to romblon on wednesday.
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