PHILLIPINES part 4 Dec 26 am After a great xmass meal at Sangat resort [11* 57' 48" N / 120* 04' 14" E] Xmass night treat...while paddling out to my beach around 11pm, the bioluminance was fabulous, I started paddling backwards for well over an hour like a mad idiot, chanting away and being totally blown away, I was able to make tracers with my paddles that reached at least 2 boat lenght, unreal, never seen anything like this before...I could of easily get lost that night, no idea about my travelling except I was trying to circle and catch my stars...Gotta to do more of this...And back to the beach for a good sleep, loads of travel tomorrow... 10 am, the boys from Sea Canoe International [ Brian & Jeremie, where I stayed while on land] picked me up to take me to Black Island, another of caveman's great discoveries, a huge slab of jet black limestone, their destination with a ongoing 6 day tour...I am to catch a ride up the coast for more exploratory...Turns out 3 of their clients are from Calgary Alberta [400 kms from my house, where i go kayak shopping...] they buy my produce at the local market I deal with...So I hang around with promises to cook up a great breakfast...Stop in at Conception on the way and set up camp on Black Island at dark, on a fantastic beach...On the way there, 2 of us saw a shark ? no I am sorry a big mother shark way out there in front ...Naw...just wishful sighting...or was it ??? Black island 12* 9' 13" N / 119* 49' 06" E In the morning, the paid vacationers were resting after 3 days of paddle and unreal amounts of great tasting Jeremy cooking, we took the outrigger and toured caluit Island, a private zoo Marcos had developed with African critters, no predators and they did better than at home and reproduced greatly...But still a huge nature park = zoo We returned and had another great feast, and I headed off to circle the island and see the sun set over the south china sea [ now from here the sun sets right over Dam Mon peninsula in Vietnam where I hang out ] When I reach the edge of the island I check back, it's not so far maybe 1 1/2 km in distance but a very long time in sightseeing the cliffside, catching glimpses of monkeys, more of my friends the kingfishers who seem to be everywhere I go...Is it the same one or what???and many more critters... .... Suddenly I seem to feel / see lots of excitement on our beach back there...better return, I am but a hitcher...Get back in a hurry...Now everyone is out on the yaks...all dispersed in the ocean over about 1 km square. 5 yaks...what's up. ..I paddle out and hear...It's a shark...no it's a whale shark...it's right here...and this monster shark, whale shark that is is swimming out with us, and coming right up to us time and time again, he bounce a inflatable to this one girl's total amazement and unreal shriek...Then a bit later I went to put my paddle blade in the water and looked and there it is... HOLY SHIT...MY BOAT IT'S JUMPING IN... a huge mouth filled with [what are they called them things they got whale teeth???] Swear to god, I could tickled it's chin without stretching my arm...The eyes, the mouth, the magnitude... It was smiling at me and ducked under...swear to god the tail fin was millimetres from my yak... { I found myself face to face with a full grown grizzly bear, maybe 15 feet between us, and this afternoon the bear episode faded a whole bunch...] So what the heck is swimming over there...another shark...NO way it's a huge Manta ray and it's 3 feet under my yak and most un...real...And another Manta ray...these 2 were about 3 meters long and wide and most impressive when fulled stretched out under MY yak...Seeing them breach water all tucked in and rolling at water level... These critters were around us for over 1 1/2 hour, they would go and return, every time going with inches of someone...Some of us even jumped in with underwater cameras and such, I even have a photo of myself with my new friends head right next to the klepper... Dinner and evening was like kids after xmass, the vibes and excitement was all over, took me 6 pages in my log and over 2 hours to write it down... And we got a visit by a very colourful water snake who decide we did not have enough excitement today, slithered right through dinner set up and out again, maybe 1 1/2 meter long and very colourful...Someone did give me the name but me and name don't get along... A good sleep filled with great dreams was had by all, and in the morning we set off to paddle up Busuanga river [12* 9' 03" N / 119* 57' 20" E] a smallish river meandering through rice fields, colourful mountains and suddenly turns into a jungle edge of unreal dimension [ the jungle plants that is ] One of the yaks saw a small king cobra swimming across the river, too fast for a double take, never mind a photo...And we returned to coron city that night, having had another great 6 days on the water.... OH, How do I love that South China Sea ???? with it's mid 20's 'C and so many colours... Now time to get going on my crossing of the Cullion straight to discover off the route Linapacan Island before heading to Palawan island, a 2 week odyssey coming up in part 5 and 6... Enjoy *Having never been on a organised tour, I find myself looking at that idea now, after such incredible treatmnet from Sea Canoe International, and will for sure join up with Caveman's crew when I am in Thailand for one of their tour there, well worth the expense is for sure...even if I don't get to get so freaked by sea monsters again... Yours naturally sylvio lamarche Wycliffe organic gardens & Exotic locales all over the globe *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
From: sylvio lamarche Date: Wednesday, July 22, 1998 12:47 AM >PHILLIPINES part 4 .......................................... Hi Sylvio, cool trip. thanks taking time to share it with us. bye bye bliven *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
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