So here are all the backpackers :D (Day 140 of the world tour)

22.01.2020

After another good night's sleep, we got up around 7:00 am, packed up the rest and had a few toasts for breakfast before heading to the bus station :)

As we already knew thanks to yesterday, it looks a bit 'wild' from the outside but when we arrived, we were asked repeatedly "Moalboal?" (which, by the way, is pronounced Mo-al-bo-al, in case anyone is wondering :p). It is a place in the south of Cebu, known for its snorkeling and diving spots as well as its proximity to the Kawasan Falls, and popular among tourists ;-)

So it's no wonder that we, as white people, were immediately 'sorted' into the line for the right bus ^^ On the internet on blogs and on YouTube, we had read a few 'horror stories'. Allegedly, the bus station can be very crowded and the bus is uncomfortable and the ride is very bumpy.

It wasn't crowded at all - but that was probably because it wasn't a holiday and it was a weekday, I think :) And it wasn't difficult at all either. You would really have to try hard not to find the bus :D :D

There are buses with air conditioning and buses without windows. We got the next possible bus, which was an AC bus (which we didn't complain about :p). The big backpack was easily stored in the luggage compartment and Jonas and I found a seat in the back row together with two women and two children.

The bus was fully occupied, but that didn't stop us from collecting other people who then got a standing place in the aisle ;-) Jonas and my seats were actually okay, albeit a bit cramped but hey. It would be fine for three hours ^^

Then there was the interesting thing with the tickets. Before departure, I asked when to pay. "You pay on the bus," they said, and yeah. The bus had a conductor who gave each passenger a punched card with three digits. The ones place, the tens place, and the hundreds place. We got a 1, a 5, and a 6, so 156 pesos per person (about 3€).

After that was done, the bus conductor sat down again and about fifteen minutes later, he went through the bus again and people paid the necessary amount. We found it a bit strange why we didn't pay directly with the punched card, but maybe the bus conductor wants to pass the time faster like that :p :D :D Or maybe he wants to give everyone the time to find the necessary money.

The first part of the journey went through the city and surrounding districts, but then we also went through a rather hilly area. The driver had a lot of fun and confidence driving through the curves without braking and didn't care so much about bumps. So what if the passengers occasionally take off? :D :D

Overall, the three hours went pretty well. There was also a movie playing on several screens, once Hobbs & Shaw and once "No Escape", which I really would have liked to watch until the end because it was pretty exciting :D

When we arrived in Moalboal, we actually found what you would expect from a holiday destination in the Philippines ;-)

From the bus stop, it was a little over 3 km to the accommodation and for convenience, we took a tricycle. That is a motor scooter with a trailer attached next to it. Our big backpacks went on the back seat, only one person can sit in the front, so I sat there and Jonas sat on the cushion behind the driver on the scooter :D

The path to the accommodation is also the path towards the beach and you can already see some wooden/bamboo huts and cute stores <33

Our accommodation is called "Bamboo Huts" and the name says it all. The hosts - a British man and his Philippino wife - live in the main house and there are four bamboo huts outside. Since the hut is not completely 'closed', there is a mosquito net, under which I am sitting right now because there are naturally many insects outside ;-)

In the 'front yard', there are a few details like a bench, hammocks, and some flowers that make everything even more inviting than it already is. In short: the facility is simple but super pretty <33

After checking in, we walked the 5 minutes to the beach, where you can find restaurants, other accommodations, and resorts, especially diving schools. As mentioned above, you can dive really well here.

Two of the highlights on this beach where we are now are sardines and large sea turtles, which you can discover with luck :O

We first took a look at the 'promenade' and then went back to the accommodation to put on our swimming gear and rent snorkeling equipment. Our host gave us some tips on which spots are particularly good and then we started :)

When we rented the snorkels, the provider asked us for a 'deposit' like an ID, but we left all our valuables in the hut because we would be in the water for a long time ^_^ "Okay then. Just bring the stuff back later, please," they said :D :D Well, it's not that casual everywhere^^

Armed with a diving mask and snorkel, we went into the water. The beach here is not a bathing beach and after two or three meters, there are only stones. But that is perfect for observing the underwater world!

There are also some corals and there are sooo many fish and other sea creatures there!!! <33

At first, we mainly saw 'normal' fish, but then also blue shimmering, bright yellow fish, clownfish (#FoundNemo), and Jonas was very excited about a hand-sized blue starfish :)

Later we saw the schools of sardines and wooow!!! There are thousands!!! The school is at the edge where the water suddenly gets much deeper and all the fish are happily swimming around there. When you get closer to them, the school disperses, but then quickly comes together again ^^ It's funny to watch ;-)

To see the giant sea turtles, you have to swim to the area where the seagrass grows, on which the animals feed. The water is overall very crowded with divers and snorkelers, so we didn't really expect to find a turtle. Until...

We got a bit tired and wanted to swim back to the beach and there it was!!! Right in front of our eyes, an at least 1 meter large turtle was innocently munching away. Wow! How cool was that? :O :D

We stopped and watched the huge animal from a few meters away (I think they can also snap :p) before waving and moving on.

Unfortunately, the battery of our underwater camera was empty, so we couldn't capture it as a photo or video, but then you just have to believe it. It was a really great experience!!! <333

After the snorkeling adventure, we went back to the hut to apply sunscreen (we're learning! :D). We didn't apply sunscreen before because you're not supposed to get close to the corals with sunscreen as it can destroy them :)

By now it was 4:00 pm, but we sat on the beach for another hour, where Jonas even found a small squid! :O

After a quick shower (there is a problem with running water here :( Well, in the whole town. Toilets don't flush properly or not at all, and the faucet only drips...), we went to dinner in a trendy cafe :D

I think the selection is quite large overall, but Jonas looked for shops with vegetarian options and so we went to Ven'z Kitchen <3

The place is not particularly big and when we arrived, most of the bar was even occupied. We walked on at first, but then decided to give it a chance and found the last two free seats at one of the two bars ^^

As you can expect with the number of visitors, it took a while for the food to come. But it was really delicious! Unfortunately, the portions weren't particularly big, so we didn't get full :(

But then back at the hostel, we had some cookies for dessert :p

Tomorrow morning, we want to go on the tour to the Karawan Falls and will be picked up at 7:00 am. But first, it was said that the pickup time is 6:00 am, so we went to a supermarket to buy breakfast.

In Moalboal, there are several supermarkets and 7-Elevens, but here near the beach, there are "only" minimarts and it was like in Varkala back then :p There is no bread/toast here!!! :O

I was immediately disappointed that there is no real breakfast. Jonas said we still have two bananas, but for a 7-hour tour tomorrow, a single banana is not enough for breakfast for me :p :D :D

With a little searching, we found a pack of milk and bought a pack of instant oatmeal, which is usually made with water. But we'll just eat it with milk ^_^ And there was also a new pack of cookies because we already knew that we would devour our supplies after the not-so-fulfilling dinner ^^

The night before yesterday, we canceled our next accommodation for the day after tomorrow because we might want to stay in Moalboal longer. The place is really hyped and although it looks really paradise-like and beautiful, it quickly became clear to Jonas and me that we only want to stay here for two nights. It's just too crowded here ^^

So it will probably stay with the two nights here. I'm really excited about the first night in the bamboo hut - especially about how much the mosquito net will help :D