In Deep Water

I walked down to the ferry terminal again this morning...all trips cancelled!  On the way there I passed a big cylinder truck that said "cryogenic liquid".  It was leaking some steam out the back, which made me a bit nervous.  But on the way back, just as I was approaching, it let out an enormous cloud of bright white fog which immediately blocked the road stopping traffic.  I saw one guy drive through it, trying to get around the edge, but he was in an actual car.

I decided to wait!  It took about five minutes for the fog to clear.  Not sure what would have happened if it had got me!

So we ditched the island trip and took a jeepny down out of town.  Jeepnys are these strange, long, low slung vehicles left over from WWII.  They were all over Manila, but here they are only used between towns.  It was fun!  There were no windows and the breeze just whipped through.  One guy had baskets of vegetables, another guy a couple of old marine batteries. There were some little kids looking at us like we were from outer space.

The resort we went to was very spiffy.  Really, it was the first spiffy place I've seen here so far.  It reminded me of Bali.  Very artful.   I swam in the gorgeous pool and we lounged on comfy couches in a great big open air lounge all built out of timber bamboo and thatched roofing.

When we got there the tide was in and it was pretty choppy.  The water came right up the the concrete edge of the dive center/restaurant.  After a really good late lunch Jacques and I walked down the beach.  The sand was a beautiful coco brown and even though there were waves coming in, the water was surprisingly clear.  J said it was because the sand is especially heavy and there's no silt.

All along the beach there were big trees with green leaves.  Only a few palm trees here and there.  Very exotic.  We have nothing remotely like this in California.  Also, the way the water looked--it was grey--made me think it had to be really cold.  It wasn't at all!

We ended up going swimming and it was wonderful.  Big rolling waves were coming in.  I tried opening my eyes under water and could.  It didn't even sting, though the visibility wasn't good.  It was very salty water so I felt extra buoyant.  What a pleasure being able to be in the water without getting cold.  Not that the water was warm, it wasn't.  And the sun was not out.  In fact, it was raining a bit!

So I made a big decision.  I've signed up to go diving tomorrow on an all day trip to Apo Island.  A & J told me it's rated as the third best diving spot in the world!  The owner of the guest house, Harold, has a beautiful dive boat.  A & J got certified by him and have been to Apo 7 or 8 times.  The price is 3800 for three dives.  They call it a "discovery dive" when you aren't certified and they have someone minding you the whole time.  That's under $100.  I'm going for it!

About 6 years ago I went diving in Bali.  There was a sunken WWII Liberty Ship right off the shore.  I was a giant clam with glowing iridescent lips, a clown fish, blue starfish, etc. etc.  It was one of peak experiences of my life.  So what the h