A memoir of journeys made

November 5, 2015

My main bucketlist the last time I travelled back to the Philippines was to be able to swim with sea turtles (locally referred to as pawikan). I invited a few friends to join me for this trip and dragged my brother along too.

Sea turtle!!! <3

Booking a return flight from Manila to Dumaguete, we set off for a daytrip to Apo Island on our second day there. We headed to the bus terminal where we got on a Bayawan-bound airconditioned bus. We got off at Malatapay where the fare cost us 50php per person. It was a comfortable 40min bus ride with non-stop Air Supply songs blaring from its speakers – felt like a Sunday for me since that’s when radio stations will play oldies classics! We then crossed the road and walked towards the end of the street where we headed to the registration area. They then allotted a boat to us after we’ve decided to invite 2 foreign girls along to save on boat fee. Definitely on our list was making sure that we buy enough food for us before getting on to the boat. ;)

Making sure we have enough food to eat, we bought lots of food!

It was a pretty rough 40minute boat ride. I was seated on the middle of the boat and got an impromptu shower from all the waves that splashed onto our boat. Seeing Apo Island beckoned closer felt amazing as it meant seeing them sea turtles!

Just as we were about to reach Apo Island!

After another set of paperworks wherein we had to get registered, we rented our gears (snorkelling mask and swimming shoes – it was a rocky coast), got ourselves a guide (we were informed that to be able to swim in the turtle sanctuary, you’ll need to take a guide with you), then swam right in.

Playing around with the fins while we were deciding which ones to rent

And there they were, several sea turtles, lazily grazing from one patch of sea grass on to the other without it seems a care in the world. :D

More pictures from the trip:

Pretty corals were there to be seen too!

Apo Island – above and below

Group picture before getting on a tricycle to take us back to the city

Expenses:
50php – bus ride to Bayawan
3000php – boat for 10pax
100php – registration fee for foreigners/ non-Bisaya
100php – rental fee for equipments (snorkel gear, shoes, fin)
300php – guide fee, max of 4pax
300php – tables rented for our stay
400php – tricycle back to Daumaguete City for 5 of us