Some final thoughts

Security - There is an ongoing insurgency in the southern part of the country and we’ve been getting frequent e-travel alerts since we started planning this trip. We’ve mainly ignored them because we weren’t traveling to those areas. Here, on the ground in the Philippines, it’s a different story as there’s always the possibility that the insurgents will attack unsuspecting targets. We were surprised when we arrived at Balicasag Island Dive Resort and found an armed guard patrolling the grounds–it’s a small island with less than seven hundred villagers.
While we were in Tagbilaran City awaiting the ferry to Dumaguete, we went looking for a bank to get some pesos (PHP). We hadn’t had any luck with ATM’s up to now, we couldn’t cash any travelers’ cheques and few places were taking credit cards. We finally found a bank which accepted our North American bank card (the Bank of the Philippine Islands). The interesting thing as we wandered the street was that all the banks had several, seriously-armed guards outside their doors and they were checking all customers (and my computer back-pack). Several of the pawnshops and other stores had armed guards as well.
While we were at El Dorado, we decided to take the shuttle into Dumaguete and have a look at the town. Doreen had read some comments on the Web about things to see so we took a break from our snorkeling. It turned out to be not as depressing as it had seemed last year but, on the other hand, not as interesting as we had hoped. One of the places we wanted to see was the university campus but the entire area is fenced, you enter/exit through security check-points where you must leave your ID. Since the only ID Doreen was carrying that day was her camera warranty card, we were refused entry.
Snorkeling - We’ve done two trips to Apo Island with dive groups and, both days, the ocean was less than cooperative. A serious current and noticeable wave action have put a crimp into our picture taking. It’s hard enough to capture the moving fish when you’re able to hover and frame the shot. It’s almost impossible to do when you’re bobbing and drifting. Thank God for digital cameras (just delete, baby). At least coral and anenome fish tend to stay where they are. The ocean conditions also meant that we could only dive/snorkel sites on the protected side of the island. It was still good snorkeling (but not quite Palau) and well worth the wet ride back to the resort.
We’ve also done two days at Dauin Reserve, a 20 minute walk down the beach. It’s as good as we remember from last year. The first morning we were faced with an incoming tide and a noticeable drift but the next afternoon we were in ‘hover heaven’, Doreen’s preferred form of snorkeling. The anenome fish were still here and Doreen had a functioning camera so she was happy. Lots of big fish, plenty of colorful coral, a small entry fee - life is good. Too bad we have to go home now (on the other hand, we’re ready to go home and tired of living out of a suitcase).
It’s interesting to compare our reaction to snorkeling in the Philippines this year to our impressions last year. Then, we were coming off some disappointing ventures in Thailand and Malaysia and the Philippines were awesome. This year, we’re coming off lots of incredible snorkeling in Palau and the Philippines are still very good but not quite as awesome. I think we’re snorkeled out for now. I’m sure it will take only one snow fall to change that perspective again.