Cebu: Days 10 to 13

November 22, 2023

Cebu: Days 10 to 13

On Sunday, I went scuba diving for the first time in my life at Mactan Island. Chris had told me that I'll only dive 2 meters and I believed him. After getting suited and learned from the instructor about some procedures about diving, Chris, Christine, and I headed out into the water. We did some more exercises before going deeper into the water. I soon realized that I was going deeper than 2 meters, but it was ok for me since going 2 meters to going 10 meters isn't much of a difference except for water pressure. Scuba diving actually didn't require me to be a good swimmer. The instructor was also really helpful in guiding us. Chris already has a scuba certification so he's more experienced. I saw some fish and a few of them nipped at my fingers thinking it's food. It felt like I was in a big aquarium and I was literally swimming with the fishes. The experience was great for me since I usually avoid the water because I'm a terrible swimmer. I guess this helped me with my fear of water and I have to thank Chris for lying to me.

After we dove, Chris and Christine went for a second dive. I chilled at the diving center and waited for them to come back. After they finished, we had the best meal in the Philippines at a restaurant called Boku. We ate at a table that overlooked the beach and the ocean. The meal was expensive, but it was excellent!

The rest of the area on Mactan Island seemed rundown with shacks. I'm comparing it with the developed areas in other cities and that's not fair. People are adaptable and I hope for a better future here in Mactan Island and other parts of the Philippines.

For the next few days, I didn't do much. I did go on one date on Monday night with Lin, a girl from Bumble who wanted to have a kid in two years. I don't want any kids at this point of my life so we parted with a mutual understanding that we don't want to waste each other's time.

I booked the Alba Uno Hotel for Tuesday night since the showers in the Mural Hostel are disgusting. That night, I met Michelle, another date. We played some pool and ate at Phat Pho at Cebu IT park.

Yesterday morning, I checked out of the hotel and came back to the hostel to meet up with Chris and Christine. We took the ferry from Cebu Pier 1 to Tagbilaran City on Bohol Island. Chris had bought advanced tickets at the pier the night before so we can ride the two hour ferry rather than the four hour ferry. That was very nice of him.

I'm currently at Moon Fools Hostel on Panglao Island. We chose this place because it's 7 minutes walk to the beach, but this hostel also has terrible showers and bathrooms. We will move to a hotel for tonight.