…on swimming with whale sharks

i posted this on my fatlace blog so it would be easier for you all to view multiple photos at once lol…

Right after our Naga trip, we drove about an hour and a half to Legazpi City where we met up with Ami, the most eccentric Filipino woman in Bicol! Not only did she remedy Igei’s motion sickness, but she also helped soothe a heat rash he had gotten from Boracay.

We dropped off our bags in our hotel rooms, changed into swim suits and hopped right back into a car that would take us another hour through the curvy, steep roads of the jungle to Donsol in Sorsogon City – home of the Butanding, or in English, the whale sharks. Now, I have to admit, I was pretty nervous handing my life over to Allen (our activity guide for the Butanding experience), “When I say jump, you jump in the water ok?” Me: “Ok?!” Meanwhile, John is scared shitless, not only at the fact we’d be swimming alongside whale sharks, but he’s never been in the deep ocean before… this did NOT help settle my nerves AT ALL FML lmaoooo.

We got our snorkeling gear on and requested to wear life vests, I was NOT about to get lost at sea hahahhaha! We boarded the boat and Allen, along with his spotters, took us out about 20 min. I was secretly hoping that perhaps the Butanding were tired and decided to swim away for the day, until we hear “doon!” Then my heart started racing and Allen tells us to get our gear on. My aunt is sitting there taking pics of us and laughing. I, on the other hand, looked intently at Allen to give us the signal to jump in…

We jump in, I’m lost in a sea of bubbles, then pop up quickly thanks to my life vest, and Allen quickly takes hold of my arm and leads John and I toward a certain direction. In my head I’m like, where is it? I’m looking down until Allen squeezes my arm and points for me to look upward, and that’s when I see a mouth as wide as my arms when I stretch them out.

PANIC?

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