Granada Beach Resort!!

One of the main points of travelling (so I thought) was to travel like a local, seeing life, meeting strangers and generally having new experiences.

To get to Oslob 'like a local' one has to catch various busses and take a few jipnees. Great I thought, a day of travelling.

“No!!” said Peter and Kris, "We deserve a taxi!!!"

Three hours later (instead of 6 the local way) we pulled up outside the reception of the most amazing resort! 

Drinks awaited us by the pool, refreshing lemon smelling damp cloths were provided to freshen up with as a cooling breeze blew in from the sea.

Granada Beach Resort is run by Vicky and Chris, fellow divers who have worked with Kris in the past. 

Their new venture into operation their own Resort has proved to be hugely successful and it was here that we planned to spend the next 5 days!

They also knew Kris very well and despite my plans for a slight alcoholic rest-bite, they had bought in three crates of beer for Kris at cost!!!! 

They also had an entire bottle of Rum waiting!!!

Peter and I settled into our beautiful room while Kris loaded his stuff into Vicky's lounge

– they were also extremely fully booked so Kris was on their settee for the duration of our stay.

Then it was drinks by the bar and time for a good catch up.

As we settled in I realised there was the most amazing collection of beautiful natural wood around the place. 

Huge planks from a sunken ship, complete with the old worm holes, made up fabulous tables.

Bathroom shelves hung from natural forked branches,

towel rails were made in the same style.

Even the loo roll holder matched in style!

As someone who just loves wood I was in my element!!

It was only when I came home and looked at my photos did I realise how many random wooden things I had actually managed to photograph!!

The weather, unfortunately, had taken a turn for the worse with clouds and strong winds blowing in off the sea so lazing around on the beach was sort of off the cards,

But Vicky and Chris were prepared for all eventualities and soon the wind breakers were dropped and a calmness returned to the area.

With the wind breakers dropped on the seaward side of the bar it seemed like the most practical place to gather and as the pool was sheltered from the wind it seemed rude not to use it and so our first day passed in an alcoholic blur.

Breakfast the next morning was not only welcome but wonderful.

Vicky spent months planning and perfecting the menu, training up the staff and sourcing the finest ingredients and it showed.

For their lunch and evening meals, they used a three week rotating menu so guests always had something new on the menu each day.

They also had good vegetarian food.

No longer did I have to search through the menu to find something that could be cooked without the meat but I also didn't have to check for tiny bits of meat hidden beneath the veggies - I kid you not!!

The first time I ate in Cebu I had to send the meal back twice as they just couldn't grasp the concept of no meat.

Chow mein NO chicken, became chow mein with ham!! 

Chow mein NO ham became chow mein with pork!!!!

We spent the day lounging around at the bar and making various plans to visit the Whale Sharks.

With the weather being so rough it was decided that the dive trip should be left until the fourth day, by which time we hoped the sea and visibility would be improved once the storm was passed.

In the mean time the Granada also organised waterfall excursions so following our second day of rest and leaving Kris to prop up the bar with Chris, Peter and I joined two fellow guests for a day of waterfalls!

The drive took about an hour through the hills and into the jungle. 

It then took another twenty minutes to walk through said jungle along a very nicely trodden pathway.

As we followed our guide I glanced at the stream than ran beside the path. 

From the volume of water trickling past it didn't suggest a waterfall of magnitude lay ahead.

We turned to climb some steps, and in the distance I caught a glimpse of cascading water through the trees.

As we neared the falls, a mist began to fill the air and the sound of pounding water could be heard above the many noises of the jungle.

As we turned the final corner we realised the climb had been well worth it!

Hidden away in this tiny corner of the vast landscape poured a wonderful flow of water dropping nearly 80m into a milky while pool.

Natural pools then cascaded down the hillside before they emptied into the stream we had walked along. 

The volume of water was not huge compared to others we have visited but the dynamics of the drop was more than enough to make the whole adventure well worth it.

It even had a cave semi hidden at the back you could enter!

We quickly changed and bracing ourselves …...... we entered the warm water!!

Every other waterfall I have ever stood under, every mountain pool I have dived into has always, without fail, taken my breath away for a moment or two but this water really was warm!!

We swam to the back of the cave gazing up at the moss covered roof and beautifully coloured walls

And then, with a little help, I was encouraged to climb onto the large central rock and into the waterfall itself.

Having managed to get on top of the rock with a little help I was now determined to make it by myself.

It took a few attempts but then I made it!

Repeatedly I dove off only to climb back up again!

I even managed a mermaid pose!

Happy wasn't the word for it!!

My attempt to pull Peter onto the rock ended with a large splash as he pulled me from my perch!

I could have stayed in the water all day and we spent a lot longer than planned just floating around but at last it was time to go in search of our second waterfall.

In hind sight we should have stayed at the first one as the second waterfall was totally tourist orientated.

The views were impressive but everyone returning from the steep walk down the tarmac road said they could pee more impressively than the actual falls as there was simply no water flowing and so we unanimously voted to turn around and head back to the resort!

We returned to the bar for more drinks and as darkness fell that evening at Granada Beach, the cards came out. 

Beer flowed along with the conversation and even though we knew we had an early start the next day to visit the Whale Sharks, copious amounts of alcohol was consumed!

Yet again!!!

It was just going to be one of those trips!!!!

Cebu 2017

Some times it is nice to explore a new place, discovering the countries transport systems and their methods of getting from here to there. 

Other times it is nice to get to somewhere and know exactly what you are doing.

My flight arrived in Cebu mid afternoon and I had told Kris I would meet him at the apartment once he finished work.

Unbeknown to me he had messaged back, while I was in the air, to say that Peter, his boss, would pick me up from the airport!

I, in the mean time breezed out of the airport, walked up the road to the jipnee stand and boarded a truck heading for Bigfoot!

At the apartment I got the spare key from the Landlady and by the time Kris arrived home I had swept through and unpacked!

Kris phoned Peter to say I was safe and he was sorry for the mix up, I apologised for not being there and Peter apologised for being late and not standing by the gate! 

With everyone suitably sorry we arranged to go for a drink!!

That evening Kris explained that as Romana was away with family members in Oslob so for three days, it was just two of us for a few days. 

This meant I could ride pillion on his bike as we headed to work each day!

There are some serious speed bumps on the road not far from the Shangrila and I arrived the first day with the slightly large crash helmet dangling off the back of my head. 

With both arms holding onto the bags and unable to correct it or tighten the strap further, it had moved fractionally on each of the 30 or so rapid bumps until it had popped over the back of my head!!

Once in work we returned to the routine of study, diving and drinking as if I had never left!

Kris had decided this trips speciality was to be 'The Science of Diving'  with a bit of side mount diving to go with it. 

This way I got at least six dives as part of my course plus certifications as a bonus and as it is cheaper to do a course than six dives I was on a win win situation!

The Science of Diving involved a lot of theory work but learning to dive with side mounts was all practical.

Kris had also come up with a theory to help with the fact that manipulating two full size cylinders was going to push my limits of strength 

– use tiny 5 litre cylinders!!

This worked fabulously in theory but once we hit the water the set up needed some serious tweeking.

For one, the weight of the full small cylinders was still only half that of a full big one so the positioning of the bottom clips all needed moving to allow for their buoyancy.

Then extra weight had to be added to my shoulder / head area to compensate for their re-positioning but once we got me level it was wonderful!!

I can see why people dive this way as trim is just so easy to maintain. No cumbersome cylinder on your back pulling one way or another as you look around, nothing to bump your head on either!

We headed out for a quiet dive through the maze the Tec divers use for training, manipulating the side cylinders as we came to narrow or low spaces.

I practised changing mouth pieces, breathing from alternate cylinders every ten minutes or so to keep them balanced with air and therefore weight.

By the end of the dive I was a convert!

Apart from all the faffing around with the many attachments and releases at the end of the dive, which would improve with practice, Side Mount was definitely a step up from Back Mount diving.

After three days of diving plus sleeping on Kris's settee Romana returned with her visiting family and I moved into my own apartment downstairs.

Hubby Peter was due to arrive in two days and I must admit having a full size bed all to myself for a night or two in Cebu was rather novel!

The next morning, without having Kris's bike to ride pillion on, I decided to continue my morning walks, despite the many roadworks, by walking the entire way to the Shangrila 1.9km away.

I waved good bye to Kris and Romana assuring them that I wouldn't be long as they headed off on the bike and began to walk..

100m later a large red car pulled up beside me. The window rolled down and a male voice called “Do you want a lift?”

I was about to politely decline taking a lift from some random stranger when I suddenly realised it was Scotty, Kris's big boss!

“Well it would be rude to say no,” I smiled, climbing into the large air conditioned car, the walking was going to wait until tomorrow!

Going to work with Kris on the bike for the past few days had involved us parking in the staff car park at the far side of the resort followed by a walk through the gardens to the hotel. 

Then you have to walk through the security check, through the basement of the hotel, through the  second security check and then over to the dive centre.

With Scotty as my chauffeur we were waved straight through to the dive centre! 

No security bag checks, no walking!

I arrived just as Kris and Romana sat down for the morning meeting!!!!

Peter was due to arrive that afternoon and had messaged his flight details through to me, allowing me to cut short my studies for the day.

By mid day I was sitting on a jipnee heading to the airport and by tea time we were unpacked and heading out to the Rock Bar for our evening meal.

The plan was to spend a few days getting Peter back into diving and to explore the immediate area before heading up to friends of Kris near the whale sharks in Oslob.

To say Peter and Kris did some drinking over the next two days is an understatement, I swear when the two of them get together all sense of limits and consequences of the next day go out of the window.

I unfortunately had developed an ear problem during my last night dive with the side mounts, so diving was off the board for me until it cleared up.

It was with secret relief all round that we headed up to Oslob, a bit of detoxing needed to be done!!