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!!