How to Enjoy Six Days in Guam

You know how people usually say they need a vacation from a vacation? I feel that way after almost every trip. I want packed schedules and productive days. This goes for both weekends, holidays and vacations. This is totally opposite to my husband who prefers to wake up late and lounge around during vacation. He always tells me that's how vacations should be.

 

Last week, we found ourselves booked for a 6-day vacation in Guam. Prior to the trip, friends have been telling us that 6 days in Guam might be too long since the place is pretty small. As soon as we arrived, we knew they were right. We can practically see our hotel from the airport. No kidding. It was indeed quite compact.

 

One thing we discovered about our family during the trip is that we are pretty much 'plug and play'. You put us anywhere and we can create a packed schedule. We do not run out of things to do.

• Shopping during the day - we don't really care if we go back to the same shop over and over again. We enjoy trying different clothes, sneaking to get more testers of the yummy chocolate macadamia, and road testing various perfumes. Never mind that we don't really get to buy a lot of things. Window shopping is free and fun.

• Late afternoons at the pool and  beach - the resort we stayed in has really nice pools. All of us took turn going down the water slides - every one from my 66-year old dad to my 5-year old daughter. On some occasions, we end our afternoon dip in the Jacuzzi. We would play word games where everyone (again, from grandparents to kids) can participate.
  

  
• Nice dinners and stroll down the boulevard - we spent one evening enjoying a sit-down dinner + show at the Sand Castle (which was an awesome acrobatic and magic show, by the way) and the rest of the evenings visiting nice restaurants and walking down the main street. We would stop for ice cream or visit the Godiva chocolate for free hazelnut coffee. Easy breezy evenings.

• Movie and late night snacks - this is something we do even at home in Manila. We spend late evenings watching a nice movie, drinking tea/coffee while enjoying cookies, chips and mixed nuts. We came to Guam prepared with a moved-packed external hard drive. We did movie marathons in the hotel rooms until late at night.

One very noteworthy thing about our vacation in Guam is that we got to wake up relatively late most of the time. On our last day, we woke up at 10:30am. It was my first time in probably 10 years to get 10 hours of sleep and not be woken up by my alarm or the kids. I just woke up on my own. It was uh-ma-zing! I felt very relaxed the entire day and keep on dreaming back to that morning even after our trip.

 

I was chatting with Dens last night and told him I miss that 10-hour sleep in Guam. He reminded me of his concept of a vacation. And I must say I am almost convinced. For the first time in a long time, I did not need a vacation from my vacation. It was easy and relaxing. No hectic schedule.  No rushing to meet an appointment.  We just go by our own pace and enjoy. I guess there is value in booking a vacation in a small island.  You will not be tempted to over-schedule. And once in a while, you will get that vacation that you truly need.

 

 

 

 

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Tribord Easybreath Snorkeling Mask

Here's what your kids need to experience full snorkeling fun: Tribord masks!


Unlike the traditional Snorkeling Mask and spout, this one is very easy for the kids to use since they can breathe through their nose while underwater. On top of that, the breathing tube has an automatic shut-off function so that water will not go inside in case you dip your head too low. Of course, needless to say, the mask will give you a better view of the sea with the 180 degrees visibility screen. 

I am very grateful my friend recommended that mask to me because it gave my 8-year old son the confidence and motivation to snorkel without worrying about the technicalities of breathing through your mouth. Given the compressed air inside the mask, it will also give your head a certain level of buoyancy. When my husband and I use the mask (yes, they have adult sizes too!), we don't even use life vests anymore. Although I don't recommend doing that when you're swimming with the kids as it can get tiring to keep on paddling to stay afloat.

The masks come in four sizes (XS, S/M, M/L, L/XL) and three colors.

Here's a guide on how to get the right size to fit your face.

There are imitation easybreath masks now and I have not tried them so I cannot say whether they're a good replacement or not. But from the reviews, I heard that the imitations fog easily. Not something you'd want to worry about once you or your kids are already in the water.

The Tribord masks cost P3,500 here in the Philipines. We got ours through a seller we met at OLX. You may also order online through Amazon.

 

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Dumaguete Adventure Series: Whale Sharks in Oslob

On the last day of May of 2016, my 8-year old son experienced something he will never forget. He finally got to swim and snorkel with the whale sharks! After his first snorkeling stint in Apo Island, I was quite hopeful that he will agree to go down and swim with the whale sharks with us. The first time we visited Oslob a year ago, he wanted to go down but was too scared to do so. When he finally did, the whale sharks were already too far to be seen underwater. 

 

With much prayers and a lengthy heart-to-heard talk with his dad, my son finally agreed to go down. The moment he put on his mask and peeked under the water, I knew he was in awe. I can hear his muffled screams underwater. Thank God for Tribord masks! It's truly different seeing them from the boat and witnessing them underwater. 



Here are some fun facts about whale sharks (some taken from National Geographic):

• They are the largest fish in the sea (in case you're wondering about whales, they are mammals and not fish)
• Whale Sharks are sharks, not whales
• Can reach lengths of 40 feet (12 meters) or more
• Their favorite meal is plankton. They scoop these tiny plants and animals up, along with any small fish that happen to be around, with their colossal gaping mouths while swimming close to the water's surface.
• They use a technique called "cross-flow filtration" to passively filter food through its formidably sized
• They prefer warm waters which is why whale sharks are often found in tropical seas

You may travel to see the Whale Sharks in Oslob via a 3-hour land trip from Cebu which is what we did last year, or a 1-hour boat ride from Dumaguete like what we recently did. I found this very helpful site on how to get to Oslob from various cities. Click here to view it.

 

Seeing these gentle giants are worth the trip. The whole family will love the experience. Even smaller kids who are not brave enough to go down the water will be able to see the Whale Sharks feeding from the boat. Should you decide to go down to swim, do not forget your underwater cameras. You may also rent there and ask the boatman to take your photos. They are quite the experts at underwater 'whale shark' photography.

 

(Photos from this blog are my friend Franc Ng's GoPro. Not a professional photographer, not a 'Butanding boat man' either. Thanks, Franc!)

 

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Dumaguete Adventure Series: Dolphins in Bais and The Manjuyod Sand Bar

We woke up at 4:00 in the morning on the second day of our Dumaguete adventure. We had to leave by 5:00am to reach Bais before 6:30am.

Bais City is well known for its proximity to the protected marine sanctuary, the Tañon Strait.

From the Capiñahan Wharf in the South Bay, the boat heads out to the Bais Bay and into the Tañon Strait where the dolphins frolic in the water, and the whales emerge from the deep. [Dumagueteinfo.com]

We booked two vans from the resort which costs P4,500 (11-12pax per van) round trip from Dauin to the Bais and another P6,000 for the boat going to see the dolphins and the sand bar. The boat could fit all 23 of us and had it's own toilet. 

After about 30 minutes of sailing,  we were getting a bit discouraged. We decided to pray together as a group and asked the Lord to send the dolphins.  After a few minutes, we found them. We were able to see a few big ones swimming near us.

We were already quite happy with our dolphin-sighting but prayed for more. I wanted to see them jumping out of the water while my friend, Kim, wanted to see dolphins swimming alongside our boat. With our boat already far from the site where we found the pod of dolphins, we were not very hopeful with our requests. But after about 15 minutes, God surprised us. One by one the dolphins came up to do a show for us. There were proabably around a hundred of them swimming around us. The boatman even said 'libo (thousands) na yan, ma'am!' though I don't think it reached that figure. And guess what? They jumped out of the water and swam alongside our boat. We prayed for dolphins but we got more than that. We experienced God's power and His wonderful presence.  That morning in Bais, we searched for dolphins, but we found the Lord.

Watch this short clip to see the dolphins swimming near us.

We have watched the videos over and over again. And as I watch it, I thank God over and over again. It was such an unforgettable experience. My 8-year old son said "They look like cartoons!". It was surreal.

 

After our dolphin encounter, we headed to the Manjuyod Sand Bar, also known as the 'Maldives of the Philippines'. It was not low-tide enough when we went but the kids still enjoyed swimming in what look to them like a natural kiddie pool.

We reached the sand bar around 10am and stayed until around 12nn. We brought packed lunches with us and ate inside our boat while docked in Manjuyod.

After lunch we headed back to the resort and arrived at around 1:30pm.  The kids spent the rest of the afternoon swimming in the pool while the adults did intro-diving. It was a very fruitful day to say the least.

 

Next stop: Oslob Whale Sharks

 

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