Philippines - Moalboal

In Manila, I was told by one of employees at my hostel that there really isn’t anything to do in Cebu City, so I decided to only stay the night there.  After spending the night in Cebu City, I left the next day to take a bus to Moalboal.  Moalboal is on the other side of Cebu Island.  According to my guidebook, Moalboal was the first place to put diving in the Philippines on the map.  Moalboal is kind of a sleepy coastal town – it was very quiet and relaxing.  As the only budget hostels were sold out, I decided to splurge a bit and I spent a little extra to get myself a private room.  And, by splurge, I mean only $30 or so for a two night stay.

My first day in Moalboal was spent on its White Beach (one of many in the Philippines).  I simply lied on the beach and went swimming.  It was the first time I had seen the ocean since last summer, and it was a welcome sight to behold. 

The next day, I went to Kawasana Waterfalls.  It was only a 30 minute bus ride from Moalboal.  There were two sizeable pools formed by a few waterfalls.  The water was kind of a milky coral blue, and it was so refreshingly cold in the 80 degree weather.  I spent a couple hours just wandering around and chillin’ in the water. 

On the morning of my final day in Moalboal, I went snorkeling.  The snorkeling wasn’t as good as what I have experienced before in Thailand, but it was still nice…until I ran into a school if miniature jellyfish.  That felt like a lot of pin pricks.  Nonetheless, I loved watching the neon blue clown fish scurry away amongst all of the coral and other ocean life. 

My only regret in Moalboal is that I didn't go see the whales.  Some other travelers that I met on the White Beach told me that they took a boat for a couple hours to feed some whales, and it was an incredible experience.  I'm sure I'll have another opportunity to do that at some point in my life!

Moalboal was one of the only times during my trip where I really wanted some company, as I was not staying in a hostel, so I wasn’t in an environment where I could readily meet people.  Despite this, I appreciated the time alone to reflect.