For: Rick Enrique’s Travel Guide
Date: March 11-18, 2005

Every year during the months of February to May, tourists from all over the world, flock to the sleepy seaside town of Donsol in the province of Sorsogon, some 544 kilometers south of Manila, to watch and swim with the gentle giants whale sharks, called butanding by the rural folk. The whale sharks, considered the biggest fish in the world, which make yearly appearance in big numbers in the plankton-rich waters of Donsol, are also attracting researchers from the international scientific community.

Ever since I have heard of these magnificent creatures years back --- that you can swim and interact with them, I dreamt of having that experience, which finally came true on February 11 this year. I took the morning flight from Manila to Legazpi city where a van I contracted was waiting at the airport to take me to Donsol, Sorsogon, which was an hour drive. As in much countryside in the Philippines, Sorsogon, has magnificent landscapes of rice fields, coconut plantations and green mountains.

My tour guide Ms. Edith Batalla who I met in Manila is from Legazpi City, a writer and journalist who also operates EB Tours. All the resorts in Donsol at the time were fully booked, so we considered an alternative to look for a place to spend the night. I got in touch with the local tourism office and I was recommended to stay at the Apuyan residence, a bed and breakfast inn.

The town officials and the rural folk of Donsol take their blessing seriously. They are overprotective of their whale sharks. Tourists have to register with the local tourism office and which I did. Per boat trip is 2,500 Philippine pesos or 44 U.S. dollars, which can be shared with up to 7 people. I was fortunate to have 2 local tourists from Makati, a German guy, two Danish women and another woman from Portland, Oregon to share the boat with bringing our total to 7. A Butanding Interaction Officer (BIO) was assigned per boat, a motorized outrigger canoe. Our BIO was Joel Briones, 36 years old who has been a local guide for 6 years. We were ushered in to a private room to view a film about the Whale Sharks as part of our orientation. The film shows and teaches how to interact with the whale sharks that are really docile animals and are at the site feeding on planktons that comes from the mouth of a river running into the ocean.

During the interaction and swim activity, scuba diving gears are not allowed. Participants can only use snorkeling outfit like mask, goggles and fins. Our BIO told us that we could only jump into the water and interact with the whale sharks on his command and permission. When he says jump, that is the only time when participants could jump from the boat to the water. When he says swim, that is the only time participants could swim. Our boat captain, Carlito Andrade a 39-year-old local guy has also 6 years experience in the job. We were cruising for about 30 minutes when we had our first encounter with the gorgeous mammal. Our boat captain gave chase and went further ahead of the whale shark We waited for it to pass-by our boat and at about 50 feet away the command to jump and swim into the path of the whale shark was given. I was so excited and swam as fast as I could to catch up with the whale shark’s path, and made it. But all I could see was the whale shark’s huge body. I could not see the head or the tail. I floated and waited for the animal to pass in front of me and when it did, I saw the huge tail. The mammal was within my reach, but as we were warned, I did not touch it.

We all hopped in back to the boat and excitedly exchanged our experiences with one another, when the captain told us there was another one coming and told us to get ready to jump and swim. But at that time I was already exhausted. I gave my underwater camera to our guide and asked him to take pictures for me, which he did but the water visibility was very poor. My companions did not miss a jump and swim commands. All of them were strong swimmers, a must to fully enjoy the encounter. We saw 8 whale sharks for that boat trip, but the boat before us reported seeing 22 whale sharks. The whale sharks measure from 12 to 14 meters but I was told that they could be as long as 18 meters and weight around 15 tons.

After our whale sharks encounter, the German guy Eberhard Fink, and the two Danish women, Ruere Joergensen and Dorte Gaarde joined me for a Filipino lunch of fried fish, laing, (a spicy native dish of taro leaves cooked in coconut milk), grilled pork, garlic rice, bananas and mangoes. The German guy and I had coconuts for our drinks while the two Danish ladies had colas. Surprisingly the tourist loved the laing and the fish. After lunch the German headed for his cottage and planned to depart for Cebu the next day. He was on the 30th day of his 59 days of Philippine sojourn. The two Danish ladies headed back to Legazpi city, where they spent the night before heading for Bohol via Manila the next day. They were on their 50th day of their 60-day trip to the Philippines. They told me they had been to Intramuros, Manila, Pagsanjan falls, Puerto Galera, and Bicol.

On this Donsol journey, I met 3 tourists from Portland, Oregon traveling separately, 1 German, 2 Danish, 1 Hollander, 2 Swiss and 2 locals from Makati. I asked the Europeans what they most like about the Philippines and in unison they told me the Philippines as a whole, because it is such a beautiful country. But they were also saddened by the extreme poverty they have observed.

The Apuyan house where I stayed for the night was a huge house, with a huge living room, dinning room and a kitchen, a front veranda, an air conditioned bedroom and tiled bathroom. With only myself staying in the place at the time, I had a maid and a cook. The owners live in Manila and they visit Donsol only twice a year.

I have said this several times before, and I will say it again --- the Philippines is such a beautiful country, as the European tourists attested! I challenge everyone to go home and be tourists in your own country. Spend your dollars in the Philippines and help alleviate poverty. Visit the Philippines’ many wonders like you would visit Paris or Rome --- armed with enthusiasm and curiosity. If you see our country more, you can appreciate it more and perhaps you can be proud to have descended from the Philippines, if you have already embraced American citizenship. Call us at Manila Forwarder | TravelPH.Com 1-800-210-1019 or visit us on the web, www.TravelPH.Com