11 - 15 June Sibuan Island Eight years ago, while on a mission to photograph people who lived with the sea for our WWF coffee table book Sulu Sulawesi Seas, we lived with the Bajau Laut for three straight nights in a little houseboat in Pulau Gaya. This experience is indelibly carved in our hearts, and [...]
11 – 15 June Semporna Bumbum Island Sibuan Island We met the WWF Malaysia Semporna team in their quaint office on stilts at the end of Dragon Inn, by the marina. They were busily preparing several community activities when we reached their office. It was all girl power, with Myezana Ismat and Nina Ho at the helm [...]
11 – 15 June Pulau Bohey Dulang Seaweed farming community Purse Seiner fishing grounds Maybe it was our good vibes and positive aura. We got lucky this time in Semporna, Sabah, Malaysia. On to the second leg of our expedition, we visited, with our WWF Malaysia companions, Pulau Boheydulang. The Boheydulang Island is one of the [...]
30 May - 2 June 2009 We have not been back to Donsol in six years, and the many tight, long hugs we received were enough proof that we had left good friends there. It was truly a heart-warming "Welcome Back Home." But Donsol has changed. It has bloomed. We were generously welcomed to a [...]
29 May 2009 Whale shark made from bamboo and rice-sack cloth paraded along the coast From summers 2000 to 2003, we prided ourselves in being the first to organize tours for European tourists to see whale sharks in Donsol. We stopped when we immigrated to Australia. We have not been back since, and [...]
11 – 15 May 2009 Our pilot was none other than Jewelmer's boss JB, as Jacques Branellec is fondly called. Upon hearing of approaching bad weather in the coming days, he immediately offered to fly us around the pearl farm and neighboring islands. He had the two back doors of the 8-seater helicopter taken out for better [...]
9-10 May 2009 Palm-fringed beaches, bright white sand, turquoise waters and, of course, a little sunbathing cabana in Pangalusian Island Lunch in a resort such as MIR and LIR means you are spoilt for choice. When asked, “Where would you like to have your lunch, ma’am?” I'd scratch my head and ask, “Where would you [...]
7 May 2009 We first visited the El Nido Town to pay a visit to the dynamic Woman Mayor Leonor Corral. Mayor Corral took the time to give us an overview of her conservation efforts and initiatives and reiterated more than once the value of collaboration with NGOs such as the El Nido Foundation, the Philippine Rural [...]
6 – 8 May 2009 Miniloc Island Resort - El Nido's idyllic haven amidst limestone cliffs Shifting gears from on-the-ground land subsistence activities to first class tourism, we travelled from eastern Taytay islands to the posh Miniloc Island Resort in the western part of Northern Palawan. We have had to rough it for a full [...]
2 – 4 May 2009 The need or want to consume live reef fish is enormous for a Chinese. I talk from experience as I am Cantonese and have uncles and cousins who own Chinese restaurants in Manila. Growing up, every lauriat or Chinese feast attended was a full meal of at least 9 viands per table [...]
