Honda Bay Island Hopping

The next morning, Jek and I had breakfast at Jollibee, a Filipino fast food chain, comparable to McDonald's or Burger King. We then headed to the tourism office so I could reserve a spot for the Underground River tour the next day (only 900 people are allowed to go each day to protect the site). We met up with two other girls from Manila who were going to the same place we were, so we split transportation costs.
The four of us crammed into a tiny tricycle and headed to Honda bay.

Me and Jek

Jummy breakfast

Taho, a soft tofu and sugar syrup drink

The four of us renting snorkels

Somehow we all managed to fit in there, plus Jek

Once there we paid the fee for the boat and preservation of the area and bought lunch. We then headed out on our island hopping adventures.

We're on a boat

Coral!

In the sand

The shoreline

Part of the atoll where we ate lunch

It was amazingly beautiful

View from the porch where we ate

Food time

Rice and chicken and seaweed dipped in vinegar. Yum.

Fresh from the ocean

With Dexter, our boat guide

Running to the water...

Swimming to the mangroves

 I swam through the grove of mangroves, making sure not to touch the ground, since there are stone fish in the area. It was amazingly calm and peaceful, with birds chirping and the rush of the ocean in the background.

There I am

There was even a chicken there

This dog got our leftovers

:)

We got to feed fish and snorkel and ate lunch on the second island. The only bad part was that Jek was stung by a box jellyfish on her arm when we were about to leave for the third island. She was given salt to rub on the sting, but her hand quickly swelled up. She managed to go through the rest of the tour though.

There was rain on the mainland, but we stayed dry

The last island

I have a tree growing out of my head

Our boat

Happy swimming time

After we got back, the girls took a rest, and I went to the cathedral for mass. I had only packed shorts and t-shirts, so I had to take my sarong to cover up, but still felt a little inappropriately dressed. There was even a sign at the entrance prohibiting short clothing! Afterward, we went for dinner at a street vendor and visited the local Fiesta. The one spectacle that struck me the most was the kpop performances. There was a group singing kpop songs live in Korean! The Hallyu Wave really has penetrated all of Asia.

The inside of the cathedral

There were some girls dressed in costume at the fiesta

My first day in the Philippines was a blast and the following days were just as fun, if not more so.