Week two has been and gone. Time appears to
be accelerating. There must be a few holes in the space/time continuum AND the
flux capacitor is on the blink. THIS could get messy. If I start writing about
future events using the past tense then contact Marty McFly, the Time Bandits
and Dr Who...
I have started writing this whilst atop my
perch as barkeep for the evening. For those of you who have known me a little
while, will know that this can go one of a few ways: either EVERYONE will get hammered
or just I will get hammered. I will attempt to keep this civil... Turns out, I
was remarkably sober for most of the evening and Dan passed his snorkel test =
a little-lot bit tipsy. Check out the photos on Facebook. I especially like the
before and after.
I have been learning much from Yosha –
Ukrainian filmmaker and zen-like diving instructor extraordinaire. We discuss
the finer points of breathing and buoyancy on a regular basis. Gio, our
resident Frenchman and “booteure” enthusiast has arrived. Dan is now DiveMaster
Dan and Saniya and I are slowly slowly becoming better and better, happier and
happier divers.
With regard to diving progress, I am now an
ADVANCED diver with a few more dives under my belt. I will reiterate my closing
words for my last missive – breath slow and take it easy. THIS is something I gently
whisper to myself during most of my times underwater. I am fairly sure, and
forgive my lack of jargon, there is a LOT but I think I might be becoming a
dive-hippy type. I cannot stress enough how magical the underwater world is. I
might not yet know all the varieties of nudibranchs or the difference between
an ornate and a ghost pipefish (yet) so I spend most of my time underwater playing whilst concentrating on
breathing air NOT water.
Playing mainly involves trying to see how
little air I can use over the period of a dive. This basically translates to
varying breathing between shallow but slightly faster cycles or SLLLOOOOWWWW
deep breaths. Something I had not considered in the real world was how
breathing or a breath affects you while underwater. Turns out if you breath IN
you float more and if you breath out you sink. (ish).
Tatiana
and Slav took this photo of me while diving the wall at Kanu Panan. I love it.
More games. Wondering around on my back although I prefer to hover upside down
- feet up head down – often imagining I am a cameraman for the BBC natural
department. It might be a little bit vain but I am very curious what I look
like underwater. I am not know for being graceful so maybe, just maybe I am a
tiny bit elegant underwater. Hopefully more photos of my underwater exploits to
come.
Have you ever pondered how you quantify making it? Gold plated Rolls Royce or
mink lined underwear? How about a heated toilet? Somehow my life now has a
fully functioning headed toilet... I already had the mink underwear. Lickie D’s
(still trying to see if there is a way of shortening Liquid Dumaguete) main
water source is a natural, volcanic hot spring so all the water is hot. No,
sorry. It is H.O.T. So whenever the need takes you, you sit atop a pre-warmed
throne. Does life get much better?
There is also the enigma commonly referred
to as Keith or Lolo. This is a gentleman (I use the term loosely) who appears
to have lived at least three lifetimes worth of anecdotes. Never short of a
word. Always ready with an opinion, rarely without a smile. I have and will
continue to look forward to many sundowners while highlighting the world’s
problems. We tend to highlight but not fix the problems.
Export quality semi dried mango. This stuff
is DEElightful. You can imagine the rest especially if eaten with hot and spicy
peanuts.
Having spent the last few months in the
jungle and remote rural areas, I have become accustomed to the morning call
from the cockerel. I was not mentally prepared for the alarm-cow. I can only
imagine that there is a bovine prankster who assumes it is HILARIOUS to come
passed my home and MOO very loudly at around 6am. Ok, I admit that I should be
awake by then but I DO NOT need a cow to tell me so although I like the
quirkiness.
The sun has risen and set 13/14 times since
I first arrived here. With every day that passes I feel happier, stronger and
more excitable about life. I am surrounded by a brilliantly eclectic group of
people and continually engulfed by nature’s beauty both above and below the
surface. To be training to make this a profession on top of all that? C’moooon.
I am probably one of the luckiest people alive at the moment.
Until the next time people. Remember,
upside down is the new right way up!
Love,
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