Adventures in Guam: Whale Sharks, Water Polo... Who Knows What's next?

Wow, it's been a while. Sorry about that. Let me preface this one by letting you know that I have been waiting for this Philippines trip for over two months now and have been training and preparing devoutly for the past 4 months. This trip went above and beyond all expectations I had previously had about what the Philippines might hold and I am thoroughly excited to share this amazing adventure with you.

Flying to Manila was spectacular to say the least. Aside from being flown business class for the first time, the lights, landscape and luminous boundaries of the city were overwhelming as I peered down from the Continental 787 jet above. A network of roadways and skyscrapers lined the ground below as if a gird that so many people lived by. I would soon be enlightened at just how many people were teaming the streets below. The harbor was a dazzling display of bright white lights that looked like fireflies from the elevation above as the boats waded to and from in the black watery canvas surrounding. I hadn't the slightest idea of how brilliant this archipelago truly was. I had always had a much different perception of what Manila would look like. Soaring over a much more rural area just outside Manila, the town was marked by lights that were entirely different, random, and unruled by the enormous city beckoning just a few miles away. The contrast was definite, exclusive, contrary. If you weren't on the grid, you were in a whole other world. I would soon get more than a glimpse of this very true reality. As we circled, we headed out, back into the black abyss of the Philippine sea, only to return once again to the majestic lights that guided our landing safely to this new haven for adventure.

After a smooth landing, I grabbed my only carry-on bag, avoiding the sticky fingers that handle checked luggage in Manila, and headed out to the street to find a cab. One of my favorite parts of arriving in a new foreign country is the very first breath of air you take once exiting the airport. It's almost like a fingerprint or a signature. Every country has their own unique emanation that I find intriguing. Once negotiating with the cab driver I began my quest to the Hyatt hotel where I would reside for the night. As I drove down the densely congested streets of Manila, there seemed to be a frenzy of vehicles trying to reach their destinations in the most obtuse, chaotic means possible. How there weren't collisions every other second is beyond me. I can remember a fire truck trying to manipulate its way through the sea of cars; sirens piercing, lights flashing and nobody sharing the same urgency as those aboard the fire truck. My taxi driver noticed the lights but only saw an opportunity to take advantage of the situation by racing behind the emergency vehicle. Somewhat appalled by this I asked if this was legal. I received a chuckle, followed by silence. This cab ride was tame to say the least. The bus ride that lies ahead was one I will never forget.

Upon my arrival to the Hyatt, I was met by my good buddy Troy, whom I play water polo with on the Guam National Team. That night, Troy and I got a little taste of what the nightlife was like in Manila on a Wednesday. Long story short, I wasn't sure if I could handle a Friday or Saturday with how wild this town was. Troy and I arrived 3 days prior to the rest of our team because we had something grand in mind that we could not pass up. After our first night in Manila, we took a flight down to Le Gatzby and then a two hour car ride down to the small town of Donsol for one sole reason. The Whale Shark. For 3 months of the year the small town of Donsol, off the South Western side of the main island of the Philippines is visited by this mammoth of a fish that just happens to pass through in a very unique migration pattern. The plankton that spawn a ways up river in Donsol, and then get pushed out into the bay, is the reason for this enthralling creature's presence because it is their sole means of sustenance. So upon our arrival to Donsol, Troy and I set out to find a boat that would take us out to these Whale Sharks. After realizing that the Whale Sharks were actually quite popular among travelers and tourists, we easily found a boat that would accommodate our requests and we set out to find the great Whale Shark. With a spotter in front, back and on both sides of the boat, we found our first Whale Shark pretty quickly. From a distance all I could see was an enormous, ominous shadow in the water. As we approached this giant I soon became aware of the monumental size of this creature. Grand was and understatement. Huge was an insult. Leviathan, maybe. And what were the next words to hit my ears as we came right up next to the shark. "JUMP". Jump? "JUMP". Jump. What I was about to see would humble me completely. As the bubbles cleared from in front of me, I came face to face with the worlds largest shark. Immediately I swam to its right side to avoid the gaping mouth, funneling in plankton. I then gazed right into its pitch black, tennis ball sized eyeball that seemed to peer right into my soul as it nonchalantly continued on its course scooping in its defenseless meal. Never have I had a more memorable moment than looking right into the eye of a Whale Shark. As it continued on I began to analyze this foreign creature. Its bright white spots against its deep gray skin were mesmerizing, confusing, amazing. The body just kept going, and going, and going. A dorsal fin finally passed. More entrancing spots and then the giant fluke (tail fin) that with one sway sent water blowing by me, causing me to fluster and go up for air. With one giant breath of air I immediately broke out in uncontrollable laughter and pure incredibility at what just took place. Pure amazement; astonishment. Upon being pulled back onto the boat Troy and I raved about the Whale Shark and all of its beauty. We continued diving with a dozen or so different Whale Sharks ranging from 5 to 8 meters. The largest around 25ft in length and as wide as a room. Basically a bus in water, however one of the most graceful, docile underwater beings I have encountered. This experience will never be forgotten.

Amidst some confusion at the airport, Troy and I were forced to take a ten our, overnight bus back to Manila because flights out of Le Gatzby were booked for the next two days, and our tournament was the following day. Just about the only good thing about the following bus ride was witnessing the most symmetrical volcano on the planet. This volcano was known among locals as "Mayor" Volcano. Truly a majestic sight to see as we were leaving the town and began our journey back to Manila. At first Troy and I thought this overnight bus would work out perfectly. We would just sleep on the bus and get there by morning and play our game and everything would be fine and dandy. No. Not even. A hardly amusing thought looking back at it now that I have been through the craziest ride of my life. First off the roads in the Philippines are terrible. Both "lanes" combined are about the size of a regular sized bus, and we were lucky to go a stretch of a hundred yards without hitting dirt patches, where the road was just simply absent. The whole sleeping thing was not an option, plain and simple. I have been on roller coasters that have yielded smoother rides than this bus. In the middle of the night, while going in and out of a sleep dazed state, I would have to position myself in a safe enough position so that I could catch myself when being jolted awake and out of my seat by an inevitable bump, turn or sudden halt for everything from animals to people, to even parts of the road that were too badly damaged or missing to drive over. Looking at the road ahead became too stressful to endure. I still don't know how the driver managed to maneuver around oncoming buses, motorcycles and cars going 30km/hr and still managing not to crash. Once coming to the realization that I had no power over the situation it was actually impressive to see the driver weave between traffic in such a large vehicle at such fast speeds. To make matters even more tense, about three hours into the trip, our air conditioning went out. When mentioning this to the locals next to us, they simply nodded their heads as if to say, "duh, this happens all the time". We were teased every now and then by a taste of cold air that would come through and hit our damp skin every now and then, but all I could think about was finding a nice cool bed.

On the contrary to all of the maladies of this terrible bus ride, there were also some intriguing sights that I was able to catch before sunset. Driving deep into the countryside, I could see how impoverished parts of the Philippines actually were. It wasn't as bad as the poverty in India, but it was very apparent that the people lived off of the most minute means of living. They were organized, concise, with everything they had, which was nothing. They were clean and presentable in the most ragged, tattered clothes, hanging off of their thin bodies. Their homes, constructed of mainly of wood and Palm tree frawns were neat and cheap. This alternate lifestyle was so adverse to what I had seen before in Manila. When talking to a fellow passenger about these small villages we drove through, he said that most live off nearly a dollar a week. The rest is traded or used from the land they lived off of. Arriving back into the concrete jungle of Manila was almost startling coming from such an agronomic area.

Finally we arrived at our hotel, got a few hours of sleep and then headed out to play our first water polo match against the Philippine National team. To say the game was exhausting would be a complete understatement. Men's International water polo is played in a 30 meter pool, which is nearly twice as big as what I have been practicing in here on Guam. We held the Filipino National team the first period 2-2. Then they kept swimming and swimming and swimming. They were like fish! We were like logs. They purely out swam us, leading them to a well earned victory. Quite a bit disappointed, we figured we were going to need to rework our strategy before we went out and played the next teams to come. Sure enough strategy payed off and we didn't lose another game. Water polo is an extremely physically demanding sport, but to say that it is all Braun and no brain would be a very foolish statement to allege. Our plan of action lead us to a second place finish in the tournament. The tournament lasted two days, and after those many games and thousands of yards of swimming, punching, and grabbing, it was safe to say I desperately needed a message. So, 5 dollars and one hour later I was feeling like a noodle, ready to go sight seeing for the rest of my time in Manila.

The next two days were filled with relaxation, sight seeing around Manila, and a stroll through the park, which was probably the best part of my sight seeing in this crazy town. Rizal park is in the heart of Manila. It is filled with statues, monuments and tons of people. This park was occupied not with tourists, but with locals trying to escape the busy streets not too far away. No one had told me to come here or mentioned it was a neat park to check out, I had just been walking by and stumbled upon it. What a gem it was. Families, couples, locals young and old all enjoying the beauty of this park. There was a fountain show going on right down the middle of the park that followed a cadence to music that was playing out of loud speakers. Lights would project up on the water creating a magical display of color and illumination. Sticking out like a sore thumb, being the only American in the park, I was approached by some Filipino locals that were very friendly and quite inquisitive of my presence. I told them my story and how I was having an awesome time in the Philippines and they told me how this park is a sanctum from the humming city just beyond. After chatting for about an hour or so, it was time to get back to the hotel and pack my things.

The Philippines are an amazing, interesting, adventurous place to visit, and I am very fortunate and grateful for being able to travel with the Guam National Team to play water polo. This trip was everything from astonishing to humbling to chaotic and to saddening, but all in all I wouldn't have traded the experience for anything.

Make sure you Click the link below for the whale shark video