No Fooling- Reef Check Training Was Fantastic

April 1, 2013

Kenzie's two. I love you Kenzie

We had to split Reef Check training into two groups going two different weeks so I signed up for the first session so I’d be doing something memorable on my granddaughter, Kenzie’s second birthday April 2^nd. I’m missing so much; so many of her ‘firsts’. I’m super grateful and happy when I get to see her and talk to her on Skype.

Here's Andrew Horan, Andrew Wynn, Allison Hoffman, Russ Halliday, me and our counterparts, Country Director Denny Robertson, AC and Francis and PCV Trainers Elliot Lam and Ben Stacy

Ben giving me and my counterpart DenDen our certificates

The training was held in Mabini, Batangas, across the bay from where all 13 of us CRM PCVs visited and  snorkeled or dove in August during Pre-Service Training. It's a beautiful and popular place for divers. We saw dolphins and tea turtles!

This is where we went down to the boats that took us to the dive sites

It was a bit of a climb getting home every day. Thankfully the staff carried the tanks.

Addresses aren't so clear here. There aren't numbers or street names. We made it to where we thought we staying. For me, the journey began with a three hour vanvan ride and overnight stay in Tacloban, then a 6:00 AM one hour flight to Manila, then a  five hour bus ride to Mabini and finally a 30 minute (motorized) trike to the place on Balyan Bay.

It was a really nice place right on the water with a pool,water slide and dock with a shady nipa hut at the end of it. No one was around. While we were walking around  looking for someone to check us in, I looked across the street and saw this amazing four story  native stone & driftwood & thatched (nipa) roofed treehouse eclectic organic looking place built into the side of the hill and thought how much cooler it looked than this place and wished we were staying there. When we found the owner of this place  he told us we were at the wrong place. We needed to go across the street. Whoot whoot!

I was saying "look at that cool place over there".

We would be staying here for a week at  Bontac in Batangas Bed and Breakfast, having class in the morning and diving every afternoon. Go CRM! It was fantastic. This first group included me, Ali Hoffman, Andrew Wynne, Andrew Horan and Russ Halliday, our counterparts and two students from Manila, Francis and AC.

Andrew Horan (from Florida) and the view from the second floor terrace.

 This is a family owned and run home built into the side of a hill using the stone from excavation.  It was shaded most of the day so nice and cool without air con. The room I slept in was on the ground floor and had the feeling of being in a cave.

This is the view out out window and the place we mistakenly went to across the street.

 The main floor is where meals were served and has a huge terrace overlooking the bay with a library of great books on marine ecology and ecosystems, wifi and a great music collection playing. After a full day of class and diving we enjoyed lounging around here downing on the house rum and cokes during a happy hour that never ended.

Elliot Lam, Russ Halliday, Andrew Wynne and Andrew Horan

It was a Happy Birthday for Francis

See the shower for rinsing off after diving?

The third floor had rooms I didn't see and it's own balcony and the top floor had a big eclectic bar area with bathrooms and showers, two more rooms with sleeping lofts built as two nipa huts separated by another large stone balcony terrace. The view was spectacular from there and it was like being in a treehouse .

I love the wine bottle light fixtures

These rooms have a spectacular view of Balayan Bay

Glass blocks let light into the bathrooms

stairs go up to loft sleeping areas and you're really in the tree tops

Nipa hut living up top and cave living below

 The masonry had native designs carved into it with dolphins and sea turtles frolicking and I was loving the artistry of it all.

 Abby has culinary training and the food was incredible. We had homemade ice cream, my first taste of avocado ice cream,  salads, lots of veggies, big slabs of grilled marlin fresh fuits and the last night a BBQ roasted lamb with mint jelly. Oh Mother Dear would have loved the lamb.

That is a slab of grilled marlin and it was good

This is the family in the outside kitchen area

The lamb on the BBQ

Man it was hard to leave and say goodbye

From here we went to another week long Project Development and Managing (PDM)  training held at Lima Park Hotel where we had our Supervisor's conference. Hot water showers if we so desire. Yes!