Philippines: Sascha's Resort
The one thing we all wanted to do in the Philippines was to go swimming with whale sharks. We woke up before the sun to make it happen and while we were still somewhat asleep as we registered and paid the fees, we quickly snapped awake when we saw the bazillion people already waiting on the beach for their turn.
The experience itself was over fairly quickly and before we knew it, we were back at our hotel, Sascha's Resort:
Having already checked out, we ordered breakfast in their restaurant while waiting for our ride to our next destination.
We got the fried pork with rice (P 200 / $3.96):
The pork adobo (P 200):
The chicken adobo (P 200):
Both of which also came with rice and an egg:
And last but not least, the fried bangus (P 200):
Each entree came with a drink. Everyone else ordered coffee, but I got some kind of watered down juice:
The food wasn't mind blowing, but it was decent and very filling. Certainly can't fault Sascha's Resort for their portion sizes. Or their prices. So cheap!
I figured I would end this post by giving my two cents about the whale shark experience in Oslob. While swimming with whale sharks is the biggest draw for tourists there, it is also very controversial. Because the locals are feeding the whale sharks, this has caused the animals to alter their usual migration pattern, which in turn affects their breeding and nutrition. This practice has also taught whale sharks to approach boats, rather than to avoid them, which has increased the likelihood of injury.
Despite all of this, there is no way whale shark tourism will end unless mandated by the government. Besides the whale sharks, there is literally no other reason for tourists to visit Oslob.
Ultimately the choice is yours whether to partake in this industry. We debated this decision extensively before choosing to move forward. And after experiencing it, we honestly don't know whether we would recommend it to anyone.
When I mentioned a bazillion people waiting to get into the water with the whale sharks, I was exaggerating...but only a bit. We thought we got there early, but apparently everyone gets there early.
There is first a presentation about whale shark watching etiquette. Then, you wait on the beach for your turn to be loaded onto a tiny boat and taken out. A bit offshore, the boats form a circle of sorts and you're then instructed to get into the water and hang off the side of the boat. There are guides on boats that paddle by, leading the whale sharks around the circle by feeding them.
You really only spend around 20 minutes in the water and the majority of that time is spent bobbing up and down waiting for a shark to swim by. When one finally does, you dip your head into the water to gawk at them...only to promptly get your view blocked by people who pay extra for private guides who actually let them swim alongside the shark and have a semi-private photo shoot.
So there you have it. We went to the Philippines thinking that whale shark watching would be the highlight of our trip. In the end, it turned out to be our least favorite part.
Sascha's Resort
South Road Poblacion, Oslob, Cebu 6025, Philippines
+63 32 481 9155
http://www.saschasresort.com/
The experience itself was over fairly quickly and before we knew it, we were back at our hotel, Sascha's Resort:
Having already checked out, we ordered breakfast in their restaurant while waiting for our ride to our next destination.
We got the fried pork with rice (P 200 / $3.96):
The pork adobo (P 200):
The chicken adobo (P 200):
Both of which also came with rice and an egg:
And last but not least, the fried bangus (P 200):
Each entree came with a drink. Everyone else ordered coffee, but I got some kind of watered down juice:
The food wasn't mind blowing, but it was decent and very filling. Certainly can't fault Sascha's Resort for their portion sizes. Or their prices. So cheap!
I figured I would end this post by giving my two cents about the whale shark experience in Oslob. While swimming with whale sharks is the biggest draw for tourists there, it is also very controversial. Because the locals are feeding the whale sharks, this has caused the animals to alter their usual migration pattern, which in turn affects their breeding and nutrition. This practice has also taught whale sharks to approach boats, rather than to avoid them, which has increased the likelihood of injury.
Despite all of this, there is no way whale shark tourism will end unless mandated by the government. Besides the whale sharks, there is literally no other reason for tourists to visit Oslob.
Ultimately the choice is yours whether to partake in this industry. We debated this decision extensively before choosing to move forward. And after experiencing it, we honestly don't know whether we would recommend it to anyone.
When I mentioned a bazillion people waiting to get into the water with the whale sharks, I was exaggerating...but only a bit. We thought we got there early, but apparently everyone gets there early.
There is first a presentation about whale shark watching etiquette. Then, you wait on the beach for your turn to be loaded onto a tiny boat and taken out. A bit offshore, the boats form a circle of sorts and you're then instructed to get into the water and hang off the side of the boat. There are guides on boats that paddle by, leading the whale sharks around the circle by feeding them.
You really only spend around 20 minutes in the water and the majority of that time is spent bobbing up and down waiting for a shark to swim by. When one finally does, you dip your head into the water to gawk at them...only to promptly get your view blocked by people who pay extra for private guides who actually let them swim alongside the shark and have a semi-private photo shoot.
So there you have it. We went to the Philippines thinking that whale shark watching would be the highlight of our trip. In the end, it turned out to be our least favorite part.
Sascha's Resort
South Road Poblacion, Oslob, Cebu 6025, Philippines
+63 32 481 9155
http://www.saschasresort.com/
Comments
Post a Comment