The Same Sea,
8 Years Later

Eight years later, it was a group of four again — but I was the only one who came back to the Philippines, and stood below the same cliff-jump platform in Siquijor.

In February 2018, during Chinese New Year, I flew alone from Shanghai to Dumaguete. After two days wandering on my own, I met up with friends and did the small loop: Siquijor — Bohol — Oslob.

In August 2026, I flew from Shenzhen with a friend I'd met for the first time in the Maldives — the second time we ever met in person was this trip to the Philippines. In Cebu we joined friends from Beijing and Shanghai, and did the full clockwise loop: Cebu — Bohol — Siquijor — Oslob — Moalboal.

I went from the person who made a 100-page PDF itinerary for her first solo trip abroad, to someone whose plan is now a few lines in a phone note, half of it improvised.

That wasn't pure spontaneity — it was a lesson learned. Back then, the meticulous J-person made an airtight plan, then misread a ferry schedule and watched the whole itinerary collapse. Now I plan like a veteran: August is typhoon season and ferries get cancelled, so this time I booked only half the trip and left the other half to flexibility. And we got lucky — blue skies the entire way; the rain arrived the day after we left.

Sometimes it feels like nothing has changed. Sometimes it feels like everything has.

Two Philippines trips, side by side

	Feb 2018, CNY holiday (first trip)	Aug 2026, summer break (this trip)
Route	Dumaguete in, small loop: Siquijor — Bohol — Oslob — Sumilon	Cebu in, clockwise: Cebu — Bohol — Siquijor — Oslob — Moalboal
Length	10 days / 9 nights	9 days / 8 nights
New	Sumilon, Apo Island	Moalboal (sardine run + canyoneering)
Group	4 people	4 people (a different four — only I came back)
Budget	~¥6,200 pp (CNY flights pricier)	~¥5,000 pp (hotels with pools + private cars throughout)
Planning style	100+ page PDF itinerary	A few lines, half-improvised

One day longer, ¥1,200 cheaper per person — prices in the Philippines barely moved in eight years; only the play style upgraded: there's a backpacker version and a comfort version, and neither one is expensive.

First, the sea: the Philippines ruins every other coastline

I didn't truly understand the sea until the Philippines. I'd just learned to swim in a pool, nearly drowned on my first trip to Thailand, and stayed away from deep water for years. Then, in the Philippines, words like "glass sea" and "jelly sea" suddenly became physical — clean, transparent, coral and fish right beneath your feet.

Even after seeing the Maldives, I still tell anyone who loves the ocean to see the Philippines first: for beginners, it's the gold standard.

The only downside: wherever you go afterwards, you'll quietly compare every coastline to this one.

About the language: just go, and it stops being a problem

Wherever I've travelled, people still ask me: what if my English is bad?

Eight years ago mine was terrible. I looked up most words filling in the arrival card, didn't know the word "reception", translated every menu with my camera — and once got into a red-faced bargaining argument with a local boatman because I couldn't tell "snorkeling" from "diving".

AI translation makes all of that easier today. But the real answer is: go first. Once you're out there, none of it is a problem.

Back then I met a man in his forties at a hostel whose entire English was "HI! THANK YOU" — and he'd travelled dozens of countries alone. I asked how he got through immigration. He said: "I just speak Chinese. If they don't understand, that's their problem. There's always a Chinese person, or someone, who'll help." We later ran into each other again in Shangri-La and at Meili Snow Mountain — he'd been to even more places.

Budget & prices (measured Aug 2026, all real numbers)

Exchange rate: 100 CNY ≈ 933 PHP (1 CNY ≈ 9.3P). All prices below are in pesos.

Item	Price	My notes
Accommodation (pp, whole trip)	¥1,100	Pool hotels throughout — comfort-tier
Moalboal canyoneering (1 guide : 2 guests)	1,700P pp	2–4 hours, excellent
Moalboal sardine run	400P pp	Nearly 1-on-1 service
Oslob whale shark swim	1,000P pp	Lean on the boat edge and they drift right up to you
Balicasag boat (private)	2,800–3,500P/boat	Dolphins on the way out
Balicasag island fee	300P pp	—
Napaling Point	300P pp	Guide photos +500P pp
Moalboal—Cebu private car	2,500P pp	3+ hours
Siquijor tricycle day tour	1,500P/day	Full day — and the driver watches your stuff

On bargaining: I didn't push hard on the Siquijor tricycle day rate — the driver also looks after your things all day, and it's worth keeping the mood good on both sides. If you want to cut costs, buses, shared vans and renting a scooter (international licence required) drop the budget a lot.

Verdict: for value for money, the Philippines is first-tier in all of Southeast Asia.

Getting around

• Between islands: mostly by ferry — bookable online or at the pier
• In cities: Grab
• Everywhere else: tricycles + private cars; scooters need an international licence

Stop by stop (this trip's highlights)

A playground for divers worldwide and a gentle ceiling for beginners. You won't run out of photo outfits here, and it's paradise if your plan is to do nothing at all.

Bohol

① Balicasag Island — about 30 minutes by boat from Panglao. Dolphins on the way out; freedivers can chase the jacks — a living wall of fish, made for dramatic underwater shots; wall diving for certified divers. Beginners and non-swimmers can snorkel the coral gardens — layered coral, clouds of small fish, plenty of turtles. Perfect for clear, natural underwater photos.

② Napaling Point — on Bohol itself, a short ride away. A natural crack between rock walls, very cinematic, a must for divers. Shore entry: colourful coral and fish right away, richer walls further out.

Moalboal

The sardines form a moving cloud over your head. Elsewhere you'd charter a boat to chase fish schools — here you just walk in from the shore. Beginner-friendly: turtles as soon as you get in, the sardine ball ten metres out. The canyoneering here is also a great summer option.

Oslob

Swimming with whale sharks from the shore. They're gentle here — lean against the boat edge and one will drift slowly past, nibbling brine shrimp.

Honestly, whale sharks weren't in the plan this time. My visit eight years ago left a bad taste: endless waiting, and water that reeked of dead fish. But my friend said this is the only place on earth where you can get this close to a whale shark this easily, and she didn't want to leave with regrets. Fine — we went.

Eight years on, the place has genuinely changed: fresh brine shrimp instead of scraps, cleaner water, and strict protection zones for the sharks.

The feeding controversy hasn't stopped — provisioning changes their migration patterns. I left disappointed eight years ago; eight years later I watched it getting better with my own eyes. The debate may continue, but this stretch of water is moving in the right direction. Some places you have to see before you're entitled to an opinion.

Siquijor — my favourite island

Snorkelling, beachcombing, chasing sunrises and sunsets, cliff jumping, rope swings into the spring lake, coconut groves, beach swings, old churches, giant trees, drone shots, cycling around the island — and a massage in the evening. Life doesn't get much better. You could happily do nothing here for a week.

Eight years ago I shot a veil photoshoot with my friend at Lazi Church; this time I brought her dress back for a sequel. In those eight years, we've unlocked a lot more map together.

Eight years ago, at the 10-metre platform, wearing a life jacket and feeling very brave, I jumped — hit the water, my legs went soft, and I landed in an undignified seat-first splash, bruised from hip to thigh for two weeks. This time I was going to redeem myself — but the tide was out, the water too shallow, the 10-metre platform closed. Only the 5-metre one was open.

As if the sky was saying: there aren't as many "next times" as you think. There is no "later".

Stay on the road long enough and you'll always carry some regrets. But fewer "I wish I had" beats regretting the times you didn't go — because the money wasn't there, the time wasn't there, the English wasn't there, or you couldn't swim.

Next: keep measuring the world with my own feet, and keep exploring the other 71% of it.

See you at the next stop.

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