Japan, Osaka

This trip was negotiated last year, in August. As Japan is not really a diving destination, it was not on the main agenda of the full Jug team. But one of us was eager to go (yup, Nives) and the other conceded in the end. Very cheap AirAsia tickets helped a bit to be fair. And this definitely proved to be a smart choice. Luckily, for both of us.

We poured over Lonely Planet, Trip Advisor, shamefully interrogated our friends who have been over (thanks so much for your recommendations, Guys!) and finally came up with the plan. A little bit of traditional, contemporary and obviously – Japan Alps (some of us have been away from the snow for too long… yup, Dejan…). We planned to take it easy (relatively!) as well. After six months of travelling and sightseeing you just don’t have that stamina any more…

We landed in Kansai airport and decided to stay in Osaka for first five nights. Few reasons really – good position to do day trips to hot tourist spots like Nara or Himeji, modern city with its own sightseeing that can be overlooked by tourists and last, but definitely not least, kuidaore. You are wondering what the last one means? Well, depending on the translator it could be either “eat till you drop” or “eat yourself bankrupt”. Two are definitely connected in Japan, as it probably is not the cheapest country in Asia we have been to. Anyway, we liked the attitude, especially in what we expected to be the otherwise reserved and restrained Japan. What they forgot to mention is that it also means drink yourself silly on sake. Osaka is really a special place: city in a country of the rising sun that becomes alive after sunset. You might be guessing by now, we blended in pretty well with the local culture. Ah, you know how it goes: when in Rome…

So, where to go? Dotonbori, of course. Chaotic, neon, loud, shopping and partying area in Osaka. And it was all they said it will be. We absolutely loved it! And found few hidden gems. To be fair, on the outskirts of Dotonbori, but definitely authentic – we were the only tourists in a crowded, non-English speaking eateries. Our favourite traditional izakaya (Japanese version of a pub) and yakiniku (Japanise take on Korean bbq) in Japan were here. Ordering from the menu was a bit of a gamble thou. Even waitress couldn’t help with turning it the right way (we actually were looking at the menu with the 90 degrees rotation). Well, at least we could understand the looks at the neighbouring tables. The easiest way was to walk around the place and point to other people’s plates. And they all joined in and helped us order their favourite meals as much as they could. And sake (Dassai is our favourite). There was a lot of pointing, gesturing and smiling included as nobody really speaks English well here (or not at all!). Total surprise! But people were really helpful. Amazing that they are still so separate from the rest of the world, but still so alike.

Besides glorious food, we really liked Osaka as a city, mix of traditional and modern. Osaka castle was a gem that no one puts on any list of what to do in Japan. It probably has the most magnificent outer wall of all we have seen. And amazing museum inside. We even managed to figure it out in the end – as we have started to look at it the wrong way. Another one were views from Umeda building. Well, to be honest it’s not just the views, it’s the way you get up – in a glass lift. Totally cool! But not for the fainthearted. Or people with vertigo (and those would include Dejan).

Osaka is also a town of bicycle riders. They are everywhere! And strangely, without helmets. Even kids! It is really interesting to see grocery shops with only bicycle parking slots and no car parking at all. Seems like driving is really not a thing here. Hence, we decided to try and walk if distances are not too big. And they didn’t seem to be, a kilometre here and two there. Totally manageable. Until we dropped dead in our room every night averaging at about 20 km a day (best result was just over 30 km).

From Osaka we also did the a few tourist attractions: Nara (old Japanese capital, before Kyoto and now Tokyo), Himeji (best old preserved castle in Japan) and Kobe (well, the beef, of course). We really liked all of those places. Giant Buda in Nara and magical castle in Himeji are probably the best historical sights in Japan for us. You feel transported to the Japanese past there. Not that we knew enough at start at all (we realised we learned jacksh*t in school about Japan), but soon we had VERY basic grasp and could appreciate what we were seeing. And truly amazing it was. Not to mention the Bambies in Nara! Local deer are treated as royalty here (they are sacred animals) and one of the highlights is to buy treats for them (sold on every corner). We were practising subdued voices and gentle movements not to scare these elegant animals, only to be practically attacked by little (or not so little) rascals. They do go for you! Readily biting on shirts and shorts (and whatever flesh gets in the way) to draw attention they certainly were not timid. But indeed were one of the best experiences here. We spent small fortune on deer crackers and had hours of fun feeding them.

Kobe was really nice costal town with lovely seafront, but that is not why we were there. Yup, The Beef. It is world known for its fat content – marbling (basically, the fatter the better) and softness. To put it in perspective, Kobe beef represents only 0,06% beef eaten in Japan. Never mind the other stake-munching nations like Argentina, Australia or South Africa. Very rare and highly praised, although apparently massaging cows and exposing them to classical music is only a myth. Obviously we had to try. After long hours on Trip Advisor we booked the best stake-house in Kobe. For lunch obviously (less than half price than dinner!). Not an easy task, as this place has only eight seatings! And it was an experience not to be missed in Japan. Even the chefs have the OCD. All pieces of vegetables were identical and every piece of meat is a perfect square. The cooking is a show. Soooooo interesting to watch. And the beef you ask? Well, opinions divided. Nives couldn’t really handle all that fat, to Dejan’s utmost delight as he readily chomped on her steak as well. Would we go again? Answers would be no and a “hell yeah” yes.

More castles and sake pictures here.

Malaysia, Malacca

We were supposed to go to Malacca on the first Pelican. And then on the second. Each time we decided to do something else. And it almost happened this time as well. Luckily, almost. In the end we pushed ourselves and went just before Japan. And what a good decision it was!

Malacca is a small town about two hours drive south-west of KL. It is known to have been a Portuguese colony and it shows. Lovely architecture, still a little bit of that European feel to it. Such a shame British destroyed the old walls. But still enough to see and enjoy. Only problem is that a lot of people actually do come here and the town has turned into a mini Disneyland (we are taking boat rides, stalls, pirate ships... the full shebang!). To be fair, it happens to anything that gets its name on UNESCO World heritage list... Reason to move further afield and explore newer sights: like the floating mosque. Actually, mosque built on the stilts. So indeed, we did venture (in spite of almost unbearable heat – we were practically melting!), but the views were worth it.

But let’s not forget the main reason why one comes to Malacca. To eat! So, you should really go there on Friday, Saturday or Sunday evening. This is when pretty ordinary and relatively drab main street becomes a food market. And we were on the hunt for perfect Nonya laksa (sort of spicy, coconut noodle soup – yum). And as a bycatch we found some of the best sweets we have ever had. And lots more… not just food wise. We saw to weirdest karaoke we have ever seen in our lives! Open market, large speaker and plethora of locals (mainly over 60 to be honest) doing their best. Which was not that good at all. And when we say it’s bad, then it is really bad…

Two days passed really quickly and with a little bit of a regret that we stayed so short, it was time to fly east. To the land of the rising sun – Japan!

Before you go, more pictures (and best ever karaoke clip) here.

Vietnam

Well, this one just happened. It was never on the Jugs’ bucket list for a simple reason – very limited diving. We filed it away, under: possibly, sometime in the future. But, lately we just heard so many good things about it: nature, people, food…

As life would have it, pretty soon we were facing a prospect of an unplanned week in our calendar – happens to the best of us as well – gap between Layang Layang and Japan. Idea was to go to Indonesia and dive Komodo. But complex itinerary to get there and fact we just did some of the best diving in our lives (and were pretty dived out) was crying for something different. So, there we were, sitting in KL with so many options to reach pretty much any part of Asia with a short flight that doesn’t even allow time for second round of drinks. AirAsia having a spring sale at the time didn’t hurt either.  So, after considerate deliberation over a bottle of wine and fine views of The Boys (AKA Petronas towers) from our room – Vietnam it was. That promise of friendly people and good food clinched the deal.

With only a week to experience this once troubled country, we had to make harsh choices where to go. Saigon (yes, it is Ho Chi Minh city now, but Saigon sounds better, so no political correctness here – even the locals call it Saigon, btw!) vs Hanoi, Mekong delta vs Halong bay? With as many opinions on which way to go as there are people in Vietnam, we – for the sole reason of being the party town of the country – opted for Saigon and thus Mekong delta (lovely river cruise being a cherry on the cake).

In the end, to describe our week in Vietnam in one word would be: gluttony. Or maybe opulence? As you are guessing already, we decided to do this one in style. Reality is things are still affordable here and after Layang Layang everything feels cheap, to be honest. So, sky bar hotel for a few nights then cruising the Mekong delta for two nights and then for the end a true piece of history – three nights in the famous Rex hotel.

And such a good decision it was! Vietnam is a fabulous place! The people were just amazing, still not too spoilt with tourism and really friendly and helpful. They constantly helped us to go over the streets – and no, we have not gone gaga – yet, but the traffic lights in Saigon are ignored by pedestrians. You just have to start walking across the busy streets and play who will blink first with onslaught of cars and scooters. Truth is locals did it so much better, had that determination, while drivers could smell the fear from us and just kept whizzing by. And you should see amount of scooters here – apparently over seven million in this city alone! You feel like in a giant bee-hive all the time. World is buzzing away around you: so many colours and smells. Attack, albeit a pleasant one, on all your senses.

And then there was food. OMG! Never on our list really, but beef noodle soup (pho) is just so, so good. We kept having it for breakfast (as it is intended), lunch (still ok) and dinner (few looks from locals, but hey, it is too good to miss!). And coffee… Now, pre this trip we would never buy Vietnamese coffee, didn’t even know they produced it! But what a mistake, these guys have perfected the art of ice-coffee. With our hands shaking and heads twitching from too much caffeine, we just kept going for another shot. Not to mention they picked up best thing from the French: bread and sweets. In retrospect, first few days in Saigon were eating, drinking, some more eating and drinking and then dying. And doing it all over again.

So, we went to Mekong to make a break from all this. But how wrong we were – this cruise had gluttony as the principal recreation. Food and free flowing coffee on the boat really did not help our determination to be good. But what a place! History and beautiful nature from new boat (seriously it looked like the one from Murder on the Nile – Nives was totally in her Agatha Christie mood!). What a treat. For three days we watched the local villages and people on boats pass by. Spent days waiving at kids frolicking in the water and kept getting surprised with what cargo you can put on tiny boat. We did the lot: water market – check, tropical rain – check, mosquito bite – multiple-check (yes, Nives was so generously feeding local fauna again). Sorry to leave, but it was time to go back to Saigon again.

Last few days were history and culture really. Well, and some more eating, obviously! We did the water puppet show – traditional Vietnamese play (soooooo much better than expected!), walked the town, had some more excellent pho. While looking for yet another coffee buzz, we came across one of the quirky features of a 9 stories multiple cafes building – you pay to use the lift or walk the stairs for free. With million degrees outside we shamefully paid up (official excuse was that Nives was wearing high heels; and we are sticking to it).

But mainly we just enjoyed the main square and views from our hotel. In their innocence they were offering upgrade to the room – better view their said. And it really, really was – main square and Ho Chi Min statue were just in front our window! Also, free coffee and sweets (check!) and cocktail in the evening (double check!). Little did we realize that cocktail in the evening meant all you can eat and drink including French wine, cocktails and canapes. Guessing? Yup, had our dinner in the hotel every night... And so soon, it was time to wave at Ho Chi Minh statue from our window and say good-bye to this lovely country and people with about five extra kilos between us (and we are not talking luggage here!). But we are definitely coming back!

An extra picture or two can be found here.

Malaysia, Layang Layang

After a quick stop over in KL (our home town in Asia) to wash and repack, we were off again. And it is not a typo, place is really called Layang Layang. If you are a diver you may have heard of it, if not – not a chance. If former, it has to be on your bucket list, if later don’t really bother. This place is very remote – only one (very expensive) flight from Borneo, about one third way towards Vietnam. It is a tiny island (partially reclaimed from the sea) that hosts mostly Malaysian marine forces and one hotel (guessing not a cheapo, right?). What is it famous for you ask – well, sharks of course! But not any kind of sharks. This is where scalloped hammerheads come to perform their mating rituals and swim in large schools. Yes, this is one of the best places in the world for schooling hammerheads (if you are not a diver, just a quick note: this is one of the holy grails of diving experiences that can make anyone drool). And it happens only once a year, in mid April.

This trip was practically ten years in making. We wanted to go on our first Pelican, but left it too late to book – it was sold out. On our last big trip we had other plans in April. So, this time, we planned in advance. Let’s put it this way: even before we had our plane tickets, we had this holiday booked. And to be on the safe side, we re-mortgaged the house and booked for two weeks.

But first, a stop-over in Kota Kinabalu, Borneo pearl capital. No need to guess why we were here, right? Only thing left to say is that Nives' endurance in pearl buying was matched only by Dejan's expectations of a night out in his favorite restaurant in the world (as a promised reward). Seven St Georges, here we come!

We came to the dive resort with big expectations to face a crude reality. Not a lot of people saw sharks. One or two here and there, but no schools. Disaster! That missed chance on Apo reef seemed even worse now. Nives crying for not seeing them at all and Dejan for not swimming harder to see closer up – very sober mood in our hotel room indeed. But then a miracle happened. After twenty or so years of bad luck with hammerheads (note: we have been filmed with them swimming behind us and not seeing them!) something changed. We were the lucky ones for a change. So much so, other people kept copying Dejan’s underwater footage! And we were there for the golden week as the dive-masters kept referring to it.

In the end how was it? Magical. Amazing. Unique. Absolutely fabulous. Sharks were breath-taking (literally sometimes, as you do have to swim a lot!), but there was so much more: manta rays, tuna... To describe diving in this place with one word would be exciting. You never know what is going to happen. Yes, you do have occasional dives when you spend most of the time in the blue and see nothing, but that is magical as well. Surrounded by blue water everywhere, just floating. Like space in some ways. We absolutely loved this place. So much so, that is now firmly one of our top three favourites (in no order: Palau, Tuamotus in French Polynesia and now Layang Layang).

Let the movie and few more photos speak for us.

Philippines, Apo reef

Now, don’t confuse Apo island with Apo reef (which, incidentally also has an Apo island). They are very much two different things (and very much apart from each other). But with 7500 islands to name you can’t really blame the Philippinos to have ran out of ideas. But why Apo? Well, no wonder really with family being central to life here, as it means the grandfather in English. And without giving much away too early, this Apo really is the diving grand-daddy.

But let’s start from the beginning. Getting to Mindoro and a starting point for diving safaris to Apo reef was a demanding task. Or so we thought so. But it only took a tricycle, bus, taxi, flight, van, overnight on the bench in the harbour (sounds worse than it is, it had toilets), ferry and another van and we were already there. Really getting the knack with this travelling. Suitcases or no suitcases!

Our resort (and diving starting point) was a total surprise. A pleasant one! Pool with sea views, lovely room and absolutely amazing food (damn it, again!). Sand-flies were there as well, but hey, these are Philippines and we have a bit more deet to go through. Beer was expensive thou (1.50 $), but we are on the self-imposed abstinence, so all fine. Instead we splurged on €1 fresh coconut and had it in the pool overlooking the sunset. Life could be tougher…

As for the diving, we were just ourselves again. Like Thailand, we also booked two trips here – some people just never learn. At least these were two short two day trips. Easy on the ears and body we thought. But we didn’t really count that these were not so touristic areas and the boat was basically a youth-hostel on water. Just matrasses one next to another (literally, absolutely no space between them!) under the stars on the rolling sea. First trip was mostly people in their forties and fifties, so a lot of moaning around. But the seas were calm and we slept pretty well. Well, that would be the two of us, our neighbours kept complaining about the snoring (Nives didn’t hear a thing, years of adjustment…). Second trip was slightly different – less people (eight instead of 14), mostly young girls (very hard on only two guys aboard), but the sea Gods decided we were not to have a good one. Most of the night boat was rolling violently like a rollercoaster. Another one of those…

But it was all worth it. Warm blue waters, gin clear visibility of 30 – 50 m and good fish life (this coming from us is pretty good!). We had best giant tuna swim-byes ever (literally counting teeth here!), lot of turtles, bumphead parrotfish and some sharks. As nature (and those damn ears) does it, it was better for some than the others… Dejan saw three hammer-head sharks and Nives is still green with envy. Arguable, as the sharks were not close and the sighting was compliant with “no video – didn’t happen” rule as judged by all other divers on the boat. But still…

So, our judgement on Apo reef? It is far, hard to get to, not a luxury one (well, you still have a bed, place to sit most of the time and there is still one toilet for all on the boat), but if you are a diver so worth it! One of the few remote places left in the world offering really good diving. Keep in mind that you can get here with airlines not blacklisted by EU and there is no malaria really (which is really a good thing for Nives). In Philippines, this place is only topped by UNESCO protected Tubbataha reef national park.

After diving it was like ducks to water as we hit the pool and cocktails. This time fresh coconut topped with copious amounts of local rum and consumed in the same lovely pool overlooking the beach. Makes us wonder why we ever left…

But it was time to go and relax for a few days. Destination Boracay. Mainly because everyone asks us all the time if we have been there and because it is the most popular holiday destination in Philippines. We brazed ourselves for hordes of tourists, but nothing could prepare us for the reality. Yes, it is beautiful. White sand beach with turquoise see stretches from one side of the island to the other. But the amount of people! We have never experienced anything like this before (or maybe we were still adjusted to tranquillity of Mindoro). Tourists (manly from China) are only topped by numerous offerings of one activity or the other. Mobiles on selfie-sticks and drones constantly taking pictures. One shop after another, vendor after vendor. Total sensory overload, so much so that we escaped to our room with some cheese and crackers on the first night. But the biggest disappointment was that the people are not as friendly as elsewhere, price of globalisation probably.

Sort of happy to have seen Boracay (but determined never-ever to come back!) we were on the road again. It was time to conclude our Philippines adventure. Final verdict? We were and still are in love with this country. For us, it is the most beautiful place in South East Asia. Granted, you probably need to be a diver to share our opinion. But this was probably last visit for a while. We dove what we wanted to, have been to the places we wanted to visit. Even manged to escape Manila this time (really is a dump!). Other parts of the world are calling to us. But before that, a few days of R&R and some more planning in KL is what the doctor ordered (we might even buy a bottle of wine or two).

Apo reef and / or Boracay pictures. Choice is yours.

Philippines, Apo island

Last time we were here we only managed one trip to the arguably best dive spot in the area: Apo Island. The weather was bad and it was not the right season (recurring theme?). Most of all, with our memories rivalling that of a clownfish, we needed a refresh. So, we decided to come again.

A moped, ferry, van, taxi, another taxi, bus and tricycle ride is all it takes to get to Dauin from Malapascua. Well, two days later and about 300 km to the south, dusty and sweaty we were finally there. In our minds Dauin coast was just a long, long stretch of beach with dirt road access and no resorts. How things change in few years was all we thought off while stuck in traffic jam and rush hour madness. Philippines are changing…

As our resort was only about 800 m (according to our friend Google) from the main road we were toying with the idea of taking a bus from Dumaguete and asking the driver to stop on the crossroads. With two coffin sized suitcases advertising our arrival into bus station, it’s no wonder that local tricycle owners swarmed over us. Half-heartedly we started negotiating for the ride, but couldn’t come to an agreement (we are tough customers after all). So, decided to go for a lunch instead, no point of travelling on empty stomach is our new Philippine motto. But after lunch and a few beers we succumbed to the couch potato attitude and agreed to take a tricycle. The best decision of the month! 800 m turned into endless dust infused high Himalayan lookalike path to the resort. We would probably still be there now… buried under the suitcases…

The resort was a rather nice surprise. Lovely beach cabanas, big pool and cocktail happy hour in the bar (with cocktails ranging from reasonable 1.50 € to extortionate 2 €). Don’t really know what the staff expected, but we took to it like polar bears to ice.

Some things never change thou. Beach was jet another breeding ground for sand-flies, but this time we had an option to keep away. And used it. Pool next to the bar was a better idea anyway. Especially when our friends arrived. We had a really good time. Floating in the pool enjoying lovely pina-coladas and marguerites. Life could get worse… The bar bill at the end was a cold shower and medical miracle at the same time. So we opted (our bodies did) for self-induced abstinence until after we finish with diving on Philippines.

Diving was the only disappointment really. The coral gardens are still amazing and probably one of the best in the world we have seen, but there is far less fish than it used to be. And more sea-snakes. With dive guides instructed to lead us the other way (well, Nives really) we found a lot of turtles and enjoyed the corals and other lovely marine creatures. And some less lovely – jellyfish. Not to elaborate further, one of us (yes, Nives again) left the resort looking like a failed experiment in the sci-fi movie. No pictures of that, thank you very much!

As the plans go, ours was to take the over the land route to our next stop, but after spending a lot of time on the public transport we started thinking about flying. Especially after we heard about the big shoal of sardines in Moalboal. Plans were changed (again…) and we were back on the road. Another tricycle, ferry, tricycle, bus and final tricycle and we were there. And all of it in one day! We are getting so good at this.

When booking Moalboal we decided to stay in the same place as the last time we were there. Mainly as the dive center was recommended and because it was on the right side of the beach. And yes, you are guessing right, we were in for a surprise. Moalboal is now changed to a youngster party town. Scene is more like Koh Tao than Philippines we remember! Damn we decided on a ten days abstinence after Dauin! But proud to announce we stuck to it and resisted the calls of beach bars and the cheapest beer on Philippines.

Diving was alright, nothing really to write home about, but coral was nice and sardines were amazing. Millions of them! We did diving and snorkelling. It is an amazing feeling to swim into the big blackness moving towards you and suddenly be surrounded by millions of small fish swimming around you as if directed by this exquisite choreography that can be done only by the nature itself. We kept going at it until our ears gave up on us. The experience was slightly spoiled by jellyfish (again!), but something we will definitely remember. This was a short stop, as we are now on the way to the jewel in the Philippine diving crown – the Apo reef.

As always, 4 more pictures click here.

Philippines, Malapascua island

We decided to start off the trip in Visayas (a group of islands in the central Philippines). Idea was to visit some old favourites. It took a bit of planning as we wanted to hook up with Slovenian friends Primoz and Natasa on their honeymoon (in our defence, they were not against it. Really!). So after many considerations it was agreed on Bohol and Dauin. But did not turn out that way…

Malapascua island is one of the few places on earth where Thresher sharks are seen regularly. We have been there. And have seen the sharks, but sightseeings were not the best as we were told it was not the good season (see a pattern here, Folks?). Didn’t really plan to come back, but some divers we met in Thailand told us that that locals have discovered a new spot with better sightseeing chances. And this is enough for Jugs to change the plan and Bohol was briskly replaced with the Malapascua. Pretty late in the day we sent off emails to various dive resorts and went for one of them. As luck is with the stupid simple folks we stroke lucky (well, kind of). Upon arrival we noticed that our resort is located on the whitest of white sandy beaches. Postcard material.

But honestly, it should stay there. In reality, you are talking hordes of flies (with tight connections to extremely annoying Australians variety) and sand-flies. The later, for the lucky ones who have not encountered them, are mozzies on steroids. You don’t feel the bites, but end up in agony for at least a week after. We ended up either feeding the local fauna (yes, Nives) or covering ourselves in deet to a point of internal organ failure (yes, Nives again).  But on a positive side, our resort had an Irish pub! With endless beer on tap (when not diving!) at extortionate price of 1 € we managed to put sand-flies aside. To our defence, all that beer drinking was for medicinal purposes – you have to help the kidneys get rid of all that deet from the system! (At least Nives has an excuse)!

As for the diving, we have also been lucky. Very lucky, actually. This time we saw the sharks really, really well. Up close and personal would be the best way to describe it. And it was so worth it! Even the wake-up at 4:30 am as you have to be in the water just as the sun is on the horizon. Few days turned into a week and then it was time to leave. For Dauin. And meeting the friends.

More white sand and thresher sharks here.