On our final Sunday in Moalboal we attend a local cockfighting match. The grounds look much like a small town fair....beer, food is sold, games of chance are played, cocks are displayed or in their cages.
Center to it all.....the cockfighting ring...here all the action, betting, spectators gather to view over 4 hrs of continual action. The octagon ring is identical to human sized version..spectators sit around, high above or at eye level to the action..
An initial peck, multiple 'kisses' on the neck or head gets the blood boiling...similar to those fight weigh-ins where everyone is a bit testy.
....the cutting blade is attached...about a middle finger long...
Action is intense...some matches end within seconds...while others continue for minutes with both cocks slashing and pecking, much like two boxers slugging it out...
One is always victorious, while the other is done!
Notice the scythe-like blade...
Cock fights take place all over the Philippines.... betting is legal, with lots of $$ changing hands prior to a match, with hand signals and yelling, somehow $$ and bets are made or paid off. Locals have told us if they ever banned cockfighting here, there would be riots in the streets!
Ref picks them up, shakes them and away they go again for round 2 or 3 or until one cock cannot stand up! Dead!
...one can debate the cruelty of it all, but it is part of the fabric of life here in the Philippines for many....while cocks are injured, die etc, they are well taken care of and bred for this role.....
We move from tiny, vicious cock fighters to the gentle giants of the deep - whale sharks...
We bus down the coast of Cebu and find a beach room near the whale shark center of Oslob...
...discover we can dive with these 10 metre "beasts' ( the largest fish in the sea) and sign up for a 6 am plunge...
early morning arrives, grey and drizzly... ( unfortunately a little murky for a clear dive), meet our guide, get to the beach, suit up and walk in... We are the only early morning divers today...
The small boats off shore is where the whales are...so close...
...no need to show any PADI/NAUI certification...just pay up front .....love the Philippines....
We spend an hour underwater, below the chaos of the boats, snorkelers above us.... Their size - intimidating!!
Suddenly, out of the gloomy depths swims a whale shark, then another.... we watch amazed !
The gills are amazing to watch as they throb open and close to the audible rhythm of their breathing. Their mouths, over a metre wide, sucking in their food like underwater vacuum cleaners.
Yvonne is excited beyond words as this has been her #1 retirement bucket list item for at least 5 years!!!. Done!
We cruise through the quiet waters...our guide has us in approx 10m of water....the whales are very close to shore... sometimes even feeding vertically!
WOW!!! Such an utterly amazing experience!!!
The whale sharks of Oslob are a fairly permanent fixture here... they are fed by locals daily, are habituated to the free food handouts and have ceased normal migration patterns...
... Again, much has been said/written/debated about the 'rightness' of this whale shark swim... Like elsewhere, people are looking to make a living, work, provide a life for families etc....
However, it is time to dry off, grab a quick breakfast and head for the 10am ferry off Cebu....see you on the other side, somewhere...
Adios for now!
Shayne y Yvonne
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