The current destination is rich in landscape and spectacular views. Ticao Island is providing us with great insight into local life and treating us with great customer experience within the resort.
The first few nights were spent in homestays with local families where we were immersed in the community by partaking in cooking meals, mending fishing nets with the fisherman and a celebratory dinner party for one of the hosts birthday. We certainly got a feel for island life throughout our stay in the village!
During our stay on Ticao, in addition to the excursions and relaxation time, we also took part in two projects. They consisted of a clean-up of the school before the commencement of term, followed by the making of a connection path that was safe for motorcyclists to use to cross the island. Luckily we had done similar projects in Borneo prior to this island visit, so we were ready to get stuck in!
Day to day structures would vary from working in the morning to taking a dip in the afternoon. Three members of our group were keen to take advantage of the surroundings and facilities at Ticao, as they dived on every opportunity that arose! The rest of us were able to snorkel around a few islands when we went island hopping, as this was Hannah's and Sacha's last day, we wanted to make the most of their remaining time in the Philippines. The water was so clear, we were lucky enough to see some black tip sharks roam around the coral. After one of my favourite days of the trip, the day arrived where we had to bid farewell to another two members of our Leap family, they'll both be missed greatly by the rest of the group!
Days had passed and the projects were soon completed with the fast paced work from the locals to help us on our way, which meant that we were in control of how our days were spent from then on. As Katie, Felix and Hal were enthusiastic to dive at every opportunity, it meant that the rest of us were able to go for the boat ride where were able to swim and potentially snorkel in the open water.
Every day started to merge into one big blur, we've really taken to Filipino culture which means that leaving island life will definitely prove difficult! However, a change in scenery is never necessarily negative! We look forward to seeing how "city" life differs in Sorcegon centre!