Journal — 2026-04-23

Arrived in Manila yesterday after a long haul on UA189, then made the drive down to Mabini in the afternoon to check into La Chevrerie. By the time we got settled and had dinner, I was pretty much done for the day.

Today was a full rest day — no dives, no agenda, just getting my bearings and shaking off the travel. I spent a good chunk of the morning doing nothing in particular, which honestly felt great after the journey. The resort is a nice spot to decompress. Got my gear sorted out and made sure everything was ready to go, because the first dive of the trip is tomorrow morning — meeting at the dive center at 8:40, and I don’t want to be fumbling around looking for an O-ring at the last minute.

The anticipation is real though. Anilao has been on my list for a while and I’m already itching to get in the water. From everything I’ve heard, the critter diving here is next level, and I’m hoping to put that to the test over the next couple of weeks. For now though, an early night makes a lot more sense than staying up. Tomorrow it finally starts.