Knut

Never forget the ‘security blanket’. If you do, then buy one. This is exactly what Knut did. He bought one for 20 Pesos ($0.35) and was able to endure a sickening bus trip from Manila to Donsol (Philippines’ whale shark capital, southern Luzon). Such a trip usually takes 12 hours. That particular trip took 24 hours because the bus had an engine problem; a new one needed to be hired and then suffered a similar crisis…

We flew from Manila to Legaspi (40 min), took a minibus to Donsol (1.5 hour) and had a first look at the whale sharks. Then we waited for the bus from Manila, since the group of fellow scuba divers we were supposed to join to explore Ticao Island (famous for Manta rays) was on it. As the bus arrived, only one person (to be fair, the wisest and oldest) got out of it cheerful and happy – Knut.

Photo from Donsol, Sorsogon, April 2004.