#33 1st. November 2003

Moalboal November 2003

Hi, Friends of Moalboal!!

In the last letter I wrote that Chicago and I would be working on a
yacht over the winter. Well, they would not give me a pay rise, so
now I'm back in good ole' Moalboal again. It's nice to be back, meet
friends and start to live life the way it should be: Sleep late,
have time to talk to friends, able to go to the beach on a Wednesday
without feeling guilty, people know who you are and say hello, warm
and no stress.

Everything here in paradise is not always nice, I'm sad to inform
you that Jerry (owner of Chief Mau) died last month. He actually
died in the bar while laughing and joking like he always used to. He
was a great character, always friendly with a big smile. JERRY, we
will miss you.

WEATHER:
When I arrived it was raining a lot but now it is about 29 degrees,
sunshine and blue skies every day. You should come and visit.

ACTIVITIES:

The white beach, beach parties did officially start last Sunday.
Bring some food and join us for volleyball and beer.

Jochen (Owner of planet action) and Mario (Action Mario Guapo) are
building another two kayaks. Later he will offer Kayak trips.

BIRTHS, SOCIAL AND GOSSIP:

5 good friends have rented old Bulldog. The new beer bar will open
in December after repairs, upgrades and installation of two world
class pool tables. CHILI will be the name of the bar.

Coma's (Japanese dive instructor) wife is pregnant again. Delivery
in 6 month.
Lisa (Daughter of Concordia) is pregnant.

Jesper (Owner Neptune dive shop) is in Sweden learning how to weld.
Maybe that will be his next side kick. Welding shop nalang.

Steve (Australian) has a new project with his bar. He has torn down
pretty much everything, concrete walls and guest rooms. It's amazing
what you can do with a sledge hammer. Well, the bar was a year old
so ???.
Anyhow, the new plan is two cottages with attached garage. The
mailing list just wants to say: Good luck.

ARRIVING / ARRIVED:

Soon will be the time with a lot of hellos. There is so many
arriving that I can not be bothered to mention them all.

PRACTICAL:

Abyss dive shop has made a video of Panagsama (That is the name of
the beach here in Moalboal) diving and things this is what they
write:

Hello Lars,
good to hear that you both find a job and are sorted.
I and Lorenzo managed to put a Video CD together from diving 6 years
in Moalboal. The material is from friends from Luxembourg which are
diving with us since 6 years.
On the Video is everything you ever saw in Moalboal: Hammerheads,
Whale shark, Manta, whitetips, different frogfish, ribbon eel,
Pescador
Cathedral, blue ringed octopus, snake eels, eagle ray... Name it
it's there.
It also includes a few still pictures from land (Orchids, kawasan...)
And still photographs from Simon Oliver.
We sell it here in Blue Abyss Dive shop for 650 Peso its 30 minutes,
and is best viewed on a TV screen with a Video CD player or DVD
player, also possible on the computer with Windows media player.
So please publish this when you write a new Moalboal news letter so
People know that there is a Video CD for sale in Blue Abyss Dive
Shop with MOALBOALS BEST UNDERWATER SIGHTINGS!!!
Cheers,Klemens
P.S: Just had the whale shark 3 days ago and Lorenzo a week ago.

The Blue Abyss Dive Shop
6032 Moalboal, Cebu, Philippines
Tel./Fax:+63 (0)32 474 0031
http://www.blueabyssdiving.com
PLEASE DON'T SEND ANY LARGE ATTACHMENT LIKE PICTURES!

I have not yet seen the video, but I will check it out and tell you
more about it in the next letter, Lars

WHALE SHARK SIGHTINGS:

I've heard about people seeing whale shark almost every week since
August. One whale shark actually tried to play with Ellen's (German
lady with nice dog) son's wife. She got bumped from underneath in a
friendly way. That was from one of the two 8 meter whale sharks that
swim in a pair.

PICTURES:
http://www.action-philippines.com/picture/moalboal.htm
Well, those pictures are old. I will get new ones for the next
letter.

LARS TROPICAL TIP:

This tip comes from Andy Grey (English school owner in Taiwan)

Hey Lars,

How are you? Not had a news letter from you for ages.
Are you still doing it? If so here is an article you
Might like to include about mosquito coils, those
things every bungalow burns at night! See below. It
is scary to think how many I have burned while living
in Moalboal.

all the best, Andy Gray.

Antimosquito coils release toxic fumes
======================
In your room in the tropics you have no doubt burned
those green, insecticide-treated spiral strips, letting them
Smolder through the night to keep mosquitoes at bay. Scientists have
found, however, that they can cause asthma and wheezing in
children. Furthermore, the smoke carries pollutants such as
Formaldehyde. A single burning coil can release as much of the
Carcinogen as 51 cigarettes. The airborne particulates in the smoke
are
equivalent to those released by 137 cigarettes. Particles that
small can carry toxic compounds deep into the lungs. (Science
News July 12,2003).

ACCORDING TO NELSON (our diving politician)

They now have enough money to finish the road from Moalboal to the
beach. I have seen them work so hopefully the road will be finished
in a few weeks. They have also put asphalt on the road from Moalboal
to White Beach. They want to attract foreigners to the area so they
think that the road will do the trick. White beach is Great, or at
least it could be. They are now talking (unfortunately, that is
probably the only thing that will happen) about tearing down
everything from the highest high-water mark and 20 meters inland. I
think that would be great. If they could also limit the Karaoke to
maximum 80 Decibel, Moalboal would be more than Diving and action
adventure.

GENERAL:

If anyone has any information that they think would be interesting
for people on this list, please do let me know and I will add it in.
If you know anyone that would like to receive this letter, please
tell him or her to send me an E-mail at the address below and I will
add him or her. I've found it to hard to do it through
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/moalboalmail

Best regards,

Lars Starner,
starner@...
Please use this address when replying; I do not often check the
mailing list Address

If you would like to know who I am (I don't know why) check out:
http://medlem.spray.se/starnerhome