Lanzones Fruit Festival, Camiguin

During our wonderful stay at Action Geckos on the island of Camiguin in Mindanao in October 2012, Jacky and I were lucky enough to experience the Lanzones Fruit Festival. 

It was quite simply a breathtaking combination of vibrant colours, stunning costumes and creative dancing. 

Filipino festivals are renowned for their vitality and the Lanzones Festival certainly didn't disappoint.

Camiguin island, Southern Philippines

In order to rest for a few days after undergoing my second bout of heart surgery, Jacky and I flew south to Mindanao, which has itself been in the world news during the past week due to the terrible devastation caused by Typhoon Bopha.

Approximately 2 and a half hours to the north by ferry lies the unspoilt and beautiful island of Camiguin. After making the crossing on a boat which proved eventful due to the black smoke belching from the engine that filled the cabin for about 15 minutes, we were lucky enough to rent a beachfront cottage at the awesome resort of Action Geckos. For the next 5 days it proved to be a fantastic place to relax and explore Camiguin from. The dining area, where they served delicious homemade food, even looked out directly onto the glistening sands of White Island, which was itself only a 15-minute ride away by pump boat. 

As elsewhere throughout the whole of the Philippines, the locals on Camiguin always love to sing.

Coming of Age

Five days ago was my 47th birthday. For all kinds of reasons, it was a massive personal milestone for me to have reached. On 2 occasions during the past 2 years I had serious doubts as to whether or not I would actually make it this far. Looking at a photo of myself taken just 4 months ago, it's little wonder that my body almost shut down completely 6 weeks after it was taken.

102 kilos (16 stone) in August 2012

Avoiding a second potentially fatal heart attack by a matter of just a few hours has turned out to be the biggest blessing in disguise that I could ever have hoped for. The second dose of angioplasty that again saved my life wasn't much fun, yet once again I was lucky enough to benefit from the services of an excellent cardiologist and surgeon. Since then, the health care I have received here has been pretty much second to none. In addition, the whole experience definitely woke me up from my carefree attitude of complacency and made me realise that there are certain long-term sacrifices that I will need to make with regard to diet, health, fitness and lifestyle during the years ahead. 

They are changes to my life that I've embraced with a feeling of gratitude that I've been granted a third chance to get my health back on track. It's not always easy to be consequential and there are definitely aspects of my old lifestyle that I still miss - the breakneck speed travelling around the world was very rewarding on a personal level, whilst indulging in chocolate, ice cream, biscuits, crisps, milkshakes and the odd burger also had its moments too. But having succeeded in getting fit again and slimming down quite considerably in the process, it's not a lifestyle that I ever want to go back to.

When people say they feel born again, it's invariably because they claim they have found God. I've had no such revelation. Instead, I simply feel that I'm getting closer to finding me and right now that feels pretty good and makes me optimistic for the future. 

     84 kilos (13 stone 2 pounds) in December 2012