Ever wondered what Bali Looked like before Bali was a thing?
Well now you don't have to because there is an island in the Philippines called Malapascua and it hasn't really changed since the time of Siddhartha Guatama!
Yes believe it or not the inhabitants of Kuta,Bali haven't always made a living off overpriced Ojek and taxi services, tattoos, and Bintang singlets. Malapascua is basically what Bali would have been like if white people had never found out about this thing called surfing.
Unfortunately for me, Malapascua is commonly known as a a destination for divers (People who like to breathe oxygen under the water). The thing is that I still have a student loan to pay back and I don't actually have a job at the moment so doing the financially responsible thing, I opted to purchase a snorkel set.
After spending 2/3 of my available cash on the snorkel set, I decided to hit the water. For those who like to do their research, you will probably find that there not a lot to see off the immediate coast. Despite this I found my experience to be adequate as I had never seen fish in the ocean before. If you, like me have never seen fish in the ocean before then perhaps you might find it worthwhile.
If you like looking at what is the underwater equivalent of a poorly maintained front lawn then you're in luck, there is plenty of seaweed located within 30-40m off the coast which is more than enough to satisfy the desires of any underwater plant life enthusiast.
The island does not have an ATM or a bank to withdraw cash although judging by the amount of plastic waste on the ground, I believe it might be possible to actually sow and harvest Philippine Pesos provided you deposit the correct amount of plastic packing into the soil and wait patiently. Plastic straws however cannot be used to grow Pesos, as depositing them into the soil makes them magically appear in the stomachs of sea animals - which explains why they have been banned on the island.
I would estimate that after tourism and fishing, the next largest economic activity is rooster farming. Here in Malapascua, the rules are a little different as it seems the mandatory number of roosters for each household is 5. If you haven't got at least 5 roosters bolted down to the ground outside your house, are you really going to succeed in life?
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Children are probably the 4th largest economic activity on the island. ROI expected after 5+ years. Zero capital required. |
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