Last night, I received a message from Ate Jojie Alcantara inviting us bloggers to the press conference for Friendship Kayak. Kuya Andrew, Chattee, and I were a bit late when we arrived at the event shortly after 11 this morning. But we didn’t miss a lot.

The three paddlers, Singaporean motivational speaker and accomplished adventurer Khoo Swee Chiow, Visayan Buzzy Budlong, Dabawenyo Arnel Gabutero and their support boat staff have just arrived at the shore of the Pearl Farm Marina. After a brief lunch, we gathered for the press con. Expedition Manager Toby Martin kicked things off by explaining what the Friendship Kayak is.

Last year, while visiting the Philippines for a talk, Swee Chiow, having climbed the seven summits in one year and holding two Guiness Book of World Records titles, was inspired to have another great adventure. Fascinated by the Philippines’ 7,107 islands, Swee Chiow proposed the idea of kayaking through the archipelago.

Through various circumstances, Swee Chiow teamed with Toby, and fellow paddlers Buzzy and Arnel and planned to kayak through the archipelago from August to November 2009, coinciding with the 40 years of friendship between the Philippines and Singapore. Also going on board for the adventure was a team of mountaineers and adventurers of Habagat Carrera to be support crew.

On August 31, 2009 the team set out to sea from Gumasa Beach in Saranggani Province. Their journey will span around 3,300 kilometers from Saranggani to Pagudpud in Ilocos Norte. Their first rest stop was Davao City, where they landed at the Pearl Farm Marina this morning.

Already, the team has kayaked for 8 days, covering 266.8 kilometers. And within those 8 days, their adventure has been quite a colorful one. Arnel, using a race kayak, has already been rescued by the two others at least three times. Their support boat, has already been damaged, and the paddlers separated from the support boat without any dry clothes, money, or food at hand.

But it has been a wild adventure that they have all enjoyed. They have witnessed the beauty of the rugged shorelines and remote areas of Southern Mindanao. But what really amazed Swee Chiow is the hospitality of the Filipinos. While separated from their support boat, the paddlers were able to find shelter and were offered free food and clothes by locals.

You may follow their journey via their very high tech real time tracker at their website which also has a blog, updated by Swee Chiow. So you can enjoy the beauty of the Philippines and read more interesting stories about their journey.

The team will be having rest stops at Cebu, Siargao, Cebu, Boracay (their halfway point), Puerto Galera, Batangas, Manila, the Hundred Islands, and Pagudpud. Their adventure will end with a leisure kayak through Coron, Palawan. Interested paddlers or kayakers are encouraged to join them as they kayak through your area.

Having embarked on the journey, even with some P700,000 still needed to finance the entire journey, the team has paddled through in the hopes that more good Samaritans will help along the way. The team welcomes donations via Habagat Outlets around the country or by contacting Toby through their website or Facebook group.