Independence Day Escapade: Cebu - Bohol Adventure

The trip was planned randomly when Philippine Airlines had a seat sale last February, so fast forward to June, I was flying to the queen city of the south with my mom and sister. 

En route to where we are staying, we passed this beautiful, enormous bridge.

Upon our arrival to Gran Tierra Suites, we rendezvous with my college best friend to start our sweet escapade. The place we stayed was a family room where we just paid around 1,299 php per night. It's complete with the usual room amenities like free wifi, television, comfortable bedding and the most important of all - clean bathroom.

It was almost 5 in the afternoon, and our first stop was the Santo Nino Basilica. It's the oldest Roman Catholic church in the country and was founded in the 16th century. 

Cebu and Bohol was hit by a 7.2 magnitude quake back in October 2013, so most structures were damaged. The effect could be clearly seen in the Basilica where part of of the church cannot be accessed. 

During our visit, we are fortunate to attend mass with locals at this open space.

We were also able to see the Santo Nino and to explore the other part of the church. It's so liberating to be able to visit something that had been part of history. 

Up Close with the Santo Nino...

 We also witness the restoration being done to the bell tower...

The Magellan's Cross is just meters away from the Basilica. The cross was planted when Magellan arrived in Cebu in 1521. The damaged from the quake could also be observed. Trusses were installed for support.

At the front where Magellan's Cross is housed...

We headed to Crown Plaza to experience some extreme adventures. We tried the 6D but there's nothing much special in that ride, but our next ride - the edge coaster would definitely be one for the books! 

We had our sumptuous dinner buffet before trying the sky walk adventure. 

The following day, we visited the Cebu Provincial Capitol before we head to the port for our Bohol day trip. The building was designed by Juan M. Arellano and it is located in Osmena Blvd. I just find the building very attractive.

The travel to Bohol is a 2 hour fast ferry ride. We decided to avail a package tour to have a hassle free Bohol exploration. My mom and sister did not joined us as they have other plans.

We met up with the tour guide in Tagbiliran Port, and they gave us some important information about the famous chocolate hills, tarsier, Panglao island and the most important of all -  how they are coping after the the quake that hit them.

Our first stop was the Tarsier Sanctuary where we were able to chanced upon some sightings of the smallest primate in the world.

Next in our itinerary was the Loboc River cruise where we had our lunch. Food was superb with the soothing music in our background and fantastic view. Definitely something I'll cherish forever.

After the river cruise, we witnessed the damage caused by the quake to Loboc church. It's sad to see that such old church had been crushed down to pieces. 

We passed by the man-made forest on our way to Carmen, Bohol to visit one of the hundreds of chocolate hills.

To reach the decking view, we have to climb 214 steps but it's all worth it! Amazing formations of hills...

Next on our stop was the butterfly sanctuary. I was personally kinda tired already but nevertheless I was so excited to learn more about them.

Since we are running out of time, and we have to catch up the return ferry to Cebu, we just passed by the blood compact monument and the Baclayon Church. The latter was also damaged by the quake and we could see that they are on the process of trying to restore the establishment.

Upon arriving back to Cebu, we tried the  famous Zubuchon for dinner. I now understand why Anthony Bourdain loved it so much!

For our third day, we have to leave the city very early to catch a bus to Oslob for a whale watching adventure. It's a 3 hour bus ride from the south terminal to Oslob. The conductor will drop you off at one of the resort. The whale shark experience cost us around 500 per head for swimming with the gentle giants. 

Unlike in Donsol, the whale shark sighting here in Oslob is much higher because they are already domesticated. Meaning, fishermen were feeding them so tourists and locals could swim closely with the butanding. Also, it shocked me that they are not that strict with the number of people that could approach the whale shark.

Nonetheless, this is off my bucket list. I was so happy to be inches away from this plankton eating creatures. 

We head off to Tumalog Falls to witness another nature's beauty. To get there, we have to ride a habal-habal that I am always frightened of. The risk was worth it because I had never seen such wonderful view until then.

The water's clear and cold, it made me want to have a picnic there and spend more time. Since we have a tight schedule, we have to head back again to the Cebu and endure the almost 4 hours ride back. We ate at the famous Sunburst restaurant for a late lunch and head back to the inn for a quick shower.

Upon refreshing ourselves, we visited the Fort San Pedro. It is a military defense structure to repel Muslim raiders.

We walked towards the Cathedral to check the structure.

We decided to check the Ayala Mall after the walking tour and met up with our friend from College. After having dinner, our friend brought us to Mr. A Restaurant, where we had a great view of the city for our last night.

The following day, I felt so tired already and decided to just rest until it was time to check-out and head to the airport. My short vacation was truly something I will remember forever. 4 days wasn't enough to explore Cebu. In my next visit, I will spend more time to explore Mactan and other parts of Cebu.

It's truly more fun in the Philippines! :)

Beach Bumming Batangas - Calatagan & Laiya

One thing I am sure that I could do all day is to beach bum! Give me a good book, music, shades, and seat by the beach and I am all good.

I was invited last May 2-3 at Burot Beach in Calatagan, Batangas by an officemate as part of their team's outing. It was thrilled to learn that there were no electricity in the area so we have to pack like we're going for a camping trip.

We arrived at the site at almost sunset and we were able to witness the beauty of the sun setting down over the beach.

It was also my first time to set-up a tent! When the night unfolded, we started to find it difficult because the entire place was only lit up by bonfires or torches. The next morning, we took the opportunity to explore the beach.

The view's breath taking. If you plan to escape the hustle and bustle of the Metro, you could try this place for complete detachment of the stressful life.

Another beach beauty is in Laiya, Batangas. My BFFs from college planned our summer getaway last May 11 at La Luz Beach Resort. We enjoyed the wonderful beach views while talking over our lives.

I was told that our resort used to be the place where a tv series (Dyesebel) shot its scenes. The natural rock formation was truly spectacular.

This beach bumming experience of course couldn't get any more better with spending quality time with the best girl friends in the world.

I could totally say that Life's a beach! :)

Surf's Up at Baler, Aurora

Baler is the provincial capital of Aurora. It is identified as one of the top surf spots in the country. Getting there will take around 6-8 hours depending on the route one will take. Our company's department outing commenced here last May 9-10 2014.

On our way, the GPS directed us to take the aurora memorial national park route wherein we experienced the roughest road ever. Our car's tires were just inches away from the mountain's ends.

On the lighter note, we were able to witness the mountain's natural beauty during this memorable route.

Arriving at Sabang Beach, we were all exhausted and hungry so we had our late lunch to fill our growling stomachs. We headed to Hungry Surfer Restaurant. (Perfect name!)

After the sumptuous meal, we finally regrouped with the rest of our department. We had the usual team building activities wherein our team lost! :( We need to drink alcohol as a consequence.

We attempted to play frisbee along the shore but ended up laughing out loud because most of the players don't know the rules. Then some of us chose to swim for about 30 minutes before having dinner.

We then had dinner and had another team building activity where we lost again! After that, we prepared for our performance (like an initiation) as newbies in the company. To cap off the night, we had our socials to keep up with each other's lives outside work.

We got up very early despite staying up late because we are excited to finally surf! :) We put our rash guard and headed to the beach!

It was my first time to surf and I must say these muscular legs had been but into good use! Waves aren't that high so it's perfect for a beginner like me. Balance and timing is the key if you really wanna ride with the waves!

After the surfing session, we prepared to check-out and had our lunch by the beach.

Since we still have time, we decided to pass by the largest Balete tree in Asia. It was indeed humongous!

We took the Pantabangan Route heading home and it was relatively smoother and safer. :)

Baler did not fail to give me a YOLO moment. I am truly blessed to have experienced the waves of Sabang Beach!

Wonders of Nature: Albay - Sorsogon 2014

Discover. Explore. Learn.

When I was a kid, my grade school teacher would always instill to us how beautiful Mt. Mayon is. Teachers would repeatedly describe it having a perfect cone and showed us pictures of the almost symmetric conical shaped volcano. 

It is not until this year that I decided to travel to Bicolandia  and see it with my own eyes. I am currently at the point where I want to appreciate the beauty life has to offer. Taking this trip to Albay and Sorsogon is the first of the many exploration I plan to achieve. 

I joined the tour for this trip via www.travelfactor.com since I don't have enough courage yet to explore the region on my own. We traveled by bus for almost 13 hours to Legazpi City. Bus ride was bumpy, long and tiring, should had opted to take the plane instead. Upon arriving to the terminal we transferred to a van to start our Bicol side trip tour.

We first stopped for breakfast to refuel ourselves. We had tapsilog (Tapa-Sinigang-Itlog) at Cres.

After refilling our empty stomachs, we headed to this great spot where we could do photoshoot. Too bad Mayon was too shy to reveal herself.

We then headed to another place where we could do zip line ride but no one from our group tried. I saw 2 guys fishing from the side for Danggit. Truly it's fun to live this simple life.

Next to our list was to visit Lignon Hill. We thought that taking the habal-habal is not necessary anymore since we are "fit" to take the hike up the hill. The heat was draining our energy so eventually mid-way we have to ride the habal;-habal. Nothing much could be seen on top of the hill except for a great view of the Mayon but again she is too shy to be looked into. After some exploration, we decided again to ride the habal-habal downhill. Boy I must say, it's a trip to hell! I was so afraid I could barely keep my eyes open. 

At that point we were already tired and hungry so our tour facilitator took us to lunch at Kim's bowl. I never thought I would taste such delicious crispy pata in my lifetime. That restaurant totally raised the bar! Aside from the super tasty crispy pata, I had my first ever bicol express and pinangat. We also had sinigag na seafood to complete our meal.

After this sumptuous meal, we headed to Daraga Church (Our Lady of Gate Parish Church). The church was made mostly by volcanic stones. A great view of Mayon can be also seen here.

  

Last to our list was the Cagsawa Ruins. These are the remnants of a Franciscan Church in the 18th Century. The church was destroyed by the most destructive eruption of Mayon Volcano in February 1 1814. I never imagined that around the ruins will be full of pasalubong shops. That somewhat decreased the historical value of the place in my opinion. I imagined it to be very sacred and well preserved with lots of lahar around. Still, being able to see the ruins with my own eyes is one for the books.

It was the time to head to Donsol, Sorsogon to check-in our resort and have a rest. Sunset always fascinates me, but sunset by the beach is love for me. Having the chance to witness this wonder after N years is totally a stress-buster. It would always bring infinite joy to me to walk in a beach, listen to the calm waves and witness the sun sets.  

After having our dinner, it was time for our Firefly River Tour. Unfortunately I was too scared to bring my camera in the River so I wasn't able to take shots. I also doubted my camera can capture the beauty of those light emitting creatures. After that we had some socials then headed to bed to cap off the long day.

The next day was supposedly the most exciting part since we were scheduled for a whale-watching activity. Sadly and disappointingly, we weren't able to interact with the butanding even if we tried to search for one for 3 hours! On the brighter side, we were able to see some dolphins playing for less than a minute. 

We headed back to Manila after some pasalubong shopping. Again we have to endure a long 13-14 hours bus ride.

This trip is the start of the many more things that I had to ticked off my bucket list. My dream is to be able to capture these majestic places and wonderful moments while I could still can. Even if a big chunk of my salary will have to be allotted for this, regret will never be in the equation. 

This is the start of something new. To many more awesome places! Cheers. :)