so i immediately booked the flights and the resort. it wasn’t that easy looking for an available resort during the holy week, that’s why we’re so lucky to have found beachcomber. liam and i had several candidates, but the pictures on the beachcomber website were so nice we took the bait hehe. aside from the very affordable rate, it’s just a few steps from the beach and the ever-popular jonah’s shake.

the family room we got was good for 6 people, and it’s HUGE. it’s got a small kitchen counter, a posh bathroom, soft beds with comfy fluffy pillows, a spacious veranda, cable and an ipod dock. our package comes with complimentary breakfast for four and land/boat transfer to and from caticlan. for a total of 15,000 pesos ($375), it’s not bad for a 3day-2nights for four in a station 1 resort, eh? and that’s during super peak season!

you have to book early if you want to try this resort, tho. it’s got 11 rooms only and i bet they fill up fast.

DETAILS

Beachcomber Resort http://www.beachcomberboracay.com/

anyway, i’m glad a friend of ours came up with the out-of-town idea. at first, batangas is not my idea of a perfect getaway, really. all i can think of at that time were the overcrowded resorts of matabungkay infested with subic beach jologs who bring their own karaoke machine.

la luz, on the other hand, is a complete opposite. even though we had a slightly bumpy ride going there, it was worth the minor hassle. the resort is located in laiya; clean, peaceful and far from the hustle and bustle. i suggest you bring along an extra sarong or shawl so you can enjoy the very cool breeze, and chismis under the stars hehe :)

the buffet food was not even 3star-spectacular, but it was home-style tasty (and sinfully oily) we were full to brim most of the time lol. the resort is also a nice place to wear your cute bikinis, so far there weren’t any rude oglers. (in my case, since my companions are slim, i don’t have the balls to flaunt my flabs. i still got sunburned, tho.)

i think this will be my most memorable year-ender yet. nothing beats a quiet resort, a good bottle of wine and great company :)

Other Details:
La Luz Resort
http://www.laluzresort.com/
More photos of my travels here!

we arrived in tagbilaran late in the afternoon and there was an ongoing event outside the port to celebrate the sandugo festival. we decided not to stay in alona since our budget went low after siquijor, so we took a tricycle and stayed at la roca hotel. get a free city map from the port’s tourist center. this is a very informative map because it’ll show you almost all of the hotels, restaurants and tourist spots around bohol. with the map, you can easily go around tagbilaran via tricycle. fare was P6 per person.

when we arrived at la roca, the reception area was almost deserted except for the receptionist (well, duh). it seemed we were the only customers at that time, the dining area looked like it needed housekeeping, the pool looked murky even though it looked clean from afar, and the whole place was eerie and quiet you could hear a pin drop.

our rooms were so-so, the furnitures were old but at least the air conditioning was good, cable tv works, the beds were really soft and they have heated water. this room was P800 a night, good for 2 persons excluding meals.

later that night, we decided to have dinner at the sandugo flea market just outside the sea port. we had puso, their version of rice wrapped in leaves, and grilled chicken. there’s no spoon and fork available, so you’d have to eat with your hands. don’t worry, eating there is best enjoyed using your hands lol(and i noticed that wherever you go in the visayas, you will always encounter grilled food far better than the ones you had in manila. honestly!)

second day, SNORKELING

our boatman at that time is originally from bais, a city minutes away from dumaguete that also have its own dolphin watching activity. based from his experience, he says there are more dolphin and whale sightings in bohol than in bais, which probably explained why pamilacan island (part of bohol) used to be home of the dolphin/whale hunters. watching them in the wild is very different from watching them in an oceanpark; it’s kinda exciting to have them swim alongside your boat early in the morning.

i went dolphin watching years ago around october, but we didn’t go for it this time around because the dolphins are probably migrating somewhere else. keep that in mind, because you still have to pay full price even if you haven’t seen any dolphins/whales.

when you’re in bohol, what you must NOT miss is snorkeling/diving. for those who just want to snorkel but still close be to bohol’s rich marine ecosystem, go for balicasag. motorboats aren’t allowed to anchor in the richest part of the marine sanctuary anymore, so if you’re scared to snorkel on your own to explore the fantastic areas, there are “sanctuary guides” on really small boats offering “guide services”. if you have an underwater camera, you can ask them to take a photo of you while you’re down there. be careful tho. the underwater current was very strong that time. fee for the sanctuary guide is P100 per person. our boatman charged us P1500 for the boat, and the motorcycle pickup from our hotel and back. (yes there were 3 of us on a motorbike going to doljo beach lol sakit sa singit)

bring crackers if you like, fishes there love it and would beg for more lol :)

next day, LAND TOUR

the usual. chocolate hills, tarsiers, flying lemurs, loboc river buffet lunch (P300-500 per head, depending on which float restaurant you choose), blood compact site, zoo with python, hanging bridge, man-made forest, hinagdanan cave (with underground pond and full of bats), and baclayon church.

since our plane leaves at 5 in the afternoon, we decided to start the land tour at 8. we’ve already checked out when our guide picked us up for the tour. car service from your hotel to the airport costs P450, so we asked our guide to drop us as the airport after the tour to save us money hehe :)

OTHER DETAILS

HOTEL LA ROCA
Tel (+6338) 4113179 / 4113796
Graham Avenue, Tagbilaran City, Bohol, Philippines
http://www.toursbohol.com/laroca.html

Mancio Arbuyes (landtour guide and driver)
0920-5214510

Mang Emil (boatman, mancio’s uncle)
0920-2278141
note: mang emil is nice and interesting to talk to :)

SIQUIJOR, SIQUIJOR ISLAND

as soon as we got our tickets in dumaguete, we immediately called emily of casa de la playa to pick us up at the siquijor port in an hour. there are three ports in siquijor: larena, siquijor and lazi. i think montenegro docks at larena. the port in lazi receives boats from mindanao.you’d probably be mesmerized by siquijor’s rustic beauty from the moment you step out of the boat. the sand there is as powdery and toasty-gold like bohol’s alona beach, it looked pretty much the same the last time i was there. there weren’t a lot of resorts (or even a hotel) in siquijor since it’s just a small island, but most of them are nice and secluded, perfect for those who want to get away from the hustle and bustle.

a couple of public and resort vans are waiting at the port, you won’t get lost around siquijor since most of these go around the island and its major port cities. you can rent a motorbike for as low as P25 an hour and it’s possible to circle the island in less than a day. daily transportation is not that easy in siquijor especially if you’re not in a port city. it can take hours before you can see a van or tricycle pass by.most resorts offer day tours for P1,500. the tour will take you around the island and see the cities around the island, the st. isidore labrador church and convent, salagdoong beach, to name a few. if you expect the beach to look prettier and not smell like uberscumville, come during the summer.

seaside rooms of casa de la playa. the sea is just 5 steps away from your door :)

we’ve originally booked for this room, but since it was hot that day, we didn’t want to risk sweating like a pig later on. this room is brighter compared to the airconditioned room. it has a kitchen, a refrigerator, a wider closet and a veranda overlooking the sea (and have breakfast there).

view outside the room. almost high-tide shore on the left; low-tide shore at dawn, right.

ST. ISIDORE LABRADORE CHURCH

wooden interior is rotting away, the ceiling has a lot of holes and the paint is chipping.

KAMBUGAHAY FALLS & SALAGDOONG BEACH

it’s easy to go down the loooong flight of stairs to see kambugahay, but the way back up will make you want to devour a jar of lard.

ask your tourguide not only about the tour spots in siquijor, it’s fun and beneficial for both of you if you ask about local news hehe. those running for candicacy must be rich enough to buy the people’s votes, because siquijor is one of the many provinces whose votes can be bought at P1,000 – P1,500 each.

there is going to be a fiesta the following day, we SO wanted to join in the festivities because i haven’t been to one in the province. you see, in manila, people here don’t go around neighborhopping with a ready fork at hand– we don’t even know who our neighbors are. in the province, everyone’s free to dig in. unfortunately, we weren’t be able to join because we have to leave the next day.

we were also able to visit our relative in siquijor, glad that we stopped by to check if they’re there hehe :)

OTHER DETAILS

siquijor is a very small island, and as i’ve said, you can tour the island within a day. so if you’re the type who does not like the deafening silence there, i suggest you leave for siquijor early in the morning, tour the island and return to your room in dumaguete late in the afternoon. it will also save you on cash if you opt to return to dumaguete by nightfall because food in siquijor’s resorts are unjustifiably expensive.

if you’re into diving, look for resorts who offer such service. not all of the resorts there offer diving. i heard there are lots of nice spots out there, not advisable for snorkeling, tho.

most resorts offer complimentary pickups from the port, but will charge for the transfer back to the port. be sure to check with your resort so you won’t have any misunderstandings later on.

CASA DE LA PLAYA BEACH RESORT
Sandugan Beach, 6226 Larena, Siquijor, Philippines
http://www.siquijorcasa.com/beach_resort_siquijor.htm
Tel. (035) 484-1170 / 0928 3093737 / 0917 3140360

COCO GROVE BEACH RESORT
Tubod, San Juan, Siquijor, Philippines
http://www.cocogrovebeachresortsiquijor.com/
Tel. (035) 481-5008 / (035) 481-5006

MANGO TREE RESORT
Olang, Maria, Siquijor
http://www.geocities.com/siquijorisland/page30.html
Tel. (098) 5420803

ISLANDER’S PARADISE BEACH RESORT
http://www.islandersparadisebeach.com/

bethel hotel along rizal boulevard. this is also ceres bus liner’s route going to bacolod.

rizal boulevard, low tide. our grandparents used to have a house just a few minutes away from the shore. my mom used to take us swimming around 6 in the morning until 10.

if you’re going to travel around a lot, i suggest you pack light. backpacks or medium sized stroller-type luggages are best. if porters get a hold of your luggage and carried them for you, they’d expect you to pay them. refuse politely and tell them you’re fine carrying it yourself. avoid check-in baggages unless you have TONS of pasalubongs. waiting spoils the fun hehe.

the boulevard at night.

it wasn’t hard getting a room during the low season, so we had plenty of time and opportunity to check various accomodations before booking. a relative owns OK Pension, but even though we could’ve gotten it for free, we chose bethel because it was near the sea port and a couple of food establishments.

our bethel room

each floor has its own mini reception area, a water fountain and mini convenience store.

bethel lobby

bethel hotel looked and smelled like a hospital because it used to be one. the room was very cozy and clean, we didn’t have any complaints about this one. getting classy accomodation was not a priority during the trip since we wanted to spend money enjoying what’s out there, so having something affordable and cozy as bethel was one of the relaxing experience during the whole trip. i’d say it’s the perfect stopover (or jump-off).

breakfast view

genuine, thick tablia unlike the watery ones we find in manila groceries. tastes pretty much like my mom’s homemade cacao tablias :x

breakfast at bethel’s cafe filomena

we checked out of bethel after having our breakfast and left for the port to take the morning trip to siquijor island. weesam discontinued their dumaguete-siquijor route so the only fastferry available going to siquijor was delta. there were several motorboats and ships going to siquijor as well, but these usually take 4 hours.

floating delta ferry in dumaguete

delta fastcraft

inside delta

OTHER DETAILS

it helps to speak and understand the dialects so you won’t be overcharged with tricycle or motorbike fares. fare at that time was P6 each, doesn’t matter if the tricycle’s full or not.

BETHEL GUEST HOUSE
Rizal Boulevard, Dumaguete City
http://bethelguesthouse.com/
Tel. +63 (35) 225 2000 / +63 (35) 422 8000
bethel@mozcom.com

OK PENSION HOUSE
Gen. Percides cor. Sta. Rosa, Dumaguete City
Tel. +63 (35) 225-4636 / +63 (35) 225-5702

DELTA FAST FERRIES
Pier 3 Delta Ferries Passenger Terminal
Tel. (035) 420-1111
Fare: Siquijor – Dumaguete & vice versa : P160

Schedule as of July2007 (pls call for updates):
dumaguete to siquijor port, siquijor (daily) 6am, 9am, 1:30pm, 4:30pm
siquijor port, siquijor to dumaguete (daily) 7am, 10am, 3pm, 5:30pm

we weren’t able to look around iloilo since i wasn’t able to do any research about it, the trip here was nothing more than a jump off to bacolod city. we weren’t feeling adventurous at that time and it was running a little late, so instead of riding a few jeepneys to the sea port, we took a cab and headed straight to the port.

there are 2 fastcrafts going to bacolod almost every hour, you may check their schedules by visiting their websites or call them directly if you want to be sure.

oceanjet
weesam express

since we weren’t able to actually go to la paz, we ate batchoy at a turo-turo just outside the port. it tasted pretty much like the instant batchoy found in local stores. i think the mother of all batchoys is still out there lol.

the ride to bacolod wasn’t exactly pleasant, typhoon bebeng was bitchy that afternoon and the movie playing on board was something about shipwrecks and people being chomped off by sharks. we reached bacolod’s reclamation port in about an hour and it was already dark. we got ourselves a cab and went to tindalo pension.

tindalo pension wasn’t a classy (or even standard) type of lodging, but it was clean. i couldn’t say it’s comfortable because the mattress was hard, and the pillows were too low and unfluffy. but hey, what do you expect with P420 a night? lol aside from the air conditioner, their rooms are spartan.

i chose this pension house because it’s just a few steps away from kuppa.

BACOLOD

any aspiring cook/chef must be tested in bacolod. seriously. there is nothing much to see in bacolod, but you MUST stuff yourself like hell when you are there. my sister’s friend, patti, is from bacolod and she and hubby mark treated us to an inasal dinner that night. it was one of the best inasal i’ve ever tasted– moist, juicy and sinfully tasty. mark taught us how to enjoy it best: drizzle achuete oil all over your rice, and the best drink to match is mountain dew or lift. achuete oil is like an extra condiment common in inasal restaurants in bacolod.

gaddemmet i’m hungry. -_-

you should have at least two sticks of inasal to make your host proud and happy lol. our inasal dinner filled us to the brim, but patti and mark insisted that we go try cafe bob’s yummy pavlova desert. food in bacolod, in general, is extremely affordable and what you get will almost always surpass your expectation.

cafe bob’s

KUPPA COFFEE & TEA

the following day, we decided to have our breakfast at kuppa and order their breakfast sets. for somebody who’s used to manila’s coffee shop prices, you’d be amazed to learn that their yummy and filling set is only P95. that already comes with freshly brewed, houseblend coffee

salmon & eggs with cappuccino

omelette and brewed coffee

kuppa pastry prices ranging from P25 to P75

kuppa gelato

kuppa tea room

EVERYTHING ELSE

that same day, patti, my sister and i visited the local museum, then we had lunch at a korean restaurant, and had foot spa afterwards. the spa at l’fischer was DIVINE, i suggest you try their services and relax :)

later that day, mark and patti took us to see the balai negrense. we weren’t able to take good pictures because of the low lighting condition :(

we then headed to el ideal bakeshop where they sell the famous guapple pie. unfortunately, they ran out of stocks when we asked. :(

inside el ideal bakeshop

on the way back to the city, we passed by patti’s cozy pastry shop called puffs & tarts. it’s in lopue, behind chinky’s (also patti’s family business).

i know you can find roli’s napoleones in SM west’s the block, but there’s nothing compared to freshly made napoleones in roli’s bacolod. patti gave us enough napoleones and halfmoons to turn us diabetic overnight. it was already late and we still have more inasal dinner to catch with our cousin. so patti dropped us at kuppa and promised to bring us bailon’s special piyaya.

i personally don’t like piyaya, the one that’s like a pressed hopia. but this one’s exceptional. it’s not hopia-ish at all. it’s very crunchy, has got caramel and sesame seeds all over. gadammet, i won’t be able to stop describing the food there DIVINE.

puffs & tarts

inside puffs & tarts

we retired to our room feeling all swelled up and groggy from all food, and even vowed not to touch sweets or chicken for the rest of the journey lol. but of course, being the fatass lards that we are, i’m going to post more food pics later lol.

TO DUMAGUETE

we checked out early in the morning hoping to catch an early (and airconditioned) ceres bus trip to dumaguete, but when we got there, we were notified that the airconditioned bus leaves at 11:30am. i didn’t want to arrive late in dumaguete so we took the non-airconditioned bus and paid P211 per person. riding the non-airconditioned bus is not that bad since the air is cool, you won’t even smell smoked 5 hours later.

OTHER DETAILS

L’FISHER HOTEL
14th-15th Lacson St., Bacolod City
Tel. No.: (034) 433-3730-39
Fax: (034)-433-0951

TINDALO PENSION
Tindalo St., Bacolod City
Tel.#: (034) 7090006

KUPPA COFFEE AND TEA
Hilado & Tindalo Street corner

PUFFS & TARTS
Lopue’s Annex Bldg.
Mandalagan, Bacolod City 6100
Tel.#: (034) 708-8719, 4410027

EL IDEAL BAKESHOP
#118 Rizal Street, Silay City, Negros Occidental
(034) 495 4430, 495 4144

based on this experience, i’ll be posting some tips when traveling during off peak season (june – october). you’ll know why hehe!

GETTING THERE

there are many ways going to boracay, and since we have a lot of free miles, we used it to book PAL’s business class, devoured nice plane snacks and landed in kalibo. i personally prefer landing in caticlan because it’ll save you more time and money. there are lots of vans and buses going to caticlan at the kalibo airport, so it shouldn’t be a problem. vans travel faster than buses but it needs to be filled with passengers before it leaves. if you’re travelling during off peak season, expect to wait a little longer. vans going to caticlan charge P200 per person.

when we arrived at the caticlan jetty port, the wind was blowing hard and we could hear the waves splashing against the port. we were informed that we could not take the regular boat route to boracay because of the weather condition so they took us to an alternate port 5 minutes away. the shore was calm and the boat ride to boracay only took us around 5 minutes. instead of the usual station drops, we disembarked at boracay’s “backdoor”, road a tricycle to station 2 and walked all the way to our resort.

tourist vultures are extremely hungry during the off peak season, and they’d do anything to milk the money out of you. when in doubt, ask a staff from the department of tourism, they are present in most air and sea ports. tricycle fare costs P20 per person if you ride in fours. if you want the tricycle all to yourself (express, so to speak), it’ll cost you P100. tricycles are not allowed to enter the resort areas, you may take a pedicab for P10 per person or walk (around 10 minutes i guess?).

WINDY BORACAY

we could hear the waves crashing as we neared our resort, and we could see that almost all of the resorts assembled high plastic walls to prevent sand and wind from getting into their establishments. it was already dark when we arrived, too tired to look for a nice place to have dinner so checked in at la carmela de boracay and had dinner there as well.

there wasn’t anything special about the food, the price and the live performance that night. i guess people find it more bearable than taking a night stroll in the rain.

the following day, the weather was better and we were able to look around. the tall plastic walls are still all over boracay, making it hard for us to find jona’s, but because we thirst for the holy grail of all shakes, we were able to locate it.

even if it’s pretty obvious that the ocean can eat your tiny boat alive, boatmen were still trying to persuade us to go snorkeling and island hopping. if boats from caticlan jetty port were not allowed to bring passengers across that route, what more a small snorkeling banka? wtf.

GOOD EATS

the free breakfast buffet that came with our accomodation package sucked. by lunchtime, we headed out to look for a nice place to pig out and discovered don vito. it was divine, i tell you. this cozy restaurant serves authentic italian cuisine and the serving is really worth your money. when the menu says seafood pasta, they mean business and will shove neptune’s bounty down your throat. i learned later in bacolod that the patriotic chef/owner of this restaurant left bacolod because he wasn’t able to compromise his price with city’s average price range. too bad, no?

another place to try is true food indian cuisine, also in station 2. nice curry, nice bread, nice dips and nice ambiance. so likey :)

ON TO ILOILO

the weather worsened on the day we’re leaving. the tide was higher than ever, the ocean looked fierce and rain poured. we were glad that we had the chance to enjoy the beach yesterday when it was sunny, and partly glad that we’re leaving soon before the situation gets any worse. we can’t obviously use the regular boat route to caticlan so we retraced the path that’ll take us to the alternative caticlan port.

there are lots of vans, jeepneys and tricycles at the port that will take to to various destinations. the van going directly to jaro city, iloilo will cost you P250 per person. the travel took us 5 butt-torturing-bladder-bursting hours.

during the high and peak season, it’s almost impossible to book accomodations and flights if you do it a month earlier. you’d be lucky to arrange rooms and flights for a large group during summer. i suggest you plan everything ahead and spare yourself the hassle of being waitlisted. there are lots of resorts to choose from, and you can find them easily just by surfing the net. going to boracay is easy, as there are a lot of options to choose from depending on your budget or travel preference.

we got the earliest flight going to caticlan because aside from asian spirit’s promo price, we were too eager to invade boracay. (the small carrier’s propellers scared the hell out of me. i saw them wobble before it accelarated to full speed, and at the same time i was thinking of a scene similar to Final Destination in case it breaks off 0_o. there was even a time when the plane was freefalling for a few seconds. everybody was like, yelping. ANYWAY, anyway…) after we landed on caticlan, we took a 5 minute tricycle ride to the nearby seaport. you can actually walk all the way if you’re not in a hurry and not carrying a lot. (personally, i don’t like having my backpack checked in because i wanted to leave the airport as soon as possible. and yes, i stuffed EVERYTHING inside a backpack hehe! anyway…) at the sea port, we bought bangka tickets, paid for the terminal fee and boarded the boat going to boracay island. the travel was a little rough, much like the sea going to puerto galera, but don’t worry, it’s just a short 15 minute ride.

TREADING ON POWDER

since our flight was very early, the girls and i weren’t able to sleep during the sleepover and blabbed all night instead. we were thinking about catching some zzz’s first thing upon arriving, but when we got there, we thought, “what the hell, screw resting! let’s march to station 1 and grab one of those famous jona’s shake!” XP (we ended up wide awake for 36 hours hehe!)

so we did. after registering with our resort, we quickly changed into our comfy beach wears, put on some sunblock and set for station 1. then surprise, surprise, when we reached station 2, we began to realize that attempting to walk three kilometers on a blazing day was no joke. very excited and new to boracay, we refused to ride a tricycle and continued to walk the rest of the stretch. we not only did this once, twice, or thrice, but four times! hehe. we must’ve been crazy and cheap to do that.

station 1 has the finest sand of them all. if station 3 and 2′s sand were compared to polvoron with pinipig, station 1′s sand is almost comparable to roasted flour. it’s so fine that you’d mistake sand-coated dog crap for espasol or choco crinkles. but seriously, the sand is far better from malapascua’s or panglao’s. totally unrivaled.

BEACH BUMMING

so what’s there to do in boracay? well, aside from doing nothing, there are lots of stalls to buy goodies and trinkets, EAT EAT EAT, go bar hopping, babe watching, water sports, spelunking and island hopping. the list goes on and on.

shopping there is definitely not cheap, and most of the items there can be found in divisoria, greenhills or even the department store. but i guess the fact that you bought something from bora makes it feel sort of different, boralacious! station 3′s talipapa offers the same items from d’mall but at a very low and bargainable price. henna tatoos and tribal art there is not as cool as the ones in puerto galera, but what the heck, why not get one to accentuate your assets anyway? :)

boracay is unforgiving when it comes to food. the damn beach has a lot of yummy variety to offer, and all you have to do is indulge. one of the things that you shouldn’t miss is jona’s famous shakes. you can actually distinguish what ingredients they put into the mix, and it felt like freshly melted icecream! st. michel’s crepe located at d’mall was heavenly, and i think is better than cafe breton. when on a budget, i suggest you go for buffets since a single menu order would cost the same.

there were a lot of eyecandies, and i’m talking about babes with goddess curves. we’re not lesbians, mind you, but there’s not a single hunk in sight. gawd, i so love people-watching! *grin*

ASIDE FROM INDULGING

whenever i see friends of mine post their parasailing pictures on friendster, i so envy them. i was very disappointed when i learned that it costs P2500 each for only 15 minutes of flytime blah. my gawdy, momentary bliss comes at an unreasonable pricenowadays!

before we left, we made sure that we go island hopping. cripes, the sea at that time felt like it’s going to capsize the boat. it’s even worse than the one i had in puerto galera. the waves were rough and the corals were VERY near the surface, so it’s probably not the best time to go snorkeling. so the group decided to proceed to crystal cove island blah to go spelunking. i suggest that you go to both caves, for the sake of experience, it’s not that hard anyway. we didn’t proceed to puka island anymore because we have children on board and their dad was worried about the rough sea.

AND ALL THE OTHER BLAHS

in conclusion, the trip was fun even though things didn’t go as expected. i didn’t expect our accomodation to be somewhere at the end of a small winding alley, the plane ride were both driven by freaky pilots, the resort water supply was a bit salty for soap to lather, and the men there were no adonis hehe. but heck, we had a blast and would gladly return whenever possible :) smoochah borah!


MORE TRANSPO INFO
you can reach boracay by land, sea, and air. here are some affordable choices:

AIR (Manila to Caticlan, small carrier planes, 5 minute tricycle ride to sea port)
Asian Spirit 855-3333
Seair 849-0100

AIR ( Manila to Kalibo, bigger commercial planes, one hour bus ride to Caticlan sea port)
Philippine Airlines 818-0111
Air Philippines 855-9000
Cebu Pacific 702-0888
Asian Spirit 855-3333

LAND (RoRo. 2 hour bus ride to Batangas port + 3 hours Roro to Calapan, Mindoro + 3 hour land travel to Roxas port, Mindoro + 5 hour Roro to Caticlan port. From there, you’re just 15 minute ferry ride away from Boracay)
Rodastco Vans 0921-524-5394 (Cubao to Caticlan, i think it’s P910 one way, inclusive of ferry fares)
Philtranco 851-8077, 851-8079 (Alimall Cubao to Caticlan)
Bachelor Express 731-7287 (costs P945 one way)

SEA
WGA Superferry 5287000 (direct to Caticlan port)
Negros Navigation 245-5588 (costs P899)
MBRS Shipping 2495886, 243-5888, 713-1585 (Manila North Harbor, ETD Manila Friday 5pm – ETA Caticlan 6am Saturday)

for a fee of P800, you can:
1) go river rafting
2) have buffet lunch AT the waterfalls
3) tour the museum
4) get a short carabao ride to the resort proper
5) swim
6) watch some cultural shows (weekends & holidays only)

most of their structures were built with high ceiling adorned with native chandelier. the high ceiling might be the reason why it’s very cool inside albeit the warm weather.MUSEUM

even though this looks like a church, i don’t think they’re having mass here. the place is just full of religious relics and several archaeological finds. we were not supposed to take pictures, but since nobody was watching us, we decided to take a few stolen shots.

TO THE RESORT

owner’s house. trespassers will be shot.

you’d be riding this and wonder how a fat carabao can pull all of you effortlessly.

there are several creepy looking statues all over the hacienda, but i don’t think this belonged here.

THE LAKE

we were complaining why we weren’t able to catch tilapia. now we know why.

the fish bait

WATERFALL BUFFET

yep, take off your shoes and eat with your feet soaked in cool water. it is pretty slippery, tho.

ETC

one of the many pathways of the resort.

by the pool overlooking the lake

* * * * * * * * * *

KUSINA SALUD

after spending the whole day at villa escudero, we decided to have dinner at kusina salud which was located 10 mins away. i would highly recommend this place– the ambiance is very native with a touch of other asian artifacts, and the food is affordably yummy!

some bangus dish. i never liked eggplants, but after having tasted this, i think i’d reconsider.

squid salad. yummy!!

ah, chicken teriyaki… mmm mmmm mmmmm!

before november kicks in, airlines would usually give out cheap travel packages to tourist destinations nationwide. normally, these tour packages would take up 3 days and 2 nights only, which sucks if you intend to relax and really absorb the local atmosphere. planned a 4day-3night stay. we chose to take the route going to cebu instead of going straight to tagbilaran because there are a lot of available flight schedules. tagbilaran has only two direct flights to manila daily, both before lunch.

when we reached mactan airport, we hired a taxi to take us to the sea port. if you’re going to travel on a weekday, expect a little traffic; travel time is 30-45 minutes. the traffic is not as horrible as manila’s, so don’t worry :) if you know where to get cheaper taxi fares outside the airport, do so. there are only two fastcrafts available in cebu city going to tagbilaran, which is weesam express and ocean jet. supercat has temporarily discontinued its cebu-tagbilaran route. oceanjet normally charges P500, but would match weesam’s P300 whenever they have the same schedule. there isn’t much difference between the two, except that ocean jet has wifi enabled terminals. fastcrafts will only take 1 and a half hour to reach tagbilaran, while slower ferries take around 4 hours.

the waters between cebu and bohol was as placid as a lake’s, you don’t have to worry about getting seasick. when we reached tagbilaran, our resort’s driver picked us up since we have pre-arranged this before coming. you can opt not to have them pick you up if you wish to take the scheduled jeepney ride going to panglao, which would only cost you P30 per head, or hire a driver recommended by the local tourism there. airconditioned transporation pickups would charge you P400 – P450 one way (to your resort); this is worth-it if you go in groups.

AT ALONA BEACH

the long stretch of white sandy beach of alona. the sea is normally still, much like a swimming pool, lapping gently at the shore.

**TRIVIA: this popular beach area in panglao, bohol was used to be called tuwala beach. back in the 1950s, fernando poe jr. and an actress named alona alegre made a movie here. so the story goes, the natives would usually say, “let’s go and see alona” or “let’s go to alona’s”. the name became part of their dailys that they decided to change it from tuwala to alona beach.

we stayed at alona kew.

the water in most of the resorts in panglao is salty; your shampoo, soap or facial wash may not lather that much. if your resort happens to have a pool, that water was probably transported from bohol because it’s already treated. the only resort that offers fresh bathing water is alona palm beach (i think this is the most posh resort along alona). the reason why panglao is not getting fresh water from bohol is because of the thick politics going on between the mayors of panglao and bohol.

there are other classy resorts in panglao, but they’re not necessarily in alona. some would be on the other side of panglao like the ananyana *drool*, or panglao island nature resort in dauis.

WHY SNAP N’ GO WHEN YOU CAN EXPLORE?

when you travel around bohol, it would help if you did your research first. your driver cum tourguide might skip some areas that are worth seeing. HAGGLE as much when looking for a car to rent. i won’t really suggest getting a tourguide because it’ll cost a lot. the drivers that come with the rented cars underwent tourism seminars so they’re as knowledgeable as the licensed guides. plus, you get to go around whichever part of bohol you want without an annoying guide to hurry you up for the next destination.

we went to see the dolphins at 5:30 in the morning. there were LOTS of them playing at the surface, some even pirouetted in midair. some would be really near your bangka because some groups were accustomed to being fed by divers. so each time they hear motorboats coming, they think about the free fish hehe. but i think the local government has recently prohibited the feeding to encourage the dolphins to hunt for their own food.

we proceeded to balicasag island to go snorkelling in the marine sanctuary. it’s good if you can bring crackers and bread so you can feed the jackfish at shallow water. the wall goes down directly to about 45 meters deep. if you want an exotic dive, try doljo beach or cabilao island. it is not, however, advisable for snorkelling. oh by the way, if you’re “lucky”, you may encounter hammerheads *heh*. interested? more info? click here.

my mom *heh* at first she chickened out when she was informed that it is a 35 meter sloping wall. but when i said it was gorgeous, she put on a crappy mask and went down to take a look.

the underwater ladder. down to 30 meters deep, then 45, then 80..

“please don’t touch me, i’m too soft for your touch!”

there are 4 tarsiers in this photo. tell me if you can spot the fourth one. XD

the sta. monica church, the only church with a bell-tower at the center. and if u noticed, there are no crosses. there is a bridge directly connecting the church from the convent. hmmm, i don’t know which to believe: the fat priest who had difficulty crossing to the other side, or the easy access to the nun’s? >:)

manmade mahogany forest planted by local university students to prevent erosion. it’s really pretty and serene there, better stop and take pictures :)

the loboc river cruise. the river is usually emerald green, but because of the rain, it’s coffeemate in my coffee! buffet food is not that good, you’re actually paying for the experience. the cruise is one hour, upstream and downstream.

see the aqua colored water area?

the bridge of anomaly. the philippine government stopped this japanese-funded bridge from being completed as soon as they discovered the jap’s hidden agenda. bars of gold underneath the foundation.

leaning belltower.

baclayon church. made from corals, eggwhites and limestone. not much to see in the museum.

loboc hanging bridge. it’s just there for the experience of crossing a bamboo bridge.

why do i get the feeling that we’re being surrounded by boobs?

RANDOM PHOTOS

the masseus from hell..

..and her wicked concoction *heh*

first dinner at an expensive turo-turo -_- P500 for a lapu-lapu? are you kidding???

a starfish, a swimming askal, a kaong plant and lowtide sunset.

buried pink ginger toes

just came back from the sea. my skin was starting to get really dry, itchy and BURNT. hehe, yes, i turned into a red lobster. (my tan’s really weird.. i don’t turn brown or bronzed. i turn indian red *heh*)

SOUVENIRS

the trinkets you’ll see here can be found in manila. there’s not that much variety, only abalone shells and stuff. buy a tarsier merchandise instead.

* * * * * * * *
so.. that’s all there is. i could go on blabbing about the trip, but i don’t want to bore you with the details hehe. thanks to gordon’s wow philippines, bohol’s tourism boomed. if you’re not the beach party type, maybe bohol is for you :) it also helps if you know a little bisaya, so you can haggle some more! hehehe!