Oslob, Cebu 2015

The culmination of our four-day adventure was a trip to Oslob, Cebu to swim with whale sharks. From Dumaguete, we went to Sibulan Port and took a fast craft (PHP 62) to Lilo-an Port in Cebu. The boat ride took only 17 minutes (I timed it). From the port, we took a Ceres bus (PHP 30) to Bgy. Tan-awan and went inside Aaron Beach Resort (PHP 100 entrance fee). We bought a ticket to swim with whale sharks (PHP 500 for Filipino nationals), and were assigned to a boat with four boatmen, life vests, and snorkeling gear.

Prior to the actual whale shark watching, there was an orientation given to tourists on the do's and don't's during the encounter. Tourists must maintain a four-meter distance from the whale sharks, tourists must not apply sun screen, etc. People who violated these rules will face jail time and pay a fine, and marine scientists(?) were in the area to monitor compliance with the rules. The encounter with whale sharks was limited to 30 minutes per boat.

Whether the rules were strictly implemented is up for debate, as photo after photo of tourists touching, even standing on, the whales have surfaced in the past. I did see one guy who got too close to the whale shark, about two meters, and was quickly reprimanded by the boat men.

One of the boatmen dove deep and took a series of photos of the rich marine life.

We saw about four whale sharks in all, most of them as long as an Elf truck. They were massive and majestic, and swimming with them was overwhelming because of their sheer size.

I went into this adventure knowing that their practice of feeding the whale sharks to keep their year-long presence in the area disrupts their migratory pattern, which has adverse effects on the marine biodiversity. The people in Oslob can learn from those in Donsol, Sorsogon, another spot famous for whale shark-watching, how to make their practice more sustainable.

Swimming with whale sharks has long been at the top of my bucket list. Once I saw the large silhouette of the creature on the water, I jumped right in. The experience was exhausting but exhilarating, although the consequences of patronizing their practice did tug at my conscience. I hope the locals find a way to look beyond short-term benefits and see long-term consequences.

31 July 2015

Dumaguete 2015

Forbes ranked Dumaguete City as the fifth best place in the world to retire because it is among the cheapest places to live according to Western standards, and true enough, many Caucasians have settled and started a family in this university town. Dumaguete has a low-key, small-town vibe, but it also has a mall, quite a few bars and restaurants, a university, and seaports to Cebu and Siquijor, so you get the comforts of city living whilst enjoying the slow-paced, laid back provincial life.

Dumaguete is the jump-off point to Apo Island Marine Reserve where you can snorkel and swim with sea turtles (pawikan). However, adventure-seekers won't have much to do within Dumaguete City, although lakes and falls can be found in neighboring towns, a 30-minute tricycle ride away. What Dumaguete offers is a lot of good, cheap food that can be found in the restaurants that line Rizal Boulevard.

Our first day in Dumaguete was spent walking around Silliman University, where the school grounds reminded me of UP Diliman, and Rizal Boulevard, where you can enjoy a view of the sea (and the smell of fish). We also paid a visit to Sans Rival Bistro as per our friends' requests that we bring home boxes of silvanas, and also because a trip to Dumaguete won't be complete without trying their world-famous sans rival. We really intended to relax and eat in Dumaguete, and that's precisely what we did.

Where to eat
I had eaten a few times at Mooon Cafe in Ayala Terraces in Cebu, and so I was surprised that they had a branch in Dumaguete, just across Silliman University. Their food is goooood, just sayin'.

(All photos taken using a GoPro)

30 July 2015

Siquijor 2015

Siquijor is a small island in Central Visayas (Region VII) which you can circumnavigate in half a day. Black magic (mangkukulam, mangbabarang) and mythical creatures (aswang, manananggal) were widely believed to have existed in the area, and this belief helped build the island's rich folklore and its reputation as a mystical island. Siquijor has often been overlooked when planning visits to its more popular neighbor-provinces (Dumaguete, Cebu, Bohol), but a trip to the Island of Fire was certainly one for the books.

How to get there

The closest airport is Sibulan in Dumaguete City. From Sibulan, take a tricycle to Dumaguete Port (15 minutes) then take a fast craft or a ferry to Siquijor Port (1 hour if you take the fast craft, 1:45 hours if you take the ferry). From Siquijor Port, there are tricycles that can take you to your hotel, or you can pre-arrange for a pick-up courtesy of the hotel, which we did.

First glimpse of these turquoise waters around Siquijor Port made me wish that the island would remain overlooked so that it would remain pure and untouched.

Where to stay

We stayed at Tori's Backpackers' Paradise, owned by Tomas, who, if I remember correctly, is from the Czech Republic, and his Filipina wife, Ria. The inn is in Maite, San Juan, about 45 minutes from the port. It offers very basic accommodations--a bed, an electric fan, a table, a chair, and a small shower room inside a hut--but if you're only looking for a place to crash at the end of a long day of touring, then Tori's is the place for you. They also offer good food at reasonable prices, although serving time does take a while.

Rate: PHP 550/night

St. Francis de Assisi Church

Siquijor Island Tour

We had arranged a tour of the island for PHP 1,000 with the tricycle driver who picked us up from the port. The tour began at 5:30 in the morning.

Our first stop was the Old Enchanted Balete Tree, said to be 400 years old. No entrance fees, but donations were highly appreciated. The water in the pool comes from a spring, and when you place your feet in the water, fish will converge around your feet and nibble on your dead skin cells. A free fish spa, hey.

San Isidro Labrador Church and Convent-turned-school

Cambugahay Falls, Lazi, Siquijor

No entrance fee, though you have to make a donation to the lifeguard-slash-guide.

On our way down the steep stone stairs, I expected to find a falls that looked like this:

Expectation (Photo grabbed from Google Images)

Only it had rained the night before, so the falls looked like this:

Reality

Oh well.

Salagdoong Beach Resort, Maria, Siquijor

Cottages for rent at PHP 100.

Visitors could cliff-dive off a 20-foot concrete ledge, but since we were the only two guests at the beach, I decided against jumping. Maybe next time. :D

While Siquijor doesn't have beaches with powdery white sand and a thriving night life, its small-town vibe certainly has its charm. Life there is simple and quiet, which provides a much-needed break for all of us city-dwellers who are caught in the middle of the hustle and bustle that we sometimes forget to find happiness in simplicity.

29-30 July 2015