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

Singapore 2015, Day 4

Our fourth day in Singapore also happened to be H's birthday! She is a big Peanuts fan, so we decided to celebrate at Charlie Brown Cafe at Cathay Cineleisure in Orchard Road.

From Charlie Brown Cafe, we decided to visit Haji Lane upon the suggestion (persuasion) of a friend who was based in Singapore. With our bags in tow, we took the train and walked to the Kampong Glam neighborhood where Haji Lane was situated.

Haji Lane has a Cubao X/hipster vibe. It is a street lined with shophouses turned into boutiques that sell clothes, trinkets, accessories, etc. There are also cafes and bars that draw big crowds especially at night.

Four days in Singapore were definitely not enough! We didn't have time to visit Gardens by the Bay, MacRitchie Reservoir Park, Chinatown, Little India, Joo Chiat, etc. I swear to come back to Singapore soon.

Final thought: As we were touring Singapore, I felt a tinge of envy at the level of discipline and efficiency that the country has, and I wondered if I would ever see my own country achieve that level of progress during my lifetime. I love my country, I really do, but after just four days in Singapore, I couldn't help but feel frustrated that the Philippines remains stricken with poverty compounded by systemic corruption and apathy or cynicism from its own citizens. Can we ever be like Singapore? Where should we start?

25-28 April 2015

Singapore 2015, Day 3 - Universal Studios Singapore

H's cousin knew someone who worked in Universal Studios Singapore, so we scored discounted tickets! Originally priced at SGD 74, we got ours at SGD 40. :)

To get to Sentosa, one must take the North East Line to Harbourfront Station, enter Vivo City, go up to the third floor, and ride the monorail (SGD 3) to Sentosa Island.

Upon reaching Sentosa, go straight and turn right once you reach Chili's, where a giant revolving globe with the word Universal will greet you:

The best ride we went on!

Battlestar Galactica was closed when we went... not that I would ride it anyway.

The Philippines' very own Streetboys!

There were so many tourists inside but the waiting time for the rides did not take long. The rides we enjoyed best were the Transformers and Revenge of the Mummy. For the latter, they had lockers where you can leave your stuff for free for the first 15 minutes.

Universal Studios was so much fun! There were rides and performances that both children and adults would enjoy. Walking around the massive park left us tired, but we really had a good time.

25-28 April 2015

Singapore 2015, Day 2 - Legoland Malaysia

Legoland Malaysia is located in Johor Bahru, around 1 hour and 15 minutes from the Singapore Flyer. We bought tickets to the theme park online and availed of two-way coach transfers from AsiaTravel for a hassle-free trip across the Malaysian border, and we paid SGD 80 (PHP 2,700) for everything. We went to the Singapore Flyer which was the pick-up point of the tour.

The trip to Legoland took about an hour and a half. We had to alight the bus and get our passports stamped at the Singapore border as we left the country and at the Malaysian border as we entered Malaysia.

First and foremost, let me just say that Legoland is for children. Haha. The most exciting ride was probably the roller coaster because each car only had four seats, but the ride itself was pretty short. The park was huge though, and different sections of the park had different themes.

The restaurants inside the park accepted both Singapore dollars and Malaysian ringgit (MYR), but the conversion was SGD 1 to MYR 1 so it wasn't a good deal since outside the park, SGD 1 equals MYR 2.80. Luckily we had already exchanged pesos to ringgit before we left the Philippines so we availed of a good conversion rate. A plate of nasi lemak cost MYR 20, a bottle of mineral water cost MYR 3, and souvenirs cost MYR 25 upwards.

Legoland Hotel

There was a Star Wars exhibit when we went!

One area of the park was called Miniland. It had miniature displays of famous landmarks in different Asian countries built using Lego bricks.

Bolinao, Pangasinan

Thailand

The Angkor Wat Complex in Siem Reap, Cambodia

We rode the choo choo train!

The trip back to Singapore took longer than usual because of the long lines at the Malaysian immigration, which reminded me of our own immigration system. It was a long day, and we were exhausted by the time we returned to Fragrance Hotel. On our way back to the hotel, we passed by Marina Bay Sands and Helix Bridge.

25-28 April 2015

Singapore 2015, Day 1

According to a recent article by BBC, Singapore remains the world's most expensive city to live in. The exchange rate when we visited Singapore back in April was PHP 33 to SGD 1, so we really had to save up for our four-day trip. We booked our flights in December, when Cebu Pacific had a seat sale that saw international flights at 50% off, and our tickets cost around PHP 7,850 each. An early booking also gave us four months to look for the best value-for-money hotel we could find.

Fragrance Hotels (http://www.fragrancehotel.com/) is a chain of budget hotels located in different areas in Singapore. Their cheapest hotel was located in Geylang, the country's red light district, so we immediately eliminated that area from our options. After analyzing the cost, the location, and the reviews of their different hotels--which meant constantly switching between Agoda and TripAdvisor--we chose to stay at Fragrance Hotel Oasis, located along Balestier Road. We booked through Agoda, and our stay for three nights cost PHP 6,807.23. Fragrance Hotel Oasis was also conveniently located beside a hawker center, so there were plenty of cheap food nearby. One full meal cost around SGD 4 to SGD 10.

Upon arriving at Changi Airport, we bought EZ link cards at SGD 12 each--the card was worth SGD 5, and the value in the ticket was SGD 7. The EZ link cards are similar to our LRT/MRT stored value cards. We loaded our cards with an additional SGD 10 to cover our four-day stay. Their train system was pretty easy to follow; they had maps and signs so tourists wouldn't get lost. I also did research on their bus lines (https://www.sbstransit.com.sg/) since we had to take a bus from the nearest train station to get to Fragrance Hotel Oasis. We alighted about four bus stops early, so we had to walk for fifteen minutes to find the hotel. Rookie mistakes. :P

Our first day was spent at the Merlion Park and Makansutra Gluttons Bay where there were A LOT of tourists. It was a Saturday, after all. While walking, we passed by these massive buildings with amazing architecture. We also got to ride a double-decker bus, holy cow!

 

My initial observations of Singapore were that their roads were wide, there was no traffic nor pollution, everything looked well-maintained, the streets were clean despite occasional litter, their transportation system was efficient and there were no delays. Nakakainggit.

25-28 April 2015