Since my flight to Bohol was at 8am, I took the most practical way of going to the airport – riding the MRT from Quezon City and then a taxi from Taft Avenue.  Despite the number of transfers,    I still arrived early at NAIA3.  At 7.30am, we were asked to board a bus going to the plane.  We were stuck inside the Cebu Pacific plane for almost one hour due to the air traffic.  The airport at that time could only accommodate limited take-off and landing.  It was unfortunate that my flight was delayed because it meant that I barely have only a few hours in touring the island. 

 Upon arrival in Bohol , the hotel car service failed to pick me up at my desired time and wanted me to wait for 30 minutes more at the airport, which I declined.  I had no choice but to take the motorcycle with a former workmate from Bohol to bring me to the Buen Bella hotel (0918.5297742).  Fortunately, it was cloudy that day and that the hotel is only 10 minutes from the hotel.    I complained to the receptionist about the hotel car service and she readily apologized for the miscommunication between her and the driver.

 Together with my officemate, I went to two malls: BQ for souvenirs and Alturas for the cheap local shirts. 

Immediately after our lunch, we proceeded to Mag-aso falls in Antequera.  The travel was fast since we rode the motorcycle but since it rained in some areas, we had to make a few stops along the way. We paid 20 pesos as entrance fee to the falls.  I enjoyed the view of the falls surrounded by trees and the water appeared nature green as if camouflaging its adjoining environment. 

After taking photos, I immediately asked that we go to Panglao Island.   On the road, we stopped at the town to check if there were local products available for sale.  I found out that products can be seen on a Sunday, which was their market day.  It almost took an hour drive to go to Panglao.  I noticed the improvements in the Alona area resorts.  I still like though the old Alona where only a few establishments available in the area.  I simply do not like the idea of the beach front having lots of chairs and tables lined up.    We had a simple merienda along the beach far away from the crowd.  And, I couldn’t help but reminisce the old Alona Beach when it was tranquil and where one can easily find a spot to read and relax along the beach. 

 From there, we went to the bee farm where I bought some local products made from honey and other local produce.  The products were a bit pricey since they were organic. 

 On the way home, we went to Our Lady of Assumption Shrine Parish church in the town of Dauis.  I went around to check their museum and shop.  The staff gave me a bottled miraculous water from the well inside the church. Apparently, it is being given free to church visitors. Before the day ended, I went to buy more souvenir items.

 The following day, I woke early and found it difficult to speak with my hoarse voice. It could be due to the rain exposure the previous day.  As I passed by the reception of the hotel, old familiar faces of staff greeted me with a smile and said, “Ang tagal n’yo nang hindi nakapunta dito (You haven’t been here in a long time).”  I frequented this hotel in 2007 when I was working wit a non-government organization.  It was already 8am when I asked the driver to bring me to the airport. 

 Hopefully by next year, I shall return to Bohol   as it is one of my favorite places in the country.

Visited last October 2-3, 2010

I went to Legaspi in Bicol to attend a colleague’s wedding along six other workmates. Even if my purpose of visit is to attend a social function, I managed to take a few side trips. All of my other colleagues arrived in Bicol a day earlier while I took the Saturday morning Philippine Airlines (PAL) flight. It may have been a short flight but I still enjoyed the view from the plane but I got a bit confused with the surrounding because I couldn’t see Mayon volcano anywhere within sight. But, when I got off the plane, I immediately saw the volcano and heaved a huge sigh of relief because I was in the right place after all.

A nun friend from Bicol fetched me at the airport and dropped me off to Reynaldo’s Inn.  There, I finally met my workmates who were already preparing for the wedding.  Since it will start in the afternoon, I took the liberty of touring the city through the help of my nun friend.  

We went to Ligñon hill by merely walking.  By the time we reached the top, we were very tired and my shirt was drenched in sweat.  It was worth all the effort going to the hilltop since I saw an unhampered view of Mayon volcano. From there, I asked that we stopped by the inn so that I could change my shirt before proceeding to Cagsawa ruin. Although it was my fourth time to visit this place, I still insisted on going so that I could compare what I saw two years ago when the volcano just erupted and spew ashes.  The place actually looked better with some minor structural repairs.  I even bought some native products in the area as pasalubong for some friends.

We also went to Satellite (a pasalubong center in Legaspi) to buy other souvenir items.  For me, this is the best place to shop products made from this province.  The items were of export quality and the prices were very reasonable. 

Then, I asked that we check out Legazpi’s latest place to hangout – the Embarcadero. The place boasts off various shops and restaurants. I had a taste of their homegrown restaurant, Bigg’s Diner. The good thing about this restaurant was their trading hours (mention the time here in enclosed parentheses) and accessibility to our location. 

By 1 in the afternoon, I was back at my lodging house.  It was 2.30pm and all of us were ready to go to the wedding.  But unfortunately, our service car going to the Church did not arrive and we had no other better option but to take the tricycle. It was funny because we rented five tricycles to bring us to the Church even when everyone was wearing formal clothes.  We arrived very late at the wedding but the only good thing was our officemate was still able to sing during the picture taking.  After the wedding reception, my group went to Embarcadero to see and experience the night-life in the city.    Everyone agreed that instead of drinking alcoholic beverages, we would taste their local coffee shop called ‘La Mia Tazza’.  I ordered coffee with pili nuts and I delightfully enjoyed its flavor. We came back at the inn late in the evening just in time to take enough sleep before leaving the city early in the morning.  It was a wonderful day filled with activities. I hope to be back next year.

Visited last September 18-19, 2010

At exactly 4pm on August 20, I received a text from SEAir (our airline carrier to Boracay).  The so-called “fastest airline to Boracay” cancelled our early morning flight to Caticlan due to technical reason.  I immediately called their number and told me that they already booked my group to the next available flight via Kalibo which I did not accept since the flight was scheduled late in the afternoon.  My original schedule was at 6:30 am and I already made some arrangements for the boat, accommodations etc.  What bothered me most was that the customer service representative told me that there were no other flights ready to accommodate us.  What they did not know, I was already calling Cebu Pacific for our flight in the morning to Kalibo which was the only available flight going to Boracay.  The representative even asked me to just book our flights to Cebu Pacific and they will just refund the amount, which I vehemently disagreed. I insisted for them to book us and pay for our one-way fare.  It was a long and tiring afternoon just to arrange a trip.  By the way, we booked this flight as early as March 19.  Well one thing is for sure, if there were other airlines offering their route I will not take chances in taking their flight again.

August 21 at 11 am was our scheduled flight via Cebu Pacific.  At the airport, we took our breakfast and shop around for personal stuff. The group was so engrossed with the airport that we checked-in when almost all the passengers were already boarding the plane.  Everyone enjoyed the flight and when we finally arrived in Kalibo,  I immediately looked for a van to take us to Caticlan.  The van that we rented cost us around P1,000 good for eight persons only.  Imagine if the previous airline did not cancel the flight we could have saved P125 each.  Upon arrival at jetty port, the “fastest airline to Boracay” personnel arranged our free boat transfers and we only paid for terminal and environmental fees.  From the port, we rented a multi-cab for P250 going to our resort. 

From the resort, we just unpacked our things and proceeded to the nearby restaurants for snack.  I chose to stay in an Ilonggo restaurant for a La Paz Batchoy while my other companions went to a restaurant with exuberant prices.  After our short break, our guide fetched us for the All Terrain Vehicle (tel. 036.2884235 / 0929.4702537).  We were properly oriented and at first we were nervous because we will be driving along the main road.  Most of my companions did not have the driving experience so I ended up driving the vehicle.  As I was driving, I accidentally hit one of the ATVs and after that experience I was more careful in driving.   We stopped at the Mr. Luho viewpoint (PhP50.00 entrance fee) where one can see the beauty of the whole island.  It took us one hour for the trip and paid for PhP400 each.

In the evening, we had our dinner at only P125 each with unlimited soup and rice.  And then we went to a bar and since my companions were generally women, we ordered for two pitchers of margarita.  After an hour of drinking, my companions were a bit tipsy and decided to go back to their respective rooms to rest.

The next day, we rented a boat (P1,300) to go around the island with our guide, Nards (0930.9254031 / 09303898269).  I was surprised that aside from the boat rental, we still have to pay for the insurance (PhP100 each).  I was asking for the insurer and details of the insurance but the people cannot provide for the full details.  Everyone appreciated the snorkeling activity (P20.00 fee) but dissatisfied with the life vest.  It was very difficult to swim wearing their life vest as it did not properly fit our bodies.  We also went to Puka Beach for our swimming.  The water was turquoise blue and the sand was white.  My companions swam and posed for some photos.  It was very hot at that time so I opted to stay in the boat.  It was already 12 noon when we went back to main land for our lunch and shopping. 

We shopped at the nearby market and I was surprised to see dried starfish being sold as decorations.  It seemed that starfish doesn’t reach its rightful size as juvenile starfishes were dyed and sold to tourists.  I hope the Department of Environmental and Natural Resources could limit the catch and sale of starfish because as a diver it would lessen my chances of seeing these creatures alive underwater. 

In the afternoon, we rode the banana boat.  It was the scariest ride I had because it took us nearly 30 minutes for the whole ride and the arrangement was only good for 15 minutes.  The speedboat driver was very happy upon seeing the group was shouting as we crossed the waves.  It was raining and we were grasping at the boat’s handle out of fear in going overboard.  Due to the number of bounces and waves we’ve experienced, my shorts got ripped! 

As much as we wanted to try the reef walk, we were not permitted to do so because of the bad weather giving us a good reason to go back to Boracay. From the ride, we had photo at the sand castle built by a native and we donated P20.00.   And then, we proceeded to the grotto for another photo and we swam along the shorelines. After the tiring activity, we tried Jona’s fruit shake.  It was the best shake I have ever tasted.  The price was very reasonable and the shake did not turn to water easily.  

At night, we had buffet dinner for P280 so I haggled with the owner to include the drinks to our meal.  After the heavy meal, we had coffee at Starbucks since most of my companions did not want to drink liquor beverages.  Before the night ended, we still bought some few things as souvenirs to our families and friends. 

Early morning, everyone hurriedly took the breakfast and for the last time, we all swam in front of the resort before we left for our flight via Caticlan.


Visited last August 21- 23, 2010

I organized a trip to Baler, Aurora on a long weekend in June.  As early as 3am, seven of us were already at the Manila Genesis Bus Terminal along Edsa corner New York St. (tel. 7090545/4211425).  Given that the bus seats were on first-come, first-served basis, all seats were already occupied as early as 3.30am.  It was a good thing that the next bus was a deluxe type, which meant more comfortable seats and limited stopovers.  We paid P500 each and it left an hour earlier than the supposed 5am schedule.  

When we arrived at Baler, we rode a tricycle (fare: P39.00) going to Bays Inn Resort (Mobile 0918.9266697), which is along Sabang beach.  The resort charged modestly for a good accommodation at P1,600 per night for 4 people with breakfast.  We had two rooms: I occupied the room located at the ground floor while the others stayed at the second floor. I enjoyed the location of our resort even more because we had unlimited access to wi-fi internet. 

We had lunch at the resort and spent P85, which included a viand, rice, and softdrink. It was cheap considering that the ambiance included a good view of the beach and refreshing dose of the sea breeze.

After the meal, we went to Quezon Park and Museo de Baler where we were given free access.  As we tour the museum, we understood and enjoyed the place even more.  We also visited Doña Aurora house and (I forgot the name of a BalerChurch), the historical church of the town.  We hired two tricycle drivers for our tour (P400 tricycle rental for the half-day tour) to the oldest and tallest Banyan tree in the country, which is situated in Maria Aurora town. It was an hour of tricycle ride.  Upon seeing the tree, we were amazed on how huge the tree was and we even got inside through its roots.  It was an eerie feeling knowing that the tree was often used in horror films. Inside the tree, it was dark and we felt like there were snakes beneath the fallen leaves that covered the whole floor. 

We then hurriedly went to Ermita Hill to catch a glimpse of the bay.  It took a long walk towards the top where a huge cross was placed.  Actually the cross is visible from our resort especially in the evening when the lights were turned on.  The driver even pointed to the house of the governor, which was big and very visible from the area.   I asked the drivers to bring us to the Pasalubong Center where I bought souvenir items like shirts, delicacies and native hats. We returned to the resort and invited the drivers for snack before taking a swim.  We swam from 5pm until 8 in the evening.  We enjoyed the experience of swimming in the strong waves and being brought to the shore.  It was like we were in a wave pool having a whole body massage.  I particularly like the sea water because it was less salty and did not hurt my eyes at all. I could swim even without goggles.

On our second day, we left the resort at 7am because we wanted to visit practically all the beautiful places of the province.  Our first stop was the Cunayan Falls.  Before going to the falls, we paid twice for our vehicle to pass through two private lots and of course payment for the entrance to the water falls.  I think the local government should do something for the so called “toll fees” just to go to the falls because it created negative impressions. The town should promote tourism and provide access to these sites without paying for unnecessary fees like road access.  Although the water falls was small, it was beautiful and the water was very clean and cold.  Everyone enjoyed the swim except for me because I ended up being the photographer of the group. 

Our next stop was the small irrigation dam but it was nothing spectacular so I asked the drivers to bring us to Lukso-Lukso islets.  I was not actually sure if we were at the right area; we had to walk carefully because it was slippery and there were pointed rocks and corals.  There was also a cave but we did not enter it because it was difficult to move around and it was very hot. We wanted to go on top of this mountain where the cave is but without the tricycle, we had to walk.  We just walked for 5 minutes before everyone decided not to go on with the idea. We road the tricycle and rented it P500.  

Since it was a tiring morning, we decided to take lunch at our resort and be back at the beach by 4pm for the surfing lessons.  Only three in my group took up the challenge for one-hour surfing lessons.  They enjoyed it as evidenced in the photos taken.  Since it was our last day, I went to the bus depot to arrange for our early morning trip.  The bus conductor in-charge of the deluxe bus advised me to just be there before 4am. 

The following day, one of the tricycle drivers did not show up. I was bothered with it since we initially gave the driver some money for the gas!  We learned our lesson not to easily trust people that we meet. Only one tricycle brought us to the bus garage and the rest waited at the bus terminal.  Three of us stayed at the garage in order to reserve seats once the bus arrived in the terminal.  There were also other travelers who waited for hours for the deluxe bus to arrive.  The long hours of wait paid off since it was the only comfortable bus available in the area.  By lunch time, we were already back in Quezon City. 

The cost of the whole trip was only P3,382 including the souvenirs.  If I would have another free time, I will try to go back and just stay at the resort to relax and enjoy the sea breeze. 

Visited last June 12 – 14, 2010