Boracay - Philippines' Island Paradise

After being off from my blog for a few weeks, I've been updating myself on what to write next. And voila! As I searched, the Best Island in the World as awarded by Travel + Leisure magazine 2012 edition is up. Boracay - the Philippines' tropical island paradise!

Contrary to being famous for it's night life and relaxing white beaches, Boracay is also a place where you can relax. In the morning of course when almost everyone's still busy from regaining their spirit and energy lost the night before. Make sure you make the most out of this time! Unless you're one of those people oops haha. Boracay has received a lot of recognition throughout the years for it's powdery white sand and great sunset that almost every kind of tourist and locals are here. It was my first time and it was the first week of April, but man, it was 'kind of' jam packed already! Never have guessed. lol

Anyway, we arrived in Boracay at around 10 or 11 in the morning. We were so freaking hungry that we just dropped our things off at the hotel (since we had to wait for check-in time) and rushed to the nearest (not exactly nearest oops) D'Mall to get some food. Luckily, my first meal in Boracay wasn't an awful one, in fact it was totally the opposite! I have always loved Mexican food and Tres Amigos sure did captivate me. I ordered their burrito as usual *coughs coughs* and surprisingly it's as good as Silantro's in Kapitolyo.

Tres Amigos' burrito (sorry I'm pretty selfish, didn't take photos of the other food lol)

After eating our lunch at D'Mall, we then went back to the hotel for a bit of rest and freshening up. At around 3pm, we went out for parasailing! One of the most exhilarating moments of my life! T'was super awesome. We paid P1,500 for 30 minutes and every penny was worth it. PS try not to get overpriced in Bora and haggle your way to the top AT ALL TIMES. They usually have varying charges according to race and ethnicity, you can do it!

Sure gave us a good time. It was quite a waiting time though but nonetheless the experience was spot on. We even got to ride a speed boat twice and see this amazing sunset up close.

The Boracay Sunset ..on a speed boat. An amazing view, as usual.

We went to Red Coconut after to join the other half of our friends for dinner. The food was obviously overpriced but it comes with the high tourist rates so, never mind. Average service. Main reason I loved it was the opportunity for an illegal swim. Jenny, Aileen, and I went for a swim after eating and got back to the table soaking wet. I was just so hungry for water I had to. Don't judge lol

The rest of the night was tiring. Little did we know that partying actually starts before sunset and mostly ends at around 9 or 10 in the evening. Unfortunately, we slept and ended up in Club Paraw at midnight. What on earth? If you're after partying, check the upcoming events before booking for heads up. It'll give you an easier time.

Capped off the night at 4am with a cup of noodles and Chuckie. Didn't know pushing and shoving can be really exhausting. Lesson learned! Good night, world!

Happy travels!

Love,

Faye

SUMMARY: Camiguin

To make travel-opolis; city of travel more helpful for readers, my friend Jamie have recently thought about having a sort of point-by-point summary of each place I've been to. Like providing a list of must-see's, notes, and other important stuff to remember in order to guide you further. We'll start with Camiguin today but I will prepare follow-up articles in Palawan and Cebu as well, hopefully after I finish my Northern Mindanao related entries.

PLACES YOU SHOULDN'T MISS!

1. Katibawasan Falls
2. Walkway to Old Vulcan
3. Sto Nino Cold Spring
4. Sunken Cemetery
5. Ardent Hot Spring
6. White Sandbar
7. Mantigue Island
8. Kibila Giant Clam Conservation and Ocean Nursery

TIPS-slash-NOTES:

• When riding a ferry from Balingoan Port to Benoni Port and vice versa, be there an hour before your targeted schedule of trip.
• For customized and hassle-free accommodation and tour, you can contact Paguia's 0917-5446311 or 0917-5391622.
• There are a lot of inexpensive eateries around Camiguin, you can eat with only P50 in your wallet.
• Not sure if there were ATMs available so it's better if you withdraw prior to prevent being short.
• Bring your swimwear with you in Katibawasan Falls, there's a big chance you'd want to take a dip!
• Make sure to bring your own or rented snorkel gear for the island hopping since it would be expensive to rent from the area itself.
• Don't miss out on the chance (like me!) to see the underwater life in Mantigue Island and Kibila Conservation and Ocean Nursery.
• Bring your positive self and keep the good vibes coming. It's a gorgeous place to fill in with negativity!

If you have other tips, feel free to write it on the comment box below! Do you have more places in mind that we might have missed out and suggestions that we'd also learn from? :)

Love,

Faye

Discovering the Islands of Camiguin

A cab-bus-ferry ride away from Cagayan de Oro is Camiguin which I have mentioned in my previous entry as one of the heavenliest destinations there is in the Philippines. It is also next to Batanes as the second-smallest province in the country both in population and land area. It only has a total of 81,293 inhabitants and the province consists primarily of Camiguin Island and two surrounding minor islets which you will know about as this entry goes on. Every October, they have a week-long festival for the fruit that they are most known for, lanzones. Actually, the festival was just about to happen in a week when we went there! Too bad we missed it! Yay that's another reason to come back! lol

Anyway, sit back, relax, and enjoy as I tell you our second day in one of my most favorite travel destinations (from the ones I had so far!) - Camiguin.

We woke up at around 6am for our island hopping tour scheduled that day. If you have read my previous entry, you will know that we have availed a customized tour from Paguia's Cottages Camiguin and what we did was we dedicated our whole second day discovering the islands and beaches. A whole day is not enough as I think about it now but because of the limited vacation leave... It's best if we take it from there lol

Since the White Island Sandbar is just a 15-minute boat ride away from our accommodation, that was our first destination. I knew it was gonna be good since the first time I saw it on a travel blog but I didn't expect it was that GOOD. Oh boy, it's a beauty. You can stay there the whole day just looking at the stunning Mt. Hibok Hibok and Mt. Vulcan as it matches coherently with the white sand and the contrasting light and dark colors of the sea.

5 minutes walk away from our cottages is our drop-off point :D

Such a sight even from afar!

Mt Hibok Hibok and Mt Vulcan facing the sandbar

Since it can be really hot in the area esp during summer, a few kuyas from the baranggay who monitors the sandbar also provides colorful umbrellas (fourth picture) and tarp-like banigs to lie on (in case you forgot to bring a scarf or a malong with you!) for rental. The umbrellas are worth a hundred peso and the banigs are for P200. Both of it is pretty big because the four of us fit in there considering the three of us were big boned lol

If you also look closely in the fourth photo, behind the kuyas is another small sandbar. You can swim to go there but make sure you bring a life jacket if you don't know how, you might panic if you happen to pass thru a few deep parts. If you get bored (which will be unlikely haha), you can also try snorkeling on the other side of the sandbar, read a book while you wait for sunset, schedule a diving trip with your friends (YES, there is a diving site near the sandbar), or you can make yourself full with the sea urchins that the locals from the baranggay are also selling apart from the umbrella rentals!

We went back to Paguia's at around 10am to get our things and wait for our service, since we'd have to travel by road to get to our next entry point to Mantigue Island. It's a good 20 to 30 minutes multicab ride then another 30 minutes ride via small outrigger boat.

Even from afar, you can already see the trees and gorgeous white sand surrounding Mantigue. They have a marine sanctuary on the right side facing the island but before you go there, you'd have to register inside and pay for the entrance fee (P50) and the unlimited snorkeling fee of P100. Make sure to bring your own snorkel gear or rent from your chosen accommodation since it's pretty expensive in the area (P150). 

We were supposed to have snorkeling first then go back inside to eat our lunch but since we had a bit of miscommunication with our boatmen we ended up going back to our entry point after snorkeling! lol but it was a satisfying 45 minutes stay nonetheless. By this time I have already learned how to swim but upon seeing how dark the water were to get to the snorkeling area, I opted to stay beside the boat and look at the few fishes and sea urchins while my friends went to see the giant clams and more.

Since the miscommunication happened, we went back earlier than expected at our previous entry point but we figured it was just right since we had to catch the latest scheduled ferry back to Balingoan Port at 4pm. 

Shortly after our service arrived from lunch we went to the opposite side of the island for the Kibila Giant Clam Conservation and Ocean Nursery which was our last destination in Camiguin. It is an area where they cultivate different species of clams and they had this ocean nursery where you can check out the clams from the smallest to the biggest! It's worth P200 but my friends (Eds and Mar) since they're the only ones who tried it said it was definitely worth it we should've come! The pictures were in Jamie's waterproof camera so unfortunately I won't be able to share it with you but make sure you don't miss out on this as well when you visit Camiguin!

Aside from that, they also served us delicious food from lunch which you can buy from one of the houses nearby. The hut is worth P50, entrance fee is P25, and the food that we ordered amounted to a total of almost P1,000 I think. I was too hungry I forgot to take pictures but it was really good! If you don't feel like checking out the clams, you can also dip in the clear waters while you wait for your food.

We hurriedly went to Benoni Port after eating lunch. Jamie and I were able to take a shower but we left our clothes in the service and was too lazy to go back for it so we changed our clothes on the way to the port instead! Hmm hmm yes! On the way there! lol that's some traveling skills we've proudly acquired haha and since the ferry for 3pm was delayed for an hour we had the cutest blessing in disguise! Mind you, it was priceless!

It was one of the sweetest moments of our trip. I loved how the colors went from bright, to yellow, to purple-ish pink. We were all in awe of the magnificent view in front of us. We took countless pictures. It was really beautiful.

We got back in Balingoan Port at around 5 or 6 in the evening. Apparently it was difficult to get a bus back to the city proper since it's not really the terminal so we waited for about 45 minutes to be able to finally ride one! And that's not even a smooth process haha you'd have to push and shove! Oh for the love of traveling.

Since we can't move on yet from our extra rice disappointment, we agreed to eat at Jollibee for dinner! All I can say is, after that dinner I loved my friends more for being themselves. PERIOD. Upon arriving at our hotel Rich Manor Pension House, they had made an incorrect booking so we had to wait for a while before they find another room that can accommodate us. We were supposed to be in just one room but we ended up in two different rooms. It was still a good experience though! I loved how the room was clean and the bed was soft and how everything is within a short distance. Our oldies vibe sunk in as soon as we arrived so we all opted to sleep already.

Overall, Day 2 was a beautiful experience as Camiguin! Couldn't wait to share our third day with you guys! Meanwhile, here is our sample itinerary and expenses list.

DAY 2: SAMPLE ITINERARY

• 06:00am - Freshen up/prepare things/breakfast
• 07:00am - Go to White Island Sandbar to swim, snorkel, and chill
• 09:30am - Go back to Paguia's; service on the way to the entry point for Mantigue Island
• 10:00am - Arrival at the entry point; leave for Mantigue
• 10:30am - ETA at Mantigue Island
• 10:30am to 11:30 - Snorkel at the marine sanctuary; buy food for lunch
• 12:30pm - Lunch
• 1:00pm - Depart from Mantigue Island
• 1:45pm - ETA at Kibila Giant Clam Conservation and Ocean Nursery
• 1:45pm to 2:45pm - Snorkel and swim
• 2:45pm - Wash up
• 3:00pm - Departure from Kibila Giant Clam Conservation and Ocean Nursery
• 3:15pm - ETA at Benoni Port; buy tickets and pasalubong
• 4:00pm - Departure from Benoni
• 5:00pm - Arrival at Balingoan Port; ride bus going to city proper
• 8:30pm - ETA at Agora Market and dinner
• 9:30pm - Go to hotel/socials/beer night

DAY 2: ROUGH LIST OF EXPENSES

(Please note that this is individually quoted and based on the number of persons who traveled which is in our case 4)

• Island Hopping Tour from Paguia's Cottages (includes boat and multicab transfers, environmental fees, and the other fees except entrance fee to Mantigue Island, snorkeling fee, and hut rentals, accommodation w breakfast) - P1,350
• Umbrella and banig rental from White Island Sandbar - P75
• Entrance fee and snorkeling fee at Mantigue Island - P150
• Lunch at Kibila Giant Clam Conservation and Ocean Nursery - P250
• Snorkeling with the clams - P200
• Hut and entrance fee - P37.50
• Ferry from Benoni Port to Balingoan - P130
• Bus from Balingoan to Agora Market (air-conditioned) - P130
• Dinner - P150
• Cab to Rich Manor Pension House - P50
• Accommodation (1 night) - 350

TOTAL: 2,872.50/PERSON

Again, these are only rough estimates and this is purely based on how I budget my money when traveling (notice the allotted money for lunch and dinner lol) so you can still minimize this or maximize according to how you prefer.

Happy travels!

Love,

Faye

Puerto Princesa City: Underground River & Island Hopping at Honda Bay

There are still a lot more reasons why you should see Puerto Princesa and I do hope that with my Day 2 & 3 insights today, you'll be more eager to visit this great city.

Our service picked us up the next day at 8 in the morning to have our Underground River tour. The port was about 2 hours ride away from the city center. From there, you'll be riding an outrigger boat to Sabang beach where you will have a 10 minutes walk to the paddle boats. There is usually a line to follow as to make the process more smooth and organized. There are seats on one side of the place and your tour guide will usually call you for your turn. The whole underground river tour will last for about 30 minutes, maximum of 45. You'll see a lot of different formations inside and the guides are really funny you'll find yourself a captive of their humor and the magnificent natural creations you'll see.

On the way to Sabang beach

Monkeys lurking around while walking to the paddle boats

The small opening of the Underground River

Inside the cave

It was just in time for lunch when we got back from Sabang and before going to our next destination, we had our buffet lunch first by the beach. It was just a small eatery and it didn't have that much food to choose from but it's enough to satisfy. Anyway, after that we went to Ugong Rock Adventures where spelunking and zipline is available.

I was feeling a bit sick that day so I opted not to try the activities. Also, this part of the tour is optional so it mostly depends on you and your group if you would be participating or would rather go back home. It was already 4pm and we had reservations at Ka Lui for dinner so I kind of influenced mother and boyfriend to go home already so we'd have the time to freshen up and get a little bit of rest.

Ka Lui is a beautiful restaurant located just 10-15 minutes away from our inn and it's definitely a MUST, I repeat... a MUST to go to this restaurant when you're in Palawan. They have really good food and it's pretty artistic inside. You'll know why when you get there! The feel is so cozy and relaxing, you can even rest inside the comfort room and take decent pictures. I swear. Please, please, don't miss this. They are open daily except Sundays and most of the time full so be sure to make reservations. It's simple. Just tell your front desk your desired time and they'll be the one to make the arrangements for you.

One more thing, please make sure your feet don't smell bad

You'd have to walk barefoot inside the restaurant :D

Our table for the night

Buttered shrimp

I forgot the exact name of this one but it certainly is some kind of ginataang isda

Get this! This is really delicious! :)

Sinigang na isda

Grilled tuna

Steamed shrimps

The food is good, not just generally good but very good. So, make sure to try this out when you're in Palawan. After dinner, I tried going out independently for coffee but mother and boyfriend insisted on coming with me and I think it would also be a nice bonding time so we all went to Itoy's Coffee Haus to chill before we sleep and close Day 2.

Generally, the sansrival was good, and the drink as well. Although it felt as if something was out of place but it was generally good. Sorry, it's really hard for me to criticize food they're just all too good for me lol and I order my usual favorites so I hardly find anything wrong with them.

We went back to the inn at around 10 in the evening and front desk informed us that we will be picked up at 7am the next day for our Hunda Bay island hopping tour. I didn't expect much out of the islands since we all know that the beach highlights of Palawan are located in El Nido and Coron but trust me, Puerto Princesa also has a beauty of its own. We were scheduled to go to three islands, Luli, Cowry, and Pandan.

Luli is just a small sandbar that significantly submerges during high tide. By the time we went there, only a small part of it is seen and most of the members of the group decided not to swim anymore. So technically, we just dropped by. 

Just 10-15 minutes away from there is Pandan Island where we stayed until after lunch. You'll know why it's called Pandan when you get there. It has plenty of marine life going on and you don't have to go to the deep parts to be with the fishes. Once you step foot in the water, you better get ready to swim along with them. I saw a clown fish once but it was long gone after.

Sea urchins

Pandan Island

Half of the pictures were taken from my Canon 600D and half of it were from the underwater camera I borrowed. I loved this island, really. I couldn't help but compare; although Cebu still won in terms of the abundant and wide variety of marine life, this one is still worthy of a visit because you don't have to know how to swim to see the fishes, they are within reach swimming side by side even in the shallow parts of the sea.

After our lunch at Pandan, we went to Cowrie or Starfish Island. Guess I don't have to explain where the name came from anymore it's self-explanatory already. And obviously, you'll find a lot of starfishes in here!

Like I said... You'll find a lot of them :)

Cowrie Island

Cowrie was a good place to chill and give yourself a break from snorkeling. Sit under one of the trees you can find along the beach, breathe the air in, feel the fine cream sand on your toes, and drink buko juice or eat anything while taking in the beautiful scenery in front of you.

At around 3:30pm we were already getting ready for departure at 4. Overall, our Hunda Bay island hopping tour was fun and even if it wasn't as good or great as El Nido or Coron (of course, hello) it's still worth it to see and spend your time in here.

If you are also interested in getting the packaged tour that we had, Ysabelle Mansion's contact number is on my previous Palawan write-up. Feel free to check it out.

Happy travels!

Love,

Faye