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Day 3 marked our last morning in Cebu and our first day in Bohol. I went to pier early to buy our tickets, the tickets to the Super Cat ferry to Tagbilaran were already sold out so I had to go to Weesam Express – a company that doesn’t have a website that shows up in the first page of Google search results when you look for pings. Despite this ominous red flag, the trip to Bohol was relatively free of any inconvenience. Aside from the atrocious subtitles on the onboard movie (“Crash”), the ride was mostly tolerable and uneventful.

We reached Tagbilaran City after about two hours at sea. We were fetched at the pier and we quickly made our way to my friend’s beach front rest house. It was a big house with three rooms that easily fit the nine other people who went with me for the trip. The photo above was actually taken on the last day – when all of us were at least heavier – both in terms of shades of tan and actual body weight after all the beach bumming and scarfing. Continue Reading »

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The first day in Cebu was an absolute trip – there was great food all throughout the day and we closed out the night with an awesome set courtesy of Next Stage in VuDu. Day 2 meant that our small group of three was to expand to a merrier band of nine as the other members of Team Manila flew in to the city.

Before meeting up with the rest of the team, we stretched the time we had in Hotel Pier Cuatro and relished every minute of shut eye that we could get. Before making our way to the other hotel that the team would be staying in, we trooped to CnT first to grab our second lechon lunch for the trip. Yup, healthy eating was definitely in the agenda for this trip. Continue Reading »

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We were invited by Cebu Trivia Night for a Manila versus Cebu special last weekend (this will be tackled on a later entry) and for some reason, two of my friends and I decided to fly the day before of the event to give us a chance to see what the city had to offer. It’s been almost four years since my last trip to Cebu so I was pretty sure that there would have been a lot of changes already.

We stayed at Hotel Pier Cuatro – a hotel that’s near, well, Pier Cuatro. The accommodations were quite basic but the price was a good deal – 1380 pesos for three people with free breakfast sure sounds like a steal, yes? The staff was very friendly and helpful and the guard even helped me retrieve a bag that I accidentally left inside the cab that we took from the airport (I know…). This hotel is NOT in a posh area of the city but it is close to Park Mall and SM Cebu. Pier 4 is also the same pier that one would go to to catch the SuperCat ferry to Tagbilaran, Bohol.

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I first heard about Marlboro Country, Sagada while watching one of Howie Severino‘s documentaries on I-Witness. I have already been to Mountain Province four times when the episode aired so I was very surprised that no one has ever told me about the wild horses.

The story ends somewhat sad for these once proud steeds. There are only three of them left galloping along the meadows and hills of Lamangan – a barangay in Western Sagada. Most of the time, hikers won’t be able to see them. Their droppings would be everywhere though; it might puzzle most why so much dung is in the area considering there are only three horses around.

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I’ve been invited to speak as one of the lecturers for this event. It’s a great honor and we at Visit Sagada are very privileged to have been picked by the good people at YouthTrip Philippines. I will be there on Saturday afternoon to pitch for Sagada, Mountain Province and why the youth should consider it as their next backpacking destination. There will also be other people who will present other places in the area like Banaue and Batad.

What: Destination: PiliPinas – Conquering the Cordilleras

When: August 22 2009 4pm

Where: Travel Club TriNoMa

See you there.

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I figured most of you would be interested in how you could have your own scuba diving experience after reading my last few entries so let me share this how-to guide.

What do I need to dive?

While there are dive centers that would typically allow non-divers to have short “intro” dives, the best way to make the most of your time and money is to have yourself certified. Various diving organizations sanction the certification process with PADI being the most popular outfit.  Unlimited Diving offers a reasonably priced program at 8000php for a CMAS certification. You may call  Cell Globe 0917-TX Diver [893-4837] Smart 0929-8182478 for inquiries. Please tell them that you have been referred via this site.

Most dive resorts would have a well-stocked dive shop complete with gear for rentals. You can still go diving even if you don’t have any scuba equipment with you, just be prepared to shell out money for rentals. As you  dive more and more often, you might want to consider investing in equipment since you’ll probably recoup your initial expenses by saving on rental fees in the long run.

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