The Island Explorer

Imagine, this island was just in front of Patrick's on the Beach. It was around 10 minutes away via boat. Though the seas were rough, I made it a point to convince Babu, the resort manager, to take me there. He first told me that I could kayak my way there, but after seeing the waves, he was generous enough to take me there (P500 roundtrip on a big boat). The island was called Guyam. Guyam reminded me of Waniban Island in Mati, though it was much more picturesque. The sand was blinding white, though a bit grainy (not Boracay sand for those who always ask me). The tide was low, so a lot of sand was exposed. The island is surrounded 50% with a sandy beach. The rest was lined with battered rocks facing the raging Pacific. The wind blew hard that day, so the palm trees were dancing. The sun was up though when I docked, so it made my stay more pleasant. There were huts in the center of the island, and no inhabitants. The huts were set-up by the resort owners of General Luna. I heard tha

The journey started in windy Surigao City. I was in the gateway of Mindanao in Surigao del Norte for a video shoot, so as usual, I decided to stay behind for a weekend in Siargao Island. The tropical getaway facing the Pacific Ocean is of course known in the Philippines as a top surfing destination. However, Siargao ihas a lot more to offer, which I am excited to share in my next posts. This was the port in Surigao City. There are several ferries going to Siargao. Just ask any friendly tricycle driver to take you to the port. The safest ferries are the bigger ones, though there is now a flight going directly to Siargao via Cebu. This is the more popular route nowadays. I arrived in Dapa town in Siargao 2 hours after. It was a long journey on rough waters, but I slept most of the way. From Dapa, I took another trike ride (P100) to General Luna, known for its beach. I opted to stay in General Luna as opposed to Cloud 9, since I wasn't a surfer. I stayed in Patrick's by the Beach

Apl.de.Ap of the Black Eyed Peas grooves to this groundbreaking campaign by the Department of Tourism in the Philippines. It's about time we had this kind of media exposure. Watch out for the video on MTV. This video is also a fitting time for the country, after being ravaged by devastating storms. Please support Philippine tourism! Whatever they say, this country still has everything the world has to offer.

I am a fan of Banofie Pies, or Banana Cream Pies. Thus, I was excited when I was brought to Kasagingan in Davao City. Located along Torres St, Kasagingan turns out to be a favorite cafe as well, since there is free Wifi. I like their Banana Cream Pies. The sweetness is just right, and the cream was smooth. I didn't like the crust however, I felt it wasn't firm enough. I also had a Roast Beef Sandwich, which was really good. I wasn't expecting anything, so I guess I was happy with what they served. The beef was tender and the ciabatta bread was soft and tasty. So, when in Davao, try out Kasagingan, perhaps the only banana specialized cafe in the country.

My choice of resort in Alona Beach has got to be Alona Tropical. We spent a night in a fan room that was facing the beach for only P1,100. Yes, that was a prime beach front location. Its patio had a great view of Alona Beach. Panglao has a lot of luxury and exclusive resorts like Eskaya, so Alona Tropical is a relatively inexpensive option. The aircon rooms range from P2,500 to P4,000, depending on the size. We were really surprised that the fan rooms faced the beach. I was told that these three fan rooms were the first rooms of Alona Tropical, and had sentimental value already. But I also heard that they were tearing them down soon to give way to a Presidential Villa, complete with a private pool. I wanted to convince them not to destroy their old fan rooms, but business was still business. What I liked about our bargain room is that we could use all the facilities. Alona Tropical had a huge pool, and landscaped gardens that made the resort so relaxing. But what I really liked about t

Alona beach is the premier beach destination in the famous Panglao Island of Bohol. Fine white powdery sand is matched with a chill out ambience that Alona is known for. The water wasn't as clear, since the weather was quite disturbed. Nevertheless, Alona Beach had its fair share of visitors and bums. Alona Beach stretches for about a kilometer. A lot of resorts with restaurants and bars dot the shore, similar to Boracay. There are also more resorts and restaurants inland, like the famous Bohol Bee Farm, around 1 km away. Though it can't be helped that Alona is compared to Boracay, I conclude that Alona is more laid back and relaxed. Hence, there are really no loud parties left and right. There is a bar that plays dance music, but that's just it. Alona is perfect for families, or couples who just want to spend a quiet time in a nice beach. Though there are more beaches in the Philippines that are better than Alona, its more structured tourism facilities draw the crowds. Alo

We descended from the Chocolate Hills, and realized it was too late to tour the other attractions of Bohol. So, we tried our luck in seeing the tarsiers near the Loboc River. When we arrived, the tarsier sanctuary was closed already, so we tried to talk to the caretakers to let us in for a while. We agreed to pay a higher than average price (P100) to have a glimpse of the world's smallest monkeys. We were surprised that we were allowed to hold the tarsiers! I knew it wasn't allowed, but since we were a special case (meaning no other tourists), the caretakers let out the furry little creatures and let us take pictures of them while they were in our arms. We took so long taking pictures, and I guess some of the tarsiers got stressed. I was even bitten by one, but it was just a shallow bite. The Loboc River was beautiful at dusk. It looked so mysterious and alluring. The sun has set, so we headed our way back to check-in in Alona Tropical Beach Resort in Panglao. NOTE: On the way

When I wrote about the Chocolate Hills landing in the Forbes list of most astonishing landscapes, I was so eager to book a trip to Bohol. One day, while I was in Cebu, we spontaneously decided to spend a night in Bohol. We travelled via ferry at noontime, hoping to see the hills by 4PM. From the Tagbilaran port, we hired a van for P2,000 to take us around Bohol in the little time we had left. The Chocolate Hills were our priority so we drove there instantly. It was also the furthest of the well known attractions in Bohol. We passed by the Baclayon Church, the Loboc River and the Tarsier sanctuary. We didn't stop though, and decided to just try our luck on our way back. We did stop to take a snapshot of the picturesque man-made forest (pic above). I didn't expect anything great from the hills, because I knew the photo I saw in the Forbes list was enhanced already. I was in for a surprise. As soon as the first hills rolled out into the horizon, my eyes opened wide. The landscape

I never thought getting into Bohol would be this easy. Sure, I've heard from most Cebuanos that it's just two hours away by boat. Some of my other friends say you can even do just a day trip to Bohol and be back in Cebu by night time. Bohol has been an elusive destination for me. I've been meaning to go for so long. Unfortunately, all my planned trips to Bohol get messed up. So, one day, while in Cebu, we decided to be spontaneous and head for Bohol, just to spend one night. Our trip started by going to the Supercat terminal in Cebu (near SM City). The ferry terminal was efficient, and had ample security. It actually felt like an old airport. There are 3 to 4 ferry companies going to Bohol, and Supercat is just one of them. I heard they have the best fleet. Weesam is the next best thing. I was surprised to see a modern catamaran, much like the ones used in the Macau-HK link. And this one was quite new. We got business class tickets (P850 one way), because the economy seats

Club Serena is probably the most upscale resort in Moalboal. It is located in Bas Daku, just 100 meters from Ravenala Resort (where I usually stay). The place looks cozy, with the nice day beds scattered all across the resort. There are limited rooms, like 10 only, making it a quiet getaway. Club Serena has a swimming pool, which accounts for the higher price. The pool looks so inviting in a hot day, or after swimming in the salty beach waters of Moalboal. We happened to get into Club Serena because Ravenala had no more stocks for breakfast. So we had our morning brunch in Club Serena. The service took so long though, since there was only one wait staff to tend to all the guests. And the resort was full. Club Serena has a clean beach front. We even spotted a boat named Karylle docking (hey, K, you have a boat here!) Club Serena is a colorful resort, I guess with better room accommodations. We weren't able to check out the rooms, since they were all occupied. I heard that President