Nagsasa Cove, Zambales

(photo by AllanBarredo, NIKON D50, May 16, 2009)

Nagsasa Cove (pronounced as NAG-SASA) is located further south of Anawangin Cove in Zambales. To date, this beautiful corner of Zambales is what Anawangin used to look like before they setup flags there and before the hoards of multitude invaded it resulting in bumper to bumper tents and overcrowded shores.

(photos: below left, google rendition, below right:NagsasaCove by AllanBarredo May 16, 2009)

This cove has a visible aeta community of around 7 families or roughly 30 people. Their leader or spokesman is who we refer to as Mang Ador, a wirey fellow in his late 30s who is married to an aeta woman. Mang Ador, with the help of good hearted visitors such as Mr.Ryan Guzman, has taken it upon himself to improve his corner of this cove so as to make it camper friendly. He lives on the NORTH side of the cove while the rest of the aeta community lives on the SOUTH side. Mang Ador is not an aeta himself but hails from La Union.





THE CAMPSITE:
One of Nagsasa's features is this lake with a superb view of the mountain range. One can enjoy this scenery while cooling off in the clear waters of the lake.

(photo below:NagsasaLake by AllanBarredo May 16, 2009)

Mang Ador has already setup 5 long tables along the shoreline for campers to use. He also setup a small bahay kubo with papag for visitors. There is a handpump at the back of the campsite as well as two toilets similar in construction to those in Anawangin. Mang Ador always sees to it that all toilets have water so since we were a group of about 40(the largest he has entertained so far), he never stopped fetching water from the pumps! (poor guy!) He does not charge any fees for these facilities (yet) so we took it upon ourselves to give 100pesos per head nalang. Other groups such as that of Ryan Guzman's make it a point to bring 2 extra canned food each to leave with Mang Ador.

(CAMPSITE photos by AllanBarredo May 16, 2009)

There was an abundance of fishcatch, mainly bangus(milkfish), while we were there (due to the recent storm) so they were selling it at 40pesos per fish. These fishes weighed approximately 1.5 kilos and were really FAT and delicious. You can ask Mang Ador if he or the others have any fresh fish, they usually do, and buy them to add to your meal. Nakatulong ka na, fresh at masarap pa yung kakainin mo.

(photo below:NagsasaLake by AllanBarredo May 16, 2009)

There are many pine trees where you can tie your hammock and/or clotheslines. Since there is absolutely NO CELLPHONE SIGNAL anywhere on this cove, I suggest you turn your cellphone OFF, lie down on your hammock and let the wind rock you to sleep while you listen to the soothing sound of the birds and the waves.

(photo below:HAMMOCK central by KitLava May 17, 2009)

THE BEACH:
The beach is composed of the same volcanic sand that covers the whole zambales shoreline stretch. It gets VERY HOT during noontime so take caution to don your footwear pls.

(photo below:NagsasaCove at 6AM, by AllanBarredo May 16, 2009)

Unlike in Anawangin, the waters are very calm since the cove is very big. Also, there is a very nice snorkling area about 100meters off the campsite shore with a depth of about 20feet. I noticed a lot of coral formations as well as abundant and colorful fishes there. I do hope dynamite fishers do not touch that area.

If you happen to witness dynamite fishing then don't be afraid to speak up! Get their attention and let them know that what they are doing is wrong. Take out that nice digicam and snap away! Report them and their vessel to the local barangay. Enough damage has been done by both these people and those who condone them by their silence! After all, we deserve the environment we help create diba.


THE FALLS:
One of Nagsasa Cove's special features is this beautiful cascading waterfalls that can be reached via a 30minute leasurely hike to the south of the campsite. You can ask Mang Ador or one of his fellows to guide you to the falls. Just give the guide a small tip (50pesos or so) afterwards. The waters are clean and clear due to the fact that settlers are forbidden to take residence upstream.














(photos courtesy of KitLava, May 16, 2009)
TIP: Go up just a bit higher along the cascading falls and sit in one of the larger crevices. You get to view the mountain range while cooling down as if you were in your own private INFINITY POOL.





HOW TO GET THERE:

(photo by Allan Barredo, May 16, 2009)

Its pretty much the same as going to Anawangin. Only the boat fare and distance from Pundaquit to Nagsasa cove is greater. We used our usual boatman Mang Vic. His boat is quite big so 10 of us were able to fit in it. Our gear, however, had to be loaded on a smaller boat. The big boat charge was 3k and the smaller boat charge was 1.2k so thats about 420pesos per head.
Mang Vic will soon be using his new boat which is big enough to hold 25 passengers so please call him if you have a large group. His number is still +639297170739. He can also buy mineral water for you and lend you containers for them.
We arrived in Pundaquit in the wee hours of Saturday morning, at 2AM, and were able to leave for Nagsasa at 3AM. Since it was such an ungodly hour, I'm really grateful that Mang Vic was so accomodating. I didn't hear a word of complaint from him!
You can apply the Anawangin sample itinerary and costings found in my old blogs for Nagsasa.





PARKING:
Numerous parking areas have sprung up in Pundaquit so parking should not be a problem. The normal parking fee charge there is 100pesos per night. Make sure your vehicles are secure and all parking lights are off when you leave it.


CAUTION1: SANDFLY ALERT!
The (rocky area)northern tip of Nagsasa beach has sandflies. If possible, avoid this area during sunrise and sunset. If you need to go to this rocky area during these time periods consider taking VitaminB first or putting some Citronella Oil as suggested in this site.


CAUTION2: CROWN OF THORNS
The coral area in Nagsasa has a number of C.O.T. starfishes. DO NOT TOUCH the thorns! It releases a neurotoxin that can cause a sharp stinging pain lasting hours, as well as nausea and vomiting. For more information on COTs please click here.
Divers who plan to go to Nagsasa please bring large thongs and sacks(or sodium bisulfate injections) and volunteer some of your time to remove a few of these and bury in the sand. During low tide, the COT locations are shallow enough to reach and extract safely without dive gear. DO NOT CUT OR DAMAGE them during extraction as this will (supposedly) cause them to release eggs thereby aggravating the situation even further. Thanks




Visit my friend's blog by clicking this link (AllanBarredo's LANTAW blog) to see more of his exemplary photographs of Nagsasa Cove and read his writeups.

TAMBOBONG ON MY MIND

(photo: osmena beach front, just in front of barangay captain's house)

This place really has a stronghold not only on me but on all of us who have been there. What keeps us coming back? Maybe its the memory of all that fresh seafood? Or the simple life of the fisherfolk. Or the increadibly beautiful powdery-white sand and clear waters? Perhaps its the affable locals we have now come to regard as dear friends. Truly it is a blessing for us to meet such wonderful folk as Leon Bobis and family. It amazes me how they keep smiling through all their strife and even this last hardship of loosing their home to the most recent typhoon.











Our last foray into the sleepy town of Dasol was, of course, pleasantly relaxing. This time a friend of mine brought some of his photo-buddies from flickr and had a great time taking images of the place.



This time we went to Dasol via SLEX, Luisita Exit, then onto Alaminos then to Dasol. We were able to cut travel time by almost half because we were able to travel very fast on that road to Alaminos.










Also, we were able to sleep at one of the huts instead of our tents. It took away some of that "outdoor" experience but it did not diminish our enjoyment of Tambobong in the least. I slept like a baby on their cool bamboo floor.











We discovered something new in Tambobong this time.












A fresh water pool inside a hidden cave not far from the beach. According to the locals, this used to be a very famous source of fresh water for this area and the waters purportedly contain healing properties. I noticed that despite the evindence of people bathing here, the waters remain crystal clear. This means that the waters are constantly being renewed by a network of springs and canals.














I went back to Balinmanok Wreck and noticed an increase in marine life. I saw several hundreds of different types. There were even three huge ones, about 3-kilos each, but I failed to classify them. The waters were clear and cool so some of us can't help diving into the inviting waters from atop the wreck. I'm glad to see our companions enjoying themselves and taking a break from their picture taking.





One can go beach-hopping for days here and won't run out of beautiful venues. I'd love to stay at least a week in this peaceful place and sit on its beaches, just sipping cold beer and thinking of nothing in particular. Someday....

Tambobong, Pangasinan! 4 months later!

(photo: clear waters of Tambobong, Dasol, Pangasinan April 11, 2008)

We decided to go back and revisit Tambobong 4 months after our first foray into these parts. I'm really glad we did because we weren't disappointed. Our gracious host Mr.Leon Bobis, a local fisherman/mechanic, really took time to take us around the nearby islands and beaches.

We left Manila at 11pm and arrived in the town of Osmena, beside Tambobong, at 5:30am. For those who worry about road conditions, the last 18km or so is partly rough road but manageable even with our small rear-wheel drive, 600cc suzuki carry van.

(photo: hermana mayor island map, prime beach and airstrip images courtesy of TONET)

(photo below: hermana mayor island, NNE tip resort area)

Our host, Mr.Bobis, arranged our bangka and we were able to leave for Hermana Mayor Island at around 7am. I still know little about this so-called "private" island. A lot of rumors but little facts. What I do know is that there are deer and livestock injected into the island as well as leisure facilities constructed within it. When viewed via google earth, the island resembles a foot(and probably stinks as bad as its owners). Their lapdogs, literally stinky old men and obviously uneducated, were very rude and practically told us to just get lost.



BALAKI ISLAND, INFANTA, PANGASINAN
To cut the story short, we decided to visit the nearby Balaki Island near Infanta and spend the day there, then go back to Osmena to setup camp in the evening. It was a true blessing in disguise as we would not have been able to fully enjoy Tambobong, Osmena and Burgos otherwise!

(photos: on the way to balaki island, aerial shot of balaki island courtesy of TONET)












Balaki Island is about 6.5 kilometers away from Hermana Mayor Island and about 4 kilometers away from the Infanta port. There is a new facility built there which the locals call a "Resort". I was so tired from driving all night that I immediately fell asleep when my back hit the folding bed. My companions and some of the local fisherfolk went ahead and caught some fish for our lunch and BOY did they catch a bounty! The beach water was BEAUTIFUL and there was plenty of fish here. One of the students, Deo, was able to catch fish enough to feed all of us by himself. The rest of the fish was brought back to their respective families for dinner that evening.
We drank mangganog (lambanog+mangga) that evening while we feasted on a delicious moray eel and octopus we caught earlier.

(photos: nipa hut houses in burgos, strange coral beach, cool resting place, friendly folk in burgos)

























TIMAPOG NA BATO, BURGOS, PANGASINAN
The next day we went to Timapog-na-bato which is a huge rock on a beach in Sitio Iliw-Iliw, Burgos. It is a barangay beside tambobong. The beach was a solid rock of coral or lime... The locals say that the sand comes and goes with the season. We brought only some mangoes and mangganog. We met a very friendly group there who shared their lunch with us and we shared our mangganog with them as well. Some in our group caught some more fish to add to lunch and we had a great time! There was a crisis when one of our boats ran out of gas and since nobody brought any money, we exchanged some lambanog for gasoline - to which the locals were just so happy to oblige! (siempre!)

(photos: on the way to balinmanok, balinmanok wreck, fresh fish for lunch!)











BALINMANOK, OSMENA, PANGASINAN
On our last day in Osmena, we visited the Balinmanok Wreck which, according to the stories, was a chinese smuggling vessel shipwrecked during the Estrada Presidency in 2000 carrying 600 kilos of shabu. The chinese were apprehended but somehow the shabu caught amounted to a mere 250kilos.

The wreck has been stripped of valuables and metals. It now acts as an artificial reef for small fish. According to our guide, the locals even dynamite this from time to time in desperation.

(photo: seagull in the eye of the crocodile!)

The surrounding waters around the wreck was cool and clear and we all enjoyed jumping from the bow of the ship into the crystal clear waters below. Our companions again caught some fish for us to lunch on and we all enjoyed our freetime after lunch just sleeping or playing frisbee and boomerang. The kids played in the waters all afternoon and got severe sunburns as a result.







(photo: waters around crocodile island, kabakungan cave, cave pool)











KABAKUNGAN, TAMBOBONG, PANGASINAN
We then proceeded to go to one of the secret hiding places in tambobong. The Kabakungan cave! At low tide the waters in this cave is a clear ,chest deep swimming pool ! PERFECT for spending hot summer days!


The unspoiled beauty of tambobong is there for those who know where to look. There is nothing so beautiful as lying on its beaches while you let the sound of the waves lull you to sleep. Eating freshly caught fish with a sip of cold mangganog or an ice cold beer in your hand. Ah! Philippine summer is simply THE BEST!

PLEASE Visit the blog of my friend Allan !
(he posted fantastic images of our trip)
>> balaki island
>> balinmanok wreck
>> timapog na bato
>> kabakungan cave

Anawangin Cove, Zambales

Anawangin Cove, Zambales Jan, 2008

Its been a while since I updated this travel blog. Not that I've stopped travelling but because I just can't find the time to organize both my thoughts and the images I took. Besides, things have been really crazy lately especially with my moving to a new house and the usual year-end schedules. I've been to a number of interesting places but I'll start with the most recent one since its what is most fresh in my mind. Anawangin cove.

(photo: Capones Island and Pundaquit shore)












I noticed this cove back in 2005 while looking for places to go. The cove looked promising even at low res then. It looked even better when they upgraded the image to hi-res! One could clearly see a couple of lakes and what clearly were not coconut trees.

Google Earth lists a different name for the cove, something like Galaguagin Cove?... but I can't recall it right now. The cove lies just a bit south of Pundaquit, Zambales.

(photo: Pundaquit resort tables where we slept while waiting for dawn. The boatman, Mang Vic, let us use it for free. Call him at +639297170739 to reserve. Also, there's parking available! see rightmost image, you can see a car parked at the back)








Unsure about parking, we decided to go there by bus. To get the most out of the weekend, we left manila on the 11pm Victory liner bus from Caloocan.

Our itinerary looked like this...

開始： 2008/01/12
終了： 2008/01/13
場所： Bgy. Pundaquit, San Antonio, Zambales
ITINERARY - ANAWANGIN and CAPONES ISLAND

Day 1 - January 11 Friday

1030 PM Assembly Victory Liner Caloocan
1130 PM ETD San Antonio, Zambales via Iba-bound Bus
http://www.victoryliner.com/tripschedules1.htm

Day 2 - January 12 Saturday

0230 ETA San Antonio, Zambales/ board trike to Bgy. Pundaquit
- eat some goto sa gotohan dun sa kanto
0330 ETA Pundaquit, Zambales, makitulog sa resort ni manong
0730 Board banca to Anawangin, side trip to Capones Island
- can't get to the lighthouse kasi low tide, balik ulit bukas
0900 Arrived at Anawangin Cove/ Set Camp, tulog ulit?
1230 LUNCH
1400 EXPLORATION / SWIM / FRISBEE / BOOMERANG / PICS
1900 DINNER and Socials

Day 3 - January 13 Sunday

0630 Wake Up/ Prepare Breakfast
0730 BREAKFAST
0800 Swimming Swimming Explore Explore
1300 Break Camp
1400 Board boat for Capones Island
- took pics of lighthouse
1530 Leave Capones for Bgy. Pundaquit
- get a tricyle to SanAntonio
1630 Get regular bus to Olongapo Victory Liner
1800 Depart for Manila (victory liner olongapo)
2130 Arrived at Balintawak

=NOTES=

1) Bring goggles and/or your snorkel set!
2) Bring a hammock, if you have one
3) Secure provisions before the trip. Remember, there's no electricity in
the area :)
4) There's a water source at the campsite that's good for cooking and
washing. Bring drinking water though.
5) The last bus at Victory Caloocan leaves at 11:30PM so DON'T BE LATE!!!
6) bring a thin blanket. VERY USEFUL sa bus and in the tent

=PROJECTED EXPENSES=

P219.00 x 2 = Bus from Pasay to San Antonio, Zambales and back
P40.00 x 2 = Tricycle from Bgy Pundaquit and back
P1800.00/5 people = Round trip boat fare plus 2 side trips to Capones
(360@pax)
P300.00 = Food and Provisions

Estimated Budget: 438 + 80 + 360 + 300 = P 1,178 pesos@pax


We arrived at San Antonio before 3am. Tricycle drivers IMMEDIATELY approached us and offered a ride to Pundaquit. DO NOT agree to their 100@tricycle offer and insist on 80pesos only. We were a group of 5 so we had to get two tricycles.

BUT FIRST... kain muna tayo ng GOTO!










Hindi masyadong malasa yung goto pero mainit naman. And remember, this was at 3am. Meron din fried rice and sisig so chibog muna kami lahat.

While eating, I found out that the market does not open until 7am. I was surprised and asked why since I am used to Balintawak Market which opens at 4am - ang sagot? "Eh wala ka naman sa Maynila eh!" - fine... mga tamad ang tao sa probinsiya. And I always thought these people woke up early... baka napupuyat din kaka DOTA? not...


Anyway, in a pinch, I agreed to giving the tricycle driver some money to get supplies for us while we take a little nap in pundaquit. I gave the guy 700 pesos to get a few kilos of pork, a 5 gallon mineral water, some rekados, charcoal, ice and kerosene. The chap was nice enough to lend us his icebox!

He brought us to Pundaquit and introduced us to our boatman Mang Vic(+639297170739). The regular small boats(1.2k balikan) could probably hold 4 small people with a few gear but not 5 huge guys with 2days worth of supplies and equipment. We settled on 1.8k for rental of his big boat with a trip to Capones Island on the side. Pretty good deal I think. It's certainly a lot cheaper than what those bancas in Anilao would charge.

As expected, the tricycle driver ran late and arrived past 7am already. We visited Capones Island but was not able to go the farside because of the low tide. We just walked around the shore and took some pictures before traversing the 6kilometers or so trip to Anawangin cove from there.

(photo: Capones Island, east side. Notice the strange rock formations, leftmost photo)











I was stunned by the beauty and tranquility of Anawangin cove. Not only was it cool because of the pine tree forest, the scenery was fantastic. The water, although painfully lacking in marine life and corals, was calm, clear and comfortable. PLUS your eyes are treated to this wonderful encompassing view of the hills and tree forrest.

(photo: setting up camp, checking supplies)











I setup my hammock, mixed a cold alcoholic drink and relaxed. No sound but the wind and the sea - THIS IS THE LIFE!



The next day we decided to go and find the water source at the base of the mountains. I thought it was about half a kilometer from the camp but in reality it was about 3 kilometers east of the campsite. Needless to say we gave up before we found this water source. The local Aeta we met, mang danny, was friendly enough to guide one of our lost companions to safety and confirm its existence. He also helped avert danger by bringing our attention to the numerous snakes that came across our way.

(photo: river ran through this, careful! Watch out for snakes ! -rightmost image)








(photo: nice toilet, friendly native, poso!)












Anawangin cove is unique in that it has both fresh water lake river and saltwater shore side by side. The small hills that surround are safe and ideal for climbing. The scenery it offers after the climb is often too much a reward for the effort.


We packed our stuff and headed to the lighthouse at Capones island for some quick pics. Then off we went back to our insignificant lives in Manila. All in all another excellent vacation!

(photo: capones island light house, gate and final farewell to pundaquit shores)














More images of Anawangin here ALLAN'S FLICKR
and more stories here ALLAN'S BLOG

Tambobong and Osmena beaches in Pangasinan

sunset at Tambobong, Pangasinan Dec, 2007

The town of Tambobong lies in the western tip of Pangasinan. A quiet and sleepy town for the most part, it has beautiful powdery white sand and very clear waters. As is expected from fishing communities, overfishing has destroyed most of the corals. One can still see a few fishes and marine life here and there. In fact one of the kids, Christian, was able to catch a "pugita" (octopus).
(photo:rough road from Dasol, convoy, more rough roads ahead)











This town, small as it is, was divided further into two towns, namely, the town of Tambobong and Osmena. There is not much trade in this town and we even found it hard to get a couple of beers, if possible, bring enough supplies to last your stay.
(photo: Ui town, stop over, horsing around)












The current kapitana, Mrs. Arroyo, was really gracious and kind. She dispatched some barangay tanods to watch over our camp and keep us from probable harm. I suspect it was also partly to keep us from getting rowdy.
(photo: Tambobong at last, beach with powdery sand, local kids during dinner)












We setup camp on the beach and one of the locals was kind enough to lend us their poso(hand pump) and toilet. The locals are very friendly and their children often come to our camp to listen to our stories and tell us stories of their own.
(photo:breakfast the next day, camp wakes up, tranquil beach shore)











We hired a boat to take us to a nearby island called "Collabra Island" or otherwise called snake island. This island supposedly has lots of snakes which mostly come out at night. We made sure to visit early in the day so we did not see a single snake on the island or around in its waters. It was a beautiful island and we ate lunch and swam in its shores. I noticed that the waters in tambobong had better visibility than in this island though.
(photo: collabra island, snake island beach)












From the shores of snake island, one can see another bigger island. It was only later that I found out this was the famous Hermana Mayor Island.
I think we'll visit her next.
(photo: tambobong town, local kids playing)












Our route to tambobong took us up Subic base, then traversing the Zambales National Road, we slowly crept up to Pangasinan. When we reached Dasol, we took a left turn towards Tambobong by way of UI town(strange name for a town)

By public: Ride a bus from Manila to Sta.Cruz. You must arrive in the morning so take the 11pm bus in any of the Victory liner stations. The Caloocan Victory liner has the best schedule. Their last bus leaves at 12midnight (Php 384.00 one way)

CLICK HERE for VictoryLinerSchedules

From Sta.Cruz, ride a jeep or minibus going to Dasol (Php 35pesos approx.)

Then from Dasol market, ride a jeep going to Tambobong (Php 30pesos approx.)
The jeeps leave when they fill up with passengers so there is no particular schedule. However, you will get more chances of riding it in the morning rather than in the afternoon. Evening departures are rare.

A two way trip for 1 person will cost approximately Php 900 pesos.

Cebu ! (Tarsiers, Nulusan Island, and Tabo-an dry fish market)

tarsier reserve, Bohol Island Sept 2007

I went on a vacation trip to Cebu last September 18, 2007. Cebu is a lovely city with a deep cultural and religious background. The following are some excerpts from this trip to Cebu.

WATERFRONT HOTEL CEBU
We stayed at the Waterfront Hotel in Cebu. After you deplane, make sure you know which hotel youa re going to. One is in Mactan Island and one is in Cebu Island. Make sure you know where you are going and instruct the taxi driver properly.
(photos: rice all you can lady, quaint plates, sizzling food!)














Golden Cowrie
(delicious, affordable chinese/filipino food with rice all you can!)

Upon arriving in Mactan Internation Airport Cebu, don't ask for a taxi. Just go out of the airport and up that flight of stairs across the street. BIG price difference. We asked manong taxi driver for suggestions on good cebu food and Golden Cowrie Restaurant came up. So, after dumping our bags at our hotel, to Golden Cowrie we went(odd name for a restaurant).

Their blue marlin panga and shellfish in black bean was delicious! Plus its rice all you can kaya sulit talaga. Pretty reasonable prices too. Cheaper than gerry's grill.
(photos: pier4 air conditioned waiting area, weesam fastcraft, 1st class seats)












BOHOL
Cebu Pier4 waiting area for Weesam fast craft to Tagbilaran (350pesos one way 1st class, 300 for ordinary) Our target for this Bohol day trip was first the Tarsiers, then the Loboc River Lunch Cruise, and finally the majestic Chocolate hills in the center of Bohol.


TARSIER RESERVE
"Day-old monkey" has become a recent popular replacement for the "day-old chick", delicacy in the Philippines.



How to eat day-old monkies
1. Act like you care.............. 2. Look closely for pests............. 3. Pumili at Pitikin para mahilo

4. Then Bite!

5. and BITE!

(Joke lang: no animals were hurt in making this blog)

The tarsier reserve is truly concerned about the welfare and future of these small gently creatures. I have heard that some illegal setups have begun to pop up because of the popularity of these local fauna. The taxi drivers are in cahoots with local cafe and restaurants who illegally catch tarsiers and put them on display in their respective restaurants. The tarsiers often end up in a box either taken home by foreigners or because of death due to mishandling. To those going to Bohol, please report these establishments and help stop these shameful acts.
(photos: loboc river cruise boats, jofel seated, song and dance entertainment)










LOBOC RIVER CRUISE
After petting the monkies, we went rode on the wooden bangka to eat lunch while we cruise the river. The fee for this buffet lunch was 250 per head and consisted of bbq, fried veggies, rice and pansit. There was a new treat that did not used to be there a few years ago. Near the end of the river run you get to be serenaded by groups of singers along the river.
There are number of groups along the river and each have a different set of singers and dancers. I guess the boats dock according to preference of the boat owners. They both sing and dance and you are encouraged to make donations. The river cruise culminates near the small falls called Tontonan Falls. The whole trip takes around 1hour.
(photos: chocolate hills bohol)










CHOCOLATE HILLS
More than 1500 of these uniformly shaped mounds can be seen from on top of the view point. It is amazing to realize that there ARE NOT MANMADE as the task would be impossible and even harder than making the pyramids in Egypt. Moreover, these hills are composed of fossilized corals which means they were once submerged under the sea. Truly a breathtaking and amazing place to see.
(photos: Loboc church and museum, church front, Bohol tricycles)









LOBOC CHURCH and the MUSEO DE LOBOC
First established in dedication to San Pedro Apostol. The church, however, was badly destroyed by fire sometime in 1660. But the parishioners did not lose hope. In 1670, the present church was built from the ruins of the old church, and it was completed in 1734.Inside the church, remarkable native paintings on the ceilings and walls tell fascinating stories of the past. The Spanish coat of arms can also be found in the stone wall near the entrance of the convent. Snugly nestled in the compound of the ancient building of God is Museo de Loboc where the well-preserved historical artifacts and a few old statues of saints are kept.
(photos: huge crab, crab choices, waiting for our food)










ALAVARS RESTAURANT
Alavar's Restaurant in Salinas Drive Cebu reopened in October 2006 after a lull of 8 long years. I knew that their signature dishes involved prawns and crabs, both of which were in abundance in cebu. The high prices of these precious commodities in Manila was probably one of the reasons they closed their Manila franchise. The current managers of Alavar's Cebu, Mr. Allan Uy and Maritess Alavar were very accomodating. They personally attended to each one of their patrons and talked to us about the history of their restaurant. They even gave us a complimentary dish of their golden crispy crablets which were crisp and it was so delicious that we ended up ordering another dish. I especially liked their Prawn Alavar and Crab in Alavar Sauce. As expected, the bill was a bit hefty since crabs are priced per 100grams so we ended up paying 8k for 6pax... ouch!
(photo: long boardwalk to island, seafood buffet!, everyone's happy)















NALUSUAN ISLAND (KR travel & tours)
On the second day we left the hotel at 8am for our island hopping tour. We were picked up by service cars arranged by KR Travel. (We got a 7hour island hopping tour + lunch for PhP1,660 pesos from KR Travel&Tours)
Be advised that the boat trip from Cebu to the coral garden is both rough and very wet. Do not wear any electronic items as you will be thoroughly drenched at the end of the 45minute ride.

The coral garden was terrific. The waves were a bit rough but there are a lot of live corals and marine life to see. I saw a small school of gigantic trumpet fish, about 40 to 50 in all.
(photos:nalusuan island boardwalk, lunch at the island, volleyball game)











After that we headed straight to Nalusuan Island for lunch. We were served a buffet of crabs, tiger prawns, bbq chicken, bbq pork and mixed fruits dessert. Everyone had fun snorkelling and playing volleyball on the island. There was also a captive sea turtle in their pond (illegally?).



GRAND MAJESTIC (chinese restaurant)
This chinese restaurant on Archbishop Reyes Avenue is where we held our final banquet. It is just a few minutes walk from Waterfront Hotel Cebu. They serve good chinese food and the price was very reasonable. Our 7 course meal for 12people costed 4000 pesos only. Drinks are additional
(photos: TABO-AN mountains and baskets of dried fish!!!)











TABO-AN DRY FISH MARKET
Before going to the airport, we took some time to go to the famous TABO-AN dry fish market in downtown Tres de Abril, Cebu City. It took about 15minutes from our hotel(no traffic) and about 70pesos. This dry fish market had HUGE stockpiles of various dried fish! I have never seen anything like it before in my life. My suggestion is DON'T go there on your way to the airport as the smell of dry fish sticks to your clothes. The red fish you see in the pictures are Isdang Tocino and they taste great. The tinderas will cook samples of all the fish for you and even offer you some rice to go with your taste test - instant breakfast! sarap!

A good guide and list of establishments....
http://www.asiatravel.com/cebu/cebugui.html

Light house, Croc Farm, and Kamarikutan coffee house in Palawan

KamarikutanCoffeeHousePalawanOctober8,2007

Palawan trip. Third day (farewell palawan!)
BancaoBancao Lighthouse
(photo:stairs to the beach, lighthouse, wall, eman atop the lighthouse)




















Early the next day we decided to go to the lighthouse in barangay BancaoBancao. It's about 20mins ride by tricycle and the last part passes through some rough road overgrown with chest-high weeds. Apparently this is not a popular tourist spot - ... which is great! There was even a decrepit resort with big slides and pools. I found out later that it was closed a few years ago because, apparently, a child of one of its patrons died there. The BancaoBancao light house has been inoperative for the last few years now.
(photo:lighthouse solar power collector, balay inato restaurant tables, restaurant/hotel front)











Balay Inato (chicken inasal fast food resto)
An open-air fast-food style restaurant was all we had time for. The chicken inasal served in this restaurant was half cooked. Malas yata ako sa chicken inasal because that was strike 2 na. I won't even bother talking about strike 1. This restaurant has recently constructed rooms-for-rent fronting the dining tables. Its horribly apparent that no one will enjoy staying in those rooms because of the loud blaring music emanating from loudspeakers all over the place.
(photo: crocodile pen, baby croc petting session, largest crocodile found in palawan)













Crocodile Farm
After lunch we hastily made our way to the crocodile farm which is about 45minutes away. There were not too many crocodiles around because of recent events causing high death rates. Notice the HUGE crocodile skeleton above. Just imagine being assaulted by one of these monsters! A waist high croc that's more than twice (2x) the average height!!! WOW, gives me shivers! Alas we did not have much time to go around as we had to check in the airport for our flight back to Manila.
(photo:waiting for our coffee, pond, allan relaxing)













"Kamarikutan": coffee house
After we checked in our bags, we did manage to slip out and go to this beautiful coffee house called the Kamarikutan. The name roughly translates to "Wilderness Coffee Gallery" and is open from 8AM till 11PM and serves very good coffee (starbucks price nga lang!). The natural vegetation in its large garden creates a nice "wilderness" ambiance. The art on display is probably for sale because visitors are not allowed to take any pictures of it. Kamarikutan is on Rizal Avenue and is only about 100 meters from the main entrance to the airport.


If you need a good guide/ride around palawan I recommend ours! His name is Bogs (+639194638590)