To get to Oslob coming from the town proper, you have to ride a Bus or a car. It was a long ride to get there,  it will take 3 hours travel time approximately, depending on the traffic. And it is also advisable to travel early in the morning for better spot and to avoid large crowds in the whale shark watching. The place really is not that difficult to find due to large trampolines and banners along the road.

As I’ve said in my last entry, we hired Manong Jet to bring us to Oslob.  He fetch us around 5am. We were 4 dults with 2 kids.  Pwede na rin. Kasya na rin sa car.

After 2.5hrs, we arrived. The Whale Watching Operators in Oslob are  color-coded.   We go for the Blue Operator  (Aaron Resort) because it’s what I usually read on blogs.

Here are the fees for Whale Watching:

whale watching – P200
snorkeling fee – P50
life vest – P50
camera fee – P100
Resort Fee (shower/changing room/parking) – P50

Since we brought our own life vest and snorkeling gear, they didn’t charge us 100php. Then no one asked us to pay 100php for camera fee. We just payed the Resort Fee, and whale watching fee of 200php.

 To start, you have to attend an orientation first before going into the water.

 Then after attending the orientation, We were instructed to go to our boat . A few minutes, we were at the  watching area.

It’s not hard to spot a butanding,  there are boatman throwing food to whale sharks  and they were just chasing

I was just too excited, I jump over even though the wave was really big.

Hello Mr. Giant

Here is another one

Bye bye Mr. Giant

It was a really different experience having an up close encounter with the butanding. But I know, our presence and the feeding that the boatman are doing  to the butanding is altering the natural process of the ecosystem and our presence near them is giving them stress that they might die.  The tourist officers and the fishernmen are trying their best to implement strict procedure in the whale watching activities and I do hope, tourist will also give their own share in respecting these little giants.

To get to Oslob by Bus;

From Cebu City ride a bus going to Oslob at the Bus South terminal. Tell the conductor to drop you at Tan-wan.  Fare is at 156Php.

You wont be lost as I’ve said there are lots of resort offering this activity.  :-)

After our Whale watching activity…we went here….

 On my next update….

So we decided to wake up around 4am to take the bus going to Oslob.

Great… we have a plan for our 2nd day…but the next morning….

We  got up at around 7am….WHAT!!!??

We can’t go to Oslob…it’s so so late. So we have to change our plan. After having breakfast and prepared ourselves we decided to go to the beach. Hubz suggested Portofino Beach.

Portofino Resort by the way is an easy and affordable getaway for Cebuanos and travellers in Cebu. It is located in Mactan Island – the nearest place in metropolitan Cebu City where one can enjoy clear waters and white sand beaches

We went to the nearest jollibee for breakfast. Husband kinda interviewed the guard  at jollibee  in how to get to our destination.  Then after a few minutes, there was a cab waiting for us. Si manong guard pala and tumawag and instructed the driver to bring us to Portofino. Ang bait ni manong guard. We grab take-out food for lunch in Portofino, off we to beach with Manong Jet, the driver’s name.  He said,. it would be a 45mins to get there. Manong Jet is mabait. While he was driving,  we asked him things about Cebu. We even asked him if he can bring us to Oslob the next day. It was okay with him…Yes…makakapag whale watching din. We agreed to pay him 300Php for his driving service to Portofino.

In Portofino, there is an area where you could go snorkeling.  Super clear water.

That hubz (left) and me (right) doing our favorite thing when in the beach…snorkeling

On the other side of the resort is the beach.

Not unlike the snokeling area were there are less people, here there were a lot.

marami activities sa Portofino like ziplining

You can also do aquanaut where in you can walk under water and you can swim with the fish, you can  do paragliding, Jet Ski, ride with their banana boat swimming of course.

You can also use the facilities in the  beach area from 6am to 5 pm only.

gazebos with 2 tables and 12 chairs for 1,700 pesos
Shade Sails with 2 tables and 12 chairs for 1,400 pesos
Tents with 2 tables and 12 chairs (first come first save basis) for 1,400 pesos
Table set with 1 table and 6 chairs (first come first save basis) 350 pesos

Extra table 140 pesos
Extra Chair 35 pesos

If you have plan for an overnight in Portofino Beach Resort they have rooms to use from 2 pm to 12 noon. I checked the prices and it ranges from 3,000  to 3,800.

So we were there until 4Pm. We called Manong Jet ulit para hatid kami sa SM Cebu. :-)

We bought our Cebu souvenir shirts at SM (Island souvenir) then by the time we got hungry, we decided to go to CNT lechon, which malapit ang sa SM. Sobrang excited na ko kasi, sabi nila, it’s one of the best lechon in town. When we got there, I was disappointed kasi ubos na yung lechon….boooh…wuahh. So we went back to SM,we had our dinner.

After the dinner, and extra shopping (again) we decided to go back sa hotel for our Sky Adventure.  I posted days ago my rant about the photos we had while doing the adventure. I emailed then and they did, answered na they will inform their head about my comments regarding their service. They haven’t emailed me back pero atleast, I informed them about it.

Moving on…sharing few photos for that adventure….

Among the many photos they they took (and pose we did) , we only bought 3 phoros. 1 photo of my nephew and the other photo of my niece. Syempre, we wanted the kids, to have their memories. Then we bought this group shot.

So yeah…right  this shot cost 230Php.  Oh well..

So how was my  SkyWalk adventure well…My knees almost buckled but  managed to remain calm except for a few panic attacks.  I was that paranoid that I was going to fall. I also did a pose were I have to stand at the edge of the steel flooring, gosh…nanginginig ako but I did the pose, yun nga lang wala akong mashare the photo. You know why….

I promise, will comeback here and will do this again.  Para magkaroon ng maganda photo hehehe.

As I’ve said, we are not allowed to take photo within the preparation premises and the actual activity area so after the Sky Walk and exiting the area, Hubs and I took the opportunity to pose.

Buti pa tong shot na ito…maganda…hmp!

Our 2nd day was fun.  I enjoyed our beach trip, SM trip and syempre, I somehow conquerd my fear in SkyWalk Adventure.

Oh by the way, If your going to Cebu, you might want to get Manong Jet (Nanay Taxi) as a driver. He also do, City tour.  I highly recommend him. His taxi is in good condition. He is mabait and honest. My SIL gave him  money as a tip but he refuses to get it kasi it was a big amount daw.  Here is his contact number 09157979323

Up Next…our Oslob Trip

Cebu City is the oldest city in the Philippines and is hailed as the Queen City of the South. The city itself, though not very large in size, holds a lot of historical memories that dated even to the time of the Spaniards.  Kaya when we did the Cebu city tour, it seems like we are travelling back in time

Mactan Shrine

The Lapu-Lapu Shrine is inside a plaza commonly known as the Magellan Shrine park that commemorates the events of the Battle of Mactan. Thousands of foreign and local tourists visit the park every year. The park includes the Magellan Shrine and a covered structure that houses a huge mural painting of the Battle of Mactan and a commemorative marker

The Lapu-Lapu Shrine is a 20-meter bronze statue located in the Mactan Shrine park in Punta Engaño, Mactan Island, Cebu. The statue was erected to honor Rajah Lapu-Lapu, the native chieftain of Mactan Island who defeated Ferdinand Magellan during the historic Battle of Mactan in 1521.

Magellan Shrine is 30 meters high and serve as a large memorial tower of the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan.

There was an event a day before we arrived.  April 27, they commemorate the Battle of Mactans according to wikipedia, The Battle of Mactan  fought in the Philippines on April 27, 1521. The warriors of Lapu-Lapu, a native chieftain of  Mactan Island, defeated Spanish forces under the command of Ferdinand Magellan, who was killed in the battle.

There were also lots tiangge  that time. I don’t know if it’s a regular here or dahil may event nga sila.

Fort San Pedro

Fort San Pedro is a defensive military structure built a few days after the arrival of Miguel Lopez de Legaspi, the Spanish conquistador, who in 1565 built the first Spanish settlement in the Philippines – 44 years after Ferdinand Magellan’s “discovery” of the Philippines”

Entrance to the Fort. There’s a cheap P30 entrance fee.

Upon entering you will be greeted with the historical information about the place

Here are some few photos of Fort San Pedro

My niece and nephew goofing around.

An illustration how the fort may have looked like in 1565.

Magellan’s Cross

 Magellan’s Cross is a Christian cross planted by Portuguese and Spanish explorers as ordered by Ferdinand Magellan upon arriving in Cebu in the Philippines on April 21, 1521

Basilica Minore del Sto. Nino

Heritage of Cebu Monument

The monument depicts events in Cebu history from the time of Rajah Humabon to the beatification of Cebuano martyr Pedro Calungsod

Museo Sugbo  (Formerly Cebu Provincial Jail)

Artifacts, history, memorabilias, earthenwares and preserved documents and letters are the main attraction of the Museo Sugbo.

There is an entrance fee, 30Php for adults, 10Php for students and 75Php for foreigners.

There are lots to see in this museo.  I enjoyed my stay here. As I’ve said, you get to see lots of things and It’s airconditioned.

Here are few of my favorites.

The Golden Tara of Agusan

Millet (Kabog)

Currency used during the Japanese occupation in WW II.

Autobots Transform!!!! hehehe

Actually this is an old letter press machine

Taoist Temple

Dragon on the roof

Tops at Mt. Busay

Mt Busay makes a mighty backdrop for Cebu City, but the best view is from the mountain itself, which is where you’ll find Tops Lookout. Better known simply as ‘Tops’, viewing deck provides spectacular views, especially at sunrise or sunset. There are snack stalls up here, which sell beer if you are so inclined.

It has an entrance of 100 pesos.

Our Cebu City tour lasted for 8hrs. We were really tired but we enjoyed the tour. So to wrap up or tour that day, we did a jumpshot.

Ngek nauna yata ako hehehe. Oh well….

Up next…more cebu post

Pero napapayag pa rin ako…why???

Because I love to travel and because we got a free voucher for a 2 night stay in Crown Regency Cebu. Oh di ba….free accomodation. Who wouln’t be tempted di ba?

So ayun na nga, we booked a flight to Cebu via Zest Air which was really cheaper than Cebpac. It was also my first time to try Zest Air. Zest Air by the way was Asian Spirit before. So I was a bit terrified to take the flight hahaha.

If you plan to get  Zest-Air, you should be early at the airport because, they don’t have online check-in sa website nila. Kaya expect long  queues and mabagal na service.

Our flight was 4.05am. Ang aga noh? Ganun kami ka excited pumunta ng Cebu. hehehe.

Our flight was on time, It was still dark when we left Manila.  Oh the take-off by the way was okay naman.

I said I was sleepy di ba, pero hindi rin ako nakatulog while on the plane so I checked the plane’s restroom. It was clean but there were no hand soap or and sanitizer.  I am not sure sa cebpac if they have….haven’t really checked their restroom. Next time pag nag cebpac ako, will check that out.  Anyway,  I ordered a bottle of juice at syempre ang brand ay zest-o.

This dalandan juice bottle cost 60php. So alam na….where the name Zest-Air came from

We landed Mactan Airport aftr an hour.  If you’ll ask me how was the aircraft touchdown….it was a rough and bumpy. Yaiks….scared na ko sa pag uwi namin, hehehhe

This is inside Macan Airport. I love their airport. Very Clean

We really don’t have an itinerary. Bahala na si Batman sabi ko sa kanila hehehe.

 I was advice by my officemate na we should try Cebu City tour.  There are lots of taxi offering this daw. So upon exiting, the airport, we were  looking for those taxi.  Masyado pa yatang maaga kaya wala kaming makita. May mga lumalapit pero ang mahal ng offer nila. My officemate said, the whole day tour will cost around 1500-2000 for a taxi.

Buti na lang, a few days before, I researched (okay nag research ako kahit papaano) and found a name na kilala at tinatawagan when wanting to tour Cebu.   Si Manong Danny Noy. I called him around 6am. Nagising ko pa yata sya, hehehe. After an hour, a black starex picked us up at the airport and we started our City tour. Yebah!!!

 By the way, Mang Noy was giving this ride for 3k (8 hours) but my ever good in haggling husband bargained and got the ride for 2500php.  Ayos!!!

Here is Danny Noy’s contact number;  +639061534659 or +639224633757

Next Update….our cebu city tour.

It was like this kasi…

On our 2nd night sa Cebu, we opted to go try the Sky walk experience. Actually I don’t want sana kasi, I admit natatakot ako hahaha. But syempre, Cebu trip wont be complete if I wont try any Sky adventure ride di ba?  Besides, walang reason para nd ko cya ma try since sa Crown Regency Cebu nga kami nag stay where sa 38th floor ng hotel na yun yung location ng sky adventure rides.

So yun nga, after going to the beach in the morning that day, we went to our hotel for the Sky walk. We arrived our hotel pass 9 na ata. Then we went to the registration area to pay for the Sky Walk adventure. It cost 550php including na yung entrance dyan. If you dont want to try any rides, you just want to get inside the viewing area it will cost you 250php naman.

Sa lahat ng Sky rides nila, ito lang yata ang less fear factor. The lady from the cashier said, around 11 pa kami, since madaming tao. It’s okay with us, para we could rest a bit. Tiring din kasi mag beach.

So after an hour,we decided to go up for our Skywalk

Riders are not allowed to take photos, when you are inside the preparation area na. I understand that, maybe because for safety reasons and I do understand na they have their official photographer. Each photo when printed cost 230Php. So okay lang.

Then we tried nga the Sky walk. The walk runs 15-20mins. It was sure scary but fun naman. While doing the walk, we have a safery officer guiding us and their official photographer. 

After the walk, we where given certificates. So happy that somehow, I slightly conquered my fear. I was too excited to have my photo.  However, I was dismay upon seeing our photos. Most are blurred and out of focus. argh!!

I intended to buy the photos sana kahit mahal kaso how can you love the photo when it’s out of  focus or blurred. Kainis talaga. 

I went to their website http://www.skyexperienceadventure.com/ and send a complained about it.  Here is my email…

We tried the skywalk this Sunday evening. It was scary but fun however my family and I were disappointed with our photos. Some are blurred and out of focus. My solo naman, yung backdrop na citylights are blurred. Bad trip. Instead of buying the photo, we opted not to kasi sayang ang pera kung ganun quality of pics lang ang bibilhin namin. Imagine, you spend money on the experience then you’ll spend money on a photo na hindi naman maganda ang pagkaka shot. I just wish you get good photographers. The memory was wasted.

Pababayaan ko na sana kaso, we spend bucks to be in Cebu. Hay kakadepress talaga.

Anyway, it was last Saturday when we decided to bring them to Leslie’s Tagaytay for lunch.

When we arrived, the place was jampacked! So we waited as we are customer no. 2.

SV from Holland, JC from Aus, J, Me and J…si hubs and photographer hehehe. All smiles kahit gutom na!

While waiting, beside us is a store selling pasalubong. Tempted na nga ko to buy ube sa sobrang gutom. Buti na lang saglit lang kami naghintay.

After a few minutes, my officemate’s name was called for us to be seated.

See how full Leslie’s resto is….

When in Tagaytay one shouldn’t miss dropping by Leslie’s Restaurant located on the outskirts of Tagaytay.   The best reason is not only the great view, but because of their famous and delicious bulalo, not only is the the soup perfectly made, but you get such a big portion of the meat, and the bone marrow, yum…yum! 

And did I mention, that with Leslie’s, they provide unlimited refills of the yummy soup!  Their Bulalo experience would never be complete though without mixing a special dip for it; soy or fish sauce, calamansi and chillies.

We also had siningang sa miso as requested by JC, he had sinigang the other night  from different resto and he loved with it. 

Whenever, we have guest from other offices outside the Philippines, we always had pork sisig. Palagi nilang itong nagugustuhan. Since, the two of them already tried sisig from giligans, they compared na mas masarap ang sisig ng giligans than the one we had in Leslie’s

 indeed they are right. Mas masarap yung sisig sa giligans and dencio’s.

We also have laing but I cannot find the photo. Anyway, I asked SV if he likes it…according to him, it tasted like tabacco daw, hehehe.

Lunch that time was enjoyable not only because of the good company, good food but also the great view.

The view is just breathtaking, with the cool wind blowing, the sun shining down, while eating lunch, it’s truly a magnificent experience. The only thing missing that time was the cool Tagaytay weather; we were sweating after our meal at Leslie’s.

After eating, guests usually come out and take pictures with Taal Volcano.  Leslie’s has a really great spot for taking pictures.  

The guy behind us pla is 6’7″ tall. hehehe

It’s Friday!!!wooh!!!

What is your plans for the weekend? Hubz and I (with my niece,  SIL and BIL) will be going to Cebu.  See yah!  Happy Weekend everyone!

I am not really much off a fan of papaitan.  I have never imagine, that I will cook this in my kitchen until one day the husband said. Luto ka papaitan…with a grim face…I answered – welll okay will try.

I love dinuguan but not this dish, It has a distinct smell kasi and I really find it mapait (kaya nga papaitan)…arte lang hahaha.

Anyway, it was 2 weeks ago when I finally tried my first papaitan cooking adventure. Madali lang pala and since I did the cooking, I adjusted the bitterness level.

I was good and yes I think I am starting to love this dish, 

Do you love papaitan?

Oh you might want to try cooking this, I posted the recipe here.

Batangas is near to Manila. So it’s a famous place to escape the busy Manila. It is just a three-hour drive through open tollways and smooth highways. Laiya is a good place to go for people who want simple summer beach fun.

I’ve been hearing about La Luz Beach resort in Laiya.  When I checked their site, the accommodation was okay but we were on a tight budget and we felt that it would be too much (spell MAHAL) if we decide to book in that resort. kasi, you have to pay additional 1,100php per person  for a food package for an overnight stay. Additionally, we also have to pay for the accommodation, fuel and other expenses.

Husband did his own research and came across another La Luz…La Luz Labas, hahaha.  It’s a cluster of Nipa Huts (cottages) which was outside of La Luz Beach Resort’s property. He discovered that it was managed by a lady named Aling Ely. Husband gave me the number and I contacted Aling Ely.  I made a 2d/1 night reservation. Aling Ely gave  4k per cottage with air-conditioned room with 1 queen bed with extra mattress. The cottage comes with its own restroom with shower. So I reserved two cottages for my family and in-laws. Aling Ely was kind and very accommodating. She answered every query. So we’re done with the accommodation. 

It was April 7 when we headed to Laiya. We left Manila around 6am and arrived the place around 9.30am.  Ang sarap mag byahe that time, walang traffic.

It’s not that difficult to find the place. Just follow La Luz Beach Resort’s direction, You will pass by La Luz Labas first before the entrance of La Luz Beach Resort or if you are not sure, you can call Aling Ely (contact number given below)  if your near the place na, so she can give you the exact direction.  You can also ask and look for Aling Ely. She’s a well-known person in the area.

 As I’ve said, Aling Ely’s cottage is just beside La Luz and I’ve research over the net that La Luz Beach Resort guarded their property and did not allow non-guests to pass through during peak season.  It’s true nga, we saw people walking infront of their resort at sinisita nga ng guard ng Laiya, kakatwa di ba?  So, kami ni Hubz, was lucky kasi hindi kami nasita. We swim our way from our cottage to the shoreline of La luz. 

Another shot ng Laluz, from our cottage.

We had a loft type cottage by the way, downstairs naman was reserve para sa mga in-laws ko. Mas malamig sa place namin.

Peak season and thus there are a lot of people. Loud karaoke music generally stops at about 10pm but people don’t stop making noise around you. Hindi naman kami nahirap matulog kasi we were so tired because of the whole day swimming. 

Here is a shot of my happy family. Ang kalat di ba?

My twin cute pamankin, enjoying the sand.

There are lots of fisherman offering their boat. I’ve heard 1500php for 10 people. The boatman will bring you to a part where you can do snorkeling.

The lovely sea. So calm. Very relaxing.

That’s me..enjoying the water.

It was an enjoyable stay, however, I do not advise staying in the area if you’re looking for a peaceful and quiet retreat away from the city. As I’ve said above, there are huts that are too close to each other so expect noise and loud music from your neighbors.

If you’re interested, Aling Ely can be reached through 09206192060.

My husband and I will be going  to the Visayas next week. Abangan….it more fun in the Philippines!

How’s your summer going so far?

Hmmm…na intriga ako kaya I made some research and found out some stories about this pasta sauce….

It has been told that Pasta Puttanesca invented and made by prostitutes, it is said that pasta puttanesca was designed to lure customers with its aroma. Other explanations have more appeal to the minimalist cook: that the prostitutes were too busy to cook much, or that they had no storage for fresh ingredients and cooked entirely from the pantry. Another legend said that it was a favorite not of prostitutes, but of women who wanted to serve a quick meal at home in order to move on to other things. Lots of stories noh?!

Whatever the stories is, this certainly is one very tasty sauce. My husband would definitely agree with that. Almost any type of pasta can be used here. I made this easy and satisfying dish for my no meat day in observance of Lent.

I posted my spaghetti alla puttanesca in my revive (nth time) food blog. If you want to try please visit my other blog

It was just this February when that dream came true.

By the way, Mount Pulag is the , highest point in Luzon and the 3rd highest mountain in the Philippines. Located 2,922 meters above sea level, the locals of Benguet consider this place sacred.  

———-

 Assembly time was 10.00pm at the Victory Liner Bus Station in Cubao. Our original departure time was 11.30 but because it’s Penagbenga, the bus arrived late and we left Cubao around 1am na. We arrived at Baguio at around 8am.  Super late. Base sa aming itinerary, dapat we were in Baguio at 6am. To keep on track with our itinerary we immediately transferred to our chartered jeepney  From Baguio, we traveled 2 hours to DENR office at Bokod Benguet.  but before that, we had a stop over at this eatery for lunch.  Our team leader said, we have to have heavy lunch to sustain. Mahabang trekking kasi ang magaganap. hehehe.

After our lunch, we headed straight to DENR for registration.

You will have to take a brief lecture for 20 min. at the DENR station, about an hour and a half from the ranger station on the do’s and don’ts on the mountain, likewise register and pay the climbing fees.

Pose muna with my friend Grei

Then about 2 hours of rough road, we were at at rangers station.  From here, dito na mag start and trekking proper.

There are 4 major trails leading to the summit: the friendly Ambangeg, the challengin Akiki, Tawangan, and Ambaguio. Since most of us were first time climbers, we obviously chose to take the Ambangeg Trail, also know as the Exectutive Trail because of how easy it is.

This scenery keeps me going kahit pago na ko…

The first part of the trek is quite easy. We made our way through a relatively flat terrain up to a point where pine trees grew on the side of the walkway with deep ravines down below. The view of the mountains kept us going until we reached a steep climb which marked the moment that began testing our leg muscles.

We reached camp 2, I was really tired na and super lamig pa.  Nauna na yung iba kong officemates, they were able to find a slot for us to pitch our tents.

Since there were lots of people sa camp 2, the available place to pitch the tent was the area na medyo mataas and grass at sloping pa.  kaya medyo nahirapan ako matulog kasi hindi pantay and lupa. 

It was also really cold as in super cold. The coldness was really different compared sa coldness na na experience ko when I was in Melbourne.  My jacket was moist and wet. I have to change  clothes kasi nga basa not because of sweating but becuase of the moist dahil sa sobrang lamig.

I was wearing layers of clothes and 2 jackets. Still, I was freezing.  Sa sobrang lamig, I don’t want to go outside our tent. N called us for dinner, I told hubz na I don’t want to eat dinner na and to sleep na, kaso ang dami naming baon need na mabawasan para hindi mabigat ang dala pag nag descend na kami.

Call time was 3am. We are ready to reach the summit.

After of hours of long walk…we finally captured the real beauty of Mt. Pulag

Breathtaking view

The trail

We are above sea level

Makukulit na team leaders

M enjoying the lovely view

and just before the sunrise,  we had this shot. Thanks to my officemate Grei, for this.

Climbing the Philippines’ second highest peak was an experience for me. I’m no  mountaineer. I’m phyaically weak, I am lampa at dulasin, but I conquered Mt. Pulag . I am damn proud and happy and no one can take that away from me. No matter how long and challenging a journey is, the destination is always worth it. After Mt. Pundaquit  and Mt. Pulag, may next pa kaya? Will see