July 31, 2009
March 2009.
This is the second trip that team Bears had that is near Visayas. First was the
Bohol trip and now the team is going to Bantayan. It was a planned trip since February and the team availed of the promo fare in Cebu Pacific. Our fare to Cebu that time was around PHP 600 each.
For most of my former agents, this was the very first time that they boarded an airplane so I the trip was very much exciting for them. I’ve been to Cebu a lot of times with my parents and with Boo and this is the first time that I’ll be going with Bears.
Our flight to Cebu was at 6:40 am and arrived at the Mactain International airport at 7:30am in the morning. We then precede going to the North Bus Terminal where we would be hiring a van to bring us to the Hagnaya port where we will be riding a jetty going to Sta. Fe.
The road took more than 3 hours because the driver kept on looking for passengers along the way and with that we missed that the second trip going to Sta. Fe. We had to wait for another hour so we can ride the third trip. It was so very hot and everyone was already exhausted due to the long road trip and delayed trip from the Hagnaya port to Sta Fe.
We finally arrived at Sta. Fe at around 1:30 in the afternoon. This time, we reserved accommodations at the Kota beach resort. We were picked up by the resort’s free shuttle service and finally arrived at the resort around 2pm in the afternoon.
We immediately checked in and got ourselves ready for our tour. Kota beach amongst all had the nicest beach view here In Bantayan and for the rest of the afternoon and the next morning, we just enjoyed the beach and enjoyed the location. Some walked down the shore line to reach Ogtong cave while the rest stayed at Kota beach and enjoyed the waters… It was breathtaking scenery. It was something that I missed on the first time that we went there.
Also, you should not miss to have fresh buko at the shore which costs PHP20 each. Our stay in Bantayan was a full of pictures of us and the place and we just had fun. We no longer went to other places but just enjoyed the scenery in front of us which was very very relaxing especially when you witness the sunset and the sunrise. The sand was white and the water was so cold. I could lie down on the sand all day to relax!
Here are our pictures: (click on each picture to see the large size)
at the airport:
going to Bantayan:
at Kota Beach:
strolling at Santa Fe:
For more information about Kota Beach,
click here.
For more pictures at Bantayan, you can view our photo album,
here.
I was browsing through my old pictures when I bumped into our Bukidnoon getaway with Dee, Elva, Boo and Me. This getaway was last October of 2007, 2 years ago but still worth reminiscing. This was our first out of town trip together, the four of us. Originally the plan was the whole superfriends will be going to Bukidnoon, unfortunately everyone backed out the last minute except for the four of us. Everything was already set so it was too late to back out.
The Bukidnoon getaway was at the MGM spring. We had an overnight stay at one of their cottages, had night swimming and swimming again and water biking the next morning. It was really fun even just looking at our pictures. The place was really nice if you want to spend the whole day just swimming at the pool. The water biking actually costs PHP25 for half an hour and gosh we thought that 30 minutes was quite too short but when we began biking, 30 minutes was such a long time… It was really hard to maneuver the pedals and the wheel. We were so exhausted after the water biking.
Here are our pictures at MGM:
Our cottage:
Night swimming;
Early morning swimming:
Water biking:
Before lunch time, we decided to go to the WAIG resort. It was quite far though and looking for a jeep that would take us to Maramag took us more than 30 minutes because most of the jeepney’s were full. We already made arrangements with the resort’s manager to fetch us from the crossing going to the resort. It was a 20 minute ride from the crossing up to the resort.
It was already lunch time when we arrived at the resort. We took pictures of the place and finally went to the restaurant to eat our lunch. It was breathtaking scenery looking down on the pool from where we are. You should see it for yourself! The food we ordered was great and everyone had a full stomach. After lunch, we tried their cable car which costs PHP10 one way and PHP20 for back and forth.
Here are our pictures at the cable car:
And more pictures at the WAIG resort:
at the restaurant;
Our next dilemma was going back home. The resort was too far from the highway and the manager no longer allowed us to be picked up by their free shuttle because we did not have any check in. Such bad customer service, I’d say. We stayed outside the gate for more than 30 minutes just waiting for any means of transportation. Good thing a multi-cab passed by and was going to the Maramag terminal. He taught us where to ride so we can go back to MGM. It was already 2 o’clock when we arrived at MGM and it was really raining hard. We hurried our way back to our room, prepared our things and checked out.
We arrived at CDO, 3 hours after. It was such an adventure, both good and bad but we all enjoyed the trip. Well, not all trips are smooth swaying but I guess the most important thing here is that we all enjoyed the trip and I think that’s what all matters.
Ciao!
It was time to go home. Everyone woke up late, quite tired and disappointed that we were not able to go to the Underground River. Too bad really… Maybe there’s a next time to this trip, a Part 2 for our Puerto Princessa trip.
We ate breakfast and have it served in our room and at 10 o’clock; the hotel’s van picked us up and brought us to the airport for our flight to Cebu at 11:15. It will be another hour and 15 minutes ride from Puerto Princess to Cebu and we’ll be waiting for another 2 hours for our flight back to CDO.
Here are our pictures at breakfast:
Oh by the way, have I mentioned that the food in Lola Itang's are great? Well they are! Really!
last minute pictures going down:
With Meggy, the Inn’s Manager:
Inside the van going to the airport:
inside the airport:
At the plane:
upon arriving at the Mactan International Airport in Cebu:
on the bus; finally it's time to go home:
I guess the story of our Puerto Princessa trip ends here but we'll be going back for sure so we could visit the underground river. Well, will keep you guys updated soon for my future trips and escapades. Signing off...
Our next dilemma after our afternoon shopping at tiange-tiange was where to eat our dinner. We were already hungry and our first plan was to eat at the famous restaurant that sells edible worms. Well, I’m not up for that just yet. So the group decided to have our dinner at Jo’s Manokan.
Jo’s Manokan was just a 5-10 minute walk from the Cathedral. The weird thing is only a few people were there to dine. But we had no other choice but to continue to dine at the place. We were hungry and too tired to look for somewhere else.
Here’s what we ordered:
The price was not too much and the food was not that delicious but is okay for the price.
Here are our pictures:
After eating dinner at Jo's Manokan, we headed our way back to Lola Itang's. It was only a 10 minute walk from the restaurant. We finally had the chance to rest our toes tired from walking the whole day. Gosh! It's time to go home...
July 13, 2009
Where to buy in Puerto Princessa? It’s at Tiange-Tiange!
The island tour left us wet when we went home so we freshened up by taking a bath. We’ll be going to the city proper to withdraw and buy stuff from the famous Tiange-Tiange. It’s where you can buy very cheap souvenir items as the tour guides would recommend. You can buy here island T-shirts, pearls, key chains, delicacies, bags and they even hay Ukay-ukay inside. So if you plan to buy a lot of souvenirs, it would be best to drop by at Tiange-Tiange and don’t forget to haggle!
Ciao!
To read about how our dinner went at Jo's Manokan, just click me.
After an hour of waiting in our room, the tour van that will take us to Honda Bay arrived. There were 8 of us in the van and the tour guide again was like a history teacher who was preaching about the history of Puerto Princessa.
We finally arrived at Honda after an hour ride from the city. The tour guide prepared our snorkeling gears, life vests and aqua shoes and at around 9 am, we rode the boat and proceeded to our first island destination, The Pandan Island.
For our Island hopping trip, we’ll be visiting three islands, namely: The Pandan Island, The Snake Island and the Starfish Island.
It was a 30-45 minute ride from the docking port to the island. The Pandan Island was filled with cottages made of Nipa and wood. The cloud was still gloomy which made the sea water looked gray and lifeless. Still, we maximized the time exploring the island taking pictures. When you’re going on island hopping, you have to wear aqua shores to protect your feet from corals and pointed objects on the sand and even when snorkeling in the waters. Our tour guide was the one who prepared and cooked the food for us. At lunch time, everyone was so hungry and enjoyed the food the tour guide prepared. We ate steamed shrimp, crabs, adobong squid, grilled pork and grilled fish. The food was really delicious and sumptuous. We even had fresh buko to drink which costs only PHP20.
Here are our pictures at the Pandan Island:
After the sumptuous meal at Pandan Islan, we proceed to our next island destination, The Snake Island. The snake island was full of mangroves and there’s this sand line that connects the sea water to mangroves. It’s such an amazing sight but I believe it would be much better if it was a sunny day. I guess, you’d appreciate the beach more when it’s sunny because the happy smile of the sun and the blueness of the sky reflect on the sea.
Here are our pictures:
After 30 minutes of exploring the island and taking pictures, we proceeded to our next and last island destination, The Starfish Island. When going to the Starfish Island, tourists must ensure that they are wearing slippers or better yet aqua shoes while walking in the sand or even swimming in the sea. There are fishes in the island that are thorny that when you step on it, it would really hurt deep into your roots.
The island itself has its own view of mangroves. Yet among the three islands that we’ve visited, this was my favorite among the three. The island was peaceful, clean and serene. There are guard dogs who will meet your boat upon arrival and they are very friendly. They don’t look “askal” but their skin and fur looks very good.
Here are our pictures at the Starfish Island:
Our island hopping stops there. We went back to the port and our tour guide drove us back to our hotels. We went home happy even though we were dismayed with the fact that we are unable to go to the Underground River. Well, maybe God has a reason for that and this is the trip that we will look forward to when we come back to Puerto Princessa.
Click here to read about our shopping escapade at Tiange-Tiange.
CANCELLED.
We woke up early to find out that it was still raining very hard. The clouds were so gloomy like it was broken hearted and poured a lot of tears that turned into heavy raindrops. And because of this our Underground River tour was cancelled. CANCELLED as in cancelled and we could not do anything about it. It was cancelled because the river rose up to the cave’s ceiling and it would be dangerous if tourists would be allowed to go there.
We ate breakfast heartbroken as the gloomy clouds. I for one was very disappointed of the outcome of our second day. The Underground River tour was the major highlight of our trip, our very priority.
Too bad it has to be this way.
Here are our pictures while taking our breakfast:
THE PROXY.
Meggy, the manager informed us that she had arranged us for the Honda Bay island hopping tour in place for the cancelled Underground River tour. Well, better than no trip at all for the day.
We were all so dismayed of the cancelled trip yet thankful that Meggy was of her high assistance to arrange an alternate tour for us. She refunded as PHP400 each since the island hopping only costs PHP1,100.
Click here to continue reading about our Honday Bay Island Hopping trip.
July 12, 2009
July 11, 2009
Right after we had our lunch at Mang Inasal we hurried our way back to the hotel afraid that the Tour Van was already waiting for us. Luckily, they were still fetching other tourist from other hotels before stopping by at Lola Itang’s to fetch us. So while waiting for the van, we went upstairs to rest and enjoy the complimentary wifi Internet from the hotel.
After fifteen minutes of waiting, the attendant from the hotel knocked at our door and informed us that the van was there. We got up quickly and race our way down to the hall as we were so excited for our first tour in Puerto Princessa, the City Tour.
Our tour guide was really friendly and very historic. He tells of the history that transpired in Puerto Princessa and so as how the place got its name. He says that the place used to be called Puerto dela Princessa because of the Spaniards who conquered the place but later on it was called Puerto Princessa to make it sound simpler.
The city tour started at Binuatan Creations. These people are known for making bags, wallets, table mats and the like that is made of straw. We even had the chance to try how these straws were sewed together to make a perfect and colorful table mat.
Here are some of the products that they sell:
Elva and I bought notepads that really looked cute. Here are some of our pictures during our tour at Binuatan Creations:
The next destination of our city tour took 30 minutes to an hour to get there. Our next stop was at the Iwahig Penal Colony. As what the tour guide says, the Iwahig Penal Colony was the biggest colony there is in the Philippines. Most prisoners here were from Muntinlupa and the like from different regions here in the country. The prisoners were categorized to three types: Minimum, Medium and Maximum. They also wear colored shirts according to their category: brown, blue, and orange respectively. Those who were in the Minimum category are prisoners who can just walk the whole area without a chaperone and were believed to be trusted and reliable inmates, those in the Medium category are the newly deployed inmates that needs to be chaperoned. Lastly, those in the Maximum category are the ones that are not to be trusted as they can be very “pasaway” and they are isolated from the rest.
The inmates make and sell handicrafts, food and the like as a source for their budget for food and basic needs. Though they are fed by the government, they still need to earn extra for their basic needs.
Here are some of our pictures while we were at the Iwahig Penal Colony:
From the Iwahig Penal Colony, our next stop was at the Crocodile Farm. Here, you’ll see an area of crocodiles placed in big boxes of chiller containers where they were segregated according to their age. It was really scary for me to even take a peek as those chiller boxes as if a crocodile might jump over me and bite my fingers. I have a weird and exaggerated imagination. But, let’s just say that I am just being careful.
After 30 minutes of roaming around and taking pictures, our next tour was at the Rancho Sta. Monica. This place was said to be the mini-Tagaytay of Puerto Princessa. I for one could attest that because when were going up the ranch, I really felt like I was in Tagaytay. We stopped over the Pyramid house design that was owned by a politician in the area. The house reminded me of the Transfiguration in Malaybalay. The location to where the house was built was overlooking the mountains. The place looked so peaceful and serene. Too bad it was raining that time; we could have stayed for long to take pictures.
Along the way back, the group stopped over at Baker’s Hill. The place was known to be the best bakers of bread and pastries. We stopped over to buy some snacks and took pictures of their garden. The house of the owner was luxurious and there were statues like the ones we saw at Sagbayan Peak. Too bad we were not able to explore the rest of their mini park; the group was already waiting for us to head back to the bus.
And this ends our city tour. The Tour van drove all of us to our respective hotels while the tour guide continued to speak about the history of Puerto Princessa.
To continue reading, click here: Palawan Day 1: A Romantic Dinner at Badjao Sea Front
July 8, 2009
June 14 of 2008, my Superfriends, Elva and Dee, my hubby and I went to Puerto Princessa, Palawan to witness God’s magnificent works on nature and Palawan’s famous Underground River. This was already a pre-planned tour and we had our plane tickets bought at Cebu Pacific Air. We were able to avail of their promo fare. The itinerary was to fly to Cebu and from there, ride a plane again going to Puerto Princessa and vice versa.
Our flight that morning was at 6:40am and we had to wake up early since our house is too far from the airport. This was the very first out-of-CDO plane trip that my Superfriend Elva and I had together with our hubby’s.
The trip from Cagayan de Oro to Cebu was around 30-45 minutes. We safely arrived at Cebu at around 7:30 am and proceeded to the airport’s lobby to wait for our check-in time since our flight to Puerto Princessa will be at 10:35am.
We were not able to bring snacks with us and so we had no choice but to stay at Bo’s Coffee to have coffee and eat muffins. One tip for travelers who have connecting flights, you should bring snacks with you because the food that they’re selling at the airport is very expensive and they tend to overprice.
After an hour or so just talking to kill the time, it was already time for check-in. We waited at Gate 5 to board the plane. It was then that we discovered that the Mactan International Airport had free wifi access. Sweet! So Dee and Boo, brought up their laptops and began surfing wirelessly. We were really so happy to have free wifi access at the Mactan Airport. Another tip for travelers traveling with connecting flights, bring your laptops and other gadgets with you so you’d get to enjoy the free wifi access while waiting for your flight. You can also bring iPods, MP3 Players, PSP and the like to keep yourself from boredom.
Our flight from Cebu to Puerto Princessa took and hour and fifteen minutes. My eardrums hurt on the last few minutes before our landing. Another tip for travelers when riding a plane, be sure to bring a bubble gum with you to help ease the pain with your eardrums.
We arrived at Puerto Princessa at 11:35am and we were fetched by the Hotel van to where we would be staying and that’s at Lola Itang’s. Whew! I can’t believe it! I’m already in Puerto Princessa! Weee!!! I’m so excited!
The driver was so very kind to tell us about the places we can go and the things we can do while we are in Puerto Princessa. It was like he was an instant tour guide all of a sudden! He told us a lot of things about the place and even recommended a restaurant that’s located near the sea.
We arrived in Lola Itang’s just before lunch and Meggy, the somewhat Manager was very smiling and friendly as she welcomed us and direct us to our room. She told us that our City Tour would be given after an hour so we could still take our lunch.. Weee!!! I can’t wait!!!
We took our lunch at Mang Inasal which was just a few walks away from Lola Itang’s and rode a tricycle heading back to the house thinking that the van that would fetch us was already there.. We don’t wanna be late….
Here's our pictures:
at the Lumbia Airport:
Finally arrived at the Mactan International Airport:
Eating at Bo's Coffee shop:
to Gate 5 bound for Puerto Princessa:
enjoying free Internet while waiting for our flight:
boarding the plane to Puerto Princessa, very exciting:
the beautiful sky going to Palawan:
finally arrived at the Puerto Princessa airport after an hour and 15 minutes of flying in in the skies:
staff from Lola Itang's meeting us at the airport:
Watch out for the details of our City Tour. I’ll be giving you a full detail on our City tour on my next posts. Ciao!
If you want to continue reading the posts, click here: Palawan Day 1: The City Tour
