QUICK WEEKEND GETAWAY: Liwliwa, Zambales

I initially planned to book a 2-day stay at a hippie condo in Chino Roces via AirBNB. A spontaneous weekend that is, we decided to go to Zambales instead. We were behind time when we reached Victory Liner in Pasay, so we head directly to Cubao for the 11AM trip but still didn’t make it. Eventually, we left Cubao bound for Iba around 1PM and reached our destination before dusk.

Liw-liwa is located in San Felipe, Zambales. A playground for surfers, skimboarders, and people who just wants to enjoy a chill vibe and to stay away from the hustle and bustle of the city. The great thing about Liwa (in contrast to Baler and La Union) is it’s more laid back and less jam-packed.

Nobody was surfing during our time since the waves was calm. The sand is grayish tinged with white. What I loved about the sand is that it’s smooth and powdery. Not coarse at all! If it wasn’t for the fierce heat, you’d surely love to walk everywhere barefoot. 🙂

Cebu – Dumaguete – Siquijor 5D4N itinerary

H O W  T O  G E T  T H E R E

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Cebu to Dumaguete

From Mactan Int’l Airport, take a cab going to Ceres bus terminal. Hop on a bus bound for Bato via Lilo-an. Fare is roughly P180 and travel time is about 4 hours. The bus took us straight to DGT Ceres bus terminal and a tricycle can take you to your hotel.

Dumaguete to Siquijor

If you are coming from Sibulan Airport, you can charter a tricycle to Dumaguete Port, then a ferry can take you directly to Siquijor. Travel time is about an hour and fare costs approximately P400.

Getting around Dumaguete and Siquijor

The main mode of transportation in DGT and Siquijor are tricycles. In DGT, the minimum fare is P10, but in Siquijor you have to charter it. You can also rent a motorbike if preferred for P400/day.

Cebu, Dumaguete & Siquijor (5D4N)

Hit two birds in one stone.. They say. Why not hit three at a time, right? Hence, our 5 days and 4 nights adventure in Central Visayas!

We booked a flight to Cebu but axed the plans of visiting an island or two because most of us have been there quite a few times. I’m not a fan of city tours really, but since we got there early, we went to Taoist Temple and Temple of Leah first before heading to Dumaguete. We paid P1200 for the same cab driver to bring us us too to Ceres Terminal bound for DGT.

WHERE TO GO IN DUMAGUETE

APO ISLAND (Dauin, Negros Oriental)

From its coral diversity, charming sea creatures and playful turtles.. I can say that Apo Island’s vibrant underwater garden is truly spectacular! Once you get there, you’ll see a small beach with beautiful rock formations.

SIARGAO

Have you ever considered going to Siargao? But you don’t surf, do you?  Well, so do I!

I have never tried surfing in my entire life, not even when we went to San Juan, La Union. But I fell in love with Siargao at first glance because of Sabrina Iovino’s blog entry + video (Just One Way Ticket) about Siargao for non-surfers!

Siargao is a tropical island slash paradise off the coast of Surigao Del Norte in Northeastern Mindanao. This is said to be the new surf frontier. There is this Annual International Surf Competition which usually happens in November. We stayed in General Luna, which is the main surf town there. CNN Go also recognized  Siargao to be #8 in the Top Surf Spots in the world!

Anyway, in line with my “birthday aspiration” for the last half a decade, Siargao tops my list this year. I was indecisive at first because I know tickets bound for Siargao can get really expensive for just a domestic flight. I did watch for seat sales but sadly, flights there do not go on sale at all.

I planned this trip for me and Harvey only. This was to celebrate my birthday and our 8th year anniversary. Eventually, I realized that activities for 2 can can cost the earth for a 5D4N stay. So I asked some of our friends to join us.

The Eighth Year

Today, Harvey and I celebrate our eighth year anniversary! It’s crazy how in those years, a lot of things have changed for us both. 8 years ago, we were just kids, careless and madly in love with each other. Our fretfulness evolved in our inconsiderable rationales. And now, our worries and priorities have thrived. It’s this stage of our lives when we ponder over what’s ahead of us together. Where this is going, really.

We still have to come a long way (and that’s for sure), but this ride with him so is far worth it through all the happiness and difficulties we have came up against.

Isla De Gigantes & Guimaras

The Philippine Archipelago without a doubt has a relentless list of amazing bodies of water. So if you’re looking for a serene island to disconnect from the buzzing horns of the city, Islas de Gigantes is definitely one of the places to be!

Gigantes Island is part of the municipality of Carles, Iloilo (northernmost area of Iloilo province). There are about ten islands in Gigantes, the largest are namely Gigantes Sur and Gigantes Norte. This piece of gem is underdeveloped: no lavish resorts nor restaurants. The electricity gets turned on late in the afternoon and shuts off early morning of the following day. Zero mobile network, hence, you get to literally detach from the daily stress brought by technology. Which is a great thing because you get to talk to each other more, talk to the locals and live like them too!

We got our round-trip tickets from Manila-Iloilo for only P1200+ each via Cebu Pacific. We’re a group of 5, but unfortunately one of us didn’t make it. We departed MNL at 4:20AM.

It was quite a long travel to get to the jump-off point bound to Gigantes (check the how to get there below). We had enough time before the boat leaves Estancia, so we bought food and other stuff to cover our needs in the next 2-3 days in Gigantes.

The known resort in Gigantes norte is Gigantes Hideway Resort but I chose to book our stay in Dela Vega Resort and Tours for a total of 3 days and 2 nights. We reserved a fan room (bahay-kubo style) good for 4-5 persons and we paid P200/head daily.

The resort was simple and very homey. The people manning it were very easy to get on with and welcoming to their guests.. And they have good food! Other travelers from a nearby resort chose to have dinner in Dela Vega as well because they serve food more than what you pay for!  🙂

Crimson Hotel

Harvey and I were supposed to go out of town for his birthday – His hometown, La Union. Sadly, we had to scratch the idea off our list. I had to cancel my paid time off from work for his birthday because surprisingly, I’ve been ill quite often for the last few months. 😦

He had plans for his birthday weekend so we booked an overnight stay in Crimson Hotel Filinvest a week prior. I had to choose among Bellevue, B-hotel, Crimson and Azumi – where we have company discount. I liked the infinity pool in Azumi, but the rooms aren’t that enticing to me. So, I reserved an overnight stay instead at Crimson Hotel.

The hotel’s lavish reception and receiving area is located on the 8th floor. We requested for a smoking room and it’s plus points for us that we were allowed to check-in early and check-out late!

Hundred Islands

I went to Hundred Islands in Alaminos for a quick beach fix on April 15th. This is an ideal cheap escape from the scorching heat!

It has 124 islands during low tide and 1 gets submerged in water during high tide. Not all the islands have names and among all of it, only 4 have been developed so far: Governor’s Island, Quezon Island, Marcos Island and Children’s Island.

We left Manila Friday night, and reached Alaminos after midnight. We’re almost 20 in the group, and we stayed in a 3-room transient. I don’t have any pictures of the house though. 😦 All rooms have AC, 2 bathrooms, kitchen, and terrace. The transient is pretty shabby, but clean, and good for just a short stay.

We went to Marcos Island first – where we had our lunch. We arranged our tour with a travel agency, so they prepared food for us. 🙂 The white sand beach is fairly nice. The water’s cool  which goes perfectly  with the blazing heat!

After a few hours, we went to Quezon Island which is the most congested spot in Hundred Islands. This was named after the late President Manuel L. Quezon. I was too tired and wasn’t in the mood to walk, so my introvert self decided to stay on the boat instead and wait for them.

CEBU

I was stunned with the amazingly beautiful Kawasan Falls. I fell in love in a jiff with the breathtaking rock formations and turquoise waters of the river. So I watched out for seat sale like a hawk, and booked our flights! We packed our bags and left Manila on a sunny February 15th. We got our tickets for only 1200++ Php per head via Cebu Pacific.

Once you’ve reached Mactan Airport, hop on a white cab instead of the the yellow ones because it’s cheaper for whatever reason. We paid almost P300 from Cebu City to the Pension House.

We spent our first night at Robe’s Pension House in Cebu City. The place is clean and affordable. We looked for a frugal place to stay since we’re leaving for Badian early the following morning anyway. We paid a little less than 1 grand for a night.

WHAT TO DO IN CEBU?

SKYWALK AND EDGE COASTER ADVENTURE

This is a perfect spot to conquer your fear from heights! I’ve seen this online and it definitely looks like a piece of cake, but wait until you personally give it a try and your knees go weak and jiggling. This is mortifying to say, but I can’t even move regardless of the thought that I won’t fall anyway!

5 things I’m thankful for in 2015

“It’s a funny thing about life, once you begin to take note of the things you are grateful for, you begin to lose sight of the things that you lack.”
― Germany Kent

It’s the first time in 23 years that I won’t be home to spend NYE with my family. I should be hitting the hay by now, but I prefer to stay awake in bed..  and write. So I thought, why not babble about what made my year indelible?

The year didn’t start fairly for me because of personal and family issues. It was never easy. If there’s anything good about the times of trouble, it’s that it made me conscious about the smallest things I’ve never appreciated when everything is well and I inadvertently became aware of the people who sympathized with me. I’m elated to start writing again, and this is a good avenue to release my stress. For real.