Philippine Travel Notes

My Negros Oriental Tour: Municipality of Dauin Pronounce that as “duh-win” or actually the name Darwin without the “r”! Okay, we’re out of Apo Island but still in the town of Dauin. Apo is a barangay of this town, remember? It gets sometimes confusing since you cross to it from Malatapay which is part of Zamboanguita. Anyway, next destination… Dauin town center. Yep, just the town center. This is another place where I didn’t see anything on the web that is worth visiting at town center other than those that I usually go to – the municipal hall, the church, at times the public market and/or the wharf. Ah, there is what they call the Masaplod Marine Sanctuary but I have seen so many places named ‘marine sanctuary’. In fact I just came from one – and that’s Apo Island itself, right?! Church. “That way, sir” was what a kid told me pointing to an eastward direction when I asked where the church was. Both church and municipal hall are out of the provincial highway but an easy walk. First tha

My Negros Oriental Tour: My Final Notes On Apo Island In general, I liked this Apo Island visit. But as you will see down the article, there are things that I realized were not at all attractive – after some of you have reacted by txt, call, email or chat as I went along. So here goes… Power! This one is interesting… the “council of elders” still rules on Apo Island hehe! How is that? I asked why the island only has electric power from 630PM until 930PM when folks usually need it every minute of the day. I learned that the reason was nothing but arbitrary. I learned further that the power’s time-slot have been moved to different time-frames. There was a time it was made available 6 to 9, there was also a time it was until 12 midnight. At another time, even until morning. But one point-of-view emerged most important. Hear this: older folks complained that the younger population kept singing at those videoke machines until the wee hours so that they could not sleep early BUT they needed

My Negros Oriental Tour: Leaving Apo Island After two nights, I thought I have had enough of weird relaxation. Let me explain that. It was relaxation in a way as you have got nothing to do in the day than be idle hehe. I cannot be snorkeling the whole of a rainy day, right? I would rather do it on a hot sunny day. Why? Ah, I can’t seem to enjoy watching nemo and his friends when the water I was wading in was biting cold hehe! And am not really used to swimming wherever with millions of drops of rain as my sole companion and backdrop OR the only view above water. Could not also laze on the drenching beach with big waves trying to inch ever higher upland hahaha! And I couldn’t even play with the tablet or the phone all day as their powers are only worth a few hours – there’s now electricity, remember?. Not to mention it would have been foolish for me to be walking the village nooks and crannies while it poured – lest I be suspected as a thief hehehe! Meaning? I think there was too much t

My Negros Oriental Tour: Apo Island Accommodations Booking I didn’t know anything about this place so I checked the web out and saw that there are only two resorts on the island - Apo Island Beach Resort and Liberty’s Community Lodge & Dive Shop. Called both resorts and learned that the former seems more expensive though more luxurious. Here’s more, during my calls to the former, I could only talk to their Dumaguete landline (Jensen) as the cellphone (at island) was not being answered so they could not firm up any booking. While, for the latter, a certain Liberty received my call and immediately firmed up things. I asked that if by chance she was the owner since her name was Liberty. She said yes she is Liberty Rhodes. Wow! Arrival Once the little Perno docked and I got to breathe a big sigh of relief, I was asked by the crews to climb the many steps up to my resort’s lobby. What? Well yes, that’s another thing I did not ask nor was told about during my call yesterday – that the re

My Negros Oriental Tour: Apo Island Evening and Night Life When it felt like I was already walking too far to the southern end, I thought I might as well head back for Liberty. But the barrio, yes, where real residents of Apo Island live, caught my attention. There is pavement but more of a bike path than anything you might consider a street or avenue. Well, this is just a little island of fisherfolks and farmers where us visitors keep distracting them so they’re now venturing into some other livelihood opportunities to cater to our needs – like more stores and eateries and at least 3 videoke joints. Oops and whooom! I was just starting out on the paved path when people everywhere seemed to have loudly rejoiced, stores lit up and children ran for videoke joints or internet shops. What was that?! Well well well baho ka’g tiil hehe! I realized electric power just went alive! And that told me two things - 1) it was 630PM and 2) time to charge every rechargeable thing I had. So I literally

My Negros Oriental Tour: Nice Views at Apo Island There are just so many things named “Apo” in this archipelago. Who the heck or whatever “apo” is, he/it must have been very dear and popular to our forebears for they named so many things in the Philippines with that word. There is the big mountain, there are reefs (yes plural), there are streets, there are islands (plural too) and there is even a brand of cement! This Apo Island that I visited is one that is off the shores of Dauin and Zamboanguita in Negros Oriental. What is it to me? The Philippines in a nutshell. Really! Meaning? Its lovely and not, its rich and not, it has the beauty, problems and issues of both the past and present! So let’s get to my story. Initial sights Though we’ll talk about it later in more detail, I can tell now that I was more than happy I stayed at Liberty Community Lodge than the more expensive Apo Island Beach Resort. Why? Because on a gloomy afternoon after the rain has just subsided with nothing much