Philippine Travel Notes

In my  earlier story I said "as always, let's start from the very beginning - my departure from Tacloban". This was it. Rare funny and fun! You see the long line of yellow umbrellas by the side of the building? Those were passengers walking to their yellow plane parked to the right of our PAL plane ready to go. They were walking on the tarmac, but were "driven away" and asked to walk by the side of the terminal because my PAL flight was ready to pushback. And I quickly txtd " alisin ang mga alipin sa daan, lilipad na ang aking kamahalan" ! The reply was " iroy "! Hahaha, one of those in yellow umbrellas was a friend I was earlier joking with as we waited for boarding - we weren't sure which of our planes would go first! Eh nauna kami heheheee! Oist! 'Di nyo naitatanong, magaling din ako sa pang-aalaska, aba at kahit pang-aalipusta! I sent these: Yep, I sent that to the friend who was in that line. And my caption was ...

Tudela proper is not that far from Bukilat Cave. It took us just a mere 15 minutes of leisurely drive on the motorbike. And Tudela is one fine town I like. Its rural. The noisiest thing you hear anywhere (if you can call it noise) are just old motorbikes that need repair. Too many old houses! Though they don’t really look grandiose or imposing, I noted that there are quite a number of houses here that were probably erected sometime during the Japanese or American occupation. They’re just there standing silent and still… still serving the purpose for which they were erected… to provide a happy home to some of the longtime residents of the town. Not rustic but serene… not modern but complete! Heading to see the town’s church, we chanced upon some kind of a flea market. It was! And I learned it happens only once a week in the area that starts at the front gate of the church. It traces an L-shaped row of stalls with everything one might need. In this “taboan” encounters, there were sta...

My Tudela visit started at Bukilat Cave. As you can discern from my previous post, we circled the island clockwise from My Little Island Hotel over at Brgy Esperanza in Poro. That’s why we entered the town of Tudela from Bukilat which I know is not the normal way of tourists. Well, as mentioned before, I am not a “cave man”, I am just another son of a beach! Therefore, Bukilat was not really something I will jump with joy about. But I went in since my driver and guide Randy said it was a very famous attraction. Indeed it is, I discerned that just by looking at the many signage and the big wide tarp near the entrance. As we walked to enter, a shirtless dude came running and he was trying to put his shirt on as he ran towards us hehe. Ah, he was in charge of collecting the entrance fee. Just a 10-peso coin really. And only I was charged. Yes, you all probably know that in this country, like anywhere else on the globe, tour guides and/or drivers are free-of-charge to various places that...

Planning Session of Sorts! “Sir, there is none”! That was the reply I got when I asked what modes of public transport were there from the hotel to center of town. “Well then, aren’t there motorcycle rentals or habal-habal rides?” was my next question. The answer… “ah you can arrange that at center of town sir, there are a lot”! Exasperated, I exclaimed “but how can I arrange that at center of town if there is no ride from this mountain?”! Gosh my voice was reverberating in the restaurant all the way to the lobby and probably out into the pool hehe! No no no, I was not throwing my weight around, even if I could. We were bantering. The hotel crews gathered around me while I enjoyed my free breakfast “alone” at My Little Island Hotel. I still owned it, remember?! Alona, the front desk girl for the morning then said “but Randy will take you there, sir”! And I retorted with “which means I need to pay for that van, correct?”. But before anyone could respond, Randy told me his motorcycle migh...

It was a confusing start. I zoomed-in and zoomed-out Cebu Island on my Google Maps but could not find Camotes! Where are they? Aysus, I found out they’re nearer to Leyte Island than mainland Cebu! Then there was Pacijan, Poro and Ponson, and there is Poro, Pilar, Tudela and San Francisco! Just where was I supposed to start? Some say go via Ormoc, some say via Danao others say via Cebu’s Pier 1, some say Pier 3 and still others say via Ouano wharf? Hah! I even went to that travel office in Mandaue (towards old Mactan Bridge) to ask more about Camotes and scout around for tours and accommodations. Part of the dialogue was… Me: What else should I visit in Camotes? Clerk: Sir, aside from the beaches, there are caves and beautiful Danao Me: Ah yes, I will go to Danao City after Camotes Clerk: No sir, I mean Lake Danao Me: But that’s in Ormoc, I just want Camotes Clerk: Yes sir, in Camotes Me: ha?! Well, there I learned that Lake Danao in Ormoc is different from Lake Danao in Camotes! When I...

MOAP, pronounced ‘mo-wap’, that is the Misamis Occidental Aquamarine Park on the outskirts of Tudela, nearest Jimenez. And I must say this was, or just became the highlight of my roaming outside Ozamiz City. Not that I even knew about it before I flew into Ozamiz hehe. I just happened to have heard about it while asking around. And yes, the lady over at Royal Garden Hotel’s front desk was ultra-helpful! From Jimenez, there were various ride choices like habal-habal, tricycle or jeep for the just about 4km distance to MOAP. I was convinced by locals to ride a multicab and was actually already seated in one as it waited for more passengers. But a Rural Bus came on its way to Ozamiz, so I jumped out of the multicab and took the bus. Good that Jimenez has an integrated terminal for buses and jeeps so you can see which one is going out first! Well, this bus ride was a bit more expensive (P15) which should have just been 7 or 8 pesos on the multicab hehe! MOAP Entrance Commuters, don’t get ...