Philippine Travel Notes

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 ...

My Negros Oriental Tour: Boat Crossing From Malatapay To Apo Island Then Mr. & Mrs. Frenchman arrived via a multicab. That meant we would soon ride the little boat. I did not tell anyone, but my heart started pounding heavily. Am sure they saw that in my face anyway hehehe! We were introduced, but I forgot their names. They talked French to each other but the lady speaks to Pinky in Tagalog. She spoke to me in English. When Pinky announced a “let’s go” everyone caught me immobile. I was still hesitating actually. But the old lady told me it will be okay. So, I believed her and went for it. They are a good couple of diving addicts who even at their age (probably in the 60s) were still active and going places to dive. Pinky told me they are very regular guests at Liberty and the lady was an ex-professor (UP?). So, she’s not your usual ‘Pinay wife of a foreigner’. Thus, when she said ‘it will be okay’, I believed her. The woman with Pinky commanded the men to load our backpacks under ...