Philippine Travel Notes

Hoy, I didn't know I was going to Bohol. Pramis hahaha! This was the 2 nd and last of my ' two-island tour ' from Mactan. Pandanon Island : is part of Getafe , Bohol na diay! All I knew was I went on an island-hopping tour from Punta Engaño Lapu-lapu City on Mactan Island, Cebu Province. I just presumed (sige assumed) the hops would be to islands belonging to the city of Lapu-lapu , like Olango Island , as this is one vast area. I didn't know, for I didn't check that my 1 st island destination was/is part of Cordova, Cebu; and this 2 nd island on my itinerary belongs to the province of Bohol. Level up? The administrative affiliations of the islands alone got me excited. So, let's go! [ Maryusep, baka next time, ang island-hopping ko eh mapunta na ng Koror o Miangas! ] Anyway... The ride from Nalusuan to this island took about 1 hour. It's not near. Nakakainip pa nga actually - since I was alone with no one to talk to hehe! But, I enjoy...

The first of my two-island-getaway from Mactan via the Islands Banca Cruises. Nalusuan is an interesting tiny island - from its kinky name, distance from mainland, development, administration, down to the 'things to see & do', it being "a sanctuary"! This ride from their wharf (near Hilton) takes 45 to 60 minutes, said that jolly lady at their office. Wheh, this took exactly an hour and 7 minutes. But, no one complained. Definitely not me, because I enjoyed it! Ayayay, especially when we were meeting or outrunning other boats at midsea, aru para akong bata me pakaway-kaway pa. Aliw! All three of them waved back at me! Pinektyuran pa nga ako kasama ang crew ko! Syempre just wave at people you see hehe. Wag kang mag-imagine. Wag kang ano! Eto me tao 'to, yung "driver" - parang nag-iisa sya - and he also waved back at me! Ah this one had a lot of passeengers on the upper deck. They waved and cheered! Try it. I mean wave as if saying hi...

Woke up feeling 'I really have got nothing to do today' ! That, happens from time to time , right? Although my psychologist-friend told me, it's usually immediately followed by a need to find something to do . Ah I felt exactly that! And... About to throw an oldish local Cebu daily, I saw an ad about Islands Banca Cruises . My mind titillatedly raced, and told my royal self " why not revisit Olango Island area "?! The lazy other half of 'me oldie brain' said "it's a gloomy day, rains are forecasted" ! Yet I caught my self grinning, imagining how to ride connecting jeeps to Punta Engaño! See the arbitrariness? Walang ganito sa Metro Manila! Voila! Exactly 8:27AM I was at the Islands Banca Cruises office and dock in Mactan (near Hilton) ! A seemingly bewildered boatman (standing-in for a desk clerk who was still at breakfast) told me to wait a while, then asked "are you sure wala kay kauban"? I jokingly turned aro...

That is the question! And I had a lesson here. I think I could even consider that a "sermon", but very well taken. And I will have to try to remember this lesson. The scenario: About 2++PM going to 3PM, I arrived from the city (Cebu) and got off the jeep just before Jollibee (Consolacion) on the way to V&G. I hopped in and ordered my usual (fave snack) TLC. At first I said I wanted it "to go" but on second thought, I said "dine-in" because I saw the dailies, a chance for me to read-up and/or catch-up on current events. Oh yes, CDN, The Freeman and Sunstar are always available here for "free-reading". When I reached the second page of The Freeman, I saw this 'beautiful' news about two lady cops being awardees of the country's top. I got my phone so I could take a snap of the article (rationale: when I get home and see my pics, I'd be reminded of that news article, then look that up on the web). Unfortunately or fortu...

Let's go "lighter" talk. Yes, that thing you always look for to set the birthday cake candle afire. Same thing most wedding coordinators usually panic for at church ceremonies because "candle sponsors" did not bring matches! Yep, that thing that always comes in handy when a thread comes dangling out of your shirt or pants while you're already out painting the town red. THE Lighter! One of the most popular brands proliferating on this planet is as pictured above. The nameless ones are cheaper, usually referred to by Pinoys as "Made In China" for indeed, almost all of them are! So, is it really not allowed in the airplane? Yes... BUT! " Ano nanaman ang BUT na yan " you may ask? That is our topic this time. In all the world, it is 'supposedly' not allowed BUT not so much taken seriously by the authorities. Why? Because indeed, the risk factor is too negligible! Try asking around if you find any airline passenger carrying disposable l...