A Spur of the Moment Trip to Bohol

Took a side-trip to Bohol on a supposedly Cebu only trip.  Couldn't resist the chance to go to Bohol after I found out it was less than 2 hours away by fast craft from Cebu.  As usual, nothing was really planned.  I asked a cab driver to take me the pier and I just took my cues from there.  

Took the last SuperCat out of Cebu, around 6pm and arrived Tagbilaran City at almost 8pm.  Since it was too late out to go to Panglao and I wanted to do the touristy thing and check the hills, the tarsiers and all, I looked for a place in Tagbilaran.  I stayed at Vest Pension House Hotel.  Rates where relatively cheap and it was clean and new.  When I stayed there, a room for an overnight stay for 2 pax was only 850-900.  Now I think it is only P1,150.  The hotel also helped me out with the tour.  Hooked me up with a driver to take me around.  Since renting a car was expensive (P2,500) for a whole day tour, I opted for a motorcycle.  It was only P500 and took me to the Chocolate Hills, the Tarsier Sanctuary, the Loboc River and eventually, Panglao.  Though the motorcycle wasn't really part of the tour options, they hooked me up with someone who could do it for me.  Economical, since I was alone, and exhilarating.  In Panglao, I stayed at Dumaluan Beach Resort.  It isn't the prettiest out there.  But it was inexpensive and clean.  It was quiet.  My aircon room was less than a thousand then and it faced the beach.  

I did the touristy thing in the morning, leaving my Tagbilaran hotel at 8am and went to the Chocolate Hills, the sanctuary, the Loboc River and church.  I was in Panglao by 1pm.  Had a late lunch in Panglao and just enjoyed being alone by the beach.  In the evening, I met up with a few Swedish divers I met on the ferry and went to check out the "night-life" in Panglao.  Nothing much compared to Boracay but I was glad.  The whole point of my trip was to breathe.

Got to talk to a few fishermen and they agreed to take me out with them at 3am.  Joined them in a small banka hoping to catch a glimpse of the dolphins that played around in these waters.  I saw some but we were really to far away to take any photos.  

Chocolate Hills, well it isn't as 
chocolate-y as it gets in the summer

Did you ever wonder why 
there are numerous hills in one area?  

Loboc Church.  

Beautiful. 

The Philippine Tarsier, the smallest primate.

They look more like rodents to me.  hehehe

Baclayon Church. Oldest Church in Bohol.

Panglao sunset. 

Scenes like this make you breathe.

My favorite spot in the resort.  

A book, the hammock, and I am happy.

The visit to Bohol, though spur of the moment was truly rewarding.  Just goes to show that sometimes, spontaneity is the key.  On your next trip, do not be limited by the plans you have already made.  Do not "box" your vacation time.  Vacations are supposed to be fun.  It should allow you to breathe.  There are no formulas nor are there perfect tours.  Just enjoy the moment.  

2 Nights, 2,000 Pesos and the Banaue Rice Terraces

A trip to the Banaue Rice Terraces isn't expensive.  With 2,000 pesos, you can spend 2 nights in Banaue.  

Florida Liner in España cor Galicia streets in Sampaloc has daily trips to Banaue.  Trip is either at 8.00pm or 10.45pm.  A bus ticket one way will cost 450 pesos.  It is an 8 hour trip to Banaue, so if you leave at 10.45, you will arrive Banaue at around 7.00am.  When you get to Banaue, there are a host of hostels to choose from.  Room rates range from 350 - 1,500 pesos a night.  Green View Lodge near the town center has standard rooms with a shared bathroom for 500 a night and People's View Lodge, at the same strip, offers it as 350 a night.  Meals in the hostels are pretty pricey (100pesos/meal) since they usually cater most to tourists.  You can get cheap and good meals near the market in the town center.  They serve home cooked meals for about 30-40 pesos.

When I went to Banaue, I did not join a tour or get my own guide.  I just rode a tricycle to a certain spot and walked.  I wasn't into the "hike-on-the-terraces" tour, I was more into just breathing, sitting, and basking in the beauty of the terraces.

A view of the Banaue Town Center 

 

 The mist that surrounds the mountains in the early morning.  

This is the sight you see when you arrive.

One of the many mountain springs that you see by the roadside.

Breathtaking.

Can you even fathom how this was done with crude materials?

On trips like these, I usually just take a tricycle to move around, walk a bit and just really bask in the color and beauty.  If you want to join a tour or have a guide take you around, there is a tourism assistance booth by the center of the town, near the market.  They can immediately hook you up with the a tour guide with the rates.  They also give out maps if you are adventurous enough to go on your own.  Frankly, it is doable.  Especially if you'll just go to the areas close to the town.

                                 Fare:    P 900 (Manila - Banaue - Manila)

                                 Room:     700

                                 Meals:     200

                                 Fare:       200 (Around Banaue - estimation)

                       Total Cost:   P2,000

Do not let money stop you from discovering new places and the beauty of the Philippines. A weekend in Banaue will even cost you less because you will only get to spend a night there.  A weekend might not be enough to see everything there is to see, but a weekend in Banaue is enough to rejuvenate and give you breathing space.

So, on the next weekend you are free, why not think about Banaue as your next destination?

Packing Light

I have learned to pack light from an early age.  Maybe it was seeing my mom pack for our road trips when I was little, or maybe I have learned it when I was commuting with my son to spend weekends with my aunt.  I have learned how to travel with the bare necessities.  Literally.  Just as I said previously, with sarong, I could travel anywhere.

The Essentials
For me, the essentials are really very few: my sarong, my camera, my phones, my notebook and pencil, phone charger, my small towel, and my meds.  Anything else, I knew I could get wherever I went.  Shampoo, soap, toothpaste, toothbrush, I get in the nearest sari-sari store.

This camera bag usually doubles as my sling bag where I keep my phone, wallet, passport, extra batteries, extra CF cards.

This 28L backpack can usually fit clothes for a week for me.  I roll up my clothes when I pack them so I can maximize the space of the bag.  I wear the heaviest clothing I bring and my shoes when I travel so I don't need to carry a heavy pack.  I usually make it a point to bring very lightweight clothing.

This is a bag Mae Perez gave me that I usually use for overnight or day trips.  It can fit a change of clothing, a towel, a sarong.

Though I am sure that when Mae gave me this bag, she really thought I would use it as a production bag not an overnight pack!

A hand towel is enough for me.  I don't need a big towel as I also have my sarong to double up as one if need be.  Thank you to Cindy Andres for introducing me to Aquazorb!






Learning to travel light has allowed me to just pick up and go whenever I want.  I do not need to wait in cues in airports, no check-in baggages, always ready to just go.  Don't need to take a cab, no fear about lugging around so much while looking for a place to stay or figuring out what to do next.  Packing light has given me a chance to explore with no worries.

Pagudpud in the Day Time

6am.  While the rest of the world was still in bed, these fishermen were about to start their day. 

I took a morning stroll while the boys were still asleep.  Got my feet wet, so to speak.  It was peaceful in the morning.  It was refreshing.

Clear, pristine waters.  

A fisherman was waiting patiently for the nets to be filled with the day's catch. 

The rest of his crew were waiting for him to give the signal to rein it in.

Some people call Pagudpud the "Boracay of the North," though the sand is not as powdery white as Boracay, nor are there water sports the way Boracay has, I think it is even more beautiful.  It is relatively untouched, virginal.   

 The windmills at a distance are those of Banggui.  An alternative source of energy for Ilocos Norte.  With this coastal town opening up to the South China Sea, there are minimal or no wind barriers, allowing this kind of alternative energy to sustain the province.  It currently supplies 25 megawatts of energy to the province.

Crystal clear waters.   

Water crashing to the shore.

A sight to behold.  Isn't God just wonderful?  Look at the clear blue skies and the blue waters that seem to go on forever.  In a word?  Magnificent. 

This was taken at the same spot, only it was the left side of the beach.  Imagine having that kind of stretch right before your eyes.  Breathtaking.

On his way home?  Or just having a casual sail?  I wouldn't mind sailing in this expanse of blue.

He was done for the morning.

This was taken at Saud Hotel where we stayed for the night.  Most expensive in the area but I was not disappointed.  It was clean, first class facilities, I think it was a 4-star resort (DOT) and the best part of it - it was right smack in front of the beach.  You open the door to your room and see this!

My favorite spot in the hotel.  Perfect way to relax. Perfect way to bask and enjoy God's love.

Pagudpud Sunsets

This was the sunset that welcomed us in Pagudpud.  I went there with my son, Matthew and nephew Nicholo for the 1st time in 2006.  It was the 1st real vacation I had in 6 years, and what a welcome indeed!

To breathe in this kind of beauty and just bask in its embrace was such a rest.  It calmed my heart and allowed me to enjoy the boys in the stillness.

Pagudpud is coastal town about 2 hours away from Laoag City, Ilocos Norte.  From Laoag, we took a bus to Pagudpud and from the town, a tricycle to the beach.

There are now daily trips to Pagudpud from Manila via bus.  It usually takes about 10 hours.  Buses that ply that route are Florida Liner (my choice), Maria de Leon, Fariñas to name a few.  If you do not want to go directly and want to do a stop in Laoag, the mini-buses to Pagudpud leave hourly from the city to the town.

A quiet moment by the beach, admiring the absolute beauty of the sunset.  It spoke volumes to me.  God's goodness and mercy.  Life's wonderful surprises.  Love's little hugs.

There is a calm that envelops a weary soul when faced with this kind of beauty.  There is peace. There is rest.  

In the busyness of our lives, with so many distractions, we often take for granted things that are just there.  When was the last time you have seen a sun set?  When was the last time you have allowed yourself the moment to enjoy the sunset? 

To gaze at the sunset
To stare at the calm waters
A soul soothing moment

The warmth of a summer's day
The breeze of the cool night's wind
A refreshment for the soul

With Sarong, Will Travel

I have always worked on this premise, and it has allowed me to go to places with very minimal expense. Travel need not be expensive.  Money should never be a hindrance to learning new things, discovering new places, and exploring new avenues.

This blog will be about the "pocket travels" I have taken solo or with my son.  The longest was probably a 4-day trip to Saigon, the shortest, a day trip to Puerto Galera. We've done round-a-bout trips to Bicol, Banaue, Laoag...The blog will be about the places we've seen, the food we have eaten, the beds we've slept in, the bags that we have packed.

Join me on my journeys, and enjoy it as much as I had, as much as we had.