Cebu Travel and Lifestyle Blog

On a personal note, I was a bit hesitant to set foot to Siquijor because of the hearsays but the adrenaline rush got the better of me and fueled me to finally say yes and—Explore Siquijor! To my surprise, contrary to the hearsays, I was so amazed not only of the place but more so with the people—they are so warm and accommodating even to strangers like me. In fact, we were invited to a birthday party of a friend's friend. How awesome is that? Anyway, here's the last installment of our Dumaguete-Siquijor adventure. 

 

DAY 3: SIQUIJOR

6:30AM-7:30AM (Preparation and Breakfast)

2:40PM-3:30PM (Salagdoong Resort, Maria)

3:30PM-4:40PM (Travel from Salagdoong to Cantabon Cave—we lost our way so it took us some time to get to the cave)

4:40PM-6:00PM (Spelunking at Cantabon Cave)

6:00PM-6:20PM (Travel from Cantabon Cave to the town proper)

6:20PM-7:45PM (Dinner at the Boulevard)

8:00PM onwards (REST)

St. Francis of Assisi Church &Bell Tower

TIPS & TRICKS:

1.) PROTECTION. Oops, I know what you're thinking but that's not what I mean—but might as well bring some. (Haha!) Kidding aside, bear in mind to protect your valuables. Since, you are on an adventure, expect that you'll trek thru land and cruise thru waters, and the best way to safeguard your stuff is by putting them inside a dry bag or a water resistant pouch. In my case, during the spelunking, I put my bills and phone inside a water resistant pouch but I didn't notice that there was water already inside it—maybe because I didn't seal it safe enough and caving made us crawl, swim and whatnot thru the water in the cave. And I almost freak out because my phone was doing crazy stuff such as blinking, camera in burst mode, can barely use the touch screen among others. But I remembered the hack about wet iphones, so I immediately bought a kilogram of rice and burried my phone there for 24 hrs—and yes, it worked for me! *whew*

2.) TRANSPORTATION. Worry not for the motorcycle fare is fairly regulated by the local government as what my friend told me. For a 1 day rental, the motorbike is priced at 300Php while the tricycle is at 1,300Php. So more or less, overpricing won't be an issue but your haggling skill should do the trick if you want a discount. Haha! And remember that at around 6PM, no more or very few vehicles are on the road so if you don't wan't to hike, be sure to get back to your place before 6PM or might as well hire a private vehicle to pick you up anytime you wish to.

3.) EARLY BIRDS—get the the early trips. Due to the huge number of tourists flocking in Siquijor compared to the limited trips going back to Dumaguete, it would be convenient if you go to the port as early as 5AM to get your tickets. As for us, we went there at around 6AM already and goodness gracious, the line of people getting their tix is similar to that of getting some relief goods. No further description because I know you know what I mean. Hehe. Again, be on time—or earlier. 

I can't leave home without bringing my daily essentials with me—my phone, wallet and watch. In regard to the latter, my closest pals know that I have always been a time-conscious type of person. I have this habit of checking my watch from time to time and sometimes, whenever I forget it in my bedroom, I seem to feel incomplete. (Uy,hugot! Haha) But seriously, yes, whenever I accidentally leave it at home, I feel uneasy and uncomfortable. 

And if there's another thing that I could take pride of myself, it's the thought that I always give value to the things that matter to me, whether expensive or not, it's always gonna be for keeps. I can't exactly fathom whether it's a weakness or a strength, but I'm kind of a sentimentalist most especially when it comes to things which were given to me by my loved ones. In fact, I have this watch which has been with me for about 15 years already. Just a short backstory, when I was in 5th grade elementary, my aunt gave it to me as a birthday present. I loved it so much esp. that it came from her. This watch has been with me thru my worst and best and up until now, it's still perfectly serving its purpose.

       The Wardell priced at 4,150 Php

 Now that I am already a medical practitioner and a budding photo blogger as well, whose schedule is always on the go, it's a struggle for me to find the right timepiece that would fit perfectly to both of my careers. But guess what? The Gentleman Project just came at the right time! Just recently, TGP welcomed me as a new baby of the family alongside with other well-known influencers like AJ Dee (@thefilodapper), Deegee Razon (@DGRazon), ida anduyan (@idaandu) among others. And as a welcome present, they gave me this super awesome timepiece—the Wardell. It was love at first sight. At first glance, I fell head over heels with its minimalist design. It's everything I wanted in a timepiece as it embodies the minimalist soul in me.

 And what's more fascinating? It comes with a variety of trendy straps to choose from. How convenient is that huh? Now, I need not to change my watch when I have to go to the hospital for work in the morning and eventually, do a product shoot or make my blog content in my casual wear and whatnot in the afternoon.  Well I  must say, The Gentleman Project is gonna be a watch the world should watch out for because it proves that less is always more. Philippines today, the rest of the world tomorrow. 

 

So if you wanna score this minimalist timepiece to spice up your dapper look, check this Manila-based online shop on Instagram (@TheGentlemanProject) and Facebook (The Gentleman Project) or visit their website (thegentlemanproject.com). And worry not, for the shipping fee is FREE nationwide. 

To start with, we departed from the Cebu South bus Terminal at around 3:30am en route to Santander and got there at around 6:50am (approx. 3hrs and 20mins) 

From there, we immediately hopped in the seacraft that took us to Dumaguete City. More or less, it was a 30 min ride from Liloan,Santander port going to Sibulan port. 

Right after decking at the Sibulan port, we went straight to the city proper to find a place to stay for a night. When we were inside the jeepney, I asked another passenger for suggestions on budget hotels to stay in. "At HarizMariz!", she quipped at once. Name it coincidence or just pure traveller's luck, she even insisted to be our tour guide for the day. Such a blessing! (btw, her name's ate Christine, a law student from Norsu) And so, our Day 1 started from there. Here's the travel itinerary for our first day in the City Of Gentle People. 

DAY 1: Dumaguete

3:30AM-6:55AM (Cebu South bus Terminal-Liloan, Santander) 

8:00AM-9:00AM (Breakfast/nap time)

5:20PM-5:40PM (Travel from Valencia Proper to HariMariz Dorm)

5:40PM-8:30PM (Rest)

8:30PM-8:45PM (Travel from Harimariz Dorm to Boulevard)

8:45PM-10:00PM (Boulevard)

TIPS & TRICKS: 

1.) PREPARATION. It's always the best key to have a smooth sailing adventure. Book your accommodations prior to the trip so that it won't consume your time looking for a good place to stay. I personally recommend HARIMARIZ DORMITORY for the service is beyond its price. It only cost us 250 peso each per night, 4 pax in a room—fully air-conditioned, with hot/cold shower and of course, wi-fi! :)

2.) HYDRATION. Always bring a bottle or two or more of water with you esp. when trekking thru Casaroro Falls and on your entire trip. You won't allow yourself to get dehydrated under the scorching heat of the sun, would you? That's gonna spoil the fun. 

3.) HAGGLE. There's no harm in haggling for the price as long as you agree at a reasonable one. Some motorcycle drivers attempted to take advantage of us being tourists and asked for a double or triple of the normal asking price. That's a little sad. But luckily we found a new friend there and she helped us haggle the price—back to its normal or even lower. 

Well, that wraps up the Dumaguete part of our trip. The Siquijor installment is up next, so keep posted! Ciao!

Without a doubt, Summer is the best time of the year! I know everybody would agree to that. And so, it's the best season to hit the beach. There is something about it that I really couldn't resist. 

Whenever I feel upset or exhausted from work, I always seek refuge at the beach. It's like a home away from home. Do you feel the same way too? (Ofc yes!) Needless to say, we are so blessed here in the Queen City of the South for God had bestowed us with plenty of white sand beaches to enjoy. And by what I just said, these beaches aren't just plain boring ones but moreover, they are world class! Of course, I haven't been to all of these beaches around Cebu, but for sure, they're on my list.

And so last weekend, I ticked one of them off my bucket list. Together with me were my friends turned to family who made this trip one for the books. To start with, we departed at around 6 am from Radisson Blu Hotel as our assembly place. More or less, it took us around 3 hours to finally get to Malapascua via private van. 

For the 3 day-and-2 night escapade, we stayed at Malapascua Legend Water Sports and Dive Resort. In all fairness, the resort was pretty fine and the staffs were accommodating but the thing is, they lack manpower for their number of guests. (Or maybe, just for that span of time, not sure tho.) 

Generally for the entire trip, all day long were spent swimming by the fine powdery beach and crystal clear pool, alternatively. 

There's nothing much to do in the tranquil island of Malapascua (unlike such activities like of Boracay's) so we had a barbecue party while chatting, playing volleyball and everything in between.

 And when night time comes, there is an acoustic singer who serenades all the resort's guests while they are eating their sumptuous dinner. 

Oh I almost forgot! One friend of mine told me not to miss the view of the golden sunset in the island and yes, she was right! It was such a spectacular view. Definitely, one of the best things about this trip was seeing the sun set to its right place reminding me of the thought that God do really make beautiful endings too. What a relief! :)

A lot of people opted to go to Boracay for the annual Laboracay activity but if you are the kind of person who seeks serenity and tranquility to recharge your overly drained mind and body, then Malapascua Island is the right place for you. 

But I guess the place won't be that beautiful if I wasn't with the people I was with. All good thoughts to this bunch and of course, words are not enough to express how thankful I am to our non-biological japanese father who turned this friendship into somewhat like of a family.

                       Thank you Otusan!

I guess, that's everything about my Malapascua escapade. And hey, how about you? Tell me how you spent your weekend.