El Nido Accommodation: Hadefe Cottages

Hadefe Cottages became our home in El Nido for three nights. The resort is located in the far end of Calaan Beach, a 10 minutes walk from the town of El Nido, along side with other newly built resorts that offer seclusion and tranquility.

Unlike the typical hotels and resorts found in the town of El Nido, Hadefe Cottages have stand-alone bungalow huts that are well spaced out throughout the resort's property providing privacy to visitors. The seven stylish cottages are made with traditional materials giving them a less contemporary feel and rustic look. Most of the cottages have a private balcony too. And since they are off the town area, expect quietness, laid back and relaxing ambiance.


Caramoan: Cagbalinad Island

Cagbalinad Island was our second stop right after visiting Lahos Island. Travel time from Lahos to Cagbalinad took about 10 minutes. Cagbalinad is actually an islet with small beach that is swallowed by water during high tide. The sand was very fine and white and compact. In fact, we didn't see any footprints on the beach - a sign that no other visitors were here when we arrived. We had the beach to ourselves!

View of lush green mountain of Gota Island

Discovering Palawan's Jewel: The Puerto Princesa Underground River

After spending three nights in El Nido, it's quite sad to accept the fact that we were leaving this paradise very soon. The worst part of a great trip is to leave the place you fell in love with. We bade goodbye to El Nido but the good part was leaving to explore another Palawan's wonder - the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park - which is a natural world heritage site.

The entrance to the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park

Travel Photo Friday: The Monkey and The Tortoise


Yes, this photo reminds me of the folk tale our kindergarten and elementary Filipino teachers used to read to us in school. The Tortoise and The Monkey (Ang Pagong at ang Matsing) was a creation of Dr. Jose Rizal, the national hero of the Philippines, which reflects Rizal's affection and compassion for the youth. The story was also published in a London magazine in 1889. For those who haven't heard about or forgot this story already, you can read it here. :-)

Caramoan: Lahos Island

Lahos was the first island that we visited on our first day of Caramoan island hopping tour. Lahos island is part of the short trip since it's located along with other islands and islets in the southern part of Caramoan Peninsula. They are quite close from Paniman beach, which is one of the jump-off points for island hopping.

It was almost 12 noon when we left Paniman. The sun was on its highest and we couldn't wait to get in the small motorized boat. Kuya Ramil and his grandson were our tour guides slash boat men. En route to Lahos island, we enjoyed the scenic view of limestone karst and lush green mountains.


Bohol Countryside Tour

Bohol was my first major travel destination this year that triggered the travel bug in me. This was also my first time to visit Bohol. The world famous Chocolate Hills and tarsiers are among the local attractions that made me eager to visit this island in Central Visayas. I only used to see them on post cards and textbooks at school, and it's great to finally see them up close!

Back in February, planning a trip like this was quite new to me. We were supposed to leave everything to a travel agency but, in the end, decided to do the itinerary and booking by ourselves. I realized that we could save a lot! Also, going on a trip using an orbitz coupon can give us more savings.

View of Tagbilaran City from the airplane

Travel Photo Friday: Sagada Sunrise


Visitors trek to the peak of Kiltepan Mountain in Sagada to witness an amazing view of the sunrise. It was raining the night before our climb to the peak and we were told that our chance of seeing the sunrise was very slim.

Caramoan Island Hopping: The Short Trip

Little is known about Caramoan Peninsula until the international show Survivor picked some of its islands as the location for different Survivor series. It has gained media attention and eventually more local and international tourists are drawn to this hidden paradise in Camarines Sur.

Caramoan Peninsula is composed of several islands and islets that are accessible by boat from Caramoan Island. There are two jump-off points, Paniman Beach and Bikal Port, where you can rent a motorized boat to take you to some of these islands. After our arrival and a quick lunch at the Caramoan town, we immediately headed to Paniman Beach for our island hopping adventure.

From Centro, it takes about 40 minutes to get to Paniman Beach. Kuya Ramil arranged a tricycle to take us to the site. There's no route transportation going there so you will need to rent a tricycle or habal-habal depending on the number of persons in your group. We paid PhP300 for a round trip fare.

Rough road to Paniman Beach

Travel Photo Friday: Boracay Sunset


Boracay Island is 5 hours away from where I used to live. Living in Iloilo City gave me the opportunity to visit the island frequently. Perhaps seeing the Boracay sunset several times has made me care less about it. However, my recent visit to Boracay last April was different. The sunset was too beautiful to ignore. Boracay may have become very polluted, but the beauty of its sunset remains as splendid as ever.

The Journey to Caramoan Island

We've been planning a trip to Caramoan Peninsula for ages. The plan wouldn't always push through because of conflicting schedule and limited airline promo fares so we would end up scratching our plan and going to different destinations instead. Finally, we were able to make our four-day Caramoan trip this year a reality.

August is perhaps not a good time to visit Bicol region because it's a typhoon season. Our desire, however, to explore this hidden gem in Camarines Sur was unstoppable. In order to stick with our plan, we decided to travel to Bicol by land. Flying to Naga is the fastest way to get to Bicol but the chance of getting a flight cancelled frightened us. We could not afford to move our trip (again) so we thought traveling by bus would be a far better option in case the weather turns harsh.

The most popular way to get to Caramoan by land is to take a bus from Manila to Naga City then another bus from Naga City to Sabang Port, the jump-off point to Caramoan Island. However, I learned that Peñafrancia Tours has a daily trip plying directly to Sabang Port. We took the latter option. I think they're the only bus line that offers such trip so we called them one week in advance to make a reservation. Fare is P765 per person for one way.

We arrived at Araneta Bus Terminal in Cubao 30 minutes ahead of the scheduled departure time. However, the bus left one hour behind its original 8:30 PM schedule. The whole trip from Manila to Sabang Port took 10 grueling hours - my longest bus ride ever. There were 3 bus stops for restroom break and light snacks.

The first of the three bus stops in Tiaong, Quezon

How to Get to Sagada from Manila

Sagada is a municipality in Mountain Province located in Northern Luzon, Philippines. Getting to Sagada takes about 12-13 hours by bus from Manila. There is no direct trip to Sagada from Manila but there are 3 routes that you can choose from depending on your preference.


Falling in Love with the Islands of El Nido (Part 2)

What an exciting second day we had! If you read my previous post, I described how the beauty of El Nido captivated me so much. We felt blessed because God has literally placed us in the middle of paradise to experience its magnificence and appreciate His amazing works.

The first time I watched the film "The Beach" starred by Leonardo DiCaprio, it became an instant favorite. I just couldn't help myself wishing I could see the place at least once in my life! This made our decision to choose Tour C over B for our second island hopping day tour. The tour includes the visit to a secret beach which is said to be one of Alex Garland's inspirations for his novel "The Beach". It may not be the "beach" featured in the movie but the idea excited us!

Day 3 - Island Hopping Tour C

Just like on second day, the third day started with heavy rain. Our excitement meter was absolutely pretty high so the weather failed to dampen our desire to see the islands waiting for us. The family of 19 members who was with us the previous day was scheduled for tour B. We were supposed to go with them but since we chose tour C, our guide from Hadefe had to look for another boat operator where we could join.

Kuya Loloy, our tour guide since day one, actually tried to convince us the day before to go with them on tour B. The reason was that he can personally watch us over. He had to be with the family because the children needed more attention in terms of safety. We appreciate their concern for us but we insisted on going on with tour C. We thought we're fine without him. So he booked us to another boat scheduled for tour C the next day, and even made assurance that we're gonna be safe with our new guide. The boat that picked us up that morning was a small one and aboard it was a couple who eventually became our friends.

1. Hidden Beach

Amazing crystal clear water of Hidden Beach

El Nido: Fish Feeding at Simizu Island

Simizu Island was the third destination on our first island hopping day tour. The massive limestone mountain range spreading over the island makes it one of the picturesque islands we've seen that day. The island plays host to a number of activities like kayaking, snorkeling, swimming or simply strolling down the beach. My most favorite among them was fish feeding.

After a delicious lunch and siesta, the boat left the island and took us to a spot a few hundred meters from the beach. Just off the shore of Simizu Island live a great number of vibrant corals and literally hundreds (or thousands?) of tropical fishes. As soon as we threw small pieces of bread into the water, shoals of diverse and colorful fishes surfaced and swarmed the bread like it was their last meal for the day. It was an absolutely incredible day of snorkeling, probably one of the best I've ever had.

Also, I wish I had a waterproof camera to capture the fascinating underwater scenery. Next time, I'll make sure to use a travelocity coupon and use the money I save to buy a good underwater camera. The teeming marine life in this part of El Nido overwhelmed me.



Falling in Love with the Islands of El Nido (Part 1)

The real beauty of El Nido rests in its pristine and unspoiled islands scattered all over the Bacuit Bay. With two full days to spend in this tropical paradise, we had the opportunity to visit ten of them. It's the ultimate reason why I'd want to stay in El Nido forever. :-)

El Nido is composed of 45 islands and islets making island hopping an essential activity. The island hopping is grouped as tour A, B, C and D (ranging from P700 to P900 per person). For each island hopping tour, you'll get to visit at least five islands (see map here). Tours A and B are the most common ones and recommended for first-time visitors. On the other hand, tour C covers the farthest islands among the group. Tours A and C got our interest.

Day 2 - Island Hopping Tour A

We woke up to a heavy rain on our second day in El Nido. For a while, bad weather threatened to spoil our island hopping activity. We know July is a rainy season in the Philippines but there was no news of incoming bad weather days before our trip. Sometimes, Mother Nature likes to play a little game with the weatherman.

At 9 AM, a big boat picked us up from Hadefe Cottages. The sun hiding behind the dark clouds began to show up. The weather had cooperated this time. Our boat headed to El Nido town beach where a family of 19 members (from infant and kids to adults) were waiting to be picked up and join us. My friend and I suddenly felt out of place. What the heck, we were there to enjoy ourselves. :-P

1. Big Lagoon

Entrance to the Big Lagoon

Palawan: A Gateway to Paradise

This is the first part of our Palawan getaway last July. Aside from being a favorite holiday destination, I've always wanted to go to Palawan to discover its captivating natural wonders and experience its unspoiled beauty. The perfect opportunity was this year while the travel bug is too strong to resist. :-)

Last March, Cebu Pacific Air made a seat sale announcement and right on the spot, my friend and I decided to book for flights to Puerto Princesa for July. We got a good deal on round trip tickets for P1,900++ per person. As early as April, I started planning for our Palawan getaway right after our Boracay trip.

The original plan was to explore only the popular tourist attractions in Puerto Princesa but, surprisingly, it turned into an ultimate Palawan escapade after we stumbled upon an irresistible deal from Hadefe Cottages. Like most budget travelers, we don't like tour packages too. What sealed the deal for me was the inclusion of the tour package Underground River cruise, Puerto Princesa city tour and a two-night stay in El Nido with island hopping for P7K per person. That's 5 days and 4 nights of amazing Palawan exploration! Finally, I can set foot in Palawan and visit one of my top dream destinations, El Nido, just right on a budget.

This was our first time to go to Palawan and what can be more exciting than to include the chance to visit the Philippines' last frontier? I was very ecstatic!

The beauty of Calaan Beach in El Nido is revealed during low tide.
The sunlight would turn the sea floor into gold. What a sight to behold!

On our second (and last) day in Sagada, we had the whole day to explore more of its best attractions. With body still tired and aching from the previous day's spelunking activity, we woke up very early at around 4:30 AM and dragged ourselves to the van. This time we booked for a transportation from SAGGAS to take us anywhere around Sagada.

Our first stop was the Kiltepan Peak. It's a hike up in the mountain which has the best panoramic view of Sagada, the rice terraces and nearby mountain ranges. It also offers the best sunrise view in Sagada, hence, the need to rise early to catch the amazing sunrise and capture its full splendor.

The beautiful sunrise at Kiltepan Peak

The Amazing Spelunking Adventure at Sumaging Cave

A visit to Sagada won't be as exciting and memorable without some spelunking activity. At first, I couldn't imagine caves like Lumi-ang and Sumaging exist in such a high mountainous ground of the Mountain Province. Nevertheless, these caves are among the natural wonders that make Sagada a must-visit destination. Seeing these places gives every traveler a taste of history and adventure.

After six hours of bus trip from Baguio City, we finally arrived in Sagada and immediately checked in at George Guest House, one of the popular and affordable inns in Sagada. Our room costs P600 for two persons - it was big enough to fit four pax.

George Guest House entrance

The Scenic and Endless Winding Road to Sagada

Originally, we wanted to go to Caramoan Island in Camarines Sur last May but typhoon Bebeng started rampaging across the whole Bicol region just days before our scheduled trip. Good thing we had planned for a Sagada trip as a Plan B. We only had less than a week to finalize everything but organizing a trip to Sagada did not seem to be a daunting task. Thanks to dozens of information all over the internet.

It takes at least 12 hours to reach Sagada from Manila by bus. Although there are no direct trips from Manila, there are three available options on how to get there. VisitSagada.com is a great website that has everything you need to know when planning for your do-it-yourself (DIY) Sagada getaway.

My friend and I chose the Manila-Baguio City-Sagada route. I know most people would leave Manila by midnight just in time to catch the first trip of buses bound for Sagada in Baguio. However, we didn't like the idea of sitting for at least 12 straight hours on the bus (6 hours from Manila to Baguio, another 6 hours from Baguio to Sagada). It would be our first time to travel that long by bus, if ever.

So off we went to Victory Liner terminal in Pasay and took the 11:00 AM trip bound for Baguio City. We decided to stay in Baguio for a night.

Gloomy sunset view from SM Baguio

Where Have I Been this 2011?

I'm so freaking blessed to have traveled to many major destinations in the Philippines this year. One of my new year's resolutions which was to travel only every other month has become an almost monthly routine. I kicked off 2011 with a Puerto Galera getaway and soon found myself crazy booking for domestic flights in every seat sale opportunity I can get. I thought the travel bug was beginning to bite me hard.

Just to summarize, below are the places where I've been in the past year. I will be writing about my adventure in each of these destinations in the next couple of days weeks. Looks like a lot of backlog to catch up on. :-)



Puerto Galera, January 2011

Why Travel Blog?

Putting up a travel blog never crossed my mind. All I wanted to do was to travel, take pictures of my trips, share some photos on Facebook and keep the travel experiences in my memories.

Then a few weeks ago I heard about the resignation of former DOT Secretary Alberto Lim that made headlines. Rumors and speculation about his resignation started to come out. Despite the controversy, I tried to remain hopeful and focused on the positive news that Philippine tourism has seen a rapid growth in the first five months of 2011. By the way, this news came out even before Lim's resignation so I didn't quite get why leave in the middle of the celebration. Or was there a more serious issue behind his resignation?

Anyway, like I said, I'd rather focus on the good news. A new DOT chief has now been named. Like what everyone else believes, I'm very positive that Ramon Jimenez can do a better job. I'm happy in his enthusiasm in encouraging everyone to promote the Philippines - comparing the country to a "chicken joy which is very easy to sell". I deliciously second that! LOL.

Whether good news or bad news, we cannot deny the fact the Philippines is a beautiful country. And for me, that is an understatement. I'm putting up this blog so that other people realize that fact. Every Filipino should be aware that there are plenty of hidden gems all over the country, waiting to be discovered. I don't hate my friends or some people who prefer to travel to other countries but one thing is for sure, they are missing to experience the treasures in their own backyard.

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