Archive for July 2011

My First Davao Adventure – Diving, Durian and More

By on July 30, 2011
This entry is filed under Davao, Food, inside stories, opinion and tagged , , , , , . | 2 Comments

Ok, I will not talk about Cebu for now, coz I want to  talk about my first trip to Davao. My first trip to Davao was almost two years ago. We went there to attend a three day convention, but I stayed in Davao for almost 7 days.

Davao Airport

Davao Airport

Our flight to Davao was delayed  by a few hours so we arrived in Davao at around 4PM Thursday instead of the scheduled 12NN. We went straight to the convention hall as we had some things we needed to attend to before we go to our accommodation.

99 Pesos Eat-All-You-Can

We stayed at a friend’s  friends’s house and when we got there, we rested after eating. Except for the flight delay, we had an uneventful first day in Davao. The next three days were spent on the convention. At nights, we go to a barbeque place to have dinner near the Chinatown of Davao and go to Gaisano Mall to buy some things that we need. During the last night of the convention, we went to an Eat-all-you-Can buffet restaurant that costs only 99 pesos. Cheap right? But the food is good and you have lots of choices.

Scuba Diving in Davao

On our fifth day in Davao, we had planned to go scuba diving and so we did. We went to the port area of Davao and went to a dive shop where we paid 1,250 pesos per person for the boat ride, lunch, use of Kayak, diving lessons and a 30 minute dive 40 feet below the surface of the sea. The diving instructor taught us basic diving instructions, like breathing through your mouth, the signals for when you want to go up or down or if your ok, or if you are having problems, how to remove fog or mist from your goggles and so forth.

After the instruction, we were allowed to ask questions and then the diving began. It was so much fun to be under the water watching animal and plant life. 30 minutes is too short coz you enjoy what you are seeing. I got to see a variety of live corals and fishes, like NEMO or clown fish playing with the sea anemone and many other colorful fishes. I just love the underwater world.

Kayaking

After my turn in diving, we tried out the kayak. I had a partner with me but she was tired so i did most of the rowing. It was fun  and scary at the same time  coz the kayak might turn over due to the waves and the current is to strong and it’s taking us away from the boat. But it was fun and is a good excercise.

We finished around 2 or 3 o’ clock  and then we rested and then went to the mall in the evening to eat and just look around. The next day, we went to EDEN Park. It is one of the main tourist attractions of Davao. They have zip lines and lots of nice views and and the tour is very educational.

Eden Park and Zip Line

We had to take a 15 to 30 minute ride in a motorbike (habal habal) for 50 pesos each to get to Eden Park because the park is located up in the mountain. We got there quite late as it was already getting dark because some of my companions had to finish some business before going there. Still, we went inside. The entrance fee is 400 pesos. We didn’t get to go around the whole area as the tour usually ends at around 5:00 pm. but we walked around and visited some areas that are easily reached by foot and played around the playground and the zip line pratice area. The zip line practice area is a place where you could safely try the zip line. The line is very low so even if you fall down there is very little chance of injury. The zipline closes at around 5 PM too so we weren’t able to try the actual zipline that goes from one mountain to the other. We went back home after an hour or so as it was already getting late and we asked the motorbike driver to wait for us.

Souvenirs and of course, Durian

Our last day in Davao was spent shopping for pasalubong (English: presents). As you may already know, Davao is known for Durian fruit, a spiny fruit known for its amazing taste and challenging aroma. There are lots of stuff made from Durian that you can buy there as a pasalubong. There’s the actual fruit, which you can ask the vendor to remove from the skin and put inside a microwaveable container (so it is much lighter to carry and the smell can be contained), there’s the candy, the yema, the jam, and the pastilles. Aside from Durian though there are lots of other flavors you can choose from, like cheese, mangosteen, langka, etc. The most popular place to buy sweets as pasalubong is at Lola Ebon’s. A must try in Lola Ebons is their Durian Ice cream and Ice Candy. Those were very delicious. For those who has not yet acquired the taste for Durian (yes, Durian is an acquired taste, some people do not like it the first time they eat it) , the Durian Ice cream is a  must try.

Durian Fruit from Davao

Durian Fruit from Davao

After the shopping for pasalubong, we went back to our accommodation to get our bags then went to the airport for our flight. A trip well enjoyed. Indeed,   Davao is a very nice place to visit…

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Overlooking Views of Cebu City

By on July 25, 2011
This entry is filed under Cebu, Food, Mactan, Mountain and tagged , , , , . | 3 Comments

If you  like overlooking views like the the ones you see in Antipolo, Rizal, I am sure you would like the overlooking views of Cebu more. The view is much more beautiful particularly because there is less pollution in Cebu than there is in Manila.

I have been to Antipolo, Rizal and have a few times enjoyed the food there while taking in the sights overlooking Metro Manila. The view would have been nice if not only for the fact that, looking at the city, it seems like it is on fire due to heavy pollution.

Here in Cebu, I can tell you three ways you can enjoy the view overlooking Cebu City, Mandaue City and Lapu Lapu City. There is only one way, but three places you can go to, to see the view. Coming from JY Square in Lahug, you can either ride a motorbike (locally known as habal-habal), rent a taxi or hire a van to go to those places.

TOPS
If you just want to see the view from the highest point, you can go to TOPS. The entrance fee is 100 pesos and you can bring your own food and have a picnic there. You can go play hide and seek and take fun pictures but that is about all you can do.

view from TOPS at night

Mountain View
If just looking at the view is too boring for you, you can go to Mountain View. The view is not as nice as Tops but Mountain View has its mini zoo, a videoke machine, a hanging bridge, a small playground and a small snack bar. The entrance fee is around 70 to 100 pesos. For Tops and Mountain View, you could rent a taxi for 800 to 1000 pesos and you can ask them to wait for you for about an hour.

Mr. A Restaurant
If you like dining while looking at an overlooking view, Mr. A Restaurant is the place for you. The food is really good and not too expensive and the view is also really nice. For this restaurant, you can take a metered taxi from JY Square but they will ask you for an additional 50 pesos because it is  sometimes difficult to get a passenger from there.

If you haven’t seen the overlooking view of Cebu, try going to one of these places. Night time is the best time to go as it will be cool and the view looks much better because of the city lights.


View JY SQUARE MALL, Lahug Cebu City in a larger map

Hiking at Kawasan Falls in Cebu

By on July 22, 2011
This entry is filed under Cebu, Hiking, Mountain, Nature and tagged , , , , , , , . | 1 Comment

Kawasan Falls, Badian, Cebu

Image by Tim Albano via Flickr

I told you a couple of posts back that I would talk about places you might want to visit if you are a nature lover. Most nature lovers likes looking at animals or nice views, taking hikes and go swimming on natural springs.

Well if you are a nature lover, Cebu  also has a lot to offer for you. Cebu has some hiking trails that are easy enough for beginners and some that are not so easy.

One such hiking trail is that which could be found in Busay, Mt. Manunggal. The trail is easy enough for first time mountain hikers and the view is nice from the top and the temperature is very cold, specially at night.

Another trail that i have heard about is Osmena Peak. This mountain trail, I believe, is in Badian, Cebu. This trail is a bit more difficult but also more rewarding if you get your directions right. Why? Because this mountain trail will lead you to the most beautiful waterfalls here in Cebu, The Kawasan Falls. I’ve been there a few times already and I could say, the place is really beautiful.  This place has a series of waterfalls, maybe around five or six coming from high up the mountain going down to the lowest yet tallest one.

As a good news for those who does not like hiking that much but likes cool cascading waters, hiking through Osmena Peak is not the only way to get to Kawasan Falls. You can take the bus or hire a van that would take you to Kawasan Falls in Badian. However, in order to reach the falls, you need to hike a little, maybe 15 to 30 minutes hike depending on how fast you walk. There is also the matter of the 10 pesos entrance fee. Cheap, right? But I assure you, the scene is really breathtaking and waters really enticing.

Kawasan has three main falls that you can go to if you are strong enough and patient enough to go up to the source. The source is really beautiful and the water is really clear. However, to get to the source you need to climb up the mountain trails following the trail of the falls. It’s maybe around 30  to 45 minutes up hill hike. You need to be careful when going up or going back down because some paths are slippery.

On the first and second bigger falls (if you are coming from the easy way) there are picnic tables, life vests, life savers, and rafts that you can rent. You can also have them cook you a native chicken soup for around 250  to 300 pesos. The tables cost around 150-300 pesos depending on how big your table preference is. The life savers and the life vest rental cost around 50 to 100 pesos. The raft will take you under the falls and let you enjoy the feeling of cascading waters falling on you without the fear of getting drowned and can be rented at 300 pesos for 30 minutes. The main source of the falls which is at the topmost part has some picnic tables that also can be rented at the same price as those of the first two falls.

As I have said earlier, you could ask the stores around the area to cook you native chicken soup for a fee. You cold also bring your own food and just rent the tables. Grills are also available for those who want to bring their own meat to be grilled. Drinks can be brought at the stores but you can bring your own to if you want. If you are worrying about having to walk a few minutes while carrying heavy loads, there are porters waiting at the entrance to help you carry your things for a fee.

Kawasan Falls is great place to enjoy for the whole family and for friends.

Location


View Badian in a larger map

Singing Houses (Videoke Bars) in Cebu City

By on July 19, 2011
This entry is filed under Cebu, inside stories, opinion, videoke bars and tagged , , , , , . | 1 Comment

Crown Regency Hotel, Cebu, Philippines, with t...

Crown Regency Hote, Cebu. Image via Wikipedia

Cebuanos really do love to sing. And they should ‘coz most of them do have nice voices. That’s why there are a lot of popular singers today that originated from Cebu. Check out the likes of Jay-ar Siaboc, Sheryn Regis, Vina Morales and many others that I do not need to mention because you probably know them more than I do.

Cebuanos loving singing is probably one of the reasons why there are a lot of videoke bars or clubs around Cebu. I have to admit that before I went to Cebu, I was not very familiar with Videoke bars and singing rooms. Ok, so i sang a couple of songs on stage in comedy bars or music bars but still nothing beats Videoke bars for me. Why? Because in Videoke bars you do not have to face the fear of humiliation :-) before singing (yeah! I got teased a lot and been the butt of jokes first before I got to sing at one Comedy bar. They only shut up when I started singing because they liked the sound of my voice.. hehehe).

In videoke bars here in Cebu, you can rent a singing room for a minimum of 1 hour and sing to your heart’s content without anyone ever bothering you. Prices range from 100 to 800 pesos, depending on which day you go there or the number of people who will use the room.

POD 5 in Banilad Town Center
If you are a Filipino who only want to sing only tagalog or english songs, I would suggest POD5, located at Banilad Town Center (BTC), in Banilad, Cebu City. It is not too expensive and the song choices are many and updated. Price ranges from 200 to 300 pesos per hour of rental.

Rainbow “Noraebang” in Lahug
If you like your choice of songs to contain Korean or Japanese songs, there are two choices I could suggest. Rainbow, located near Cebu Grand Convention Hall ( I actually prefer this one because the song choices are more updated and the place is much cleaner and they have more rooms. I just came from there too .. hehehe)

Beatbox in Lahug (near IT Park)
Beat Box, located in Sunflower Plaza near IT Park, Lahug.  Both of them have lots of Korean and Japanese song choices and are frequently visited by Koreans or Japanese and Filipinos alike. Price range is 350 to 1000 pesos per hour singing room rental, depending on the size of the room and the day you come by.

There are other, cheaper Videoke Bars you can go to around Cebu, but i do not need to mention them as they are not as enticing as the ones mentioned above (or maybe I just haven’t tried it there yet so I really do not know).

All videoke bars in Cebu also offers a variety of food and drinks in their menu ranging from peanuts and beer to calamares and liquor. Check them out whenever you want to de-stress (Yes, singing your heart out is one good way to remove your stress.)

Disclaimer: This post is the opinion of the author and may vary from your point of view. The author does not mean to offend anyone and is just stating her opinion.

Indoor Activities in Cebu City

By on July 18, 2011
This entry is filed under Cebu, movies, opinion and tagged , , , , , , , .

SM City Cebu

SM City Cebu. Image via Wikipedia

Last time, I wrote about outdoor activities here in Cebu City.  If you are a type of person who wants to enjoy and relax indoors, Cebu City has a lot to offer for you as well.

If you enjoy shopping, looking around for things to buy, playing games, watching movies, and eating, Cebu has two major malls that you can go to, Ayala Center and SM City Cebu, and a lot of smaller malls to choose from, like Robinsons, Gaisano, Parkmall, etc. These malls usually offer a variety of shops you can go to from clothes shops to shoe and bags, to jewelry shops.

Major shopping malls like SM and Ayala also has Game zones and movie houses where you can watch the latest movies in either 2D, 3d, or IMAX (SM only).

For food lovers, these malls also offer a wide range of food choices in different cuisines, from Filipino, to Korean, to Japanese, to Thai, to Malaysian and etc. So for those who have an exquisite palette, no need to worry, there is a food choice for you.

For those people who love to sing, Cebu City also has a lot to offer for you. You can find lots of singing rooms, or noraebangs as Koreans call it. I believe us Filipinos like to call it videoke bars. These videoke bars offers a wide range of songs to choose from, from old classics, to pop, rock, love songs, etc. They even have Korean, Japanese and also Visayan songs.

But what about the nature lovers? We will discuss that on the next post. until then…

 

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Outdoor Activities in Cebu You May Want To Try

By on July 16, 2011
This entry is filed under Cebu, inside stories, Mactan and tagged , , , , , , . | 3 Comments

Depending on what you like doing, there are a lot of choices on activities you can do when you are in Cebu. From morning till night, there are lots of things you can do here in Cebu and you can choose whatever suits your mood or your taste.

If you are an outdoors kind of person, staying at Lapu-Lapu, Mactan might be the best choice for you. There you can find a lot of beach resort hotels with swimming pools, offering a wide range of water sports you can choose from, such as, water skiing, diving, para-sailing, etc. There are also resorts that offer ATV rentals for those who are the adventurous type who likes exploring the outdoors while driving an all terrain vehicle.

Cebu-Mactan Bridge

Crossing Cebu-Mactan Bridge

There are also waterparks in Lapu-lapu, Mactan that features a number of different kinds of swimming pools with different kinds and styles of slides to choose from. You do not need to worry about food because most of these resorts offer buffet food with their entrance fees.

Want some details? Drop me a comment and i might just do the research… Till the next post…

My Thoughts About Cebu

By on July 13, 2011
This entry is filed under Cebu, opinion and tagged , , , . | 7 Comments

Skyline of Cebu City

Cebu City. Image via Wikipedia

I know, this should be a travel blog. But right now, I am not going to tell you about my adventures in my travels. I am going to tell you about how I feel about Cebu.

Well, to tell you the truth, I am not a true blood Cebuana. I am originally from Manila, born there and raised there too. I got here because of my job. I was sent here supposedly for a few months to start off a business, but I fell in love with Cebu so I stayed longer and even though I left my job, the job that brought me here, I stayed in Cebu.

I’ve been here for more than four years now. I learned the language and can now converse fully in cebuano language most of the time. I haven’t fully explored Cebu yet, but based on the places that I already went to and the places that i have heard about around Cebu, it is a very beautiful place.

Of course, the view is not the only thing good in Cebu, the people here are also really nice. They may sound like they are angry when they speak, specially those around Cebu City and the surrounding areas(I believe as you go further south, the intonation of the cebuanos get softer),  but generally, they are gentle people. Nice, kind and caring.

If you want to understand what I am talking about, why don’t you visit and explore Cebu? I guarantee it will be worth your while. Cebu is a fairly small place. Approximately, you can get from one end of the island to the other end in about 6 to 8 hours.

Wondering where you can go and what you can do around Cebu? Wait around for my next posts and I will tell you about the fun places you can go to, here in cebu, including where you can eat and what you should try.  Until the next post.