One of the best beaches I’ve ever been to is the one in Camotes Island specifically the white sand beach in the town of Santiago. The beach is long and the sand is superfine.
This week’s featured photo is a shot of the morning view of the Santiago white sand beach line.
Santiago White Beach in Camotes Island
After the buying souvenir items from the Sevilla Souvenir Shop at the Hanging Bridge, we proceeded to the Loboc River Floating Restaurants.
Loboc River Floating Restaurants
There are four restaurants to choose from, each of them has something different to offer. In our case, we chose the first one, the Riverwatch Floating Restaurant. Apart from the fact we thought the menu suits our taste, we also managed to get a substantial discount from them. The typical price of the buffet is 300 pesos and there’s an entrance fee of 100 pesos. All in all, without any discount of whatsoever, you will spend 400 pesos for the cruising buffet meal.
As expected, the buffet meal was delicious. There’s also a live music performance while you are eating and occasionally, the boat will stop at stations where there’s a floating stage at the shore where there are people performing either a native dance and/or a song.
Loboc River Floating Restaurants in Bohol
The Riverwatch Floating Resto has plenty of food selections. During our stay they prepared grilled fish (Tuna), Pancit, Chopsuey (mixed vegetables), squid, fried chicken and many other typical Filipino dishes. They also have sliced fruits such as pineapple and and watermelon.
River Watch Floating Restaurant in Loboc River, Bohol
Python,Ostrich, Flying Lemur in the Mini-zoo
Our next stop after the lunch in Loboc River Floating Resto was the mini-zoo (We skipped the zip-line portion since none of us wants to try it).
The mini-zoo features a huge python, Iguana (chameleon), Ostrich, Flying Lemur and many others. We didn’t stay long in the zoo and we left immediately after we took several pictures.
Ostrich in Bohol Mini-Zoo
Baclayon Church and the Blood Compact Statue
Our next stop is the old church in the town of Baclayon. Again, we didn’t stay there for long mostly due to the hot sunny after-lunch weather. It seems that most of us wants to sleep inside our rented van. So after a few shots of the place, we left for our next stop, the Blood Compact Statue in Tagbilaran City.
Baclayon Church in Bohol
The Blood Compact Statue commemorates the treaty by blood (Sandugo) between the spanish conqueror Miguel López de Legazpi and Bohol Chieftain Datu Sikatuna in the year 1565. The sculpture was made by a Bohol native National Artist, Napoleon Abueva.
Blood Compact Site (Sandugo) in Bohol
We took several pictures of the statue and as expected, we took our favorite shot – a jump-shot. 
Going Back to Tubigon, then to Cebu
After the Blood Compact Site, we traveled back to Tubigon Port to catch the 4PM MV Starcraft ride.
Before stepping into the fast-craft, I look back at Bohol for the last time and a curious idea comes to my mind – I’m gonna come back again to this place!
Links:
Day Tour Bohol Part 2: Ship House, Man-made Forest and Hanging Bridge
This week’s featured photo is a city lights view of Cebu, Mandaue and Lapu-lapu. This photo was taken from the elevated garden of Tops. For more information about TOPS, see this article: Overlooking Views of Cebu City
view from TOPS at night
Image via Wikipedia
As what I have mentioned a few posts ago, me and a friend went to Samal Island together with another family during my second trip to Davao. Samal Island is a very beautiful place. We went there via barge (a ship where you could take your car with you). The family we went with hired a van and we took it to Samal. The barge trip was about 15- 30 minutes away. It was just a short trip as Samal is still part of Davao.
Island Garden City of Samal
Monfort Bat Colony
The first place we went to in Samal is the Monfort Bat colony. There, you could find thousands of bats in caves. You would not be able to get inside the caves but from outside, you would be able to see thousands of bats covering the walls of the caves. Their number is no reason for worry though as they are Fruit bats and pose no harm to humans whatsoever. According to the posters posted around the entrance of the colony, these bats feed on fruits and in turn distributes pollen from other fruit trees thus causing trees to flower and bear fruit. So, these bats are the reason that Davao is The Fruit basket of the Philippines and the reason why there are many Durian in Davao.
Monfort Bat Colony in Samal Island
Hamigit Falls
Our next destination was Hagimit falls. Although Hagimit falls consisted of just small falls, the water is very cool and refreshing. The water seemed very fresh and enticing but me and my friend did not go swimming as we did not want to get wet at that time. We had lunch there and some of the kids who were with us enjoyed swimming in the water. We didn’t stay there very long as we still had somewhere else to go to.
Hamigit Falls in Samal Island
Our last stop was a private resort in Samal. It was owned by a friend of the family we went with and there we met other friends who also went there to relax. The place was a resort with many small cottages surrounding a big mansion complete with an entertainment room and a game room. The view from the veranda of the mansion is very beautiful and relaxing. The resort has a big swimming pool that is about 8 ft at the deepest part and 2 ft at the shallow part for the children. We sang songs inside their entertainment room as they have their own videoke microphone and afterwards went swimming at the pool. It was lots of fun swimming in the pool even though it was raining. We finished at around 6 pm then we had dinner where we enjoyed lots of fruits such as lanzones and rambutan then went back to Davao proper the same way we came.
Samal is such a beautiful place and I really hope I get to go back there again to enjoy the other parts of the island. One day is not enough.
On my second trip to IloIlo, we did not take the plane. We took a ship. It was cheaper than if you took the plane, around 700 pesos one way. But the travel is more than 12 hours long. There were three of us, actually four because we met someone we knew in the ship. He was also going to Iloilo. We left Cebu on a Thursday evening at 7:00 PM and arrived at Iloilo Friday at almost 8:00 am.
A view of the sunrise from the deck of the ship going to IloIlo
We had our dinner at the ship as the ship has a very nice lounge/restaurant. The food is a little bit expensive but it is good. During the night, I barely slept. I guess I was anxious because it was my very first time to travel via big ship. Don’t get me wrong, I am not the seasick type of person. I am used to travelling by Fast craft. But they only take 1-2 hours to get to the destination I need to go to, like Cebu-Tagbilaran or Manila-Bataan. So, yes I was anxious. Excited and nervous to take the long travel by sea to Iloilo. The night was very dark and I can see lightning from far away, lighting the sky. It was both exciting and scary. You do not know what could happen in the middle of the night while you are in the middle of the sea. But it was a good experience for me. It is nice to see the sunrise on the horizon while travelling by ship so I took some pictures of the sunrise. For me, It is a very beautiful sight to behold.
As I have said earlier, we arrived in IloIlo at around 8:00 am and our host picked us up at the pier and took us to their house. We spent 4 days in IloIlo, but that would be another story to tell. I’ll tell you about it on my next post.
After the fun at the Chocolate Hills in Carmen, we are bound to visit the Man-made Forest. But along the way, we our driver told us to try the new spot in Bohol, the Ship Haus. As you may have already thought, ship house is a house resembles a ship where sailors work. It was owned by Capt. Gaundencio Dumapias, a native of Bohol who was once a poor boy and later become a successful sailor.
Ship Haus in Bohol
Man Made Mahogany Forest in Bohol
Hanging Bridge in Loboc River Bohol
Sevilla Souvenir Shop at the Hanging Bridge Bohol
As promised, here is a list of more restaurants that you should visit in Cebu.
Joven’s Grill
Joven’s Grill is a buffet restaurant that offers a wide variety of food to eat. They have branches in Parkmall (near Cebu Doctor’s University), Jones Ave. ( near Cebu Doctor’s Hospital) and A.S. Fortuna (near Foodland). For me, the best branch to go to is the Parkmall branch. The buffet costs 200 to 300 pesos and the food choices are plenty, such as grilled meat and fish, seafoods, vegetables, soups and sauces and a variety of desserts ranging from fresh fruits to cakes.
Kumbira
Kumbira is located very near JY Square in Lahug, Cebu City. It is across Chinabank in JY Square. Kumbira’s most famous dish is their Pineapple Rice. It is a fried rice similar to “Yang Chao” served inside a hollowed out pineapple. They even serve you the pineapple that was taken out to make way for the rice. It is a famous dish among Koreans. Another must try in Kumbira is their “Rellenong Bangus” (fish) and their grilled dishes.
Manila Foodshoppe
Another restaurant me and my friends frequently visit is the Manila Foodshoppe, a Chinese-Filipino restaurant located at Jones Avenue, just across Cebu Doctor’s Hospital. They have another branch at Parkmall, beside Joven’s Grill. The food are not too expensive and are very suitable to Filipino and foreign palettes.
My recommended dishes are : Buttered or fried chicken, Honey pork spareribs, Birthday Pancit, Garlic Fried Rice, fish fillet in lemon sauce and their Bird’s nest soup.
Manila Foodshoppe Restaurant in Cebu
Continue reading Restaurants in Cebu: Joven’s, Manila Foodshoppe, Kumbira, and Mr. A’s
This week’s featured photo is the popular Floating Restaurants in Loboc River, Bohol.
Aside from eating while cruising the river, you will also be serenaded by cool music from live bands and singers.
Loboc River Floating Restaurant
Note: Loboc Floating Resto has an entrance fee of 100 pesos. There are four different restaurants you can choose from. Each has an unlimited buffet meal costing 300 pesos per head.
It’s been my second time going to Bohol, but I still find it surprisingly exciting. Here’s the first part of the story:
From Cebu to Tubigon Port
My friends from Manila visited in Cebu and after a couple of days touring in the city, we decided to go to Bohol before they go back home. We decided to have a one-day tour, renting a tourist van to accommodate the five of us. The price of the van is 3500 pesos for a day tour from 7AM to 5PM.
We left Cebu very early in the morning to be able to catch the first trip to Tubigon port riding a MV Star Crafts vessel. MV Star Crafts is a shipping line company catering the Cebu to Tubigon route. The first trip of Star Crafts is 5:45 AM. Before that time, you should have already purchased a ticket from their ticketing office just outside the gate of Cebu Pier 1 or else you will have to wait for the next trip which is at 7AM. If you will have a day tour, you should go for a 5:45 AM trip or else the time won’t be enough to finish all the destinations.
MV Star Crafts Vessel catering Cebu -Tubigon route
Continue reading Day Tour Bohol Part 1: Tubigon Port, Sagbayan Peak and Chocolate Hills
My second trip to Davao was not as long as my first one. But I was able to have a good time during that trip too. During that time, we did not stay at an acquaintance’s house but on a Dormitel. I forgot the name of the Dormitel but it is located inside the Davao Doctor’s Hospital Compound. The Dorm is quite nice because it is clean and it is not very expensive. The price is 200 to 250 pesos per person per night. The rooms are air conditioned and although the bathroom is shared, you do not have to wait for your turn because there are plenty of bathrooms and the water supply is plenty.
My second visit to Davao was the time when I acquired the taste for Durian. It was September 2010, a Durian season so the fruit was very cheap, around 20-30 pesos per kilo. There was one night during my stay there where we went to a Coffee shop that serves Durian fruit and Durian flavored Coffee and drinks.
Loving the Durian Taste (and Aroma?)
At first, I did not really like it. Then I found out that there are many different kinds of Durian and the taste of each kind differs from one another.
I acquired the taste of Durian when we went to a friends place one night. Because she found out that we are there, she invited us to visit her house. True to Davao’s reputation as the Philippines’ fruit basket, my friend prepared different fruits including mangosteen, rambutan and of course, Durian. The Durian they gave us is very delicious and it is the first time i ate a lot of Durian. Some of my friends who really did not like durian, also enjoyed eating the Durianthey served us.
About Durian
From Davao Going Back to Cebu
We went back to the dorm quite late and the next day, me and a friend were invited to go on a trip to another island in Davao called “Samal” while the others prepared to go back to Cebu on that same day (I will tell you about that trip on another post). The day after that was our flight back to Cebu but since it was still in the afternoon me and my friend decided to go around Davao and buy some pasalubong (presents). We went to Lola Ebon’s where she first tasted Durian Ice cream and although she did not like Durian fruit, she loved the ice cream. That is how she acquired the taste for Durian.
Durian in D' Farmers Market
After buying pasalubong, we went to the market where we could buy cheap Durian and ask the vendor to take it out of its skin. That is where I made her try the Durian fruit again and that is when she started liking it. After buying Durian at the market, we went to the mall and bought some things then we went back to our dorm to pack the Durian we bought in microwaveable containers and seal it with packaging tape so it won’t smell in the airplane. I liked the Durian so much that I ate some of the Durian I bought intended as a pasalubong and my friend liked it so much that she ended up eating most of the Durian she took back home to Cebu for her brother. And now, while talking about Durian, my mouth is watering. I miss Durian. I hope I get to eat it again the next time I visit Davao.
