Fun in the Summer Sun: North Sand bar

Yes. It was summer and everyone was busy exposing those beach bodies they've worked so hard. Bikini photos all over my Facebook wall perfectly defines summer. After all, it is the season where most of the people are out having fun in the sun. And oh, white sand bar is no exception. 

I was quick to ask my officemates to organize a day trip to the North Sand Bar in Bagumbanwa Bohol. A sand bar that emerges from seems to be nowhere during lower tides. I made a little research online about this destination but there seems to be a very little information to get on the net. Indeed, this little paradise was unknown to many.

The destination and the date were chosen. But wait, we need to find a boat going to the island at a very reasonable price. Afterall, cost matters to me (well actually to everyone). So there, was a start of an online boat-for-hire search. It was never easy, kudos to Roy who gave his all and never gave up until the last centavo haggle of the cheapest rate we could get. Yebah! From 13,000 to 10,000, then there was 9,000, we finally got the most reasonable price. At Php595 per head (min of 15 pax) - with free lunch buffet, plus Php1,000 fuel sucharge. So then, we closed the deal. Nowadays, one has to be wiser specially during summer season as the banca trip rates could go to as high as the clouds. 

Fast forward to the day of trip itself. May 2, 2015 when everyone was still getting a hangof Labor Day and excitement of the MayWeather-Pacman fight the next day, we headed in an L300 van (pre-arranged by Roy too) to the Cordova warf. We arrived at the warf 30 minutes past 7 in the morning.

Took a pose with Marcial and Ryan at the warf. 

Excitement drew on everyone's face as our boat started to sail towards the east. We couldn't contain ourselves, photo shoot here and there, all sides of the banca. Haha. The clear sparkling waters and the green scenic mountains of Bohol was a perfect backdrop in our photos. 

The Casts. All aboard.

The boat. Could accomodate up to 30 pax.

It was a nearby 3-hour ride as our destination seemed to be quiet unknown to our boatmen. They asked 2 groups of fishermen and finally, we saw the watch tower from a far. We told our boatmen that tower was the one we saw in the internet. He quickly maneuver the boat heading towards the direction of the watch tower. Minutes after, violaaaa!!!! we  got a glimpse of a sandbar soaked in the water. At around 10:30AM, it was still a high tide. We couldn't see a single portion of the sand but all we know was that was the sand bar we've been preparing for.

This was how the sandbar looked like when we arrived at around 10:45AM.

So needless to say, everyone jumped off the boat and started to swim. Of course, in this age and time where Facebook becomes part of everyone's daily life, one    couldn't get enough by swimming alone. Sports camera were ready to capture those precious moments in the sun. 

A mesmerizing white sand underneath the sprawling turqoise waters of Bohol was the best way to say we had fun under the sun. 

As time went on, the fine white and not to mention, gorgeous sand bar started to slowly emerge from the dancing cool water. God is really good to have blessed the Philippines with this one stunning piece of paradise. Truly unspoiled, the beach was a heaven on earth for beach bummers like me. We look like we owned the island as we were the only group having a taste of this lovely beach. 

Jump for joy!

We headed back to our boat to have our lunch. While we were eating, 2 more boats with tourists arrived. Until we leftthe  sandbar, there were only 3 groups  in the island. 

After our lunch. Happy tummy with yummy food.

Beating the heat while feeling the sand - barefooted. 

Under my instagram-ish umbrella.

It was indeed a fun time in the sun! 

We headed back to Mactan at around 2PM bringing all the fun memories we shared in that little island. We arrived at the Cordova warf 15 minutes past 4PM.

One last pose before docking off the Cordova warf.

So what are you waiting for? Get a group of 15, for a cost of Php775, head on to the island away from the city. Enjoy your summer guys!

Boat contact: 

Ate Debby - tel:09234211458

- highly recommended service. Very friendly and courteous bankeros!

L300 transpo (Cebu-Cordova-Cebu):

Kuya Louie - tel:09083705080

- eye candy daw na driver LOL

"I blogged right at the tip of my fingers. Yes, with the help of iPhone6, i could blog whenever i am" - PinoyExcursionist

Summer breeze: The unspoiled beauty of Lambug Beach.

Summer in the Philippines is truly never ending. One can pack his bag and go to any of the 1,107 tropical islands the country has to offer anytime. What better way of exploring the Philippines than going to the unspoiled beach just few hours from Cebu city.

Just this summer, i have been into a never ending excursions for 4 weeks now. I have been immersing myself in the wonders of nature - white sand beach. Bantayan, Bohol, Kalanggaman Island, all those white sand beaches never fail to amaze me. But wait, i couldn't get enought of those gems. I could hear my inner self whispered, more more more of those beaches. Haha

So then i and my dear friend Ivy decided to go to South (of Cebu) and explore the unspoiled beach of Lambug in Badian. It was only few days ago when i heard about this precious gem of Badian through a couple of blogs i read online. 

Friday, at around 6PM, we started our trip from the South bus terminal (of Cebu City). Our original plan was to sleep-over at Lambug but since we departed very late and would eventually arrive at Badian   hours before midnight, we decided just to stop over at Moalboal where we put our tent up and spent the night at Basdako. 

Unlike in Lambug where we haven't been into yet (thus, we were not that comfortable spending overnight there), Moalboal has been a place of of our comfort and home (aw haha). We've been to Moalboal countless times, so better be safe than sorry. 

We woke up in the very cold morning with a scenic view of the sun hiding above the cottony clouds with a feel of the powdery white sand of Basdako. We wasted no time, dismantled our tent and headed to one of our suki carenderia (ate Leny's) and grabbed some breakfast. 

On our way to the town center, we dropped by the Moalboal park just at the back of their City hall to take a glimpse of this town's heritage. 

At 7:00AM, we hopped into a Ceres bus heading towards Badian. We only paid 10 pesos each from Moalboal to Badian Public market (Php116 Cebu City to Moalboal). So if you are thrift, be wise enough and say no to all the habal habal or trike offers you'll encounter in Moalboal offering a ride to Badian. It could cost you 200 bucks.

After a nearly 20-min bus ride, we jumped off the bus right at the Badian public market. Right then, a habal habal driver offered us a ride to Lambug. Well, they knew we were heading to Lambug beach right a way. Yeah, they knew it. Haha. We were able to negotiate a price of 40 pesos each in a 4-km habal habal drive to the beach. 

The journey towards the beach was awesome. I got a province-feel vibe as we drove in the narrow uncemented street of Barangay Lambug. The sun was strikingly hot. Very hot. So be ready on your sun screen. 

We finally reached the tip of the mainland after a 15-min habal habal ride, welcomed by the powdery white sand of Lambug as it was hit by the sun. The scene was very calm, crystal clear waters waving the shore as it danced perfectly in the rythm of the sea breeze. Woah! a paradise feel indeed. Looking afar, i could see a turqoise horizon that served as a perfect backdrop of our photos.

The beach was definitely unspoiled. No fancy casitas on the beach, accomodation was as simple as typical nipa hut and there were no restaurants along the shore. There were a few "tindahan" where we bought meriendas and refreshments. 

Talking about the sand quality, it was by far one of the best in the South. There were areas of the shore where the sand felt like as powdery as milk but of course, pebbles were scattered along the long stretch of the Lambug shore. 

I was a bit disappointed while swimming though as the beach has very long shallow area which would require anyone to walk far before he could get into a perfect swimming spot. 

Anyway, it looked like amihan was hitting the shore by midday thus, waves were getting higher. We stopped swimming and just lay down a perfect colored plaid on the shore listening to the mellow songs of our choice. Indeed, it was a greay excursion. 

Going back to the town proper, we still had to take habal habal. There were a lot of drivers waiting for passengers in the area so transportation was never an issue. 

Budget should be between Php 500 - Php 700 per head inclusive of fare and food.

Visit Lambug now!

An overnight adventure at Kalanggaman Island

Social media has indeed held powerful means of information specifically on different places to visit. It was summer and all i saw on my FB timeline were summer escapades of my friends. There's this  place where it seemed to outplay other destinations in 2015 along Visayas region - Kalanggaman Island. Yes, almost everyday, everyone posted his photos in Kalanggaman in Facebook. This made me wanna go to this destination too. I got lucky that i saw my friend's post in FB about his Team's plan in going to Kalanggaman. I insisted to join his team. Yehey!

We started our trip at 5:30AM at the Cebu North Bus Terminal traveling on a Cere Bus bound for Hagnaya. After 3 hours of land trip, we finally arrived at the bus terminal of Bogo. We dropped off and headed to Metro Supermarket Bogo to grab some food.

Beating the summer heat at Panglao

The scorching heat of summer is definitely hard to beat. As the weather is getting hotter and hotter, having time dipping in the beach is the best thing to do.

Bohol. The lovely place of our dear friend (Judy) who was about to celebrate her 26th birthday was the place to be in. I was travelling with Shy and Crisly from Cebu to Tagbilaran Port via Ocean jet.

Holy Week at Bantayan

It has been almost 6 years that i have been working in Cebu City. Since then, i've always heard talks about Holy Week in Bantayan Island. One thing i'd like to experience too.

I've been to Bantayan Island numerous times but not on the holy week. According to Folks, Bantayan is flocked by tourists during Holy Week because of its famous feast. Well, i'd only like to sit on the beach watching thousands of tourists on the white sand rather than witnessing the Feast 😀. 

On Thursday at 4:30AM, we headed to the Cebu North Bus Terminal via GrabATaxi. Upon arrival, as expected there was a long queue waiting to catch for a bus ride to Bantayan though it was not as bad as what others overstated in blogs.

We finally got into the bus by 5:20AM and had to wait until 6:00AM for it to depart. Yebah! 

After about 3 hours land travel with one 15-minute stop, we finally arrived at Hagnaya Port. There we caught for a ferry going to Bantayan Island. I must have to say, kudos to the Island Shipping line for such a very organized and hassle-free set-up. Chaos no more!

The Ferry took us about an hour to the Santa Fe Port. At 10:30, we were already catching a tricycle heading towards Sugar Beach Resort. 

Chilling by the beach of Sugar!

Sugar Beach is the most crowded place in Bantayan during Holy week. Party and some events are always held there. Since it was a Holy week, we decided to camp in a tent for 3 nights. Almost everyone who went to Sugar Beach were camping too.

Setting up the tent.

At the Sugar Beach Camp site.

The rest of the days were just moments sitting on the beach, went to Ogtong Cave for a swim and having a glimpse of an island night parties. 

We decided to transfer our tent by the beach on the second day.

Promenading the beach on a hottie day.

Posing at the Ogtong Resort.

Swimming at the Ogtong Resort Pool after this pose.

Walking down the white sand of Sugar with Ivy and Berna.

Coffee-ing by the beach with a perfect sunset backdrop.

Indeed, Bantayan Island is lovely. It was much more fun on holy week.

We headed back to Cebu at 4AM, jumped into the ferry by 5AM and was in the mainland by 6AM. By 9:30AM, we were already strolling at the Park Mall. 

Celebrating Valentine over Food and Friendship at Brussels Cafe Bistro!

Valentine's day. Just say the phrase and you'd get conflicting reactions from the singles and the takens. For us, we preferred celebrating it in a cool place along Banilad - The Brussels Café Bistro.

Inside Palawan's best Restaurant: Kalui

The 6-hour ride from El Nido to Puerto Princessa deserved a treat from the town's most visited and best rated restaurant - Kalui. Actually, this was our second attempt to dine at Kalui as on our first night, we failed to make a reservation ahead of time thus, we were unable to get a slot inside. 

It was at around 10:30AM when we arrived at Kalui and were then greeted by their friendly staff. Out flight won't be until 3PM so we just enjoyed lounging inside the very cozy ambiance of the restaurant. Since Kalui is just meters away from the Airport, this is a perfect place to get some refreshments before you catch your flight. 

The food.

La Busa Italian Restaurant & Bar

I'm never a fan of Italian dishes but still thought of giving this new restaurant in town a try. Afterall, it was a decision made by the majority of the group. 

La Busa is located at the ground floor of Tsai Hotel along Wilson Road, Lahug Cebu City.

The Bar. Chill and hangout with their housed wine, Italian and local beers coupled with their authentic Italian dishes. 

The interior! The restaurant itself is very small. Indeed, it could only accomodate a very limited number of diners at a time. Reservations is highly encourage to ensure you get a spot to dine in.

I chose their Braised Ribs served with mashed potato. Yeah, forget about rice as they don't serve one.

Mandatory Groufie. 

The Menu.

The ambiance of this restaurant won me over. It isn't crowded at all due to its limited space. The food was good but not really great. Haha! Was it because i was not an Italian dish addict? Well, could be but there was really nothing extra ordinary on their dishes. 

Cheers!

This blog was written using Blogger Mobile via iPhone 6. All photos were shot using iPhone 6 Gold too.

ROCKing the world of El Nido!

It's 2015 and what a cool way to welcome the year than to splurge into a prestine cold water encapsulated by a panoramic view of limestones forming a perfect cliff backdrop. 

January 7, 2015. Right after our Puerto Princessa Underground River Tour, we headed to El Nido. Sounds cool, right? No it isn't that cool. Yes! we were messed up because of the Travel Agency named Fortwally, which by the way i strongly DO NOT recommend to anyone. 

3 Sinulog Parties you shouldn't miss!

Sinulog, the Festival of all Festivals in the Philippines is indeed a very exciting and fun annual event in Cebu City. Yearly, millions of people from all over the world gather on the streets to celebrate the colorful Mardi Gras in honor of the Child Jesus - Senyor Sto. Niño.

After completing the 9-day Novena Mass,   one deserved to party all night long. For 2015, i made sure to tick all the parties in my bucketlist. Yes, i was indeed able to attend the 3 biggest parties of Sinulog. The events were listed in chronological order (dates).

1. Life Dance.

Took place on a Friday night, Jan 16, 2015 where 17,000 party goers flocked the Sugbu grounds of SRP Cebu dancing to the beat of the International DJs. Patron passes were at Php1,000 while VIP passes were at Php2,000. 

2. Paintensity.

The wet and wild party was held at the Ayala Access Road on January 17,2015, Saturday. Thousands of people soaked in water and all painted in colors while partying to the music of some local DJs.

This event was for free, one just had to like the etc tv facebook page to get in.

3. Royals.

This party kicked off on the Feast day itself, Sunday, January 18, 2015 at the Century Plaza Hotel grounds.

This is an open party free to everyone but we need to wear out crowns to get in. 

The party was wild. This is the only time where you shower beers, mud yourselves with paint in different colors and types. Drinks were overflowing from people who partied. 

So, planning to come over to Cebu in 2016 Sinulog? Don't you dare miss any of these 3 parties!!!!

Viva Pit Senyor! Prititittttt