A real Filipino breakfast is never wrong!
What can be better than salty bangus (fish) fried to crispy perfection, scrambled eggs, rice together with spicy sawsawan sauce? Did I hear crispy bacon and eggs?? Well, I guess nothing excludes the other, right?
Salty bangus (fish) fried to crispy perfection, scrambled eggs, rice together with spicy sawsawan sauce
Why are mangroves so important?
Fully loaded with protein, good healthy omega 3 fats, carbohydrates and caffeine we headed for Oboob Mangrove Garden. Maybe you have heard that mangroves are important...? So why are mangrove habitats so important? Basically Shoreline protection. Mangroves protect shorelines from damaging storm and hurricane winds, waves, and floods. Mangroves also help prevent erosion by stabilizing sediments with their tangled root systems. They maintain water quality and clarity, filtering pollutants and trapping sediments originating from land.
Oboob Mangrove Garden/Eco Park
It was easy peasy for us to go there with our beloved scooter. We paid the entrance and then attended a short lecture about the Eco park. In my opinion they are doing a great job preserving this sensitive habitat. We were assigned a guide who told us more about the Eco park and of course she even helped us to take some pictures according to Danica's directives.
We had a short briefing about the Eco park
Our guide who showed us around and helped us with some picture picture!
Tropical storm Basyang
This morning at breakfast it had been quite windy. So later when we came back to our resort we heard about the tropical storm Basyang. There were rumors that the ferry would be cancelled for going back to Cebu Island. So of course we became a little bit worried. It was not the first time we had been stranded on an island. We had already been away for two weeks and it was time to go back to Dumaguete. In the evening we clearly noticed that the wind gained strength. Me: What's the problem it's romantic to be stranded on an island, right? But Danica: I am longing for my daughter huhu...
Stranded
The typhoon luckily became degraded to a tropical storm but still with hard winds and lot's of rain. The result was that the ferry going back to Cebu island was cancelled. We decided to move from the somewhat remote Bantayan Nature Park and Resort in to the more central located Adelaida Pensionne. We were lucky, we got the last room! There were many other guests with the same strategy, staying near the ferry terminal and wait for the ferry to resume.
The ferry was resumed
After a couple of days the ferry was resumed. That day we had a quick breakfast at the Boulangerie Francaise and off we went. We reached Cebu Island at lunch time and then we had roughly 300 km to travel from north to south to our second ferry over to Negros. We had our dinner break at McDonalds in Toledo. I was beginning to be stressed. Time was already 5 pm and in one hour it would be dark.
It was like a meeting point at the Boulangerie Francaise for the french speaking guys on the island... I wanted to join but my french was too bad
The driving went awkward
Around Barili the the driving really went awkward. The tricky road crosses the mountains and the traffic was horrendous. Big trucks and buses speeding and overtaking each others and not to mention it was pitch black! We took a short break at a little sari sari store and I swept two Coca Colas to regain some energy. We still had roughly 60 km to Alegria where we had booked a room at Lucci Pension House for the night. Slowly I realized my mistake, 60 km is very far when driving in the Philippines specially when it's dark and you are drop dead tired. Lesson learned, be sure to plan ahead so you can avoid to drive long stretches in the dark.
After Barili we soon reached the coast again and the road got straighter with less traffic. Around 11 pm we arrived at Lucci Pension house where we spent the night.
A quick coffee in the morning before saddling up on our scooter again.
We had our lunch break at Dulot, an eatery with true Filipino food. No fancy Jollibees or McDonald's in sight here... Hey we were still in the province after all!
Nutritious and healthy fish soup, full of good Omega 3 fats!
Back to Dumaguete
From our lunch stop at Dulot we just had a couple of hours more to go before we came to the ferry over to Negros and back home. We had been away for roughly 2 weeks. We drove 600 km back and forth and maybe at least 200 km on Bantayan Island.
Road trips are fantastic!
Making a road trip is really a fantastic way to experience the true Philippines. You see a lot and have full flexibility to go and stay wherever you want. But beware of that the traffic might be very different from what you are used to from back home. In my experience you need to adjust yourself to the Filipino way of driving otherwise it might be difficult. Always bear in mind that there are many accidents daily in the traffic so driving a scooter in the Philippines is certainly a high risk activity. Use your common sense and follow some basic guidelines and you will be less likely to get in serious trouble.
The guidelines:
1) Be sure you rent a scooter in good condition and with all paper works in order
2) Don't drink and drive and always wear helmet 3) Don't drive fast and furious, better to be safe than sorry 3) Avoid driving in the dark. You don't want to collide with a stray dog... 4) Plan ahead, out in the province it can be far between the nice places you want to stay at 5) Don't bring too much stuff, travel light and easy is part of the freedom! Related links
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Shooting Seagulls - with a camera
Today I tested the camera for fast flying objects, Seagulls. I took 1K+ photos and I actually cheated a little bit... I had an assistent who threw bread to attract some attention from them. And yes! We got attention and the competition for the bread was fierce.
Sea gull - Larus canus (Fiskmås)
Sea gull - Larus canus (Fiskmås)
Lesser black-backed gull - Larus fuscus (Silltrut)
The competition about the bread was fierce. Blackheaded gull - Larus ridibundus (Skrattmås)
Blackheaded gull - Larus ridibundus (Skrattmås)
Ok enough now...Good bye!
Good bye Dumaguete
Good bye Dumaguete for this time. But I will be back.
I will miss my girls
Flying Dumaguete-Manila
The flight from Dumaguete to Manila went smoothly. It departed ahead of time and consequently arrived ahead of time to Manila. The video shows start and landing and an awesome view over Dumaguete and the Sibulan airport.
Two years old
Yesterday we had a mini celebration for Jas, who already turned to two years old. Fries, cake and eat as much as you can... What else can you ask for when you just turned two?
Tumalog falls is easy to find
Tumalog falls is easy to find. About 1 km north of Oslob Whale Shark Watching you find the signage along the highway which tells you where to turn. Drive additional a couple of kilometers. The last bit to the falls you have to walk 5-10 min. Eventhough the road is good I was surprised because it’s pretty steep walking down to the falls.
We were lucky. Time was late around 4 PM and they close already at 5 PM so there weren’t many other people there.
There were pools where you could swim in. But the water was very cold.
Check out the video
Struggling with steep roads and get amazed by the beauty of mother nature
I hadn’t that much of expectations but I was impressed. The falls was bigger and more beautiful than I expected.
Conclusion, it’s well worth a visit
The reality exceeded my expectations and that’s not bad. The falls is easy to find and we had fun going there so according to me it’s well worth a visit if you are in the neighborhood.
Japanese Shrine in Valencia
This historical monument called the Filipino – American – Japanese Amity Shrine (Fil-Am Japanese Shrine). It stands on a sacred battle ground where an encounter during the World War II actually took place. It was built to remember the many lives taken by the vicious war.
The Japanese shrine is beautifully situated and well worth the effort to visit
Erected 1977
The pillar has three angles, making it appear 3 sided similar to a triangle. These three sides represent the three countries: Philippines, United States of America and Japan. In 1977 it was erected and unveiled by the war veterans, the surviving families of the water veterans, and the descendants of those who marched and died in the same war.
The view from the shrine is really amazing
We hiked there
We hiked from Valencia proper heading in the direction of the more well known Casaroro Falls. After roughly 4-5 kilometers the road divides and there is clear signage, Casaroro Falls to the left and the Japanese shrine to the right. After the signage the road soon gets rough and it’s more suitable for hiking rather than driving unless you are an experienced driver. Going from Valencia to the shrine and back is around 14 kilometers.
The road uphill to the shrine offered nice views over Dumaguete
Hot and sweaty
It was hot, sweaty and tiring to hike uphill. On our way up and down we encountered amazing views, barking dogs, the pure sound of the jungle and people singing karaoke.
I am sure many men have encountered themselves in this situation...
Crystal clear water
Already from the ferry we spotted those nice fabulous beaches with white sand that we had read about. This was really promising. Even in the port in Santa Fe the water was crystal clear. In fact many of the big resorts are located close to the port.
Bantayan Island is surrounded by many pristine beaches with crystal clear water and white sand
Bantayan Island Nature Park and Resort
Most places were fully booked the day we arrived at Bantayan island. But on the fly we had managed to get a cottage at Bantayan Island Nature Park and Resort. On the map it looked close to Santa Fe and the port. But the reality turned out to be different. The distance was 6-7 km and the road going there was partly very bad.
Happy to have reached the destination or hmm just hungry?
Simple accommodation but nice
When we finally arrived there someone was very hungry. We ordered lunch and ate it in their open air restaurant. The accommodation was simple but nice with private bathroom, AC and fan. I really liked the place because the whole resort was surrounded by lush forest vegetation but with a nice view over the sea.
The food was good but maybe a little bit pricey
Remote location
Due to the remote location of our resort, we were really dependent on our scooter, without it we had been stuck there. But every time when we were going back from town after darkness it was an adventure. Not so much for the traffic more on negotiating bad roads and watching out for stray dogs.
Two beauties posing together
Driving in the darkness was all ways adventurous!
We never ate at Tristan’s despite the nice location by the sea
Food market in Santa Fe
The Food market is an area big as a few quarters where most restaurants and bars are situated. Are you looking for nightlife, then it’s here you should be. Many times we went all the way from our remotely resort in to the Food market for our dinner.
One small part of the Food market
Those kids seemed not mind to be photographed
Cge naah! ( come on! )
Our favorites
One favorite was the French bakery, he had super delicious cheese cakes and baguettes. Another fabulous place was the Tiki bar which had very yummy food, specially their hamburgers which were both big and tasty. Outside the central of Santa Fe we sometimes ate cheap at small eateries and barbecue places.
Did I hear the word food??
The French baker guy made nice cheese cakes accompanied with real strong and good coffee
The reason why we became valued customers at Boulangerie Française
Here they had the delicious Tiki hamburger with egg and bacon
At the local barbecue place
Fresh barbecue sticks for the people!
Digging deep in the pots here
Back to basic, barbecued chicken with rice!
Related links:
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next > Bantayan road trip part 1 Bantayan road trip part 2 Bantayan road trip part 3 Bantayan road trip part 4 Paradise beach Bantayan To be continued...
A walk downtown Dumaguete... and who said a mum can’t be sexy?
A longer road trip this time
Inspired from our previous road trip to Sipalay we decided to go for an even longer one this time. So why not make it big and go roughly 600 km back and forth, like from Dumaguete to Bantayan island!
The need of travel light
When you are two persons on a regular scooter you need to travel light. There are many considerations you need to think about and one thing is not to bring too much clothes.
Someone really needed to rethink the amount of clothes to bring
Go with the flow
We hadn’t made any detailed plan for our route. Our motto was to be spontaneous and go with the flow. We took the ferry from Tampi over to Bato to Cebu island.
The ferry over to Bato on Cebu island went smoothly
We took our lunch here and witnessed a motorcycle accident. A reminder for us to take it easy. By the way no one was hurt except maybe for the self esteems.
Overnight in Malboal
Our first stretch was not that far. We arrived in Malboal when it started to be dark so we realized we had to stay there for the night. Some consultations among the booking sites and we ended up at the T Breeze Coastal Resort which was nicely located by the sea.
Life could be worse
Breakfast was not included in the price but at least the view was for free
Doing FaceTime with the daughter
Hit the road again
The T Breeze Coastal Resort was really a nice place but we were bound for Bantayan island after all, so we had to hit the road early the next day.
A friendly hotel dog accompanied us at certain moments (when we were eating) at T Breeze
Buko juice
Aside from dogs, buko juice is the man’s best friend when it comes to drinks. Refreshing and healthy at least if it’s fresh and comes without sugar. Strangely enough it’s sometimes hard to find fresh buko juice... despite there are so many coconut trees everywhere here.
Buko means young coconut in Filipino
I have this weird thought that one day someone will chop the hand off while preparing the Buko juice...
The buko stand had many satisfied customers
Gathering energy for the next stretch on the scooter
The last stretch to Bantayan island and our first lunch at the Bantayan Island Nature Park and Resort
Tuburan city
It took longer than expected to drive so we had to stay overnight at Tuburan city. Still around 80 km from where we would take the ferry over to Bantayan island. Tuburan hadn’t much to offer but we found a hotel and a 7/11. That’s all we needed!
Tuburan was a sleepy little town which hadn’t much to offer
We were lucky, we found the only hotel in town just in time. It offered a simple accommodation and a nice sunset from the balcony.
Breakfast was not included in our hotel stay but we had a 7/11 just nearby.
First time ever I had breakfast at a 7/11 and to be honest the sausages are warmly recommended
Tired of driving
The next day we started early after breakfast. This last stretch up to Hagnaya port went fairly smooth. But I started to feel tired of driving so I wanted us to reach the ferry as soon as possible.
Here we took a short break
Hey I just want a small ice cream... cege nahh...??
Finally at Hagnaya port where we took the ferry
Someone was seasick again
Finally Bantayan island in sight!
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