Patrik Lord Travel Blog

Life begins where WIFI is weak
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Soi, eat thai, love thai

That’s their motto. Can they live up to that? Well we will see.
Soi Thai Restaurant, Robinsons Place, Ermita, Manila, Philippines, the entrance

This was after lunch time so it was quiet and peaceful here

Soi Thai Restaurant, Robinsons Place, Ermita, Manila, Philippines, the motto

Eat thai, love thai is their motto

Soi Thai Restaurant

Soi Thai Restaurant is located inside the The Robinson Place mall in Ermita. When I am there and craving for Thai food I usually go to Soi Thai. Last time I was here was one year ago and since then they had changed the furnishing. New tables and chairs. The big question, was the food also changed?
Soi Thai Restaurant, Robinsons Place, Ermita, Manila, Philippines

View out in the mall.

Soi Thai Restaurant, Robinsons Place, Ermita, Manila, Philippines, the bar

It was quiet here today

Menu

They offer a variety of typical Thai dishes. For some that might be good not to have to choose between too much but for me I wish they could have broaden their menu. You can find chicken, pork, fish, seafood and veggies cooked Thai style. They have vegetarian dishes without any kind of meat but they are probably not vegan. Notice that the pictures below just showing a sample of their menu.
Soi Thai Restaurant, Robinsons Place, Ermita, Manila, Philippines, the menu

As a starter I chose the Papaya Salad which is among my favorites

Soi Thai Restaurant, Robinsons Place, Ermita, Manila, Philippines, the menu

Prawns in Basil & Chilies for P 368 became my choice here

Soi Thai Restaurant, Robinsons Place, Ermita, Manila, Philippines, the menu

Chicken, pork and squid fresh from the grill

Soi Thai Restaurant, Robinsons Place, Ermita, Manila, Philippines, Papaya Salad

My beloved Papaya salad. Spicy, sweet, salty and with crispy unripe papaya.

Soi Thai Restaurant, Robinsons Place, Ermita, Manila, Philippines, Prawns with basil

Prawns with basil. Even though the portion was not huge there were plenty of prawns.

Conclusion

Yes the furnishing was changed but the food still remaine untouched. Thanks for that! You always get a complimentary snack, like spicy peanuts as a small starter before you order which is nice. The food is tasty and well cooked and they offer complimentary service water with ice. That’s not bottled water but tastes the same and is perfectly safe to drink. The portions are not huge but still enough for me, so if you are not a really big eater it’s probably enough for you as well. You don’t have to wait long for your food and the staff is nice and friendly. The prices are low to medium range so it’s very reasonable. In my opinion you can’t go wrong here at the Soi Thai Restaurant.
Rating:
​1-5 where 1 is terrible and 5 is excellent
4 Food
4 Service
4 Value
3 Atmosphere
Soi Thai Restaurant
Sta. Monica Atrium Robinsons Place
Adriatico Street, Ermita, Manila

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Mismukuno, a Japanese in Ayala center

Teppanyaki is a style of Japanese cuisine that uses an iron griddle to cook food. But that's not all this place has to offer, Mismukuno has a wide selection of Japanese dishes like maki, sushi, sashimi, ramen, tempura etc etc. It's a little bit for everyone here if you are in to Japanese food. 
Mismukuno Teppanyaki Sushi, Inside, Ayala center, Cebu City, Philippines © travelblogonline.com

The wall was extremely colourful

Popular place

I have been here a couple times before, around lunch and it has been relatively crowded every time. That must be sign for good food, right? Anyway this time I ordered the Platter special which they advertised about at the entrance. Sashimi, sushi and maki in a nice combination.
Mismukuno Teppanyaki Sushi, Menu, Ayala center, Cebu City, Philippines © travelblogonline.com

A lite bit of what they have to offer

Mismukuno Teppanyaki Sushi, Platter Special, Ayala center, Cebu City, Philippines © travelblogonline.com

I took the Platter Special

Platter special

Platter special offered 9 maki rolls, 3 pieces of sushi and 6 slices of sashimi (salmon and tuna) for 510 PHP. Miso soup was not included. Everything was more than ok but a little bit less than delicious. For example the meat of the tuna was ​slightly too fibrous for me to be perfect.
Mismukuno Teppanyaki Sushi, Platter special, Ayala center, Cebu City, Philippines © travelblogonline.com

This is how the Platter special looked in real life

Mismukuno Teppanyaki Sushi, Sushi plate, Ayala center, Cebu City, Philippines © travelblogonline.com

Sorry to say the tuna meat was a little bit too fibrous for my taste

Conclusion

Mismukono Teppanyaki gave a clean and fresh impression together with a nice hardworking staff. They have lot's to offer on the menu that I would like to try. For example I am curious about their teppanyaki which should be their specialty I guess. So the conclusion is I will come back for more. 
Rating:
​1-5 where 1 is terrible and 5 is excellent
4 Food 
3 Service
4 Value
3 Atmosphere
​​Mismukuno Teppanyaki
Fourth Floor, The Terraces, Ayala Center
Cebu City, Philippines
Phone: +63 32 238 7880

Last but not least... a link:

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Phat Pho a Vietnamese kitchen, Outside, Ayala center, Cebu City, Philippines © travelblogonline.com

The house of Vietnamese noodle soups

A Vietnamese kitchen in Ayala center

If you are craving for Thai papaya salad, Som Tam, and you are in the Philippines and you are tired of Filipino Thai restaurants what do you do then? I went to Phat Pho, a Vietnamese restaurant instead. Yes, I know there seems to be no logic in that at all, I know. But before you cry out loud, please read this review to the end!
Phat Pho a Vietnamese kitchen, Inside, Ayala center, Cebu City, Philippines © travelblogonline.com

The ambience was relaxed with a modern style

Phat Pho a Vietnamese kitchen, Inside, Ayala center, Cebu City, Philippines © travelblogonline.com

It's nice with an overlooking view

Modern style

Phat Pho had a nice interior and when I was there it was not crowded. My impression was a modern style mixed with warm ambience and quality. I got my table on the upper deck with a nice overlooking view.

Noodle soups

So what can you expect of Phat Pho á vietnamese kitchen? Since Pho in Vietnamese means noodle soup you obviously can expect they will serve noodle soups. Actually I would say, that's their specialty. Most of the guests when I was there ate different kinds of noodle soups. But they had other things on the menu as well.
Phat Pho a Vietnamese kitchen, Menu, Ayala center, Cebu City, Philippines © travelblogonline.com

Phat Pho had many tempting dishes on their menu

​Shrimp & sour mango salad

Since I was craving for Thai papaya salad, Som Tam, I was obviously looking for something similar. So what couldn't be better than try the Shrimp & sour mango salad with rice. At least it looked a bit similar to the Thai papaya salad. So I did! I got a big portion of salad rich in flavour and spiciness. Not same as Som Tam but that was of course not expected. The Shrimp & Mango salad was unique in its own way and it felt as an excellent choice!
Phat Pho a Vietnamese kitchen, Shrimp and Sour Mango Salad, Ayala center, Cebu City, Philippines © travelblogonline.com

Shrimp & sour mango salad with rice

Phat Pho a Vietnamese kitchen, Shrimp and Sour Mango Salad, Ayala center, Cebu City, Philippines © travelblogonline.com

The salad was fresh with many rich flavours in a nice combination

Conclusion

Phat Poh lighted up my appetite for Vietnamese food and I will certainly come back. Everything was fresh and clean and the staff was nice and friendly. Next time for sure, I will try the their Poh, aka noodle soup.
Rating:
​1-5 where 1 is terrible and 5 is excellent
4 Food 
4 Service
4 Value
4 Atmosphere
​Phat Poh á vietnamese kitchen
Ayala Terraces
Ayala Center, Cebu City, Philippines
Phone: +63 32 410 9687

​And finally a link that might interest you:

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Easy Diving and Beach Resort, Sipalay, Sunset, Philippines © travelblogonline.com

Yes, there are sunsets here at Punta Ballo Beach

Easy Diving and Beach Resort, Sipalay, Main entrance, Philippines © travelblogonline.com

The main entrance to Easy Diving Resort

Easy Diving and Beach Resort, Sipalay, Beachfront, Philippines © travelblogonline.com

Down at the beachfront

​Come as guest leave as friend

Come as guest leave as friend, is Easy Diving's motto. And yes, I think so. I made some friends here. Easy Diving and Beach Resort is beautifully located on Punta Ballo Beach around 15 minutes from downtown Sipalay. Expect to pay around 200-250 PHP to the tricycle driver. The Resort has 20 air-conditioned bungalows plus 2 bungalows with fan. 
Easy Diving and Beach Resort, Sipalay, Beachfront, Philippines © travelblogonline.com

It was very quiet here

Easy Diving and Beach Resort, Sipalay, The restaurant, Philippines © travelblogonline.com

The restaurant comes with sea breeze and ocean view

The bungalow was very fresh

Since I don't like air-condition I booked my bungalow with fan instead, actually there were two fans. Everything was very fresh and clean. The bungalow had a nice little porch with two chairs and a table where you could sit in the evenings and enjoy the quietness and practice stargazing. A so called free WiFi was included as a pocket WiFi. As far as I remember you had 3 GB of load for free. When you had consumed that you had to pay extra to get an additional 3 GB load. I was told this was only temporary until they had fixed a more permanent WiFi solution. I hope they did.
Easy Diving and Beach Resort, Sipalay, My room, Philippines © travelblogonline.com

I really like the idea of bedside tables with lamps

Easy Diving and Beach Resort, Sipalay, My room, Philippines © travelblogonline.com

The bungalow had no AC instead it had two fans which suited me much better!

Easy Diving and Beach Resort, Sipalay, My room, Philippines © travelblogonline.com

It was very clean everywhere

Easy Diving and Beach Resort, Sipalay, Say no to plastic, Philippines © travelblogonline.com

To fight the plastic pollution you could buy an aluminum bottle for 500 PHP with free refill of service water

Easy Diving and Beach Resort, Sipalay, The restaurant, Philippines © travelblogonline.com

The restaurant where you could enjoy Easy Diving's delicious food. They also accept walk in guests.

Easy Diving and Beach Resort, Sipalay, The restaurant, Philippines © travelblogonline.com

In the evenings they had mosquito coils so I was spared from mosquito bites

The food heaven 

In the restaurant they served excellent food, both Filipino and European style. The tuna steaks became quickly my favourites. Not to mention the delicious pancake with fresh mango and ice cream which was really addictive! In the evenings the atmosphere was really cozy in the restaurant. I was just sitting there inhaling the sea breeze and watched the sunset and contemplated about how good life was.
Easy Diving and Beach Resort, Sipalay, The restaurant, Tuna Steak, Philippines © travelblogonline.com

Oh my! I could die for this tuna steak with spicy wasabi sauce and garlic rice

Easy Diving and Beach Resort, Sipalay, The restaurant, Tuna Steak, Philippines © travelblogonline.com

My second love, tuna steak with creamy yellow curry sauce...

Easy Diving and Beach Resort, Sipalay, The restaurant, Pancake, Philippines © travelblogonline.com

My secret lover forever! Pancake filled with fresh mango served with ice cream and chocolate sauce

Easy Diving and Beach Resort, Sipalay, The restaurant, Bicol Express, Philippines © travelblogonline.com

Bicol Express, a famous spicy dish from the region of eastern Philippines, Bicol

Easy Diving and Beach Resort, Sipalay, The restaurant, Breakfast, Philippines © travelblogonline.com

As delicious as it looks, the crispy bangus (fish) with rice and egg. So so Philippines!

Easy Diving and Beach Resort, Sipalay, The restaurant, Breakfast, Philippines © travelblogonline.com

After a night of stargazing you need a real breakfast, so what can be better than hash browns with bacon and egg??

Easy Diving and Beach Resort, Sipalay, The restaurant, Shrimps, Philippines © travelblogonline.com

A delicasy for the most demanding taste, spicy shrimps fried with chilli and garlic

Easy Diving has lots to offer

Easy Diving offers a lot, specially for those who are divers and I was told there are some really good diving spots just near. But even snorkelling was good if you swam enough out from the shore line. All the staff, from the owner to the room service were all very friendly and helpful. My highlights were the food, the quietness and beautiful location by the sea and not to mention my stargazing moments from my porch. 
Easy Diving and Beach Resort, Sipalay, Stairs, Philippines © travelblogonline.com

One of the many stairs at Easy Diving

Easy Diving and Beach Resort, Sipalay, Reception, Philippines © travelblogonline.com

The friendly hotel dog taking a nap in the reception

Video clip

The video shows a bit of what to expect from the stairs and the snorkeling near the beach.

Conclusions about Easy Diving Resort

I paid 2300 PHP per night for the bungalow with fan and breakfast included. That was competitive when I compared with other resorts in the same area at Punta Ballo Beach. The location of Easy Diving is more convenient than those resorts at the famous Sugar Beach which is only accessible by boat. But be aware of the stairs, if you can't or don't like to walk in stairs then Easy Diving might not be for you. There are many stairs to walk when moving around in the resort. Aside from that, the food, the friendliness of the staff, the cleanliness in the bungalow were excellent. 
Rating: 1-5 where 1 is terrible and 5 is excellent
5 Location
5 Sleep Quality
5 Rooms
5 Service
5 Value for the money
5 Cleanliness 
Easy Diving and Beach Resort
Punta Ballo
6113 Sipalay-City
Philippines
(0063) 91 730 003 81
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Go Hotels in Dumaguete, surprisingly good! 

I spent one night at Go Hotels in Dumaguete and it was surprisingly good. I usually have other options in Dumaguete but they were fully booked. I kind of hesitated when I arrived there coz at this time they were renovating the place so I was worried it might be very noisy. The receptionist promised me that it wouldn't be any problem with noise and it turned that she was right.
Go Hotels, Lobby area, Dumaguete, Philippines © travelblogonline.com

The lobby at Go Hotels

Go Hotels, Lobby area, Dumaguete, Philippines © travelblogonline.com

The lobby area was large and spacious

Convenient location

Go Hotels is nothing for the one who is looking for a beach resort near the sea with amazing sunsets and a white sand beaches. Aside from that Go Hotels has a very convenient location. It's 2 minutes walking distance from Robinson mall with shopping and restaurants. It's 5 minutes walking distance from the Ceres bus terminal. It's 10-15 minutes walking distance from downtown and the famous Rizal Bouleward (Or just the Boulevard) where you have everything you can wish for.
Go Hotels, Coffee shop, Dumaguete, Philippines © travelblogonline.com

The adjacent coffee shop

The room but no breakfast

The room came with a private shower and CR and it was nice and clean. The AC was quiet and easy adjustable. The TV was working with all the channels that you ever want. The bed was fresh and of good quality so I had a good night's sleep. I paid 1500 PHP for one night and the breakfast not included. 
Go Hotels, The room, Dumaguete, Philippines © travelblogonline.com

The room had a good, quiet, and easy adjustable air condition

Go Hotels, The room, Dumaguete, Philippines © travelblogonline.com

I love to have a window in my room!

Go Hotels, Breakfast, Dumaguete, Philippines © travelblogonline.com

Breakfast in the coffee shop. Nothing out of the ordinary, a traditional beef tapas with coffee stick and creamer. The breakfast was not included in the room price.

Conclusion

If you are not looking for a beach resort or that cozy little family owned hotel with personal service and home cooked food... well then Go Hotels can be an alternative. Competitive price, good location, nice and clean room make Go Hotels to an excellent choice to stay for a couple of days.
​Rating: 1-5 where 1 is terrible and 5 is excellent
5 Location
5 Sleep Quality
5 Rooms
4 Service
4 Value for the money
5 Cleanliness 
Go Hotels Dumaguete
Calindagan Rd, Dumaguete
6200 Negros Oriental
Philippines
Phone: +63 35 522 1100
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Cebu Taoist Temple, Prayer room, Cebu City, Philippines © travelblogonline.com

The prayer room at the highest peak of the complex.

​Cebu Taoist Temple and a date with the dragon

Cebu Taoist Temple is located in Beverly Hills Subdivision of Cebu City, Philippines. The temple is built by Cebu's substantial Chinese community in 1972.
Cebu Taoist Temple, Dragon, Cebu City, Philippines © travelblogonline.com

One of the many dragons which are protecting the area

Pray and make a wish

The Taoist temple is open to the worshipers and non-worshipers alike. A ritual among devotees is where one prays to the gods to grant one's wish. The ritual includes washing of hands, going inside the chapel barefoot and dropping two blocks of wood. If the blocks of wood are both face up then one could make a wish. If not then it is not yet the time for one's wish to be granted and one has to come to the temple some other time.
Cebu Taoist Temple, Cebu City, Philippines © travelblogonline.com

The entrance to the temple is a replica of the Great Wall of China. ( This is not the entrance though )

Cebu Taoist Temple, Cebu City, Philippines © travelblogonline.com

The temple includes a chapel, a library, a souvenir shop and a wishing well.

Amazing view from here

Cebu Taoist Temple, View, Cebu City, Philippines © travelblogonline.com

On a clear day you can spot the islands of Mactan and Bohol from here.

Unwind for a while

The Taoist temple is easy accessible from downtown Cebu. We took a taxi from Ayala center and paid around 150 PHP. The view from here is amazing and the surroundings are relaxing for a busy mind. To come here was like to unwind from the hectic and busy city life down town Cebu. I really liked the place for its quietness and beautiful view!
Cebu Taoist Temple, The stairs, Cebu City, Philippines © travelblogonline.com

There are 81 steps in the stair... (representing the 81 chapters of Taoism scriptures)

Cebu Taoist Temple, View, Cebu City, Philippines © travelblogonline.com

My friends were enjoying the visit to the Taoist temple

Cebu Taoist Temple, Fisherman in the pond, Cebu City, Philippines © travelblogonline.com

A friendly fisherman. You were not allowed to throw coins in this pond.

Cebu Taoist Temple, Selfie taking, Cebu City, Philippines © travelblogonline.com

Any place is good for taking a selfie!

Cebu Taoist Temple, View, Cebu City, Philippines © travelblogonline.com

The wishing well

Cebu Taoist Temple, View, Cebu City, Philippines © travelblogonline.com

The view is spectacular

The dragons

Chinese dragons are legendary creatures in Chinese mythology. Chinese dragons have many animal-like forms such as turtles and fish, but are most commonly depicted as snake-like with four legs. They traditionally symbolize potent and auspicious powers, particularly control over water, rainfall, typhoons, and floods. The dragon is also a symbol of power, strength, and good luck for people who are worthy of it in East Asian culture.
Cebu Taoist Temple, View and two dragons, Cebu City, Philippines © travelblogonline.com

Chinese dragons stand on the temple’s roofs like protectors and sentinels of the site

Cebu Taoist Temple, View, Cebu City, Philippines © travelblogonline.com

The dragon is a symbol of power, strength, and good luck for people

Reminders

Even if you don’t share their faith, you must always keep in mind that it’s a sacred site for Taoist worshipers and is a place originally intended for meditation and prayer.
  • Don’t wear sleeveless or shorts if you wish to enter it’s altar
  • Don’t snap photos inside the prayers and temples (you can allowed to take photographs of every other part of the temple complex)
  • Stay in the temple for just 30 minutes to an hour
  • Observe silence
Cebu Taoist Temple, View, Cebu City, Philippines © travelblogonline.com

Going back to downtown

When time to go back downtown again there are numerous options, taxi, habal habal or jeepney. But we chose to walk. Actually it's not far from Ayala center only about 30-40 min of easy walking. And... yes it's no problem, it's perfectly safe to walk here at least in day time. 
A short video clip of our walk back downtown. My friend was also in a desperate need of a cigarette!
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SumoSam Restaurant, Ayala Center Cebu City, Philippines © travelblogonline.com

SumoSam in Ayala center, Cebu city

SumoSam Crafted The Japanese Way

I don't know about that... but at least that's their slogan. I was there and unfortunately not impressed. But more about the negative later. They serve a wide variety of Japanese dishes with beef, chicken, salmon and other seafoods. I tried the Seafood Teppan Platter. A little bit pricy but it looked good. Two kinds of fish, squids, large shrimps, oysters and scallops.
SumoSam Restaurant, Interior, Ayala Center Cebu City, Philippines © travelblogonline.com

The interior was nice

But I had to wait

I was looking forward to my meal. But after 20 min waiting I remember I was thinking, hmm (!) but maybe it's good it takes a bit time to to prepare the food after all. After 30 min the waitress obviously noticed that I was beginning to look impatient because she told me that I just had to wait a few minutes more. Well she was observant at least and I was thinking: The one who is waiting for something good is never waiting too long. We have that nice saying in Sweden to comfort yourself when you are waiting too long for something.
SumoSam Restaurant, The menu, Ayala Center Cebu City, Philippines © travelblogonline.com

There were many tempting dishes on the menu

SumoSam Restaurant, The menu, Ayala Center Cebu City, Philippines © travelblogonline.com

I ordered the Seafood Teppan Platter

Warm and cold

Finally I got my food and it looked good actually. It had also probably been good if the different pieces on the plate had been equally hot. The temperature ranged from "fresh from the grill warm", lukewarm to cold. The fish was "fresh from the grill warm" and the oysters were cold. The oysters had also a little bit strange fishy taste, so no thanks!
SumoSam Restaurant, Seafood Teppan Platter, Ayala Center Cebu City, Philippines © travelblogonline.com

Seafood Teppan Platter

Conclusion: too long waiting time and too much rumble

Waiting time
The food had probably been perfect if everything had been "fresh from the grill warm". But it wasn't. When I pointed out for the waiter about the cold oysters, he actually offered me new fresh from the grill. But at that point I wasn't in the mood to wait for another unspecified time again for the oysters to be grilled.
Rumble
The ambience in the restaurant was nice aside from one thing. One of the AC:s there, obviously needed some kind of service because it was by far too noisy! There was a constant loud rumble in the whole place which made it very tiring to be there. I felt sorry for the staff who had to work in that environment but hopefully the management would fix that soon.
Rating:
​1-5 where 1 is terrible and 5 is excellent
3 Food 
4 Service
3 Value
2 Atmosphere
SumoSam
G/F The Terraces, Ayala Center Cebu, Philippines
Phone: +63 32 401 0643

And finally a link that might interest you:

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Picture

Some friends were here today

Lively neighborhoods of Cebu

Today I had a visit of some friends here in Cebu city. After we been to the Taoist temple we went for a 2,5 km walk through some lively neighborhoods of Cebu. And yes Thomas was craving for cigarettes!
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​Adventure for free, well at least almost for free!

Pungtod Island or now known as “Isola de Francesco” or Virgin Island, a seventeen thousand square meter privately owned island off the coast of Panglao. It's named after Francesco Forgione, widely known as Padre Pio. The island was conceived by the owners to serve the growing number of Padre Pio devotees in Bohol and promote devotion to the Italian Capuchin monk who is the first stigmatized priest in the history of the Church. The island is also known by the locals as the “Hidden oasis”. It's easy to come here. Just take the free yellow shuttle boat near the St. Agustin Catholic Church in Panglao.

Highlights: Sand reef, fresh sea urchins and comfort room!

One of the higlights is of course the long sand reef where you can take a swim or just enjoy the white sand and the beauty of nature. You should also challenge your taste buds with fresh sea urchins directly from the sea. Season with vinegar to taste. Then maybe it's time to visit the comfort room. Don't hesitate, it's clearly one of the nicest comfort rooms I ever been to here in the Philippines. So try it out! There are also kayaks you can borrow and explore the waters around the island. Or why not just grab a regular Filipino snack near the entrance and relax in the shadow, listen to the doves... there are for some reason many doves here. I guess they have found a quiet refuge here in this peaceful environment. And yes, everything is for free here... boat ride, sea urchins, kayaks and snacks but of course small donations are always welcomed.

Note! Click on images to see slideshow and captions!
Free shuttle boats to Virgin Island Virgin Island is also known as the "Hidden oasis" Francesco Forgione, widely known as Padre Pio The beautiful sand reef A challenge for your taste buds, sea urchins directly fresh from the sea Scrape the meat out Ready to enjoy Don't forget Philippines nicest comfort room! The mens room Filipino snacks available Kayaks which you can borrow A 60 sec video clip showing the beauty of Isola de Francesco. The fruit in the video is ​Pandanus fruit. Related links: Pamilacan island Philippines​ ​Snorkeling at Pamilacan island Alona Beach, Panglao​ Where to stay in Tagbilaran, Bohol​ Day trip to Isola de Francesco​ The Hills​ Where to eat in Tagbilaran? Find a house for rent in Panglao Review of the Food Court in Island City Mall (Tagbilaran, Bohol, Philippines) Bohol and Panglao Islands, Philippines Isola de Francesco or Virgin Island, Panglao, Philippines Review of Swiss Zurigo Restaurant (Bohol, Philippines) Review of Bojol Grill Restaurant (Bohol, Philippines) Review of A's Chicken Nuggets & Grill Haus (Bohol, Philippines) The giant Arogo and the smallest primate, what do they have in common? Review of Panglao Island Nature Resort & Spa  (Panglao, Philippines) Review of Henann Resort Alona Beach (Panglao, Philippines) Review of Shang Palace Seafood Restaurant (Bohol, Philippines) Review of Bo's Coffee (Bohol, Philippines) Review of The Buzzz Café (Bohol, Philippines) Review of Golden Cowrie (Bohol, Philippines) Review of Staylite Park Bed and Breakfast (Bohol, Philippines) Review of Arabelle Suites (Bohol, Philippines)
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Balinsasayao Twin Lakes Natural Park

I had my two Swedish friends visiting me here in the Philippines, so I wanted to show them how beautiful the nature can be in Negros Oriental. I decided to take them to Balinsasayao Twin Lakes not far from Dumaguete. We had our own transportation so the ride from Dumaguete went smooth as silk. Every time when I drive up that mountain slope of Mt Talinis I get stunned how beautiful it is.
Balinsasayao Twin Lakes, Dumaguete, Negros Oriental, Philippines © travelblogonline.com

My two friends from Sweden were also impressed of the views on our way up the mountain

Balinsasayao Twin Lakes, Visitors center, Dumaguete, Negros Oriental, Philippines © travelblogonline.com

Before we arrived at Balinsasayao Twin Lakes we needed to register and pay at the visitors center. After registration we needed to drive for additional 5-10 minutes to reach the actual park.

Balinsasayao Twin Lakes, Landslide, Dumaguete, Negros Oriental, Philippines © travelblogonline.com

Sometimes when going up in the mountains you can see the effects of landslides

Balinsasayao Twin Lakes, Habal Habal, Dumaguete, Negros Oriental, Philippines © travelblogonline.com

If you don't have your own transportation you can ride a habal habal, a motorcycle taxi. Room for 4 passengers and a driver!

Behind the visitors center...

Behind the visitors centers we took some stunning pictures. There is this lake which I don't know the name of which is really beautiful. The surface of the lake was like a mirror. After registration and paying the entrance fee we saddle up again and drove for another 10 minutes before we came to Lake Balinsasayao. 
Balinsasayao Twin Lakes, Dumaguete, Negros Oriental, Philippines © travelblogonline.com

A small fishing boat

Balinsasayao Twin Lakes, Dumaguete, Negros Oriental, Philippines © travelblogonline.com

Fishing net

Balinsasayao Twin Lakes, Dumaguete, Negros Oriental, Philippines © travelblogonline.com

Picture picture time!

Balinsasayao Twin Lakes, Dumaguete, Negros Oriental, Philippines © travelblogonline.com

The lake was like a mirror

Walk or rent a boat

When we arrived at the Lake Balinsasayao I presented the two main options for my friends. Walk or rent a boat. We wanted to go to the watch tower between the two lakes so either we could walk the trail along the shore or rent a boat. But since we all needed a little bit exercise they decided that we would walk the trail. The trail itself is not long, only maybe around 600-700 m to the watch tower. 
Balinsasayao Twin Lakes, Dumaguete, Negros Oriental, Philippines © travelblogonline.com

One of the twin lakes, the Lake Balinsasayao. Depth 90 m and around 850 m above the sea level. From here you can rent small boats for roaming around in the lake.

Balinsasayao Twin Lakes, The trail, Dumaguete, Negros Oriental, Philippines © travelblogonline.com

Off we went on the trail! Not advisable to walk here when it's wet, then it will be very slippery for sure!

Balinsasayao Twin Lakes, The trail, Dumaguete, Negros Oriental, Philippines © travelblogonline.com

The winding trail made the distance felt longer than it actually was...

Balinsasayao Twin Lakes, Dumaguete, Negros Oriental, Philippines © travelblogonline.com

View over Lake Balinsasayao along the trail

Balinsasayao Twin Lakes, Ants, Dumaguete, Negros Oriental, Philippines © travelblogonline.com

The ants were marching smoothly up the tree

The watch tower

Our walk to the watch tower went well and took about 20-30 minutes. I was amazed by the fresh air and how quiet it was. We only met a few other visitors here. We stayed for a while and just enjoyed the scenery before we started going back. If you are the sporty type of person, I recommend the trail if not go for the boat.
Balinsasayao Twin Lakes, Dumaguete, Negros Oriental, Philippines © travelblogonline.com

They were also admiring the view over Lake Balinsasayao, but they came by boat

Balinsasayao Twin Lakes, Dumaguete, Negros Oriental, Philippines © travelblogonline.com

This is the bigger lake of the two, Lake Balinsasayao

Balinsasayao Twin Lakes, Lake Danao, Dumaguete, Negros Oriental, Philippines © travelblogonline.com

This is the Lake Danao, the smaller lake.

Balinsasayao Twin Lakes, Dumaguete, Negros Oriental, Philippines © travelblogonline.com

This little guy was very curious on me and likewise I was curious on him

Balinsasayao Twin Lakes, Two Fishermen, Dumaguete, Negros Oriental, Philippines © travelblogonline.com

When we came back after our walk we saw these two guys fishing... I didn't see them catching anything though.

The video is a compilation of our walk back and forth the watch tower

Facts:

Description
Balinsasayao Twin Lakes Natural Park is a natural park  surrounding Lake Balinsasayao and Lake Danao in the province of Negros Oriental, 14.5 km west of Dumaguete. Lakes Balinsasayao and Danao are two small crater lakes separated by a narrow mountain ridge. They are located on the eastern slope of the Talinis mountain range which are volcanic in origin. Lake Balinsasayao has maximum depth of around 90 metres (300 ft). The smaller Lake Danao, on the other hand, has a maximum depth of around 58 metres (190 ft).
Entrance fee
The entrance fee to the park is P100 for foreigners and P50 for Filipinos.
A restaurant also
At the Lake Balinsasayao there is a restaurant that offers variety of dishes at an acceptable rate.

To get there:

Own transportation 
The far most convenient way is to have your own transportation. Beware of that the road going up the mountain is very steep at some points, means slippery when it's raining. It's possible to drive your own car all the way up there but motorcycle is preferable.
Public transportation  
With public transportation you can go by bus or jeepney to the Lalaan junction for Twin Lakes, 7.5 km from the Sibulan town or 13.5 km from Dumaguete. Around P10-15 per person. From the Lalaan junction take a habal habal up the mountain an additional 13 km until you reach the Twin Lakes. You find the drivers at the junction. Standard rate is P300 for a solo passenger and P400 for two back and forth. You will probably need to pay the entrance fee for the driver as well since after registration there is an additional distance to cover before reaching the lake. The driver will wait for you until you like to go back.
If you like to see other blogposts (including this one) related to Negros Oriental click the link above!