Adventures & Misadventures - all the way to a very long zipline and a failed attempt to see Limasawa

July 2012

The day did not look promising. We had just checked out of our hostel in Tacloban when it started to pour. We quickly rode a tricycle to an ATM in the town center. I was hungry but I did not know what I wanted to eat. Since the rain was getting heavier, we went inside the first place that we saw - Dunkin Donuts.

There was a table of four people seated near the entrance. It seemed like they were going through a contract of some sorts. At the counter, there was only one staff who seemed very busy preparing the first table's order. The donuts haven't even been arranged on the trays and the chairs were still up on the tables. Customers arrived earlier than the poor staff expected. I waited 10 minutes for him to take my order and 20 minutes to get my sandwich. Since they had newspapers, we did not mind.

It did not take even half our waiting time to finish our meal. Our destination for the night was Padre Burgos White Castle with a quick stop in Agas-Agas bridge for to try their zipline.

At the terminal, we were the first ones in the van. We must have bought tons of snacks and read most of the pages in the newspaper before we finally left an hour later. We even tried a "chocolate suman". I was excited to taste it at first but it was bland and tough.  

It took us two hours of non-stop but pleasant travel. There was no traffic and the roads were either new or well-maintained. There was hardly other vehicles on the road. Just alongside the road was the jump-off point for the Agas-Agas Zipline. After climbing a flight of stairs and paying the fee, we were ready!

A zipline experience has started to grow old for me because it is now being offered everywhere, even in the city. This one offers something different and is one of the best for me. The weather is cool. As you are released, you'd first pass by the Agas-Agas bridge and see some vehicles passing by below you. I could also see a narrow, almost dried up river, tucked between thick vegetation.

The ride is almost a minute long and the landing is smooth. A motorcycle was waiting to take us back to the jump-off point. 

 

Here are links to the zipline videos:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEegePquMBc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=betox9Gkjb8

The original plan was to catch a van or bus to Padre Burgos in Agas-Agas bridge. We waited for what felt like forever with no luck and not a single van or bus passing by so we decided to ask around for anyone who could take us to a terminal.

We hired a motorcycle (habal habal). I thought the price was a bit steep but we were desperate and hungry. It was sunny, it drizzled, it rained, rained some more, then it was hot again. Good thing our ride had a roof but I was almost scared because the road was getting too slippery.  

After an hour, we got to the terminal by 3:00pm. It was a very busy place with a market, a bus terminal, eateries here and there, stores and lot and lots of vendors selling anything and everything.

By this time I was starving and when I am hungry, I am in my worst mood. We quickly got into the first decent restaurant that we spotted.

For starters I had a pineapple and a chocolate cake which was surprisingly good and moist. We also had okoy, grilled chicken, stuffed bangus and stuffed squid. Either the food was really good or I was just terribly hungry. It just took SOOO LONGGGG for our food to be served. Very typical of me I couldn't help but notice a couple arguing on the other table, despite my hunger.

After our late lunch slash merienda, we took a non-airconditioned bus to Padre Burgos. The place is famous among divers especially the foreign ones who ended up establishing their own dive resorts. We've researched that Leyte offers some really awesome dive experience so I was excited to check it out.

We passed by a lot of schools. Our ride was a slow 2 hours, with people loading and coming off the bus. A lot of them were students and teachers. I then started to see dive resort signs. 

When we got off the bus, we had to ride a motorcycle for 500 meters to our final destination - Padre Burgos White Castle Resort. It is owned by a Filipino woman and her foreign husband. We were the only guests in their resort. The hotel did resemble a castle, with golden winding staircase. We got the top room.

After a quick shower, we chose our dinner and went around while waiting. They have a small swimming pool and a walkway down to their private beach. It is a perfect venue for a private beach party complete with beach chairs and a bar. I was hoping to do a little star gazing but the clouds were so thick that I couldn't see a single one in the sky.

The dining room is empty, just the two of us. It had hardwood furniture. Everything in the menu was pricey but we did not really have a choice because the closest sign of civilization is a 500-meter walk in a very dark trail.

We had buttered prawns and spaghetti with shrimp in tomato sauce. The servings were big but the taste was just fine.

I woke up the next day in heavy downpour. R had to ask the owner if it was still possible and safe to go on the Limasawa Island Tour and she said yes. We waited for the boat in their private beach.

 

We were accompanied by a resort personnel who carried a bunch of stuff including drinks, breakfast, snorkeling equipment, etc. I was hesitant to do the tour because the wind was extremely strong. When R asked, the boatman assured us that it was nothing. Not even halfway through the ride, the wind was starting to get even stronger and the boatman was obviously having a hard time navigating his boat. I was starting to get really cold and scared. 

Now, I am used to traveling by water despite stormy weather but this one had me worried. I started to grip one side of the boat and R's hand tighter and he knew I was scared so he asked the staff resort for a life jacket. The resort staff's response was, "Huh? Wala ba kayong dalang life jacket?" I distinctly remember giving her a look of disbelief. Seriously? Where in hell would we get a life jacket? They even saw us boarding the boat with only our camera and waterproof pack with money and mobile phones. I could not believe how irresponsible the resort was to let us go on a boat tour without life jackets, in a stormy weather at that!

I told R I wanted to go back but the boatman was insisting to go on. When the weather got worse, he stopped the boat near a shore somewhere and suggested we dive and snorkel. AGAIN, SERIOUSLY???!!!  He also told us that the boat could not go on to Limasawa and that if we wanted, we will just have to pay extra Php200.00 per person per way for a motorcycle ride to the cross.

Clearly, I was not interested. Finally, when the downpour subsided a little, we went back to the resort. The way back was no less rough and scary and I released a very deep sigh of relief when we docked.

So much for our Php2,500.00 per person history and island hopping trip, which by the way they still charged us. It will not go to my list of places to go back to...nope, definitely not!

Under the Spell of the Enchanting Siquijor

August 23 - 24, 2008

Siquijor is an island province in Central Visayas, Philippines. The name originated from the king's name, "Kihod" which the Spaniards mistakenly took for the name of the island. The name Sikihod was then adopted as the island's name and then later on changed Siquijor.

I do not recall where I first heard about its reputation but its urban legend on magic, sorcery/witchcraft and healing rituals is well-known to Filipinos. I am always a skeptic but I admit I was a bit hesitant and quite scared to come here because of that reputation but for the sake of adventure, I decided to dive into it. 

Having gone there, I'm now pretty sure that the nasty rumors about black magic is not true but the place did its magic and cast me under its spell and has left me enchanted to its simplicity and beauty.

We came to Siquijor through an airconditioned ferry from Dumaguete. We first had lunch of tinolang native chicken and calderetang kambing in a nearby carinderia before boarding our boat.  It was a quick 30-45 minute ride. 

As I stepped foot on the pier and during our tricycle ride, I saw it as just a typical small and sleepy town. It was a Friday afternoon, almost after school hours. At the middle of their city, people were swimming in their cold spring...YES, clean and clear spring in the middle of their town, the busiest part of the island where people swim. Beat that! This is the Capilay Spring Park at the heart of San Juan. 

After looking at several resorts, we chose to stay in a cliff resort owned by an Austrian man. We were the only guests in the resort. This is one of the perks of an off-peak travel. The rooms are on individual mini cottages. The interior was ordinary but decent and clean. There was no A/C, only a fan. Since there's not a lot of resorts and tourists in the island yet, the resorts and the rooms are spacious. None of those cramped accommodations that you will get in more popular tourists spots in the Philippines.

They have a well maintained garden with mostly indigenous plants. The edge of the resort is a cliff with an amazing view. Small fishing boats would pass by here and there. 

We did a quick ocular of the other resorts. We got back just after sunset with just enough time to freshen up before dinner. 

The menu mostly had international/European cuisine. We had chicken in a tomato based sauce and vegetable curry. It was nothing spectacular but it was properly cooked and it tasted alright.

There were several drinks at the bar but we were tired and we really did not feel like drinking that night.

Just before bedtime, I heard a loud sound that seemed to come from a party from a distance. I was curious and wanted to check it out but we had to sleep early. We needed an early start because we had a packed full day planned.

I woke up at around 4:00am, packed my stuff and had enough time to go out and enjoy the stillness of the morning. There were fishermen nearby trying to harvest the day's catch, birds chirping, the cool breeze and the morning sun slowly touching my face. Each time I wake up to this, I wake up with a smile.

With our backpacks in the multicab, we started our "mystical island" adventure. First stop was the Cantabon Cave, a subterranean cave. The guides in this tour are mostly highschool kids. They use their money to help support their education. I was blown away by our guide. He obviously knew every inch of the cave...every possible bump, every deep part, everything. 

There is a short trek to the entrance of the cave. The facade did not look very promising. It only had a small hole and what looked like a rusty gate. Shortly after we entered, I was already knee-deep in cold water. As we walked through the dark water with the height shifting for ankle deep to waist high, I couldn't help but remember the movie Anaconda where one by one the characters were pulled into the water by the snake. YIKES!!! R knew I was scared so we constantly teased me along the way. I'd give him a piercing look everytime but he just laughed. 

The formations and the color of the stalactites and stalagmites were so beautiful. To me, it can closely compete with the Sagada caves. It is not as massive as the others that I have explored but its isolated and unspoiled nature is undeniably becoming harder and harder to find in the country. Also, because it is mostly under water and there is flowing water for the most part, guests are free to touch the formations without fear of destroying the crystals.  

We then proceeded to Mt. Bandilaan National Park. After our quick and easy trek, we got to the base of the viewing deck. It did not look well maintained, in fact it was quite rusty.

It used to offer a 360 degree view of the island but because the surrounding trees have grown, you could only see a little view and mostly tree tops. Time for a new and higher viewing deck maybe?  

Next stop was the Cambugahay Falls. They told us that we can go swimming but I'd probably prefer to just have lunch or snacks there.

Next was the St.Isidro Church and Covent. It is one of the biggest and among the oldest in the country. It has been declared a historical landmark by the Philippine Historical Commission.

Our last stop after lunch and just before heading to the port back to Dumaguete was their white sand beach. It is a public beach where locals come to bathe and have picnics and family gatherings. We paid only Php10.00 per head and Php30.00 for the parking fee. We happened to be there on a Sunday midday so there was A LOT of locals there. Their shower rooms are very basic and could use a little cleaning and improvement.

The sand was not too fine but it was really white. We saw a bunch of local boys cliff jumping, showing off their individual diving styles. R gave it a try and it looked fun! If only I could swim, I would have jumped right in! Super inggit!

I don't know when I will be back, or if I will ever be back but the simplicity that the island and its people offered has put a permanent mark on me. It is not as grand as the other destinations that I've been too, not as developed as the more famous tourist spots and the people, not as comfortable with tourists as the other places but I believe in the island's potential. Give it a few years and I'm sure a lot more people will be interested to come. I just hope that if that happens, the people of Siquijor will stick to their "small town" values while opening up to the promise of prosperity.

http://www.e-philippines.com.ph/