Cebu x Dumaguete x Siquijor
CE-DU-SI
SEDUCING
Yes indeed, it is the perfect word to describe this travel route. Be seduced, be enticed, be allured by the beauty of these places. You'd surely want to keep coming back.
OSLOB, CEBU
Whale Shark Watching (WSW)
From Mactan Cebu International Airport, take a cab to Cebu City. Ride a bus bound to Oslob at Cebu South Bus Terminal, Cebu City. Travel time is about 3 hours and fare ranges from P150- P160. Alight from Brgy. Tan-awan, Oslob , you wouldn't get lost for sure 'coz you'd see tons of whale shark watching/ encounter ads when you are nearing the barangay. There are a lot of resorts along the highway, and we chose to stay at BCD's Place. Room rate ranges from P1,500-P2,000 good for 2-3 persons, so budget friendly yay ,and it's just beside the WSW briefing station. All the resorts offer WSW for P500, inclusions are water gear, boat ride, guide/photographer lels. The encounter with the whale sharks are only allowed for 30 minutes.
Tips
Be there as early as you can.
Don't put sunscreen on your face, it would just hurt your eyes. Plus the whale sharks might be irritated, sunblocks contain lots of chemicals.
Behave well and listen to your guides.
I was so scared and excited at the same time, you'd really be amazed how gigantic yet gentle they are. Those few minutes of encounter with them is beyond startling, make sure to put this on your bucket lists.
Sumilon Island Sandbar
From the WSW briefing point area, Sumilon island is just a 15-minute boat ride away. Pump boat (with 15-18 person capacity) rate is P1500 for a two-way trip, entrance fee is P50. The turquoise water and milky white sand of the beach plus the lush green mountain view from the sand bar is undeniably sublime. I could stay here forever, mermaid self is awake hihi!
Tumalog Falls
There are habal-habals that you can hire going to Tumalog Falls. Round trip fare is P100 per person, travel time is about 10-15 min. , and entrance fee is P20 . Tumalog Falls is now getting attention from travelers, yay, it's raw beauty is really a must-see. Dipping at the cold water was really gratifying and refreshing.
The Ruins of Oslob Cuartel
From Tumalog Falls ,we went directly to the ruins and the museum. Habal-habal drivers of Oslob are kind and hospitable, you can make good (affordable hihi) deals with them. We paid about 150 each for the whole ride ( Tumalog Falls and Ruins)
From Oslob , we haggled a trike going to Liloan Port for P150. There are trips bound to Sibulan Port, Negros Oriental, every hour. Fare rate ranges from P55-65 and travel time is about 45 minutes only. Tricycles at the port going to Dumaguete City are kinda pricey (P150, one-way), if you are strict with your budget, you can commute via jeeps (P10).
DUMAGUETE, NEGROS ORIENTAL
We checked-in at Harold's Mansion (P1500 for two persons, w/ free breakfast) and booked for an Apo Island Tour (P1000 each person). We dropped our bags, freshened up, and off we go winding around the city.
Things we did in the city
1. Walk around Rizal Boulevard
-I love how alive the boulevard becomes at night. Food stalls are everywhere. The street vendors would set up tables and chairs along the bay walk while families and barkadas are just chilling out around.
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| (c) Kaye Anastacio |
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-street foods
-SIKWATE or PAINIT (native rice cake and chocolate) my gally, you should try this local delicacy!!! I'm not a fan of rice cakes, but good gracious I loved it sooo muchooo!!!
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| photo from the net :p |
* aside from sans rival, the salads and pastas are also must-tries
-Hayahay Treehouse Bar and View Deck
*good food, chill place for convos and cold beers, loved the sea breeze
3. Had a relaxing body massage at Origin Natura Spa
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| (c) Trip Advisor |
5. Pay homage at Dumaguete Cathedral and Belfry
Apo Island Diving
We recommend that you book ahead, at least a day before your diving tour ,because it starts early in the morning. We chose Harold's Mansion Hostel, because it has its own diving center. Affordable and convenient yay! Snorkeling tour is worth a thousand peso, included are water gears , land transfers, boat ride, lunch , and guide/ photographer lels.
From the city, it would take about 45 min of land and 1 hour of sea travel to reach Apo Island. The diving/snorkeling proper is from 10 am to 2pm, and it has 4 diving spots. Make sure to jump in at all the diving spots and enjoy the beauty of the sea wonders. There's a different world down there, so vibrant, enticing, zoetic. I've told you this a thousand times,again, I really think I'm a mermaid in my past life lels. I love the sea sooo muchoooo!!!
SIQUIJOR (Day Trip)
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| Sunrise |
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| Sunset |
Honestly ,at first, we were really hesitant to come by. But there was this inner voice calling us to take a glance of her wew. And so we decided to go, and just have a day trip, then go back to Dumaguete before the sun sets. Those myths might be true or not , but for safety reasons, here are some tips from my Bisaya friends and some locals:
Stay low-key.
Don't look directly at people's eyes.
Avoid making fun of things, trees, animals etc..
Avoid creating so much noise and attention.
Drink from bottled drinks and eat at restaurants.
Listen to your guide and obey the rules in the tourist spots.
Here's Kuya Elel's contact number 09058809706. He is very welcoming and entertaining , ang dami niyang kwento, I dunno if I'm allowed to make kwento here, yung iba na lang lels, and some are for you to know and experience first hand. Or kwentuhan ko na lang kayo sa personal eeeeeh goosebumps.
Oh here's my first kwento hahahaha natatawa talaga ako for reals, memorable talaga 'tong unang encounter namin with him, pangbawas ng creepy feels chaaaas! We asked Kuya Elel what color is his tricycle and his shirt , so we would easily recognize him. He said , he was in a sky blue shirt and his trike is red, funny pagdating namin everyone's wearing sky blue kasi yun ang uniform nila and all their trikes are red kasi color-coded HAHAHAHAHAHAHA magaling magaling!!!
Siquijor is a small island province , so you can actually travel the whole of it in one day. There are tricycle tour packages that range from P1,000-1500. If you'd be traveling with a large group, you can also hire jeeps or vans. You can choose between the mountain or coastal trail, we chose the latter. In the mountain tour, you'd be going to the caves and falls and mambabarang (yes it's part of the tour, yan mismo yung term nila). Ang dami kong kwento tungkol diyan pero sa personal ko na lang kwekwento hihi, 'di ko kaya dito lels. We had limited time so we were not able to go up the mountains, sayang it would've brought extra excitement and thrill if we did. Nevertheless, we were definitely enticed and captivated by Siquijor's magic and mystique.
The following are the places included in the coastal tour:
St. Francis of Assisi Church
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| (c) Kaye Anastacio |
Lazi Convent (Biggest Convent in Ph)
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| (c) Kaye Anastacio |
Old Enchanted Balete Tree
*Don't play around the Balete tree. A friend told us that when they did fool around with it, they got........ ( kwento ko na lang ng personal), just respect the tree.
Capilay Spring Park
*This spring park is so clean that locals swim here and have picnic with their families.
Cambugahay Falls
*Swing like Tarzan
*You can have your lunch here, kindly join your tour guide as you dine. Dito namin nakaclose si Kuya Elel magpakwento kayo sa kanila sa mga locals, masaya, nakakagising ng dugo lels.
Mangrove Tree House
*Entrance is P50
Total Expenses (w/ food) : P6500-P7000
*We did Canyoonering first at Badian before we headed to Oslob ,then to Dumaguete and Siquijor, went back to Cebu City and went up north to Camotes Islands. This is our actual 9-days travel route. I just opt to blog the Ce-Du-Si DIY route for those who have limited time. I suggest that you exit at Dumaguete , that would be budget and time wise. Will soon be writing a separate blog about our Alegria-Badian Canyoneering and Camotes Island trip.
wow <3
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