SOUTHERN CEBU and DUMAGUETE
October 27th to 30th, 2017
Day 1: 27th of October 2017
Travel to Cebu
We started a plan to explore the southern tip of the island of Cebu and neighboring island of Negros Oriental, Dumaguete in particular in 2016. The initial plan was to explore just the south of Cebu but given the right opportunity, we included the City of Dumaguete in Negros Oriental.
We took a late night flight in Manila bound for Cebu on the 27th of October. It was a busy Friday. Joining the team were RER, RMC, MLB and NLR. Dr. NRV was waiting in Cebu for our arrival.
We left Manila at 2200H and landed at Mactan Airport in Cebu at 2248H. Dr. NRV was right at the Airport Lobby when we arrived.
10,000 Roses
As planned, from the airport, we traveled to Cordova to see the popular 10,000 Roses Cafe while waiting for MLB's arrival at the airport. She took a later flight that night. Cordova is approximately 13 kilometers away from Mactan International Airport and a 41 minute drive on a private vehicle.
Day 2: 28th of October 2017
We left the Cafe in Cordova before 12 midnight and traveled back to the Airport to pickup MLB and then traveled straight to Oslob, far down south of Cebu.
Oslob is approximately 139 kilometers away from the Airport and a 4 hour drive. Oslob is a popular tourist destination for the Whale Shark attraction.
From the Airport, we passed through the Cities of Cebu and Talisay and then rendezvous at Naga to refuel and for a quick refreshment.
Continuing our journey down south, we reached the City of Carcar, then passed by Sibonga, Argao, Dalaguete, Alcoy, had a short stopover at Boljoon to see the church and then finally reached Oslob. Road conditions are very good.
We were at the Whale Shark watching area few minutes before four in the morning and decided to proceed to Dumaguete instead of watching the Whales.
Nearby the area is Oslob Port and we took the 0430H trip to Dumaguete onboard a barge.
Travel time from the port of Oslob to Dumaguete port on a barge is approximately 40 minutes. We docked at Dumaguete port four minutes past five in the morning. The sky was clear though the forecast was at 35% chance of rain.
From the port, we went straight to Bais, where we will board a boat and watch the Dolphins. Bais is becoming more and more popular as it is the jump-off site to the Manjuyod Sanbar and the Dolphin sanctuary.
Bais is 67 kilometers away from the City of Dumaguete and approximately a 2-hour drive.
Dolphin Santuary
We arrived at Bais City at 0700H, had a quick breakfast and prepared for the boat ride. At 0733H, we took the boat and sailed to the Dolphin sanctuary, our first destination for the day.
It was my first experience to witness these friendly and graceful under the sea creatures swimming just below the surface of the water encircling the boat welcoming us all. We were at the sanctuary at 0800H.
We stayed at the area for few minutes while being entertained by the Dolphins.
Manjuyod Sandbar
From the Dolphin sanctuary, we sailed to the sandy beach popularly known as "Manjuyod Sandbar". Locals and foreign tourists dubbed it the "Maldives of the Philippines".
According to the City Tourism Office, "Manjuyod Sandbar is a pristine 7 kilometer stretch of premium white sand that can be accessed via a short 15 minute boat ride from Capiñahan Wharf in the South Bais Bay. It is basically an island towards the North Bais Bay in the Tañon Strait that emerges only during low tides.
On the island you can find native wooden houses built on stilts – and which, during high tide, appears to be floating on the water. These cottages could be rented for overnight stays and can be booked at the Bais City Tourism Office."
Contrasting with the glowing white color of the sand are the wooden structures that can be easily spotted from afar as we approached the sandbar. We reached the Sandbar at 0842H. Indeed, it is a paradise!
There were few tourists in the area at that time and according to our boat guides, on summer and on peak season, the place would always be crowded.
We had a feast of fresh seafoods from the local fishermen on boats fully loaded with fresh crabs, fish, seaweeds and sea urchins.
Later in the day we noticed the rain started to move towards our area and we decided to sail back to the shore and arrived at the wharf at 1130H.
We traveled back to the City, checked-in at the hotel, rest and prepared to explore Pulangbato Falls.
Pulangbato Falls
Few minutes after four in the afternoon, we traveled to Valencia, west of Dumaguete City, to see the falls.
According to the City Tourism Office, "it is aptly named so because of the waterfall’s seemingly red river water which is caused by the presence of natural reddish rocks found in the area. Pula is the native word for red while bato, for rock. Thus, if interpreted, the name would be red rock".
Along the road, there are several sulfur vents and a hazard signage of "Toxic" gas is on display as a warning.
The road gradually narrows as we get closer to the falls. We reached the parking area at 1700H and began exploring. The sulfur vents reminded me of Mt. Kanlaon, which is also in the Negros island.
I was truly convinced of the name "Pulangbato" as large and small reddish rocks are almost everywhere in the place.
As it slowly turned dark, we left Pulangbato Falls and traveled back to the City at 1730H.
Back to the City, we explored the centuries old Cathedral at the middle of the capital with its massive bell tower.
We, later, moved along the bay area for a dinner, nice chat and then called it the day.
Day 3: 29th of October 2017
Whale Shark Watching
We left Dumaguete port at 0722H and docked at Oslob Cebu port 0803H, proceeded to the whale shark watching office and registered. Onboard a boat with fellow tourists, we started watching three baby whale sharks as they were fed with tiny fish and shrimp meals.
The babies are about twice the size of our boat. Older whale sharks would be almost four times the size of the young, according to our guide. We stayed afloat beside the whales for 45 minutes and then sailed back to shore.
From Oslob, we continued our journey to the south passing through Santander and then proceeded up north on the western coast of the island. We were heading to Samboan.
Aguinid Falls
We arrived at Samboan at 1038H, proceeded to the jump-off point to Aguinid Falls and registered.
According to the locals, there are five popular waterfalls in Samboan, Aguinid falls included. Aguinid is located in Barangay Tangbo, a green and farming area of the municipality.
Locals explained that Aguinid is a four-level waterfalls, something that made me more excited. The waters were murky at that time. Our guides explained that the murky color was due to rains. I was actually expecting clear waters from the falls.
A short rock climb with a guide rope is required to see the top level of the falls. This was the most challenging yet exciting portion of the tour. One-by-one on queue, we braved the vertical rock wall and safely reached the top level. Thanks to the efforts and patience of our local guides.
The first level is around 10 meters high and with 5 feet deep water at its base.
The second level is a 5-minute walk from the first level. The third level can be reached in another five minute walk through the rock walls of the second level.
Finally, the fourth level is approximately 30 meters high, a ten minute walk from the third level.
Most of the visitors stayed at the first and second levels.
We left Aguinid falls and continued our journey to the North passing through Barili and rendezvous at the Milk station for refreshment at 1527H.
From Barili we went up North to Mactan Airport and dropped NLR for her 2000H flight back to Manila.
Temple of Leah
From the airport, we had a quick dinner at the seaside and then traveled to the City of Cebu heading towards the hill to see the Roman inspired Temple of Leah.
We were at the ground of the Temple at 2100H.
Mountain View
From the temple, we shifted to Busay's Mountain View to see the cross and to have a better view of the City landscape from above.
Top of Cebu
We descended from the Mountain View and visited a nearby peak called Top of Cebu and explored the area.
Winery
From the mountains, we were back to the city and concluded our day with a toast of wine at La Vie Parisienne.
Day 4: 30th of October 2017
Chu Un Buddhist Temple
We checked-out from the hotel at 1000H and headed on to Chu Un Buddhist Template.
A well maintained and peaceful place for meditation and other activities. We started roaming around the temple at 1123H.
A well maintained and peaceful place for meditation and other activities. We started roaming around the temple at 1123H.
Taboan Market
After having lunch at 1250H, we drove to Taboan market for pasalubong and souvenirs.
This is a popular market for Cebuano delicacies including the famous Danguit and Longganisa. We reached the market place at 1352H.
This is a popular market for Cebuano delicacies including the famous Danguit and Longganisa. We reached the market place at 1352H.
Calle Colon and Archdiocesan Museum
From Taboan, we drove around the city, explored Colon, the oldest street and then proceeded to Archdiocesan Museum at 1443H.
Relics of St. John Paul II are few of the items on exhibit.
Relics of St. John Paul II are few of the items on exhibit.
Museu Sugbo
From the Cathedral we moved to Museu Sugbo and reached the place at 1549H.
According to Wikipedia, "Museo Sugbo is housed in what was once called Cárcel de Cebú, the provincial jail of Cebu. Designed in 1869 by Domingo de Escondrillas, the lone architect in Cebu at the time, the Cárcel de Cebú was originally proposed as the Cárcel del Distrito, the main prison for the Visayas District. This accounts for its relatively large size at the time it was built. After a flurry of endorsements and independent review in Manila, the project was approved and construction commenced around 1871. It is believed that most of the coral stone blocks from the Parian church – which was demolished in 1878 after the Bishop of Cebu won a long-drawn court case against its parishioners in the 1850s – were used to build parts of the cárcel. After twenty years of use, a renovation was ordered in 1892, which added more buildings behind the main structure that now serves as the first six galleries of the museum".
Cebu Heritage Monument
After exploring 2 museums, we moved to the Cebu Heritage Monument and then explored the Yap-Sandiego Ancestral House at 1615H.
According to Everything Cebu blog, "The Heritage of Cebu Monument is a tableau of sculptures made of concrete, bronze, brass and steel showing scenes about events and structures related to the history of Cebu. The construction of the monument began in July 1997 and it was finished in December 2000".
Yap-Sandiego Ancestral House
Few steps away from the Cebu Heritage Monument is one of the oldest surviving structures in Cebu.
According to the locals, the house was constructed in the late 17th century. It is made of coral stones and molave wood glued together using egg whites.
This was the house of Don Juan Yap and Dona Maria Florido. The current structure is still in its original state, according to the locals.
Inside the house, we traveled back in time with the century-old furniture, religious relics and paintings.
Fuerza de San Pedro
Coming from Cebu Heritage Monument, we passed by Casa Gorordo, another historical place, and then finally moved to the Intramuros of Cebu, Fuerza de San Pedro at 1709H.
Wikipedia explained that Fuerza de San Pedro is a military defence structure in Cebu (Philippines), built by the Spanish under the command of Miguel López de Legazpi, first governor of the Captaincy General of the Philippines. It is located in the area now called Plaza Indepedencia, in the pier area of the city. The original fort was made of wood and built after the arrival of Legazpi and his expedition. In the early 17th century a stone fort was built to repel Muslim raiders. Today's structure dates from 1738 and is the oldest triangular bastion fort in the country. It served as the nucleus of the first Spanish settlement in the Philippines. During the Philippine Revolution at the end of the 19th century, it was attacked and taken by Filipino revolutionaries, who used it as a stronghold.
We had dinner before proceeding to the Lapu Lapu Shrine.
Lapu Lapu Shrine
Few steps away from the gate of Fuerza de San Pedro, we walked towards the Magellan Cross and then had a dinner.
At 2128H, we were finally at the Lapu Lapu shrine in Mactan and from there we concluded our 4-day Cebu-Dumaguete adventures and returned to Manila late in the evening.
We left Cebu with a happy, smiling and fulfilled heart.
Kudos to our leaders - NRV and NLR.
Special thanks to Dr. NRV for our Cebu accommodation and for driving us to all our destinations in Cebu and Dumaguete.
Special thanks to NLR for our accommodation in Dumaguete.
-o0o-
