08 Apr 2013
in Bohol, Cebu Tags: Cebu, emo, Fast Craft, ferry, Ocean Jet, Ocean Jet Ferry, photography, Tagbilaran, travel, Weesam Express
Coming from Bantayan Island, I took the bus from the port of Hagnaya to Cebu City and a cab from the Cebu North Bus Terminal to the port of Cebu to catch the 15:35 Ocean Jet ferry bound for Tagbilaran.
Fare was supposedly Php800 for both Open Air and Tourist/Airconditioned classes, as indicated on the website, but paid P500 (plus Php20 for the terminal fee) because there was an ongoing promo. How lucky!
*Click here for Ocean Jet fares and ticket info for their other destinations like Bacolod, Cagayan de Oro, Camiguin, Iloilo, Jagna, Siquijor.
The issued tickets have seat assignments but they really let passengers sit anywhere they like as long as the seat is empty. I dislike being in the airconditioned areas of ferries because to be honest, much as I love boats, and I travel a lot, I have motion sickness. I have always had motion sickness. So much so that I never took fun rides. I have never been to Enchanted Kingdom! Only because I would not be able to do anything there. I always booked the top deck of the Super Ferry or Negros Navigation too. So on this ferry from Cebu to Tagbilaran, I took a seat, the best one actually, on the Open Air part of the ferry, with a direct view of the entire back part of the boat. And these are what I got because of that.
I don’t know what I was passing by but I took photos anyway.
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02 Apr 2013
in Bohol Tags: accommodations, Bohol, Bohol Bee Farm, Panglao Island, restaurant, travel
There is always something new every time I pay Bohol Bee Farm a visit. This year is my third time in Bohol and Panglao Island. Ever since my first visit there, with Travel Factor and when Lia was only 8 months old, I make it a point to go to Bohol Bee Farm whenever I find myself in Bohol. Aside from the delicious food, I love the simplicity of the place. And it just keeps reinventing itself.
I didn’t blog extensively about my first visit there. Posting only a few photos of the beach in Dumaluan, where we were staying at. On my second visit there with my family, we stayed at Bohol Beach Club, right next to Dumaluan Beach Resort, and blogged about the trip extensively. Sadly, of all the 8 posts I made on that trip, only 2 survived the website crash in 2011. I still have to recover the posts. I might be able to recover them soon, but until then, only these two remain.
Tagbilaran Airport (Bohol)
Bohol Beach Club – A Place for Families
DBR Grill at Dumaluan Beach, Panglao Island, Bohol
Dolphin Watching, Snorkeling at Balicasag Island and Virgin Island – A Day in the Bohol Sea
Snorkeling in Balicasag Island, Bohol
Balicasag Island Dive Resort, Bohol
Bohol Bee Farm – Always A Great Experience
Dumaluan Beach, Panglao Island, Bohol
***
Too bad because I posted photos of Bohol Bee Farm from both 2009 and 2010 in one of the still-missing blog post.
On my way to the Tagbilaran airport, to catch a flight back to Manila, I had the habal-habal (motorcycle) drop by Bohol Bee Farm so I could buy some more of the squash muffins that I like so much. And then I took some more photos of the place.
They are always expanding at the farm. The restaurant now is even bigger. It is actually huge now! And even the store – they have also expanded the store. And even the lobby and receiving area. Maybe they even have more rooms now.
A lounge area near the restaurant.
Sunbathing and Lounging Area
The deck for sunbathing. This is also where the boat docks for island hopping and dive trips. The stairs leading down is found near the restaurant.
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01 Apr 2013
in Bohol Tags: Balicasag Island, Bohol, diving, snorkeling, travel
As the boat was approaching Balicasag Island, I could not help but exclaim, “Welcome back to me, Balicasag!”
Balicasag Island happens to be one of my favorite islands to snorkel at. Though, I was, on a dive boat this time, with other divers, I was still not diving. I have yet to get a license. I just go on the dive boat all the time because, aside from other reasons, it’s really much cheaper that way. I brought my own snorkel and fins, so on this boat, I only had to pay Php300. This was one of the boats of Sierra Madre Divers.
It is not Balicasag if I don’t take a photo with the lighthouse in it. I simply must.
Snorkelers in the marine sanctuary.
On a dive boat with loads of Koreans.
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31 Mar 2013
in Bohol Tags: accommodations, Alona Beach, Alona Tropical Beach Resort, Bohol, Panglao Island, travel
Anyone who asks me for a recommendation on resorts in Panglao Island, I almost always say, “If you like peace and quiet, do NOT stay at Alona Beach”. I would always recommend Bohol Beach Club because they have a fantastic beach front, or Dumaluan Beach Resort, because it has cheaper rooms and is right next to Bohol Beach Club, and if you are stealthy, you can slip into the beach of Bohol Beach Club and sunbathe yourself away.
If you want easy access to dive shops, yes, stay at Alona Beach. If you want a wide array of choices for restaurants, bars, and stores, yes, by all means, stay at Alona Beach. But if you want peace and quiet, stay away.
I am wrong though. There IS a nice part of Alona Beach I would, apparently, recommend – and it is the stretch of Alona Beach right in front of Alona Tropical Beach Resort. The beach here is beautiful! It is like the Station 1 of Alona Beach! (Station 1 of Boracay)
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30 Mar 2013
in Bohol Tags: Bohol, Loboc, Loboc Church, travel
This is my third trip to Bohol. The first one, in 2009, was made with Travel Factor, and we stayed at Dumaluan Beach Resort. The second one was made in 2010, with the family, and we stayed at Bohol Beach Club. The third trip was a crazy one of sorts, and what made it different was, instead of staying in Panglao Island, I stayed in the center of Tagbilaran – at Nisa Traveller’s Hotel, where a single fan room, with shared bathroom, could be had for Php400/night inclusive of breakfast. Crazy! But I would recommend this place to anyone. I only quite stumbled upon it, walking down the streets, with my bag, in the rain, I checked into the first establishment that remotely said “HOTEL” in it. I was surprised that it was a decent place, with really friendly staff, and the cheapest room I have come across in all my recent travels. The regular rate is apparently Php550/night but they told me they were on promo. The rate included breakfast, bottled water, coffee and even wi-fi. I just really dropped my bags in my room, and went straight out into the jeepney terminal, which was about 3 blocks away from the hotel. The staff gave me directions on how to get to Panglao Island by commute and I was very pleased.
Anyway, I was supposedly on my way to the Chocolate Hills when I decided I was not up for it. I found myself napping on a bench in the shade of bamboos by the side of the road somewhere in Loboc, with my feet up, sunglasses on, and headphones on. Then it started raining. I took a habal-habal back to the town proper, determined to find a salon, a.k.a. “parlor”, where I can have my nails done. Yes, I am weird like that. I have been traveling nearly a week and my nails needed some care.
My search for a place to have my nails done led me to this two-storey building right by the church and right in front of the church’s bell tower. It is by the way the only salon in the entire town of Loboc, in case you are wondering.
The light from the setting sun made the bell tower stand out. And I was pleased.
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13 Nov 2010
in Bohol, Family, MOMents Tags: beach, Bohol, Bohol Beach Club, Bohol Bee Farm, family, hammock, Lia, MOMents, Panglao Island, travel
Lia and I share a common love for hammocks – that much I am sure of. In our three days in Bohol, Lia climbed into every hammock there was.
I want that pair of green shades
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16 Sep 2010
in Bohol, Travel Tags: Balicasag Island, Bohol, snorkeling, travel
For someone who lived in El Nido for a year, snorkeling every chance I could get, paddling to the nearby Cadlao Island almost every weekend, and spoiled by the corals of the place, it had since been difficult to find a place that I felt would rival my previous snorkeling experiences.
H maintains to this day that snorkeling is so much better in Coron than in El Nido, based on his experience in the island of North Cay. I stay mum on this topic since he has only been to El Nido twice whereas I have been to as many snorkeling sites and can not count how many snorkeling experiences I have actually had.
North Cay Island, Coron, Palawan (with my cousin Romulus Rueda taking a photo of the boat)
I have been to many other places too, always in search of that good snorkeling spot, and have always come back disappointed.
Until I went to Balicasag Island in December of 2009.
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16 Sep 2010
in Bohol
For someone who lived in El Nido for a year, snorkeling every chance I could get, paddling to the nearby Cadlao Island almost every weekend, and spoiled by the corals of the place, it had since been difficult to find a place that I felt would rival my previous snorkeling experiences.
H maintains to this day that snorkeling is so much better in Coron than in El Nido, based on his experience in the island of North Cay. I stay mum on this topic since he has only been to El Nido twice whereas I have been to as many snorkeling sites and can not count how many snorkeling experiences I have actually had.
North Cay Island, Coron, Palawan (with my cousin Romulus Rueda taking a photo of the boat)
I have been to many other places too, always in search of that good snorkeling spot, and have always come back disappointed.
Until I went to Balicasag Island in December of 2009.
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15 Sep 2010
in Bohol
DBR Grill, located in between the old Dumaluan Beach Resort and the newer, posher Dumaluan Beach Resort, is the place to go to for good cheap food when in Dumaluan Beach. It is also the place to buy other things you need at a cheap price – like bottled water, medicine, and other beach supplies.
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15 Sep 2010
in Bohol Tags: Bohol, DBR Grill, family, Panglao Island, travel
DBR Grill, located in between the old Dumaluan Beach Resort and the newer, posher Dumaluan Beach Resort, is the place to go to for good cheap food when in Dumaluan Beach. It is also the place to buy other things you need at a cheap price – like bottled water, medicine, and other beach supplies.
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