Back at Balabac Palawan

El Nido & Coron are the places that will surely automatically register to your mind when you say Palawan. However, there is more to this province and one of which is Balabac. This town is located in the southern most part of Puerto Princesa which will require you to travel by road for 4-5hours then another 4hours of sailing thru a passenger boat. Last October, I have decided to revisit it after 2 years. At first glance, you would least expect that Balabac can offer gigantic pool like waters, starfish, corals, sea turtles and several white sandbars until you hop to an outrigger boat and check out different islands. Balabac is still a rugged gem despite the rampant dynamite fishing as admitted by our local guide.

Mansalangan sandbar

heading to Candaraman sandbar

sea life near Canibungan island

infinity pool

Punta Sebaring island

powdery white sand

unlimited starfish @ Candaraman

uninhabited Patawan island

Guimaras Island

April 2010

Last stop of our 11 day backpacking trip in Visayas. We attended the famous Manggahan Festival and availed the island hopping tour in Raymen’s Beach Resort.

mangoes eat all you can for 50pesos

Lawi Marine Turtle Rescue Center

Ave Maria Islet

This was my most favorite part of the tour. An almost white sand beach + crystal water + less crowd

boat in the entrance of Baras Cave

August 2013

We headed directly to Ortiz wharf right after we arrived in Iloilo Airport. We opted to ride a passenger jeepney bound to Guisi as we were on a budget. The rain made our trip longer before we reach Guisi Clearwater Resort.

left most part of the beach

tresspassers at Kenyama Resort

0% crystal water + 0% white/fine sand BUT 0% sea urchins and 0% jellyfish. It was a perfect decision that we only spent almost 3hours as there was nothing spectacular with the beach. Aint really sure if it could have been better if it was not raining.

 

DIY Island Tour: Bantayan, Cebu

FIRST STOP: Bantayan Island Nature Park & Resort

It was my travel buddy’s first time to drive a motorbike. After his 15 minutes of driving lesson, we were off to the resort. It was not a smooth ride. The road was rough and muddy. We even asked the locals countless times to locate the resort.

For an entrance fee of 150 pesos per head, we were able to take a dip into their cave pool, passed by on their mini zoo, 15 minutes of fish spa and unlimited use of their infinity pool.

cave pool with brackish water

mini zoo with some animals

micro massage with very fine vibrations

 

infinity pool (half-Olympic sized pool as per the resort’s guide)

SECOND STOP: Obo-ob Mangrove Garden

The garden is being managed by the barangay officials. They are in the process of adding more bamboo bridges, however, they do not have enough budget to fund it.

entrance fee is only 20pesos/head

bamboo bridge + mangrove trees on both sides

 

 

Bantayan Island, Cebu

Day 1

After all the mishaps, we finally reached Sta Fe.

the gloomy weather did not stop me from still appreciating the view

our so-called “water test”

a local fisherman while waiting for his daughter

As we did not have a solid itinerary, Ren (my travel buddy for this trip) decided to hire a motorbike so we can wander in the island by ourselves.

our road trip to Bantayan Island Nature Park and Resort

simply amazing

borrowed from a local teenager (photo credit:Renan B)

Day 2

We failed to locate the passenger boat bound to a nearby island where we were told that a hidden waterfalls can be found so we spent the rest of the morning walking in the seashore.

the sun will shine….false hope!

sandbar + jumpshot

We visited one of the resorts on the other side of the port just for the purpose of comparing it with where we were staying.

view from Beach Placid while sitting on one of their beach chairs

Silanguin Cove: San Antonio,Zambales

Another DIY trip with 3 other travel buddies.

a serene morning

Subic fish port to Silanguin cove: Fisherman’s boat + big waves + 3 hours of boat ride=150pesos/ea ONLY

our “service”

The island is not perfect. Thrash is visible. Not white sand. But who we are to complain if the island was ours for 2 days. No other campers. No entrance fee. The water is clear. No sea grass. No jellyfish. Minimal sea urchins.

breakfast with the boyS

The four of us hitched with the passing boat and luckily, it was the same family that Ian met when he first visited the cove. We did not leave the cove’s community until 8pm as we had to wait for the fishermen to load 60 sacks of charcoal into their boat.

the community: bigger & longer shore

 

Burot Beach, Calatagan

April 2012

Spur of the moment trip. We did not enjoy swimming as we spotted jellyfish in the water and we are 100% sure that its sting will hurt us badly.

Kris agreed right away when I sent her a pm via fb

perfect props : li’l umbrella + sunglasses

wandered on the other end of the beach

September 2012

Came back after 5 months with three new spectators. The beach didn’t get any better. There were loads of sand sacks and sea urchins though it still look good in photos (just in photos)

do NOT be deceived by this photo :p

pictorial galore

Daes & Ken got curious with the sea urchins

walkathon to the rocky part of the beach

walkathon to the rocky part of the beach