Sultan Kudarat

I don't have a gallery of pictures to show in this travel but I find it unfair if I don't make a post for the province of Sultan Kudarat. Sultan Kudarat is located on the island of Mindanao after the city of Koronadal. To go there, if one is to commute, buses or vans are the options. Fare would be more or less Php200. Transportations in the vicinity are public jeepneys, tricycles and even motorcycles locally known as habal habal/skylab. Travel hours take more than one hour from General Santos City. 

A college friend working as a medical representative invited me and another friend to come with her. This made it possible for her to do her job while exploring the province of Sultan Kudarat. So I took the chance for the love of travel and the bonus of free ride. Our route? Tacurong City, Isulan and Lambayong.

Kalabaw or water buffalo ride. Taken at Lambayong, Sultan Kudarat.

Of course, this is not the "free ride" I was referring to. 

From here, you can see the cemented streets of Lambayong as well as the teeny weeny tricycle (sorry for that). 

Highway of Lambayong. Although the cities of Sultan Kudarat are not that grand compared to other cities, electricity is not a problem. 

Way of living in Sultan Kudarat is mostly agricultural. Behind me, you can see a vast rice field. 

Steep and rough traveling are not a problem when going to Sultan Kudarat since roads are either cemented or asphalted. Joann, my friend took a pose on this asphalted road going to Tacurong City. 

The luxury of free travel is incomparable. Shahani is enjoying the trip while surfing the net. Photo taken at Isulan. 

There are still a lot of landmarks we failed to shoot like the Isulan Provincial Capitol which is very nice, and the newly opened St. Louis in Tacurong City, a homy and hotel-like hospital to name a few. 

Although, this part of the Philippines is quite known for peace disturbance due to rebels going to and fro, there are a lot of Philippine Army soldiers at bay in different spots of Sultan Kudarat Province for additional protection. I still believe that vigilance is always the key. 

You can visit this site for more info regarding Sultan Kudarat:

http://www.sultankudaratprovince.gov.ph/

Ormoc City

   I vaguely remember the city of Ormoc because I only stayed there less than 12 hours. We took the route via Ormoc going to Tacloban and we didnt let the chance pass us by so we took some pictures. I can only remember the taste of their famous burger though (Mayong's) as we were told. Hahahahah!! I hope I can revisit Ormoc to discover the hidden paradise. 

   If you're in Cebu, you can ride a fastcraft at the North Reclamation port heading for Ormoc City. The trip would take around an hour and fare would cost around a thousand+ bucks. 

Ormoc Catholic Church is fairly new with it's marble facade and gold-leafed tableau inside.

Delicious burger wrapped...

and as I told you so.

 Ormoc City's Superdome. Superb indeed! This superdome is facing Ormoc Bay.

Guerilla Warfare Forces Monument is a colorful monument dedicated to the guerillas during the war. Situated near the Veterans Monument in front of Ormoc City Superdome.

Rides in Ormoc City are tricycles. There's still a lot to see around Ormoc. I am looking forward to revisiting this wonderful City.

General Santos City: Overview of my Home Sweet Hometown

General Santos City or known as the Tuna Capital of the Philippines is my hometown. It is called Tuna Capital because of the Tuna Industry in the City. Shortly known as Gensan, it is also the home of the famous boxer Manny Pacquiao. Nowadays it is also called as Home of the Champ because of this.

People from the Luzon and Visayas islands are quite scared and hesitant to go to Gensan because of the bombing cases years ago and thinking that Gensan is an unsafe place. Well, I am still alive and kicking right now. We are all a magnet of accidents and trouble. Anywhere can be unsafe unless there is constant vigilance.

There are a lot of ways to reach GenSan. Via plane, bus, ship/boat, you choose. Common transportations in the city are tricycles, public jeepneys, trisikad (a mini version of tricycles which are only allowed to travel within subdivisions and barangays), and habal-habal (motorcycles). There are a few taxis but with unfixed fares.

Photos below are taken downtown, General Santos City's Park (July 23, 2010). I chose to take some shots of the park because it is found at the heart of the city and the most well-known landmark in GenSan.

The renovated and improved Plaza Heneral Santos was unveiled to the public September 4, 2009.

 Pathway. At the end is the City Hall.

Statue of General Paulino Santos Sr.

Unlike before, the park is now adorned with ornamental plants, well-arranged trees and pretty landscapes.

Pioneer Avenue facing the General Santos City's Park. From here, you can see tricycles,and habal-habal.

Gensan is a lovely booming smalltown with neighboring cities such as Koronadal and Davao. Since Gensan is my hometown, I will show more posts about this city in the future (the benefit of having your own blog-biased, LOL!).

Tacloban City

Finally! If it wasnt for our Waray friend, Mytha, I wouldn't be able to reach Tacloban. I just love the peaceful ambience. I wish I could go back there and revisit San Juanico Bridge and McArthur Park for I wasnt able to see the charm of those man-made beauties during daytime. I'll show you some famous landmarks and for sure you will fall in love with Tacloban City.

This is the Santo Nino Shrine by the late President Ferdinand Marcos. Inside you can see priceless collector's items like paintings, furnitures, etc. You will be asked to remove your footwear and wear one of their slippers once inside. The downside? You won't have enough time to appreciate the beauty of the items because the tour guide will tell you to hurry up for they are saving electricity.

If you want to get inside, here are the details.

This place is in the city's vicinity. From here, you can see the vast ocean of Tacloban.

I love this place. I think this is their court, not sure though. My friend Mytha mentioned what it was called but I forgot. I'm terrible! Ugh!

San Juanico Bridge. The longest bridge in the Philippines stretching from Samar to Leyte crossing the San Juanico Strait. When a friend and I went there, it was already night time. We were told that vehicles are not allowed to stop there so we had to sneak and hurry to have this picture taken.

Mc Arthur Park. This monument is dedicated to General Mc Arthur and his troops. Located in Palo, Leyte which is a few minutes drive from Tacloban City.

Transportations in Tacloban City proper are tricycle, jeeps and fare is Php7. From Cebu, you can ride a fastcraft going to Ormoc City and then ride a bus for Tacloban. The fare for the fastcraft is Php 1000+ and the ride for the bus is free, part of the promotional package of the fascraft line.  You can also opt out to fly on a plane. 

More photos:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/xymyr23/sets/72157624975330765/

watch out for my Ormoc City Trip!

Dumaguete City

Visiting Dumaguete City is one of the most memorable experience I ever had because it's one of those rare times that I went out without planning! Just the mere thought of going there triggered my adrenaline to rush and without second thoughts, I and two of my friends arrived at Dumaguete equipped with only instinct and trusting luck not to forsake us on that foreign land. Just the sight of the Belltower while riding a tricycle is worth all the risks!

To go there we rode a bus from Cebu City to Liloan Port, still Cebu. After reaching the port, we rode a machine-powered boat going to Sibulan. This way of transport is time-consuming (3-4 hours approx. including the ride in the bus and boat) compared with flying on a plane but it's much cheaper. Once in Sibulan, we took a multicab ride or you can opt out for tricycles to reach Dumaguete City. Fare is cheap, we only spent less than Php500. Just prepare Php 1000 back and forth to make sure. I don't know if how much is the price now.

When we reached the City, we still looked for a place to stay and during that time, I had proven that the locals are gentle and very helpful people. The main city is small because it won't take a genius to memorize the crisscross and looks of the streets. Tricycles are all over town, you can ride one of those to go to your desired destination. Fare was Php7.

Rizal Boulevard

Bell Tower of Dumaguete

This is encrypted at the entrance of the Church

Oldest Stone Church in Negros

You should try out the pastries of Sans Rival. Locals and tourists come here because of the delicious taste of the said pastries. We tried some of their cakes.

We can't just get enough so we came back the next morning before leaving Dumaguete.

Sans Rival is well known for their Sans Rival pastry. Try it, it's Php 25/slice.

Dumaguete is also known as a University Town because of the many universities and schools. This picture is the ampitheater of the Siliman University.

If you want to experience the relaxing and posh feel of the pool try going to Bahura Resort. We paid Php500 for the day use. It includes the entrance fee, use of the pool, food (appetizer, main course, dessert). We had the place on our own when we went there because it was raining. To go to Bahura, you can just ride a jeepney or multicab from the city fare is around Php10.
Over all going there was worth all the risk, not an expensive trip and fun, fun, fun!

More photos on this site:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/xymyr23/sets/72157624569522330/

Something About Cars

I love to travel but I have never traveled before driving my own car. I don't know anything about cars. I don't have money to buy a car but reading and searching always gives me new ideas about this stuffs. Thanks to my friend who is based in Los Angeles, California. I have now a little idea about it.

A friend of mine from abroad-California,USA who is planning to get a secondhand car asked me to search the internet if where can she find good car models and reviews. She's not an internet savvy so I did the favor she was asking. I scanned through most search engines and found this site http://repairpal.com/ford-explorer-2000. I said that I'm not really into cars but you can try to look at Ford Explorer for a start. The brandname itself symbolizes quality and besides once you go to that site, you can click on the dropdown list to check the reviews of that car or better else check other car models. They do have this user friendly tabs and dropdowns, easy to navigate. It wont take a computer freak to do it.

She replied to me via chat that she was able to go to the site I recommended and was really thankful. It was indeed user friendly and she asked one of her neighbors if they heard about Repair Pal. She got a good response about it. Her neighbor said that there was something wrong with the head gasket of her car while driving through Los Angeles and luckily she stopped over one of Repair Pal's shop and got a good service. My friend put a laughing emoticon on our chat because she doesn't even know what a head gasket is. I told her to try going to this site: http://repairpal.com/head-gasket-replacement . I said I never heard of head gasket as well but good thing Repair Pal's site has a lot to offer.

Before we ended the chat session, I told her that if you do have a car and if I get there, dont forget to tour me around Los Angeles alright? She sent a laughing and evil emoticon again. Yeah and if we ever we need a Los Angeles auto-repair just go to Repair Pal http://repairpal.com/los-angeles-auto-repair. We laughed and told her that hopefully her neighbor is right about this repair shop and hoping of all hopes that I can also visit Los Angeles, California. Soon.

Tip:Airfare

The only time I got to ride a plane was everytime I go home (vice versa). The first time was free because I was relocated by the company I was working for and the airline was Philippine Airlines (PAL). I got the chance to ride the same airline again and during that time, I was really not satisfied with the fare I paid for because it was expensive. Believe me you wouldn't want that especially if you're on a tight budget.

These tips I will give out are probably common knowledge already for those who love flying but for the benefit of the first timers and for those who are on a limited budget, I'll give some tips that might be helpful based on my experiences.

1.First things first, keep always in mind that airfare doesnt come cheap. Better put this in mind so as not to get disappointed.

2. Book flights ahead of time. If you know your schedules already, better book flights earlier. The earlier, the cheaper the fare, that's always the situation.

3. Fares don't come cheap especially during peak season (like holidays) because airline companies believe that passengers' will have no choice but to get those flights because of the occassion. Remember that airlines do take advantage of the peak seasons. So this tip will sort of lead you back to tip#2. Book flights ahead of time.

4. Go for promo fares. Here in the Philippines there are some local airlines that always have promo fares say for example Cebu Pacific. Few of my flights are promo fares. You can save 25%-75% of your fare. The trick here is to get updated always by subscribing to these companies like emails or follow them through your social networking sites or check their websites from time to time.

5. Be a light packer. If possible don't bring a lot of stuffs, just the important ones. Excess baggage is quite expensive when you're at the airport already. You might be shocked that you paid more to your excess bagage than your airfare.

6. Check your options. Don't just settle to one airline. You can have a seat reserved within 3 days to a week depending on the airline company without paying them. Once reserved, you could check other airlines if how much are their airfares and from there, you compare the prices.

7. Comfort and safety. Of course, no matter how cheap the price is, if you're safety and comfort is at risk, it would be useless. These are what matters. I suggest that you check out comments and forums regarding each airline of your choice so that you'll know a little of what to expect when you ride their planes.

Happy flying!

Cebu City

Queen City of the South or better known as Cebu City opened the door for me towards a greater opportunity and a different kind of adventure. I had my first step in Cebu way back 2008. I also had my first airplane ride that time.

There are many places to visit when you're in Cebu knowing that it's one of the biggest city in the Philippines like their beaches, the metro, its islands and a whole lot more. Although I'd live there for almost two years, I admit that I wasn't able to visit all the wonderful places in Cebu, not even half of it.

Magellan's Cross. Easy to find because all the Cebuanos know where this is. You can ride a cab or a jeepney (jeeps are marked with numbers) depending on your location. The streets for this is either Osmena Blvd. or Magallanes St. Based on my observation, if you can't speak bisaya, better speak English. Cebuanos prefer English than Filipino (country's language).

A few steps from Magellan's cross, you can find the Basilica Minore del Sto. Nino.

One of the white sand beaches of Cebu. This is somewhere in Lapu-lapu in one of our team buildings.

Sinulog. Cebuano's annual celebration to honor their patron Sto. Nino. This happens every first month of the year. One of the most celebrated festivals/fiestas in the Philippines.

We had a picture in one of the participants of Sinulog Festival. Cute! Fun, fun, fun but the downside? Prepare those spa-pampered feet for a long walk.

You could try to check its islands like Bantayan, Malapascua (for diving), Camotes, and etc. There are also good places to visit around the metro for example, the Zipline (Tops), Crown Regency's sky adventures, Taoist Temple, clubs, malls and more. As I've mentioned, there's still a lot of places I have failed to visit when I was in Cebu. I hope I could go back there.

More pictures?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/xymyr23/sets/72157624444630489/

Bohol

Our thorough planning has finally paid off when Bohol trip came into reality. For two days and one night we were able to complete a day tour and visit Balicasag and Virgin Islands. That was quite an achievement in a short period of time however it was sort of "bitin" because it was like a whirlwind trip.

We searched everything through the web from expensive to cheap deals. We hired a van from Cherry's Home and toured us around the famous landmarks in Bohol. It was a good idea because it's not easy to find a public transportation around the city especially if the destinations (between tourists spots) are miles away. If my memory serves me right, I think the van was Php1000-2000 good for 10 persons depending on the season and negotiation. Airport/pier transfers are inclusive. 

We stayed at Cherry's Home, Panglao and paid Php3500 for the room (airconditioned and good for 6persons/one night) including bathroom, TV, ref and the use of the pool. You could check Cherry's Home website for more details.

Blood Compact. Nothing really unusual because it's just a statue but if you know something about it's history you will appreciate looking at these stone gentlemen. You will also appreciate this place because it is overlooking the blue sparkling sea, still worth the visit!

Baclayon Church. You are not allowed to wear short shorts (if there's such a term), skimpy dress, sleeveless and the sort when you're inside the church. If you're wearing one, they will only allow you to enter if you wrap yourself with one of their clothes. There is an entrance fee of Php25.

Tarsier (Tarsius syrichta). Camera flashes are not allowed when taking a shot of these nocturnal cuties. Hands off as well. They are considered one of the endangered species.

Man made forest. The place is covered with trees and steep low slopes. It's quite cool when you're in the vicinity obviously because of the presence of the trees and vegetation. 

Loboc River. The first thing that comes to my mind is food everytime I think about Loboc River. We paid Php 400 per person for a ride at the floating restaurant. It includes an eat-all-you-can food (appetizer, main course, dessert, softdrink) and a local musician will serenade you while cruising the murky river.  

Chocolate Hills. The famous and controversial hills due to its unusual geological formation and can only be found in Bohol. It was one heck of a climb just to see the whole Chocolate Hills.

Panglao. Explore the white sand beaches of Panglao. Although the place is booming already and a few restaurants and hotels have opened along the shores of Panglao, there's still that rural aura in the area. You can find posh and cheap hotels in Panglao. Again, the van that we hired took us here then we just walked from the Cherry's Home to the beach.

Balicasag Island. We need to ride a pumpboat (Php1500) to reach the Island (would also take you to Virgin Island). Snorkeling gears are free but it would be better if you bring your own. We also heard that dolphins and whales are to be seen in the vicinity of the Island if you come early.

Whoah! Virgin Island. From the name itself, it's really virgin. No inhabitants just a few toursits.

From Cebu, we rode a fastcraft since it's much cheaper than plane and there's no plane promo fares during that time. It will take you an hour or two to get to Bohol from Cebu. Since Ocean Jet Liner had an ongoing promo that time, we only paid one way for a back-and-forth trip. Tip, don't forget to check for promo fares.

Bohol is a good place to visit because there are a lot of tourist destinations. Your expenses and efforts will all get paid when you see it's scenic beauty. Bohol is great for the nature lovers, beach bums, extremes sports enthusiasts and divers out there.

More photos?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/xymyr23/sets/72157624443699833/