Philippines

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Traveler Philippines
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- Nov 10, 2018
- ⛅ 29 °C
- Altitude: 8 m
- Philippines Central Visayas Province of Siquijor Maite Moite Creek 9.14819, 123.503079°8’53” N 123°30’11” E
Day 11
Island fun
November 10, 2018 on the Philippines ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C
Today was our fun day out on the scooter.

Firstly we spent the morning attempting our visas again but once again the WiFi was so terrible we couldn't finish it so we went to the local photo shop to get all our photos and printouts sorted in prep instead. Hopefully once we finally get some WiFi we can get this sorted!

Then we finally got on with our day. First stop Aninipot Kamp to see the Hobbit homes. When looking at accomodation I found these hobbit homes and they looked absolutely adorable but they were in the middle of nowhere and hard to get to without your own mode of transport. To be honest I'm glad I didn't stay there but it was still very fun to visit.

Next stop was Mount Bandilan which had a viewing tower. It was only a short 15 mins trek up steps so very easy. To be honest the "view" was pretty rubbish, but hey if you're in the area it doesn't take time out to do it.

Next, Cambugahay Falls. Although not as impressive as Kawasan Waterfalls near Moalboal, it was still very fun to and refreshing in the turquoise waters. Upon leaving we went to San Isidro Labrador Church which was actually under reconstruction.

The Balete tree was next but we didn't stop as the gimmick was basically to bathe your feet and let the fishes nibble at your feet under the Banyon tree. Not worth the hassle.

Our final stop for the day was Paliton Beach. We were hoping to do a bit of snorkeling here but the water was so shallow it wasn't really worth it so while Will attempted it I just chilled out, writing my blog and people watching. At one point a local came over and laid 3 starfish on the sand beside me. After a few quick photos I put them safely back in the water. Paliton Beach is famous for its sunsets and although it was very cloudy, it really added to the drama of the sunset. It was so peaceful to just sit and watch the darkness come in.

For dinner we met Shannon at Baha bar which had a really lovely romantic atmosphere with an acoustic band in the background. We all caught up on our past few days. I had grilled Marlin and Will had Ceviche. My dinner was unbelievably tiny, especially as we hadn't had any lunch. Luckily Shannon came prepared and gave me some of her local bakery goods. It's a moon shaped biscuit that has the texture of a scone and it was sooo yummy!

For desert Will finally ordered his long awaited Ice cream Sundae. Since we have been away he has been craving it! But... they sold out of ice cream. What a disaster!! So we decided to head to the bakery Shannon went to instead. Now obviously we are pretty risk averse but on this occasion we decided to risk it. We didn't want Shannon to walk so we had 3 of us on the bike. And actually it was fine! Will has now done the proper South East Asian thing of having too many people on a bike haha But... when we got to the bakery it was also closed! We finally found an open one and grabbed a few treats.

Will then took Shannon back to her homestay and I just waited at the bakery. When we arrived back at the homestay we decided to attempt our visa again. It wasn't meant to be and the worse part was that we forgot to eat our baked goodies! Ah well breakfast it is 😂

It was such a fun day!Read more
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Traveler Philippines
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- Nov 11, 2018
- 🌧 29 °C
- Altitude: 19 m
- Philippines Central Visayas Province of Bohol Biking Mount Biking 9.5811, 123.830699°34’52” N 123°49’50” E
Day 12
Final Stop Bohol Island
November 11, 2018 on the Philippines ⋅ 🌧 29 °C
Today's plan is to go to the Coco Resort for a bit of snorkeling before heading to Bohol. Having looked up boats to Bohol we were aiming to catch the 7pm ferry.

So up we got, said hello to Cheryl and Curby and after checking the boat times with her she said there is only one at 12:30pm! Ahhh, time to rush. Showered, dressed and packed up we jumped on the scooter to get a classic Philippino breakfast of egg, rice and sausage and then grabbed our luggage and jumped onto a tricycle. The guy was super nice and let us stop at the bakery for some moon cakes on the way.

When we arrived at the port we found out our original timing was correct and we should have caught the 7pm ferry. The 7pm ferry was slower but a quarter of the price and not the tourist ferry. With the 12:30pm ferry they try and same tourists for everything including charging for luggage! We just walked straight past the luggage area and onto the ferry and luckily it worked.

The boat was only 2 hours so we arrived by late lunch in Bohol. We had done zero planning for Bohol having had shocking internet the whole time. When we arrived all the tricycle drivers were moithering us asking us where we wanted to go etc. We didn't have a clue and we just needed 15 mins to get our bearings, but they wouldn't leave us alone. I must admit I got pretty short tempered after a while. Once I had booked our accomodation I was pretty brutal with my haggling and got the tricycle down to 200 pesos. Normally they charge 400+. Maybe it was slightly unfair of me but honestly after being badgered for 15 minutes constantly, after politely asking them to leave us alone for a couple of minutes while we booked, I was not taking any prisoners.

The driver was lovely and took us all the way down a very rocky road to our homestay, supposedly most just leave people at the main road which is about 8 mins walk away. I am so glad he didn't. Just on arrival the heavens opened and wow did they open. The rain didn't stop until about 4:30pm, so we just stayed in the common area drinking tea, eating our baked goodies as late lunch and chatting with everyone. It was a very social homestay.

For dinner we just stayed on the coco farm and had veggie burgers with fried rice. We finally tried the local Red Horse beer and to be honest I was ticked up in my dorm room by 9pm.Read more
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- Nov 12, 2018
- 🌧 28 °C
- Altitude: 97 m
- Philippines Central Visayas Province of Bohol Abucay North 9.6908, 123.952699°41’27” N 123°57’10” E
Day 13
Chocolate Hills and Tarsiers
November 12, 2018 on the Philippines ⋅ 🌧 28 °C
The sun was shining beautifully in the morning so we quickly had breakfast and asked the homestay for a scooter. Unfortunately they wanted to keep our passport which we weren't so happy about so we thought we would go wander and find somewhere else. As a traveller our passports are thee most precious things and if we can help it we really try and avoid giving it to anyone.

It seemed like a good idea at the time until we realised how spread out everything is. We walked 30 mins in the burning heat and everyone was quoting crazy prices at us or twice the price as the coco farm. In the end we just walked back and handed them our passport making sure it was kept in a safe locked drawer.

It was 10:30am and we were finally on our way. The famous Chocolate Hills were about 2.5 hours drive away so we got our rocket boosters on! At about 11:30am we saw a really busy local restaurant and decided to have an early lunch. It was a good job too as once again the heavens opened. We waited for it to slow down and then we went on our way to Chocolate Hills, the locals laughed at our dedication to keep going. We drove straight there with one short break taking cover under someone's porch when the rain was too heavy.

When we arrived it was actually quite good. Was it the best mountain range I've seen. Of course not. But the hills did look like chocolate truffles coming out of the ground so I can see the gimmick. We drove all the way to the top of the main viewing deck, walked around, took some snaps and had a well deserved coffee in the restaurant. The food looked great and was actually reasonably priced. Someone across from us ordered the calamari and it looked so yum,but we were too full.

Next stop was the twin hanging bridge, then rode alongside the turquoise Loboc River, the ancient church and then sped on down to the Tarsier Sanctuary reaching it just in time before closing. We saw 5 Tarsiers hiding in in the trees. They were so adorable!!

All in all it was a fun day of getting out and about, but having now done all the "sights" I don't think I really understand the hype of Bohol. Yes it has diving, hills, rice terraces, rare animals and beaches, but they are all average. To be honest I think its definitely an island that could be missed.Read more
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- Nov 13, 2018
- ⛅ 30 °C
- Altitude: Sea level
- Philippines Central Visayas Province of Bohol Biking Mount Biking 9.58409, 123.836099°35’3” N 123°50’10” E
Day 14
Beach Fun in Monsoon Season...
November 13, 2018 on the Philippines ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C
I've decided to roll the last couple of days into one as to be honest they weren't very eventful.

As I mentioned we were staying in dorms and this morning we had quite the commotion in our female dorm. At about 3am a very large Chinese guy walked in and fell asleep in one of the spare beds. To be honest had he done this and been quiet no one would have known. Instead he fell asleep and then snored like a ships horn continuously for 30 mins. Luckily we had one brave lass in the room that woke the, clearly drunk, guy up and told him to leave. What a champion!! I must admit I was far too British to comfront. After the guy left the cockrels started, the dogs were barking and there was no way anyone was getting back to sleep. At 7am I got up and ready for the day.

After the morning events and having been bitten alive by mosquitoes (honestly I feel like the elephant man as they are all over my face) we decided to move homestay. We moved to Bougainvillea Campground Paradise Resort which was a thousand times better mainly because it didn't have as many plants around and the room had real walls. The campground had a gorgeous and friendly dog called Mocha who loved being stroked and would snuggle his head in your lap. It was so cute.

The rest of the day was spent scootering around the various beaches on the island including the private local beach 200m away, white beach where we got trapped in the pouring rain and then the southern most beach for sunset.

The next morning we got our confirmations that our visas were granted for India! We spent the morning planning our next couple of days and began the planning for India. I booked our first two nights in a homestay in Kochi. People have always said India is cheap but wow... I booked 2 nights including breakfast in a 9.2 rated homestay, on the main square and it was £10 total. Hopefully our money goes even further!! Just as we finished planning and were ready to head out obviously the heavens opened again, so we waited for it to stop. It weened off a bit so we jumped on the scooter had some lunch and headed to a famous cliff dive spot. The weather turned and it was just miserable. We were cold and very very wet. When we arrived we watched a couple of crazy people dive into the sea and Will went for a snorkel. The waves were really big due to the weather so he didn't stay in too long.

As its our last day on Bohol tomorrow we decided to finally pluck up the courage to book another dive for the morning and then headed back to campground where the locals were all drinking beer and told us to join. I must admit I'm glad they were there as we were both so miserable and cold. We chatted for a while, another couple staying also joined and then the rum came out... We drank a lot of rum. The rum is really nice! For dinner we had roasted chicken again.Read more
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- Nov 15, 2018
- 🌧 29 °C
- Altitude: 24 m
- Philippines Central Visayas Cebu City Tak-an Ilaya Guadalupe River 10.30511, 123.8968610°18’18” N 123°53’49” E
Day 16
Hmm Rain or Baking Heat...?
November 15, 2018 on the Philippines ⋅ 🌧 29 °C
All night there has been a huge storm, we finally got out of bed in preparation for our scuba day but the weather was just horrific. We would have got soaked getting to the dive shop, got soaked and cold on the boat and we expected the visibility to be really poor so we decided to cancel it. So we spent the morning chilling in the common area with Mocha and then when the rain finally stopped around 10 we made our way to Cebu City where we will fly out to Singapore tomorrow. As we were flexible for time we decided to get to the ferry the local way. Our host dropped us off at the main road, we then jumped onto a Jeepney (an elongated jeep with 2 benches as seats in the back) which had over 40 people in (not even joking) and then took a tricycle for the final 15 mins journey to the port. I've really loved how honest most people in the Philippines are. There's been no scamming at all and it's been so easy. Even though the weather has been off and on we've had such a fun time here and have so many plans for next time we come. Watch this space for more!!

We jumped on the ferry in no time and arrived in Cebu City just after 1pm. As the ferry dropped us off at Fort San Pedro we decided to have a look around it before walking to our hotel. Wow what a change in weather. I was drowning in my own sweat within 2 seconds of getting off the boat. We had a guided tour around the Fort (still carrying our luggage) and I was just sweltering the whole time. It was gorgeous in the sun though.

We then walked for 35 mins to our hotel. Why we thought this would be a good idea with our luggage and in the heat I don't know but we did. Luckily I booked a room with AC and we just de-sweated in the room haha

Last time we was in the city it was over All Saints weekend and honestly the city was generally quite dead during the day. This time it was unbelievably busy. I don't think I can go back out there!!

We put off going out until dinner. We must have been staying in an expat area as all the food was ridiculously priced and 100% meat. Our last night was spent eating rubbish. First we had Liempo (crispy pork), which I really didn't enjoy so didn't eat, then we went to Jollibee for Will as he wanted to try the disgusting sweet cheesy spaghetti thing and then I finally caved in and just went to McDonald's for a McChicken burger meal. Let's just say I'm ready for a change of scenery now...Read more
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Island fun

Final Stop Bohol Island

Chocolate Hills and Tarsiers

Beach Fun in Monsoon Season...

Hmm Rain or Baking Heat...?