The PNR Manila-Naga-Manila Train

This is how the new economy-class coach of the PNR Bicol Express Train looks like. It's air conditioned and has reclining seats, really fit for a comfortable long travel. I hope to feel the ride soon! :)

Photo credit: Francis Pena (Facebook image)

Zest Air (formerly Asian Spirit) is trying to rival Cebu Pacific Air with their ALL-IN fares. Visit www.asianspirit.com and book your trips now!

my CDO & CAMIGUIN adventures!!!

I just felt the need to post this to provide information to those planning to go to CDO & Camiguin. Hope this helps.

We arrived in CDO at around 6:20 am. The first terrible experience in a new city is to be charged by a taxi driver with P250, from the airport to Plaza Divisoria!!! Taxis that belong to that association should have some time with Mon Tulfo on BITAG! So make sure to ride a metered taxi or else you’ll have a headache.

Our chosen hotel, Park View, is just near Divisoria, surrounded by retail stores, fast food restaurants, fruit stands and a lot more. 8:30am is meeting time at Plaza Divisoria with KAGAY, a group offering whitewater rafting & kayaking adventures to tourists and locals as well. According to Roldan, head count is around 70 so it’s gonna be really fun. The trip to a part of Cagayan River, the boundary between CDO & Bukidnon, takes about 45 minutes. Before heading to our own boats, we were given final instructions about paddling directions, proper positions, and capsizing—just in case. The whole adventure is composed of 14 rapids (class 2 & 3), to be completed in 4 hours.

**Note: Whitewater Rafting Package costs P700 during off-peak season. It includes transportation to & from Plaza Divisoria, lunch and photographs. Contact Roldan of KAGAY at 0917-7122323 for further details.

Seeing the first rapid, my heart wanted to jump out of my chest and I seemed to have lost my breath. SUCCESS!!! We survived! (Raise paddles) Completing all the rapids was a fulfillment. I just couldn’t believe I was brave enough to do whitewater rafting. It was sooooo much fun, a really unforgettable part of my life.

We then proceeded to Macahambus Adventure Park for our next activities—Skybridge & Zipline. It was only a 20-minute jeepney ride from the end of the rapid course. The skybridge is attached to century-old lawaan trees 490 feet above the ground, whew!!! There are three partitions & you can’t avoid looking down because of the bridge planks. You wouldn’t wanna miss a step, would you? Surprisingly, after the rapid adventure, my Beyb & I took the bridge experience with overflowing enthusiasm, the adrenaline rush was sky-high! Halfway through the third partition, excitement was rushing because the zipline is next. Attaching the body to a rope for safety, whoooosh!!!! There I was flying across the trees below. It felt really great!

On our way home, the sharing of fun stories was endless. Participants were dropped off at their respective hotels, tired but extremely happy. My friends & I decided to have an early dinner since our energy vanished earlier in the day. Jo’s Inato was our pick. Looking at the menu, all dishes are reasonably priced and the interiors are a bonus. Customers are expected to use their hands for eating although you can ask for utensils. Suit yourself!

Day 2 – Head for CAMIGUIN

We left Park View at 5:30am to catch an early ferry ride to Benoni (port of entry to Camiguin). We took a METERED taxi to bring us to Agora Terminal. The fare only cost us P50. To get to Balingoan Pier, one should ride a bus bound for Butuan (fare is P119). Arriving at the pier around 8:30am, a wooden vessel was waiting to load more passengers. But since we were all doubtful of its capability to bring us safely to our destination, we opted to go for the 9am trip (which actually left at 9:30) with a much safer-looking watercraft.

The trip to Benoni took one and a half hours. Our contact was already waiting for us with a multicab that will tour us around the island. Since we're all famished the gang decided to have an early lunch at J&A Fishpen & Restaurant, overlooking Tanguines Lagoon. Tanguines is a man-made lagoon located in Mahinog. At J&A, you can order the fish you like and they will catch it straight from the pond. My boyfriend and I ordered for Halabos na Hipon and Chopsuey, which are actually good for 3 persons. While waiting for the food, we enjoyed the scenery and took lots of photographs. Upon seeing the waiter walking towards our table, we were delighted. The meals look really delicious so we didn't waste any more time and started filling our stomachs.

After lunch, we headed first to our house to drop our bags. For P1300, our group gets to stay at a two-bedroom airconditioned home located in the Rocky Village. It's actually in a compound where the owner also resides and a minute walk to boats that bring people to White Island. Anyways, we jumped onto the multicab for our island tour. First stop is the STO. NINO COLD SPRINGS. Checking the cold spring pool through the gate we were surprised that locals were all over the place! SCRAP! To our next destination we go.

The huge CROSS MARKER we see from afar marks the community cemetery that sunk during the volcanic eruption in 1871. Since we got there around 4pm, the waters were not very peaceful plus the fact that it was a windy day. For P15 we crossed the raging waters with a banca tied to a long rope stretching from the Cross Marker. The Sunken Cemetery is now regarded as a diving site.

Next stop is KATIBAWASAN FALLS. Entrance fee to this majestic beauty is P15. Dipping in the ice-cold water is a fun experience. Tourists and locals can spend some quality time here. Picnic tables, seats and cooking area are also available.

The last destination for the day is ARDENT HOT SPRINGS. It is composed of various pools whose waters come from Mount Hibok-Hibok. Water temperature is about 38 degrees Celsius. This place is best for night swimming after a long busy day in the island. Ardent also offers cottages, a restaurant, picnic tables and cooking facilities.

Day 3 – To WHITE ISLAND we go

Waking up at around 5:30, we were all excited to go swimming and snorkeling at White Island, Camiguin's famous white sand bar. The boat trip lasted for 15 minutes. No worries because the water is calm, and while on the boat you can see the picturesque Hibok-Hibok. They say the sand bar changes its shape according to the tide. As soon as we get off, we didn't waste any more time. We selected the table at the far end of the island and quickly changed into our swimming attire.

Taking photographs was non-stop! We just can't let this encounter without living each moment this paradise. The water is great but be sure to wear your aqua shoes to protect your feet from small rocks and plants underwater. Beyb & I literally didn't leave the water until lunch time. The whole group spent P200 for the meal—grilled squid and rice. We only had limited choices so we came to an agreement to stop by any roadside restaurant on our way to the pier later in the day. After lunching, there's no place else to go but the water so swimming and photo-ops continued. At around 1:30pm, we packed up our things and went back to the house. The whole boat ride cost us only P400 (divided among 7 people is P58) which is a good deal.

At the house, while preparing for our long trip to Siargao, Beyb convinced the whole group to stop by Duka Bay in Medina, Misamis Oriental for more snorkeling. Yes, we just can't get enough. Because of a sudden change in the itinerary, majority decided to just have a quick rinse so we could catch the last trip back to Balingoan. At the pier, it turned out we were 45 minutes early. So while waiting for the ship to depart, we grabbed a bite at a restaurant near the Tanguines Lagoon.

Overall, our Camiguin trip was really fun. A tip is not to stay in the island for too long. Three days, i guess, is the maximum since there's not really much to see after visiting White Island and doing the island tour (which you can complete in a day).

A Series of Unfortunate Events in BICOL

During the first weekend of December, my friends and I went to Legaspi and CamSur. Thanks to the ABSOLUTELY free tickets from Cebu Pacific, we were able to set foot in the Bicol Region.

As the plane landed in Legaspi, we had a feeling the weather isn't one with us. As we exit the plane, the strong winds made the trees sway madly as if there was a typhoon. But there was none. It was the cold front, the weather report said. We got a bit scared so we decided not to push through with our first activity--the Cagsawa Ruins. It's gonna be useless since the Mayon seemed to be hiding itself in the clouds.




So we headed to the terminal and took the shuttle-van to Pili where CWC is. It was a 2-hour drive from Legaspi (costs P140). The driver was kind enough to drop us off near the Capitol Complex. We rode a tricycle (P7/head) to bring us to EcoVillage. The village was far from the wakeboarding area but a shuttle is always on call to bring guests to the cablepark.

Here's a series of unfortunate events during the said trip:

1. A part of the cable in the main park has malfunctioned that's why guests weren't allowed to "play." Beginners were instructed to use the smaller cablepark.

2. We were enticed by the BUFFET lunch offer at the CWC restaurant if you watch the Pacman-Dela Joya match. After purchasing the tickets, we found out they were only giving us a set meal. PLUS, CWC had a problem with their cable service and people started to get a refund because what they were showing is not the pay-per-view thing!!! Grrr...



3. At the smaller park, where all of us were first-timers, no instructor was there to tell us what to do. The guys we were with, including my friend, volunteered to assist. Too bad my friend was hit by the kneeboard and his nose was bleeding profusely. The cable operator even had the guts to blame my friend for assisting!!! Damn!

4. Next day, with so much eagerness to see Mayon, we headed to Cagsawa Ruins. But it was very cloudy that morning and we were so disappointed not to see the majestic volcano :(




***We only had a great view of Mayon on the way back to the terminal in Legaspi. Desperate as we were, the tricycle driver took a photograph of us (with the Mayon in the background) in the middle of the street hehehe

5. Back at CWC, we decided to go for a dip in the pool since it was our last night. But we weren't allowed at first coz we didn't have the wrist tag issued at the cablepark's reception after you get to pay the P100 fee. They really had a problem with instructions because the receptionists at the Villas casually said we can use the pool since we're checked in. My friend did the complaining and we swam for free hehe (sindakan lang!).

6. Our flight to Manila via Air Philippines got cancelled! REASON: bad weather. Duh! It was sunny all day. Because of the need to really go home, Monah & I endured the 9-hour bus ride to Manila from Naga. Too tiring!




But overall, we pretty much had a great time despite all these booboos.

Important: If you're planning to go to CWC in the next couple of weeks, be sure to call them and ask if the main cablepark is already operational so as not to waste time having a long trip.

Lakbay Pinas!

I'm definitely back to blogging! Consider this my first post (again! lol).

Reposting my updated Lakbayan map and my grade has gone up to C+ (from C). It's been really great having the chance to travel and see the beautiful islands of our dear country. Thanks to Cebu Pacific for giving out ABSOLUTELY FREE tickets. 

Try this and see what you've been missing out on :)

My Lakbayan grade is C+!

How much of the Philippines have you visited? Find out at Lakbayan!

Created by Eugene Villar.