Spanish remnant in Ozamiz City, Misamis Occidental

The Philippines long and rich Spanish influence can be traced back in this thriving city of Ozamiz. 

Built more than centuries ago, this old stone fort in Ozamiz also popularly called Cotta Fort remains to be an evidence of relationship with our longest colonizer, Spain. This fort witnessed several events that build up Ozamiz. today It is known that this spanish remnant still standing today was once a stronghold against invaders from the nearby province now called Lanao and from the Japanese invation.

This fort was severed by an earthquake long time ago and what remains now for travelers are museum, a ligthhouse, cannon balls, empty spaces and the antique stones which were believed to be coming from Siquijor. Visitors can get a glimpse of the citys colorful history at the museum. Some tourist have seen signs of deterioration among the walls and I hope that there has been restorations even though the forts entrance is fee is a humble P5.00.

Climbing to the top of the lighthouse provides a glimpse of Panguil Bay that has become an important channel of trade between neighboring provinces. Beside Cotta is Ozamiz Port that has regular services from major sea vessels in the country.

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Caramoan Islands - The Philippines Survivor Islands

Caramoan Islands has become the fastest growing tourist destination in the Philippines beating former favorites like Boracay, Cebu, Bohol and Davao and I’m gonna find out why. 

Caramoan is just like a normal second class town in the Philippines but the big difference is what lies ahead, its secret has now been finally revealed to the world- the Caramoan Group of Islands. During my trip, my humble point and shoot camera was not working properly, there seems to have a crack on the LCD so as a result I couldnt see the image on the screen although the flash is still working. What I did was just to shoot and shoot and hoped that the memory card will still capture images.

Because of that camera incident, I had reservations if I had to cancel my island hopping because its still not a guarantee if I can still capture images. But then I realized that whether with camera or not, I shall pursue my island hopping. Normal rates for island hopping here is priced at PhP1500/ boat for half day and I was doing it solo, I had to pay the whole boat.

As we moved far away from the villagers port, a beautiful panorama flashed right on my face. How I’d wish that the camera had captured it. Picturesque mountain range, torquiose waters and white sand islets made it an almost pefect island hopping experience. 

Again, these pictures were not just an estimated angle from my broken camera. Thanks it was still working that time. Because of these technical problems which bothered me alot and the stunning view, I wasnt able to note on what islands we hopped and stopped. There was Matukad Islands, Lahos Island and more. We also passed at Gota Beach where the Survivor cast settled. 

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Caramoan Islands - Traveling to Dream Islands

The Caramoan Group of  Islands in the province of Camarines Sur (CamSur) has not been in the limelight of the Philippine tourism map over the years. It has not enjoyed as one of the countrys best kept secret not until a popular reality game show SURVIVOR came here to shoot. But today, things turned upside down on what was once a hidden treasure has now become the most popular tourist destination in the Philippines. 

Traveling to Caramoan Islands was indeed an accomplishment for me. Ever since the Survivor Series hype has spread here, I made this place to be on my wish list this year. Browsing over the internet about Caramoan Islands is so enticing. With its magnificent limestone formations, white sand and blue waters, this is the perfect island paradise vacation. Now, I know why this place is a hotspot for several Survivor editions already. 

Travel time from Naga to Sabang is approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes. Thanks to the weather my trip was highly favored because in the past 2 days, there was no trip to Caramoan because of strong waves due to the storm in the Pacific ocean. Sure that the typhoon did not land on Bicol soil but it produced strong current and winds. According to some locals Ive talked, sometimes only 1 trip from the 4 trips will be allowed. So far when I went there, the sun is high and its definitely beach weather. 

One tradition uniquely to this place is when arriving passengers are being carried by porters aside from their luggage. Its an ardous task for them if they would carry me to the boat since Im at 85 kg weight. But thank God today, the porters have customized a floating bridge to connect to the boat. You have to pay P10 to use the floating bridge though. 

 
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Naga City - the gateway to Bicol Region

What was once one of the poorest province of the Philippines has now become the top tourist destination of the Philippines. This is Camarines Sur (Camsur).

The momentous increase in the tourist arrivals is courtesy of Caramoan Group of Islands which has hosted several SURVIVOR editions from Israel, France, Bulgaria and the recently concluded India. Adding to the tourist magnet is CamSur Watersports Complex (CWC) which boasted to be one of the world best wakeboarding site. Several international competitions are held here over the years including the Ironman sporting event. All of these would not be possible if it were not for the great marketing campaign of the Government of Camarines Sur. 

I arrived at Naga Airport located in Pili which is also the capital of CamSur around 5:00pm. The airport currently caters to small aircrafts like the Bombardier of AirPhil Express and the ATR of Cebu Pacific. In the past, Air Philippines and Philippine Airlines used to fly here with larger craft like the B737.

The cheapest way from the airport to Naga is via public bus. Go to the airports entrance and tricycle drivers are waiting outside to take you to the highway. This 2 minute ride is cost P20. Once at the highway just take any bus going to Naga City. The terminal is located beside SM City Naga. Buses to Naga Terminal is only P10. 

Since it was already  late in the evening, spending an hour at SM Naga, I went to town to look for a place to stay for the night. My plan was to go directly to Caramoan Peninsula skipping CWC because of a limited time. Naga City is a progressive commercial center, there are many banks and business establishments. Despite this developments, Naga has preserved it rich culture.

After the walking tour around Naga, inquiring on hotels room tariffs, I finally landed at Sunny View Hotel. The hotel is located beside the river. The single, non-aircon room is only P150, its very cheap since toilet and cable TV is inside the room. Budget rooms are plenty in Naga but I wanted a room to be the cheapest. 

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Resorts World Manila - One Night Only

It was about 10:30pm when I landed at NAIA Terminal 2 from Davao via Philippine Airlines. Arriving late at night means I have to stay at the airport to sleep and wait for my connecting flight the following day on the same terminal. Sleeping at airport means savings from checking-in into a hotel which you can use your money to pay the terminal fee. However, my tummy growls and there is no more decent food in the area that time so I decided to go out the terminal. So instead of taking a cab, good thing I spotted a ResortsWorld shuttle bus that will take me there for free. 

When I entered its mall, I was impressed by the architecture, it was so beautiful and that  reminds me of Macau’s Venetian Hotel. I never expected it to be very impressive, this is probably the best mall in Manila. 

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No need to rush in Tacloban

With the few hours left before my flight back to Davao via Manila, there is no need to rush in order to explore the city because in as little as 12 hours you can enjoy the urbanity of Tacloban. 

Here are some places that you will never miss with little amount of time.

1. McARTHUR Landing at PALO, LEYTE

This is an important monument in the Philippines because of Gen. McArthur who helped the Philippines gain independence from Japanese invation. Gen. McArthur actually did not land in Tacloban but in Palo, Leyte. This park can be reached in 10 minutes from Tacloban City via public jeeps or multicabs. 

2. Tacloban City Hall

When I travel, I always go to the municipal or city halls because it is the center of government of the town. Some halls have really beautiful achitecture and some even play in a role in towns history. Mang public jeeps pass this area along the sea and it takes not  more than 30 minutes if you came from Palo. 

3. Leyte Provincial Capitol

Letye Provincial Capitol is one of the most beautiful capitols in the Philippines. It resembles like White House in Washington DC. Here, you can see the different carvings on the wall portaying the past of Leyte. 

 From the City hall, you can walk for about 30 minutes to get here or ride a jeep. This place is facing the Tacloban port. 

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Encounters with the real nomads - The Badjaos on Land

On the outskirts of Davao is place called Isla Verde, the name may sound good resembling to a beautiful resort but this small village near facing Davao Gulf is often dubbed  of the most dangerous to roam and it is the home of the indigenous Badjao tribe who were once lived a nomadic lifestyle sailing from seas to seas.

The badjaos are also called the sea gypsies who sailed across the Sulu sea towards Celebes sea insearch for food. They have originally been living on houseboats most of their time and step on land for awhile to trade. These nomadic lifestyle had scattered their tribes to Malaysian Borneo and some parts of Indonesia. In the Philippines, they have been settling around Sulu and Zamboanga.

The common scenario of badjao encounter is at the seaport where they beg for alms and the passengers throw coins to them and then they dive to get the precious 1 peso coin. However, here in Davao City, its not usual to see them on seaports but instead they have abandoned that life  to dwell in dry land. 

Like a nomads on land, we can see them freely roaming around the streets of Chinatown begging for alms, some sell pearls and beads and my close encounter with them is when they are sick and go to my workplace at the public hospital. When they arrive to the hospital for treatment, we already know their problem. The most common cause of admission of Bajaos are vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain. Badjaos often get a 100% Free medical charge because of they really cant afford to pay.

So I traveled to Isla Verde along Quimpo Boulevard where Bajao population is concentrated and aside from them Muslims also inhabited the area in harmony with each other. As I enter into the Badjao realm, they still live in stilt houses like their ancestors do. Swampful of garbages can be seen under their houses.The smell is obviously bad but I dont have the right to complain. 

In order to navigate through the village, one must walk through this piece of wood, this connects from one home to the other. Some woods are broken thats why I carefully tramp these path or else I might fall down the bed of dump. 

Some children play around these wooden street and unbelievably I saw children playing on the garbages below. Now I know where these abdominal pain, vomiting and diarrhea came from.
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5 hours in Ormoc

After my trip to Biliran, I decided to take a quick detour to Ormoc City since its just 2 hours away from the province. From Biliran, there are buses and van that goes to Ormoc almost every hour. 

Ormoc City is a busy industrial city in the province of Leyte, not  much is seen in the city center but it serves as an important port for trade and commerce in the region. As usual, I just want to see its urbanity and it impressed me with its increasing economic activity.

The city is walkable and an interesting place to go is at the bay side. When I have nothing to do, my idea of fun is just to watch or observe people around. The bay area is the playground of different people, froms schoolers to street beggars. 

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Biliran Province: Small in size, Big in adventures Part 2

I woke upo with excitement as the light reflects through window opening a brand new day. Biliran offers lots of attraction to tourists. First thing on my mind was island hopping to Higatangan Island. Locals said that the island can be viewed from Naval port and its easy to go there. However, the mood has suddenly changed as the weather seemed to be uncooperative. Last nights waves were really pounding. I was hoping that this would not ruin my trip.

Finding a good breakfast in Biliran is not a problem, there are lots of carinderias open in the morning. First thing I ate in the morning was the good old Taho. You can taste Taho( soybean desert) any where in the Philippines. When I ordered it, it was hot and fresh.

I saw 2 banks in Biliran, MetroBank and Landbank which means getting money is not a problem. For foreigners, Metrobank accepts Visa, Mastercard, Cirrus cards. Sometimes when I go to certain places, I just love to explore its town to satisfy my urbanphile feeling.

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Biliran Province: Small in size, Big in Adventures Part 1

One small island off the coast of northern Leyte is one of the most undiscovered and unexplored province in the Philippines. Biliran Island is a small island province in the Philippines. Despite its size, it is blessed with beautiful natural attractions like white sand beaches, falls and other scenic landscapes. Yet, this island province is not included in the tourism map but not for long.

 It was about 6:30pm when I arrived at New Tacloban Bus Terminal and the weather that time was uncooperative. It started to drizzle and eventually turned into minor shower. At the terminal, I was looking for a bus that goes to Biliran but there was none that time but a there was a van that goes to Biliran that will leave 7:00 in the evening. Glady there were still vacant seats and we waited for the van to get half full.

The journey to Biliran is probably the longest winding road in the Philippines, it has frequent swirls like in the rollercoaster. So if you are easily get nauseated, its best to take antivertigo drugs. Many light-reflecting signs are built along the streets to warn the drivers about the twists and turns of the road. 

It was 9pm when I reached Naval, the capital of the province of Biliran. The place was very tranquil, the only flashing light were from the barbeque stands along the port area where the van stopped. So I decided to take a my dinner.  

I was speaking Cebuano all along and wondered some people dont understand me then I found out that they were speaking different language and mostly talk in Waray.

After that dinner, I looked for a nearby hotel or pension houses. I stayed at EL RAMON INN just walking distance from Naval port. 

It was clean, decent and affortable at P150 a night. It has common bathroom for fan rooms. I could stay a month if the rate is like this.
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