In the Philippines, summer is synonymous with frolicking in crystal clear waters on any of the country’s gazillion beaches. Beach bumming, island hopping, mountain climbing and more are just a couple of things one can do to make the most of the wonderful weather given after enduring torrential downpours all year long. People from all walks of life make sure they take part in celebrating summer and this is evident from the surge of local (and foreign) tourists travelling to different parts of PH. As for these travelling feet, I’d have to say that 2013 is one epic summer for me. Apart from experiencing one of the hottest season in this lifetime, I was blessed to be given the chance to enjoy summer in ways I never thought was possible.

Freediving

My addiction to freediving has given me the opportunity to go to the beach whenever I want to. Yes, whenever I want to. Whenever I’d sense my invisible gills’ hunger for the sea, I could easily find my fins dragging me to the nearest beach in our place, which is just 30 minutes away, making me push my limits to dive deeper on one single breath.

friends and I on one of our recreational freedives

Going on out-of-town road trips

Adventures are best experienced when it is unplanned. That’s what makes the trip more fun and epic. And except for my trip to Siquijor, which was planned in less than 2 weeks, I have absolutely no idea how I managed to travel to different towns in Cebu and it’s neighboring island with a very limited budget. It was like having a whirlwind romance with travelling because I was always out of the house most of the time. The best part of it was the universe conspiring to make this one unforgettable summer experience for me.

Believe it or not, I really didn’t make any travel plans this summer. In fact, I thought I would just be moping in my room while looking at photos of friends enjoying their summer escapades. Because of a limited budget, I closed my eyes every time I got word of cheap airfares lurking online, which could bring me to dream destinations in the Philippines and abroad.

Siquijor, Moalboal, Camotes Island, Apo Island, Terra Manna and Kawasan Falls…
some of the places I visited this summer

But for someone like me who never made plans on how to spend summer in Cebu, freediving in Boljoon and Dalaguete, travelling at dawn to catch the 1st ferry to Camotes Island to shoot a spoof music video, making impromptu trips to freedive and search for a plane wreck in Moalboal, visiting Kawasan Falls in Badian, surveying the sea bed of the Terra Manna Camping Resort in Badian, going on a road trip down south of Cebu just to go swimming with sea turtles at Apo Island then going on an island hopping adventure at Pandanon Island was more than I could ask for.

Meeting new and old friends

The best thing about summer is that it also gave me the chance to reunite with old friends and meet new ones. Ah, the perks of today’s technology…it allows you to connect with people from different walks of life.

meeting new and old faces during my travels this summer

I’m happy that summer brought me new friends, those like-minded souls who share the same passion as I do – the love for travelling and freediving. I never thought it would be possible to meet these wonderful individuals and I am glad to be given the chance to travel with them.

And just before summer ends, my travelling feet will be gliding again to 2 more destinations soon – a last hurrah before the clouds cry on us. But mind you, just because summer is about to end and storm clouds are about to ruin the beautiful weather we are enjoying doesn’t mean one’s thirst for adventures has to end. You get to decide what you need to do to lead a happy and fun-filled life. Just because one door closes does not mean you have to go back to your daily boring routine. Remember that you have the power to do anything. You hold the key to your future so go have fun wherever your feet brings you.

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Summer Bliss: My 2013 Summer Adventures is my entry to Pinoy Travel Bloggers’ Blog Carnival themed Summer Epilogue which is hosted by Jona Branzuela Bering of Backpacking with a Book.

To access a list of interesting topics about the Philippines through the eyes of each Pinoy Travel Blogger, click here.

Have you ever seen sea turtles swimming in the wild? I have. But normally, I’d have to look down 30 feet deep with my eyeballs almost popping out then squinting them carefully every now and then to find these elusive creatures swimming in the bottomless reef of Moalboal. Sometimes, I’d silently pray and hope that luck would be on my side just to catch a glimpse of those wonderful creatures. So when an opportunity presented itself to visit a remote island in the Visayas region known as the Apo Island just to see sea turtles, I didn’t think twice and said yes to the invitation. Only 2 of us were supposed to join a family of [free]divers on their quest to discover Apo Island. But after word got out of this road trip down south of Cebu to cross the Tañon Strait to get to Apo Island, more friends enlisted on that small expedition.

After carefully planning everything, eight individuals (Nayki, Rapzkie, Johnn, Earl, Cynthia, Rowell, Carl and I) went on a 2-hr road trip on a cloudless Friday night and headed for the town of Dalaguete. Thanks to Tita Maharlika’s generosity, though feeling bad she couldn’t join us, we got the chance to borrow their SUV and cruised the eastern side of Cebu to their home in Dalaguete where we would be resting for a few hours before heading south to Negros. By 10 pm, we arrived safely at their place and was greeted with videoke by Doc Edwin and his family.

Cynthia and Johnn singing; Earl preparing for bedtime

Our Argentinian friend, Cynthia, and Johnn immediately grabbed the microphone and started belting out songs to their heart’s content. The rest of the gang settled in comfortably too.

Kung Fu Panda noodles

We had to wake up at 4am and leave at 5am to catch the 7am ferry boat that will bring us to the island of Negros. But instead of sleeping immediately to get a good night’s rest, we found ourselves walking towards the 24-hr restaurant in the town and feasted on batchoy, which Cynthia refers to as Kung Fu Panda noodles, to feed our hungry tummies. It was only after 12 that some of us considered getting sleep.

Just before my phone started sounding the alarm clock, I was awakened by the sudden pang of hunger caused by the strong aroma of cooked dried fish. While the stinking scent was irritatingly appetizing, some of us, those who were not accustomed to such vile stench, thought otherwise. hehehe. But the heavy odor was very useful in waking up everyone to make it in time for our 7am deadline. So after preparing all the things we needed to bring for our great Apo Island freediving adventure, a party of 11 adults and 2 kids on board 2 cars pulled out of the Fonghe family’s garage and started driving south towards Santander, the southern tip of Cebu, before heading over to Bato, Samboan (the next town after Santander on the western side of Cebu).

The drive from Dalaguete to Samboan took us 2 hours. We even almost didn’t make it because of a huge tree that got uprooted from the previous night’s rain, which blocked the highway  at the town of Oslob. When we arrived at the port of the Lite Shipping company in Bato, Samboan at exactly 7am, we thought the ferry left without us.

Lite Shipping ferry boat from Bato, Samboan to Tampi, Amlan

We let out a sigh of relief after learning that it’s still in the middle of the sea and will just be a little delayed. Whew! We were supposed to meet up with Edcel at that port but it seemed that he’ll be delayed too and had to find his way to Apo Island instead if he couldn’t catch up with us on time.

inside the ferry boat

As soon as the ferry unloaded its passengers and cargo, we started rolling over the cars inside the boat and headed to the passenger’s deck admiring the clear waters and the fishes swimming beside the boat before it steered away and cruised towards Negros Island. We paid P500 per SUV. That’s P1000 for the 2 SUVs on the one-way RORO trip from Bato to Tampi inclusive of all 13 passengers

arriving at Tampi wharf at Amlan, Negros Oriental

After 40 minutes of crossing the Tañon Strait, we docked at the Tampi wharf in Amlan, Negros Oriental. After skillfully rolling off the cars from the ferry, we started cruising the road of Amlan and Sibulan and made way for Dauin passing by Dumaguete City. We didn’t know where we were going but with the help of a Google Maps app, we smoothly navigated the road going to Apo Island.

signage leading to the jump-off point for Apo Island

Once we entered the town of Zamboanguita, we started paying attention to the road signage in case we missed the marker for Apo Island. When we spotted what we were looking for, we made a left turn and entered the road going to the Malatapay Tabo Market.

I expected to see a busy road filled with locals selling different goods but we only saw empty cottages that lined up the street of the market. I later learned that the market only comes to life every Wednesdays. At the end of the road, we got a glimpse of the sea and finally reached the jump off point going to Apo Island.

Malatapay Port

There was a wide parking area available and as soon as we parked our cars, we went to check on the boat rates going to Apo Island. A large boat costs 3000 and is good for 8-9 heads whereas a medium boat costs 2000 and is good for 4-5 heads. The second car somehow got lost so while waiting for our other companions, I scanned Malatapay’s beach to see what kind of boats they have and to also check on the waves.

the waves of Malatapay Beach

When I saw the waves splashing through the black sandy beach of Malatapay, I realized that we’re really going to experience a rough ride when going to the island. I’ve read from blogs online that travellers going to Apo would have to brace themselves for huge waves. I never fully understood what that meant until I saw the waves for myself. From a distance, I could see white caps, an indication of strong currents ahead of us. I snickered silently at the thought of us going through those waves. I found the idea of holding on to the boat rails too amusing and blocked any thoughts of the possibility of the boat capsizing along the way. Well actually I did and thoughts of wearing my fins ahead entered my mind…just in case. hehe

having brunch before we go to Apo Island

When the rest of the gang arrived, we decided to take our brunch at one of the eateries in the area before we set sail for the island. We haven’t really had the chance to eat a proper breakfast except for some bread we ate before leaving Dalaguete. Now that I think of it as of writing this, eating that time would have been a bad idea  before riding the boat going to Apo Island with a full stomach as it’s a sure way to get the boat flooded with puke for those with sensitive senses. hehehe. But since we were too excited to swim once we reach the island, we decided it’s best to eat first.

Edcel, the one who got left behind was already on his way to Malatapay so to avoid wasting time, we let the bigger boat leave ahead. The rest of us waited impatiently for our friend. 15 minutes after the 1st boat left, our friend arrived and after he bought food for breakfast, we immediately climbed our boat and started the swell ride to Apo Island.

the boat ride going to Apo Island

Our boatman had to secure our bags inside the boat before letting us climb in. The tide was at its peak during that time and it was impossible not to get wet while climbing aboard our boat. I even had to grab the hand of the boat crew to avoid slipping and falling off. Once we were all settled, Edcel started eating his food (rice+dish) while the boatman steered the boat away from the shore with its engine roaring to life as it started heading for the island.

Not long after we left the shore, big waves greeted us. We were like riding a roller coaster and each of us had to get a good grip of any stable thing we could find to avoid falling off from our seats. I was seated on the front part of the boat and I had a clear view of the huge waves that were heading towards us. Then out of the blue, each of us got splashed with sea water. The wavy ride was really something. Suddenly, Edcel was getting free salt juice to what he was chowing down. And since I was seated at the front part of the boat, I had to concede to the sea’s outbursts and welcomed the free salty shower with open arms.

My companions and I had to endure the generous cross fire of the sea for the next 45 minutes. We didn’t mind. We’ve come a long way after driving almost non-stop for 16 hours from Cebu City to Apo Island for one thing only…to go swimming and freediving with sea turtles. And as soon as we got near the docking area, we immediately saw sea turtles swimming on waist deep waters welcoming our arrival. The sight of those sea creatures lifted our spirits and we instantly knew we landed in paradise.

Up next…

The road trip route from  Cebu City to Apo Island…

A) Cebu City B) Dalaguete stop-over c) Bato, Samboan port
D) Tampi Wharf, Amlan, Negros E) Malatapay Market F) Apo Island

Have you ever wondered what might happen if you lose all the money you brought with you when you travel? Travellers get caught off guard when unfortunate things like this happen. Sometimes, even the most OC and prepared traveller ends up losing stuff, worse their travel funds. Others would probably fail to bring their ATMs or choose to leave their credit cards behind because of the fees that are associated with using it abroad. And when the worse thing happens, they end up regretting not considering the chance to compare credit cards to use for travel emergencies before leaving for a trip. Which is why it is important to have a backup plan on where to get your source of funds before travelling.

How to Prevent Being Flat Broke When Travelling?

Sometimes, we just have this tendency to either lose our money or spend it all and end up going penniless. So here are a few things to consider on how to avoid going broke abroad.

1. Plan your trip ahead

Whether you are travelling on a budget or not, it’s best that you create a travel itinerary before going on a trip. Research the destination and the cost of living in the area. Set a budget (e.g. $50 a day) for your daily expenses and multiply that by the number of days you’ll be travelling so you’ll get a realistic figure on how much money you need to bring for your trip.

2. Stash your cash in secret places

Split your cash. Think of it as your emergency money. Place some in your wallet, backpack, hip pack or wherever secret place you can think of. That way, when worse things happen, you’d still have access to your emergency funds.

3. Avoid being robbed

Flashing all your money to show it off to the world will likely attract thieves. Before you know it, you’ll wind up too drunk and sleeping on a sidewalk while those crooks happily run away with your money. So be on your guard all the time.

Ed getting robbed by Den at the entrance of Angkor  Wat

4. Bring an ATM card or a debit card

Don’t bring a lot of cash with you. Just bring enough and once you run out of money, replenish it by using your ATM card or a debit card. Make the necessary arrangements with your bank for you to access your plastics across the globe. But be sure to safe keep them too. When your ATM runs out of money, you could always contact your folks and transfer more money into your bank account. Just make sure you leave the needed information on where and how to send you money. They can also wire you money through online money transfers.

5. Bring 1-2 credit cards

Although travellers might have concerns with fees related to using credit cards, you can find the best credit card online that offers the best rates. Just make sure you let the credit card company know where you’re headed as they have a tendency to block your card once used outside your country. They do this for your own security.

6. Find a part-time job

In case you really run out of money, you could always find a part time job to replenish your travel funds. My travel buddy worked as a host in a restaurant of a 5-star resort in Malaysia to continue his backpacking trip. There are online sites that provide information on where you can look for temporary jobs while travelling in Southeast Asia or the rest of the world. Doing this will add more to your ailing funds.

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A traveller from Canada (let’s secretly call him Vinny ), whom I met through a friend, decided to travel to the Philippines a month ago to visit Cebu and Albay. It was his first time to travel out of his homeland and though he was excited about the trip, his lack of experience in travelling outside of his comfort zone presented unpleasant surprises along the way. After getting back to the city from our trip to Kawasan Falls in Badian, he had to withdraw cash from his ATM. But because of lack of sleep, the ATM slipped away from his hand while still inside the taxi. He only realized that he must have dropped it on the taxi floor after getting out of the cab and guess what? The taxi was nowhere to be found by the time he discovered the missing card. It was a good thing that he brought a credit card with him. Although the fees associated with getting cash from the card might be too much, bringing those extra plastics became a life-saver for him. Otherwise, his vacation would have been cut short.

So when you travel for a long period of time, bringing a debit card, ATM card or a credit card might just save you the trouble when you run low on cash. Consider those simple tips mentioned on top and it’s a guarantee you won’t have to worry about going broke when travelling.

Last month, my crazy diva travel buddy asked my help in creating a one-of-a-kind music video for a monthly blog carnival that our Pinoy Travel Blogger Group hosts. It so happened that this travel diva was ‘forced’ beyond his knowledge to host that carnival. With nothing better to do, he accepted the challenge. Soon enough his brain cells started sending electrifying wavelengths on his hairless backbones. If I didn’t know him better, I would have assumed that Emily Rose possessed his body after I received a random message from him in FB. Why do I say this? He suddenly sent me gibberish language which took time for my peanut-sized brain to decipher. Take a look!

I guess being assigned to host a blog carnival would send someone to the looney bin. Well not quite. This diva was just determined to give the best funniest, craziest, dumbest moments of all our travel peers, with him as the main star attraction.

So after planning on where to shoot the video, I willingly agreed to be dragged to the ends of the world different places in Cebu to create the music video.

I’d have to say that it was a fun experience. We filmed on 3 different locations – Camotes Island, Moalboal and Mactan Island. We would have wanted to include Osmena Peak but we ran out of time.

a Korean tourist with one of his failed cliff jumps…ouch!!!

One of the highlights of shooting this film was the funny cliff jumping sessions we did at the Buho Rock in Camotes Island where Koreans invaded the peaceful resort and made a fool of themselves before jumping off the cliff.

Then on our trip to Moalboal, one of our companions almost drowned because I asked him to try wearing fins while in the middle of the sea. The good thing was he didn’t panic. But the diva did!

click the doodle to magnify

See the ugly doodle on top? LOL. To my left, the diva was 150 meters away from me and to his left, 150 meters more was his almost drowning [graduating] friend (sorry jud kaayo Jim, di na mausab. hehehe). There was a fisherman 150 meters away from me on the other side. Jim was having a hard time swimming with the fins and he was struggling to keep afloat despite the not-so-huge waves. I call on to the diva to rescue Jim. But what did the diva do? He didn’t swim to help his friend. Instead he was screaming his lungs out saying “Fisherman! fisherman! Help us!” [no kidding. he really shouted those words! hahahaha]

Being in that situation was totally scary but in light of witnessing what just happened at that time, I couldn’t help but laugh while I swam harder with my barefoot feet just to help out Jim. The diva actually had a traumatizing experience while swimming in the waters of Kawasan Falls two years ago and I didn’t know that that incident left a negative imprint on his senses. I’m just happy that no humans nor animals were harmed in the production of this video…just almost. hehehe.

So what’s the point of this post? Nothing really. Just wanted to share the music video created by the awesomest travel diva, Lakbay Diva!

As for wanting to know how to create a spoof music video? Watch the video and I’m sure you’ll know what to do. Just be yourself.

Travelers as Diamonds from Lakbay Diva on Vimeo. This music video is featured on the article: http://www.lakbaydiva.com/featured/travel-bloggers-as-diamonds-in-the-sky for the Pinoy Travel Blogger’s April Blog Carnival with theme of The Funniest, Silliest, and Dumbest travel moments.

P.S. This video was filmed using Olympus TG-1 and edited by Lakbay using Sony Vegas Pro. Osmena Peak clips were filmed last 2010 using a Canon IXUS 95IS. Location filmed at Kontiki Beach Club, Mactan, Cebu; White Beach Moalboal; Buho Rock and Santiago Bay in Camotes Island; and Ceres bus ride going to Moalboal.

With my newfound passion in freediving, it wasn’t long before my [virtual] friends in FB noticed the gazillion photos I share online about our freediving stunts. And on a fine Thursday night, Jona, a Cebu-based travel blogger who’s a gifted poet (whom I only know in FB and in our FB PTB group) sent me and selected travel/freediving junkies a message asking us to join her in exploring the reef that sits beside the Terra Manna Camping & Resort in the small town of Badian, Cebu.

She accidentally discovered the rich marine life that dwells on the seabed where Terra Manna is nestled when she went snorkeling not long ago. And knowing that we share the same passion as hers – travelling and the love for the ocean – she thought it best to invite us to join her in a little expedition to discover Terra Manna’s marine life. Of course we said yes to the invitation. We could never resist the call of the sea.

So after 3 weeks of impatiently waiting to soak our gills in sea water, me and my mermen friends finally bade temporary goodbyes to our homes and embarked on a journey to surveying the marine life at Terra Manna – a place I would gladly call my second home in the town of Badian, Cebu.

Three hours after dragging our sleepy heads to the South Bus Terminal for that early bus trip to Badian, we finally reached the quaint town famous for its Kawasan Falls. We actually missed the bus stop and had to walk back about 500 meters just to find a trike that would take us to Terra Manna.

the road leading to Terra Manna

Once we reached the resort, a guard greeted us and confirmed our booking. Before allowing us to get inside, we had to follow the customary registration process at their reception cottage where a delicate mandala flower arrangement graced our arrival.

wonderful mandala flower arrangement consisting of locally grown flowers and leaves

Jona was already waiting for us at the resort’s Panorama deck and when we were given the go signal to get in, we started walking towards the gravel-filled drive way and searched for that area. As soon as I got a good glimpse of the entire 4-hectare camping grounds my mind was blown away by the natural beauty of the resort. You could see well-manicured lawns with coconut trees growing on strategic spots.

the resort’s camping grounds

I immediately saw the tents where we will be spending 2 nights and got excited at the thought of camping out in this heavenly paradise. This would be my second time (having to camp out at Nagsasa Cove two years ago in Zamables as my first).

Lantawan, my favorite spot in Terra Manna

The Terra Manna resort is covered with greens. You will see refreshing sight of greenery anywhere you look. From coconut trees, local plants and trees and assorted crops growing in their garden, the resort guarantees a peaceful nature retreat away from the bustling city life that you are accustomed to. And just as you get near the edge of the cliff, you will see the Tañon Strait with the Negros island across it. When you look over at the right side, you will see the Pescador Island of Moalboal. While looking for Jona, I couldn’t help look at the sea. It was terribly calling us to hurry and discover its secrets.

We finally met the fun and free-spirited Jona and we instantly felt at home at the Panorama deck claiming it as our living room the entire time we stayed at the resort, the camping grounds as our bedroom and the sea as our playground.

a glimpse of the alluring view of the sea, our vitamins

After exchanging Hi’s and Hello’s we started getting ready to jump in and bathe in the bewitching waters of Badian. Sea addicts like us can’t afford to dilly-dally when we are presented with an amazing weather and clear blue waters.

Dylan and Johnn gliding happily to get to the reef

It was no surprise how we could wear our freediving gears in a flash. Soon enough, we were wading the sea waters in excitement as we could not wait to see what we’ll discover on Terra Manna’s seabed.

looking back one last time before heading for the reef

As soon as we hit the waters, we immediately discovered the rich marine life lurking beneath the waters of Badian. Huge sea urchins are scattered a few meters away from the sea deck. As soon as we get passed those stingy creatures, we were given a sight of the living corals that surrounds the area.

Jona diving to capture photos of corals

I am happy to see that the seabed of Terra Manna have intact and living corals. They were almost everywhere. The wonderful weather and the good visibility underneath made it possible to enjoy endless freedive attempts.

Dylan surveying the seabed of Terra Manna Camping and Resort

rich and beautiful corals grow abundantly beneath Badian’s sea bed

It probably took us approximately 20 minutes to swim out to the reef where we found more corals. There were quite a number of fishes swimming in there too.

Johnn freediving to the edge of the reef

We took turns freediving to practice and push our limits. With the reef beneath us, it was the perfect place to practice freediving in Badian.

Dylan cruising on top
photo credit by Johnn

 It took us approximately 3 hours to finish free diving and surveying Terra Manna’s seabed. We only stopped swimming when the tide shifted. The current was starting to get stronger bringing with it bad visibility underneath.

couldn’t get enough of the clear waters

But once we reached the sea deck, we took advantage of the remaining time we had left and started swimming in the natural pool beneath us. We couldn’t afford to throw away the perfect weather and the remaining clear waters that was offered to us.

We only went back to the resort grounds when we could no longer bear the sound of our grumbling tummies. Our excitement reverberated the peaceful resort as each of us shared accounts of our dives while having our late lunch. We couldn’t contain the happiness we felt staying on a paradise retreat that is the Terra Manna Camping & Resort.

the sea deck gets a total face lift during low tide

waiting for the sunset

And just as we thought that we had already experienced the beauty that engulfed the resort both in and out of the water, we failed to realize that we will be given the most rewarding gift at the end of the day – a chance to witness a colorful display of orange hues before the last light gets blown away by darkness.

As soon as we decided it’s time to rest to recharge our energy for the next day’s freediving activities with more friends coming over, we figured we don’t want to be stuck in the confines of our tents under the perfect night sky. Instead, we started pulling out the mattresses provided inside our tents and laid them on the camp grounds.

stargazing to sleep

On our first night in Terra Manna, the heavens blessed us with a wonderful weather making it possible to sleep peacefully under the canopy of stars.

The experience of staying in a resort that brings out the beauty of nature with the resort’s simplicity is surreal. If only I could claim this as my home and never return.

Terra Manna Camping & Resort
Lambug, Badian
Cebu, Philippines
Landline #: Globe +63324750296, +63324750297
Mobile #: Globe +639165297014, Smart +639399124252 and +639192282435
Website: http://www.terramannaresort.ph
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/terramanna