Philippines – soloflighted.com

Food Trip in Cebu and Zamboanga

Jana and I spent a few days in the Philippines a couple of weeks ago to be with family and to accomplish some tasks. After having been in Dubai for 4 years, there was a lot of catching up in terms of responsibilities and planning for the future. What was once a travel for travel (or travel … Read more

Cebu Trip: Snorkelling at Tuble Marine Sanctuary in Moalboal

My friend, Edwin, was negotiating with boatmen in Moalboal, Cebu, while Doi, Gael, and I, set up a table for lunch. Arriving from the night before, we stayed in Basdaku/White Beach in order to spend a day of snorkelling in the Tuble Marine Sanctuary. Tuble Marine Sanctuary Moalboal, Cebu September 05, 2011 Swimming in Moalboal … Read more

5 Luxury Hotels to Stay in Boracay Island, Philippines

Boracay, despite the crowd, is still a great destination to have some sun and sand while you travel to the Philippines. With its powdery sands and pristine water and various beach activities, you can definitely do a lot of fun things in this island. As this is a touristy area, you have plenty of options … Read more

Zamboanga City Highlights: Things to Do, Places to Visit

I spent 9 days in Zamboanga City. I visited my girlfriend’s hometown and also toured the area in the process. I was a little worried in the beginning because I left on the day that Typhoon Pablo entered the Philippines. However, Zamboanga was one of the few destinations where scheduled flights still pushed through.

For the sake of having a new blog post, here are a few highlights about this trip. I’ll be writing more detailed accounts about these places soon.

Zamboanga City Highlights: Things to Do, Places to Visit
December 2-10, 2012

Zamboanga International Airport

Sta. Cruz Pink Island

I read about the Sta. Cruz Island (also known as Pink Island of Zamboanga) through Chyng’s blog post. The island is called such because of the crushed red corals that have sort of “mixed” with the white sand. We were also escorted by an armed soldier for security purposes.

Blog post here: Picnic at Sta. Cruz Island aka Pink Island

Sta. Cruz Island aka Pink Island

After a fun afternoon of Go Kart racing in Tarlac’s Kart City, we spent the night in Microtel Inn & Suites Luisita. It was an adrenaline-packed day, like all the other days of our Lakbay Norte 3 familiarization tour. I immediately hit the sack which made me wake up early the next day.

Shooting Trees at Microtel Inn & Suites Luisita in Tarlac
January 28, 2012

trees outside Microtel

I’ve been to a Microtel property before. It was where we stayed when I won a blog contest about Boracay. True enough when I checked our room, the chiropractic “healthy for the back” beds were there and they’ve always been consistent about this feature.

Microtel Inn & Suites in Luisita, Tarlac | photo by Marcos of PuebloPhilippines.com

We arrived from a long bus ride from Nueva Ecija to Las Palmas Hotel and Resort in Tuguegarao. Travel time took about 9 hours so we spent the night inside the Lakbay Norte 3 shuttle to rest.

Afterwards, we headed to our assigned rooms so we could get ready for another adventure prepared for us. But first we had breakfast at 5 in the morning courtesy of Mcdonalds. The meal was what we needed to keep us full as we travel to Kalinga and experience white water rafting by Adventures and Expeditions Inc.

White Water Rafting at Chico River
Kalinga, Cordillera Administrative Region

listening to our raft guide

Toploading in Kalinga

It was a chilly morning and the sun was still rising. On our way to the starting point of the rafting adventure, we made a stopover to change seats. Those who wanted to ride on top of the jeep had transferred. This reminded me of my crazy topload from Banaue to Bontoc during our trip to Sagada. It also made me realize I haven’t finished writing about my Sagada series.

chilly morning topload

I was in Manila last week and I was searching for backpacker lodges in the area since my friend’s place (where I normally crash) was unavailable. I was planning to stay in backpacker hostels in Malate but I found it a bit far from the metro. Good thing I was referred by Dong Ho to Our Melting Pot (OMP) hostel in Makati, Philippines.

I didn’t expect much from this place. All I wanted was a decent bed to crash plus good WiFi connection to work on my online assignments. I got more than what I asked for when I spent the remaining days in this awesome backpacker inn.

entrance at Our Melting Pot

Our Melting Pot Hostel Review

Our Melting Pot is located in what seems like an abandoned building in Makati Avenue. The elevator was a little creepy at first, but I got used to it.

On the 4th floor, I removed my shoes and went inside. I was welcomed by a spacious common area where the staff was already expecting me.

common area

I travelled to Cagayan de Oro because of an assignment and I spent my weekend there alone. The previous weekend, I went to Siargao by myself, too. I’m starting to embrace the notion of flying solo and it’s not really that much of a big deal for me anymore. I still prefer travelling with friends as I get to enjoy the company of other people. But this recent trip gave me another thought to ponder when travelling to different destinations as I spent this trip with another group of people; this time with a family.

White Water Rafting in Cagayan de Oro River
December 4, 2011

CDO’s wild rafting adventure

Feeling restless that I didn’t have anything planned, I Googled ‘whitewater rafting Cagayan de Oro’ to finally experience one of the more popular activities in the City of Golden Friendship.

One of the websites that came up was that of 1st Rafting Adventure. I called them and made a reservation, hoping I could join a group that can accommodate one more head on their raft. It’s tough to get a good deal for packages when you’re alone. Luckily, I was given a go signal as there was an available slot with other companions the next day.

1st Rafting Adventure Office

The day before I left Zamboanga, I was able to visit the gorgeous Merloquet Waterfalls in Barangay Sibulao. This was one of the main highlights during my trip to this side of Mindanao known as Asia’s Latin Cty.

Merloquet Waterfalls in Zamboanga
December 9, 2012

Merloquet Falls in Zamboanga

I initially thought there were only two of us going to Merloquet. Jana and I were planning to take a bus to the junction, and then hire a motorcycle (habal-habal) to the falls. Fortunately, Jana’s family also expressed interest. We hired a jeepney from the city to the destination instead.

The 2-hour trip to the junction was a scenic route of plantation fields and mountains. I also noticed that there were many Philippine National Police (PNP) checkpoints for security reasons.

riding a jeepney

going down

During a trip to Dumaguete, Negros Oriental, I brought Jana to Apo Island for a fun day at the beach and some snorkelling. However, when we arrived at the island, the marine sanctuary was closed due to earthquakes and typhoons that affected the area. They had to close it to let the coral reefs recover. … Read more

Sunrise in Malapascua Island Cebu

It’s been a year since I first visited the island of Malapascua in Cebu. Up to now, I haven’t written a good blog entry about it sans for the time when I was able to jump off a 50-foot cliff – read article here.

I don’t think I’ll be able to write a better account any time soon so let me just share one of the good things that happened when I spent a day on this island. On a December, I witnessed a beautiful sunrise.

getting ready to steer the boat

Woke up at dawn as I worked on some freelance tasks to beat a deadline my employer imposed. After finishing the job, I stepped out and decided to take a dip. However, I ran back to our room and grabbed my camera when I saw a stream of light surfacing behind mountains from afar.

peek-a-boo.

After Kawasan Falls, we went back to the main road in order to hail a bus. We were to find a place to eat in the town proper as it was already lunch time. We would be heading to another tourist place in Badian for an afternoon hangout session in Basdako (White Beach), Moalboal.

Basdako Beach (White beach) in Moalboal
Badian, Cebu
November 13, 2011

Basdako Beach, Moalboal in Cebu
Basdako means “Big Sand”

Travel Bloggers in Cebu White Beach Moalboal
alin ang naiiba? hehe.

From the Sunday morning market in Mantalongon, Dalaguete, we were able to hire two motorbikes (habal-habal) to Kawasan Falls in Badian. It’s faster than having to ride back to the Dalaguete intersection and wait for a bus. We tried to haggle, but we still paid around 150 Php per person for the motorbike ride.

Mantalongon to Kawasan Falls
Badian, Cebu
November 13, 2011

Kawasan Falls in Cebu

It was an off-road motor adventure and it was dangerous considering that some areas are not yet paved. But the view, I tell you, is just refreshing! Even if it drizzled for awhile, the beautiful landscape made me forget about getting wet from the rain.

road

habal-habal to Kawasan Falls!

Waking up in the morning at the barangay hall in Mantalongon, Cebu, we hurriedly took our turns in the bathroom to fix ourselves. Even if I was a little tired from the trek to Osmena Peak, I still had a good night’s sleep especially when I didn’t have to pay much (50 Php) for a sleeping bunk. hehe.

Mantalongon Sunday Morning Market
Mantalongon, Dalaguete, Cebu
November 13, 2011

gymnasium cum market

a short walk from the barangay hall

Food Trip in Cebu and Zamboanga

Cebu Trip: Snorkelling at Tuble Marine Sanctuary in Moalboal

5 Luxury Hotels to Stay in Boracay Island, Philippines

Zamboanga City Highlights: Things to Do, Places to Visit

Sta. Cruz Pink Island

Shooting Trees at Microtel Inn & Suites Luisita in Tarlac

White Water Rafting at Chico River in Kalinga

Toploading in Kalinga

Our Melting Pot Hostel in Makati, Philippines

Our Melting Pot Hostel Review

Cagayan de Oro Trip: Whitewater Rafting Adventure with a Family

Zamboanga Trip: Gorgeous Merloquet Falls

Fun Dive at Apo Island in Negros Oriental

Sunrise in Malapascua Island Cebu

Cebu: Afternoon in Basdako White Beach, Moalboal

Cebu: Revisiting Kawasan Falls

Cebu: Mantolongon Sunday Morning Market