Getting There and Where to Stay

As if our horrible flight (read here) had not been enough, making our way into the country was not easy either, as we did not have an outbound flight because we didn’t know what our next destination would be. We were told we had to purchase a ticket on the spot, but eventually managed to get through customs without doing so by showing an itinerary we had printed a few days before as a possible flight combination. Next step wast to get to Manila from Clark airport; we took the bus which is 350 pesos per person ( 1 euro is aboyut 67 Filipino Pesos) and a 1.5 hour ride. This should give enough time to decide where you’re going to stay because at 11.5 million people Manila is no easy city to be tamed.

Using ould LP guide we decided to check out a hostel in Ermita, not far from Intramuros(Manila’s old Spanish quarter), which sounded good. But upon arrival it was a bit to pricey for what it ofered and we tried several hotels close by that were a much better value for just a bit more money. After checking availability in many of them Cherry Blossoms Hotel (odd name I must admit) was our pick and we called it come for 2 days. They have superb food (boy were those spaguetti awesome) and very friendly staff.

Very Little to Enjoy

Unfortunately Manila (city) does not have much going on for cultural travelers. The city was sadly exactly what I imagined and reflects what most movies portray of it. Traffic, noise, pollution and fast food restaurants are all- or almost- over the city, except in Intramuros, the area surrounded by a wall built by the Spanish during colonization that has changed very little since. This was by far the nicest area I found as a tourist-in fact the only one. Quiet, clean streets, historical buildings… it is the only district of Manila where old Spanish-era influences are still plentiful. Fort Santiago is now a well-maintained park and popular tourist destination, and adjacent to it is the reconstructed Maestranza Wall, which was removed by the Americans in 1903 to widen the wharves thus opening the city to Pasig River.

But other than this I could not find a reason to extend the stay. Finding affordable but good quality food seemed almost impossible, and in fact I even recommend that if you really want a burger you stay away from Jollibee restaurants and make your way to McDonald’s or Burger King instead because the burgers are much better: those at Jollibee lacked flavor, had little meat and the fries were over-fried and oily. No good.

So We Left

Realizing that there was not much more to enjoy we decided to leave early and checked transportation to Donsol, a small town in SE Luzon that doesn’t have much going on except probably being the best place in the world to see whale sharks. However despite only being 450 km away the bus apparently takes about 14 hours to get there from Manila. Further research said that Moalboal in Cebu was also a good spot to see the whale sharks and sea turtles. Cebu is the main hub of the Visayas, a stretch of islands world famous for its beaches, plus it was a good place from which to continue our trip south towards Mindanao. We also looked into a nearby volcano that is said to be a great day tour, but unfortunately we didn’t visit it because we found a cheap flight with Cebu Pacific Air (the Philippines LCA) to Cebu and the thankfully smooth flight had us there by mid morning of the following day.

Have you visited Manila? Do you live in Manila? What do you think about the city? Why do you like- or dislike- it? Is there anything travelers like myself should visit that it little known? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below and this post too if you think other might find it useful! 

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In our case, not only did we waste all that time and money but once we got to Surigao and were on the 6am boat to the island, heavy rains made the coast guard cancel the ride because of a level 1 typhoon alert, leaving us in Surigao for yet another 24 hours.

Cloud 9 is to surfers what Moalboal  is for divers. All you do is eat, surf and sleep. There are a few lonely beaches nearby but you will need a boat to get there.

Cloud 9 is a world class wave when it’s pumping. Otherwise it is a fun and easy right that breaks over a spongy reef and rocks. There are plenty of places that offer surfing lessons and rent boards, our option being Cloud 9 101 which is where we stayed at. Fan rooms have en suite bathrooms and are very  clean- at 660 pesos per night they are very good value.

We were there for 3 days instead of the 8 we had planned, and I surfed as much as I could although conditions were not the best. Liza even received lessons one afternoon (enough to keep her out of the water the next to days because of fatigue and a re-occurring wrist pain) and were quite disappointed when we had to leave: it had taken us almost 5 days to get there and only had 3 remaining until our visa expired.

The Philippines have a lot to offer if you like the outdoors and the sea. With time, a little money, and no need of luxury you can get a lot back and easily enjoy yourself. Food is nothing to brag about, but it is cheap, and getting from point  A to point B is an adventure all by itself. Oh and, by the way, do not think that Manila represents the whole country. If you can, get away and look for the small towns where tourism and wealth are non existant; it is there where you will find the Filipino charm that has captivated so many foreigners and now call the Philippines home and will do so for the rest of their lives.

Have you surfed Cloud 9 on a good day? How was it? And if you didn’t surf, what did you like most about Siargao?

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The truth is that we had only heard about this sleepy little town 2 days before arriving while investigating what places are good for whale shark watching in the Philippines, and were looking forward to seeing these creatures as well as the turtles that are supposed to abound in the area.

To get there from any hotel in Cebu city go for (like we opted)  the quicker van ride (100 pesos p/p and takes about 2 hours) and enjoyed the great scenery the drive had to offer. Mind you the vans are very crowded, but you should be used to this by now! They are faster than the buses and aren’t too bad anyhow.

Right before getting on the van an American expat recommended Anthony’s Beach Resort for accommodation, and it is where we went. Simple, well priced and in a great location we dumped our stuff as soon as we got there and went for a walk. Moalboal has many beach resorts  to choose from though!

Initial impression is that unless you are a diver there is not much to do there (and if I was one I would go to the Perhentians or Sipadan in Malaysia) and thought we’d leave in a day or two. But the following day we  enjoyed the snorkeling right in front of our place, although truth be said it is not spectacular. If you travel around Cebu you will find some great empty beaches, and there are plenty of superb waterfalls to explore.

Mike showed up and lent us a camera, which pleased us greatly because we could finally take some underwater pictures. That night we had a great dinner cooked at his place and the following days were spent snorkeling, enjoying the lovely nearby White Beach (needed a motorbike to get there)and simply chilling out.

We ended up staying 4 days and only left because we ran out of money and the closest ATM was an hour away. This town was described to us as a smaller version of Puerto Princesa in Palawan, and while I’m not very sure about this comparison it is a great place where to chill out, enjoy nice beaches and relax in Cebu.  All in all 4 very pleasant days despite never seeing a turtle or whale shark.

Our nest destination was Alona Beach in Bohol Island, one of the top beaches in the Philippines , recommended by the staff at Anthony’s, as a stop-over on our way to Cloud 9 in Siargao, Northern Mindanao. It ended up being a great recommendation!

The post What to Do in Moalboal: Beaches, Diving and More! appeared first on MaiTravelSite.

However the sun was shining and I had had a good day’s rest the previous day in Manukit island, right off KK. Plus I was on my way to the Philippines, a country I did not know what to expect of and that I have never thought I would visit this soon. I always believed I would make it to Antarctica before!

One hour into the 2 hour flight the plane entered some clouds. It did not move much and proceeded calmly through the mist. Liza had her head on my lap trying to sleep a bit, I was reading a good book.

But as I glanced out the window I suddenly and out of nowhere saw a ray of lightning come too close to the plane, probably hitting it. Right after I swore and as Liza was sitting wondering what I had seen the plane started to drop and shake, engines blaring at a deafening pitch. The flight attendant who was standing besides us almost fell, but held on to the seat besides us a, sat on it, and buckled up with a serious and scared look.

We were in the middle of strong turbulence, passengers were screaming and the next 4 to 6 minutes were scary-very scary. And long, very long. The pilot managed to control the plane and pick up before dipping again. I could not keep the Air France flight off my mind and it appeared that the pilot could not steady our airplane. I saw 2 more lightning, though not as close, but eventually the turbulence diminished and the Cebu Pacific Airbus was steady again.

A few minutes later the captain said we would be landing shortly (25 minutes ahead of schedule), told everyone to buckle up despite having left the turbulence behind, and prepare for landing.

The remaining 15 minutes were a smooth flight, enough time to calm down. Liza was not in tears any more and we very much regretted having flown to Manila from KK instead of catching a ferry to Zamboanga in Mindanao, southern Philippines. Once out of the plane we saw that there was a firefighter truck wating just in case, which meant something had gone wrong.

It is generally accepted that in the past year or so there has been an increase in flight accidents, and with experts explaining that, in general, airplane safey can’t be improved much more only more accidents are bound to happen because there are more flights every day.

I am not completely certain about what happened during our flight, but my belief is that our plane was struck by lightning. And it feels good to write this while on  a ferry taking us from Cebu to Bohol 4 days later.

* Almost a week has gone by since I wrote this, and I was not sure about whether to post it or ot because of the bad memories it can bring. But a blog is a diary after all, and not everything in life is sweet. I’m sure I will not read this post very often though.

Have you had any scary experiences? What happened? Has it affected how and how often you travel?

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