Destination: Mt. Pinatubo by Lj Salceda

In my late 20's I made a list of 30 things I want to accomplish before I reached 30 years old. Although I've tried my very best to fulfill everything in my list, majority of them still remain undone, or unfinished and some are on hold for now.

I am a firm believer of planning and preparing for the future and working hard for my dreams. However, I also submit to God's perfect time and his wonderful will. So it may be a few years late in my timetable, but I'm proud to say...

I CLIMBED ANOTHER MOUNTAIN!!!


I never thought I'd climb Mt. Pinatubo since I grew up near Mt. Mayon and I've witnessed how destructive and powerful these creations can be. Not that I'm scared of volcanoes. As a matter of fact I've already climbed or visited at least four in the past (Mt. Mayon, Mt. Makiling, Mt. Banahaw and Taal). It's just that I was aiming for a "higher" peak, Mt. Pulag or Mt. Apo perhaps. Ambitious, I know, but I always dream BIG or HIGH in this case. :)


So when my friend, Doc Mavic asked me a few weeks ago if I want to join them for an adventure, who am I reject such an offer? I started doing my exercise (brisk walking and jogging) frequently and bought a new pair of hiking shoes. I took a half day off from work in preparation for our early morning trip to Tarlac (our convergence point) and to meet with the rest of our climbing mates.

First off, I'm glad I "trained" and prepared for our trek. It might have been doubly hard and painful if I did nothing to condition my self. I am still sore from the all the walking, jumping, climbing and traveling.

But it was TRULY worth it in the end! The rugged, varying terrain to Mt. Pinatubo is almost comparable if not at par with the scenes/location in the movie Lord of the Rings. Nevertheless, unless there is a need (or someone will pay me) to climb Mt. Painatubo (Just kidding!) I won't do it again. :) Siguro nga tumatanda na ako. (I guess, I'm getting old.)


Kidding aside, I'm grateful I was able to glimpse and admire another side of the Philippines. Very beautiful and blessed talaga ang bansa natin! (Our country is indeed beautifully blessed!) So if you're interested to conquer Mt. Pinatubo, here are a few pointers.

1. PLAN AHEAD. (In most trips, planning is really an important aspect.) Get in-touch with a local or surf the net or the tourism website so you can secure a 4x4, a driver, a tour guide and most of all a permit to enter the Mt. Pinatubo zone. It is a bit expensive to climb this mountain and on-the-spot decisions won't work for this trip. There is a check-point where an army personnel will sign your required paper to travel/climb and you need the proper vehicle and authorized person to accompany you or your group.


After we descended Mt. Pinatubo, I heard on the 2-way radio inside our 4x4 a conversation between tourism officials about the "hunt" for a foreigner who apparently "escaped" the checkpoint, he was riding a motorcycle and did not have a tour guide. They were informing drivers/tour guides on the way to report and stop the said tourist and his Filipina companion.

2. BUDGET. As I've said, this is sort of an expensive climb. I'm glad someone took care of my expenses. The 4x4 car that will transport you from the assembly area to the drop-off point has a maximum capacity of 5 passengers. It costs between P4,000 to 4,500 (roundtrip) and includes the payment for the driver, tour guide and permit to climb. According to our tourguide, Kuya Wilson, from the total payment: P280 goes to them, 20 goes to the handler, 500 goes to the skyway (the short cut route), the rest goes to the driver/owner of the car and to the local gov't/tourism office. If you decide to stay over-night, you also have to pay for security. At least 2 soldiers or airforce staff will accompany and protect you, plus the assigned tour guide and driver.

3. RESERVE. Tour groups offer packages including transpo, food and other fees. We didn't avail of the packages, so our friends brought our food and drinks. Try to bring as much water as you can, although there is a spring where you can get clean water for your use but if you have a sensitive tummy it's better to be safe than sorry. There is a small store up the volcano that sells overpriced drinks like sodas and energy drinks (P70 per can). There is NO available food at the mountain top, either you will bring your own food or wait until you come down from the mountain to the assembly area and eat at the nearby Korean/Filipino resto. They also offer spa services there.

4. ZZZZZZZ. Have enough rest and sleep prior to the climb. It will exhaust and push you to the max physically and mentally. I won't recommend this trip to people with health problems esp those that have severe asthma attacks, rheumatism, hypertension etc.



5. TEAM. As much as possible go in big groups. This way you can encourage and help each other. You can have someone to take your pics or swap stories with. As we say, the more the merrier and it might save you some money too.


6. PROTECT. Use your most durable footwear and bring extra flip flops especially if you want to experience the cool water from the streams along the way. Bring sun glasses, face mask, cap, face towel, sun screen, extra shirt, medicine (if you got allergies/asthma/tummy aches), tissue paper or wet wipes, extra batteries and memory card. Eat enough before the climb but not too much that might upset your tummy (like what happened to me). Some hikers bring umbrellas, sarong or malong and jacket to protect them from the sun. There are rest stops and CR's along the way if you need breaks.


7. HELP. Preserve nature and tourist destinations. Bring extra gifts/food for the Aeta communities on the way to the volcano. Bless your tourguide/driver and give them a bigger tip especially if they've carried your bags and have been of great help to you.


8. HAVE FUN! No travel is perfect. Don't let bumpy roads, dust, super hot weather or complainers ruin your adventure. Make the most of every trip. Do everything you can to have a safe and memorable tour.


Climb another mountain. Checked! :)

Some photos are c/o of my friend Doc Mavic.

Picture Perfect Bohol (Part 2)

PICTURE PERFECT BOHOL (Part 2)
Lj Salceda
Read Part 1 here.


TOURS / ITINERARY

Day 1
After the church service in the morning bags in tow, we rushed to the airport, grabbed our super expensive lunch at the terminal (we should have eaten elsewhere, but we didn’t want to be stuck in traffic and check-in late) and waited for our flight. We arrived in Tagbilaran on a Sunday afternoon and the sun was almost gone. Since it is Sept, sunset is typically early in Bohol. We only had a short time left for a little picture-taking, checking the beach, dinner at the nearby grilling station where they have the most delicious fruit shake I’ve ever tasted, before trying Dumaluan's pool and hitting the sack for the day.



Day 2
We woke up at 8am, ate our breakfast (not much to choose from, but it was all you can eat) and prepared for our country side tour scheduled at 9am.



Our itinerary included the Blood Compact Site, Baclayon Church, Tarsiers, Man-made Forest, Loboc River Cruise, Chocolate Hills, Butterfly Farm (don't forget to try their unique ice candies made from carrots/durian/kiwi etc) and Hanging Bridge. After the tour, we decided to drop by at a nearby mall to buy some supplies- bottled water and snacks because they are expensive at the resort.

The nice thing about getting a package is you need not worry and arrange for the tour or look for a vehicle/driver for transpo (public transpo is rare in Bohol), entrance fees and even our lunch for the Loboc River Cruise because these were all taken cared by the resort. Sometimes, our driver also acted as our tour guide and photographer. Don’t forget to give him tip (P100) after his full day service especially if he has been nice and helpful to you.







For dinner on our second night, we tried the nearby Bohol Beach Club's menu and their swimming pool. We were too excited to taste their food since the first night we passed by the place they had a buffet at the shore and a great number of Koreans were lined up. So we settled for their group meal made up of sinigang, grilled seafood and meat, mixed veggies and rice. Disappointingly it wasn’t worth our money. Don’t eat there! The meat was hard (makunat), the seafood was stale, the broccoli was yellowish and the soup wasn’t hot when it was served to us.



Probably the reason why they had very poor lighting (candlelit lang) at the resto area- so we won’t see much of what we’re eating. We had a few miscommunications with our waiter who wasn't well-verse in Tagalog. They do have an appealing resort and a better shore, but the food is not worth it. We (non-BBC guests) were required to pay P300/person as entrance fee which is consumable and non-refundable- P200 goes to the food and P100 for the use of pool. After dinner, we went back to the grilling station beside BBC to have another round of fruit shake, before going back to BBC’s pool (included in our entrance fee.)




Day 3
Our third day consisted of Dolphin Watching, Island Hopping and Snorkeling- but we decided to forego the latter in order to try the zipline and cable car at a nearby site.






Smaller islands in Bohol are quite distant from each other, it would take between 40 mins to an hour to get from point A to B. We were bored in between; all we can do was to take pictures since conversation was not possible because of the loud motor of the boat. Instead of spending longer time at the Balicasag island, where snorkeling and lunch are offered, (Btw, another tip I got from bloggers don’t eat on this island unless you have baon or packed lunch. Price here is outrageous! P350/kl of any seafood or meat, plus P250 cooking charge. Not practical.) Although, I later found out from another blogger that there is a nice diving resort situated here. We decided to cut our stay here short and head to The Virgin Island. Now this one, you shouldn’t miss! There’s a sand bar where you can walk, swim, take pictures, eat fresh sea urchins, drink refreshments and buy souvenirs from Manong who owns a small mobile store here.





After a lengthy boat ride, we went back to Dumaluan for lunch and inquired from the reception area about a nearby place that one our driver's told us that has a zipline and cable car (this is different from the one in Danao.) The resort staff said, we might want to avail of their Panglao tour instead of just renting a vehicle which we readily took. In lieu of the usual itinerary, we suggested to our driver to scrap the church-visits and Hinagdanan Cave and go to the Ostrich farm, Adventure Park and Bohol Bee Farm. Tip: Talk to your driver and make your own tour/schedule.





The Ostrich farm is a small backyard with caged animals like albino python, turtles, fish, birds and other reptiles. You need to pay P20/person as entrance fee. Here you can also take pictures alongside life-size images of Dora the Explorer, a gigantic tarsier and the ostrich.

Afterward, we went to a very new adventure site (some areas are still under construction but it is already operating) near the Loboc River. They offer zipline, cable car and horse-rides. It costs P350/person for the zipline and P250/person for the cable car. However if you avail of both rides, you will only pay P500/person. It was one of the highlights or our Bohol trip, so give it a try it if you’re not afraid of heights.





After an exhilarating ride, our last stop was the Bohol Bee Farm. I wished we had more time at BBF which is also a resort cum restaurant and souvenir shop. There are so many things to do and buy there! You can pay a minimal entrance fee for a farm tour. You can see the bee house where their honey is produced, you can watch them make ice cream at their factory, visit their green house where most of the veggies and food are grown and even make your own bag or keychain at their souvenir house/livelihood center.

I was considering housing us at the BBF, but I read that they didn’t have a shore only a viewing deck, a good number of mosquitoes and ants reside in the place and the road to and fro BBF is still rough. They are also situated above a cliff, so they are a little farther away from the airport and other tourist spots. We only had time for a little picture-taking and food-sampling at BBF. Dinner consisted of a vegan pizza and a meat pizza, halo-halo topped with malunggay, ginger, mango, buko and chocolate ice creams, muffins and their famous flower salad.

Btw, we paid an additional P2500 for the van/driver for our Panglao tour because it wasn’t originally included in our package.

Day 4
On our 4th and last day, our short time was spent packing, settling our bills, taking a few more pictures and eating breakfast before checking-out and driving to the Tagbilaran airport for our 10am flight.

All in all, our trip was a memorable and fun time for me/us. It wasn’t without slip-ups, but you can choose to see the good/positive side in every situation.





MORE TIPS:

1. Don’t buy souvenir items at the souvenir shops inside or near the resorts. They cost 2 to 4 times more than the ones available outside the resort. Buy from the stores near Blood Compact Site and the stores near the Hanging Bridge. Bohol shirts cost from P300-400 at the resort, the same shirt will only cost P100-150 elsewhere.
2. If you have the time and space in your luggage buy/bring bottled water, food and other necessities at the mall. A small water bottle costs P30 at the resort, when you could only get them for P10-15 at the mall.
3. Bring cash or prepare your credit card. There are no nearby ATMachines in Panglao area.
4. Bring more than one pair of bathing suit. Most resorts don’t allow people to use their pools without wearing proper swimming attire. If you plan to do a lot of swimming and picture-taking and don’t want to use a dripping/wet suit bring as many swim suits as you can.
5. Don’t forget to bring your sunblock, cap/hat, pamaypay and insect repellant. Mosquitoes and other insects abound in Bohol. Although, I haven't heard of anyone getting dengue there.
6. If you want to try jet ski, banana boat and other water sports, you will have to pay a considerable amount. 15 minutes of jet ski costs around P1500 (1-2 persons), while 30 mins of banana-boating costs P2500 (group).
7. And don’t forget to store extra battery or your camera/video charger.





CONCLUSION:

Bohol is a picture perfect and postcard destination. But Tagbilaran airport still needs improvement, there are cunning drivers/businessmen and the way to the resorts are the typical provincial scene- lush trees/plants/narrow roads/cows grazing in the yard etc. Don’t expect perfection, we live in a fallen world after all.

If you see trash, pick them up and throw them in garbage bins. Be considerate to the next traveler/tourist. Arrive on time. Keep an open mind. Don just have a good time, make lasting memories. The Philippines is such a blessed country, enjoy it while we can with the people you love!

(More pictures on my facebook account.)

Picture Perfect Bohol (Part 1)

Picture Perfect Bohol (Part 1)
Lj T. Salceda

The Philippines is such a blessed country. This I realize every time I travel. We have beauty, treasures and endless potential from Luzon to Visayas and Mindanao. I've witnessed and marveled how God has been SO generous to us Filipinos and even foreigners who come and enjoy our 7,107 islands, our people and our culture.

While I was preparing for the book fair and the book launch, I knew I will need a vacation after a such a stressful and hectic schedule. So an out-of-town trip is a must! My boyfriend was also coming to support my book- another reason to go on a trip/vacay.

I was torn between – Davao or Bohol. Both are in my list of “places-to-visit,” unfortunately I can only go to one place since I have a limited budget and time. I excitedly started doing research for my next trip. In any vacay or travel, planning is an integral part. Personally, I don't mind doing the leg work because I both love traveling and planning. I asked friends, read reviews and contacted resorts. After a few weeks of taking down notes and consultation (there were 5 of us in the trip, 2 of them have been to Davao before), we unanimously decided- it's time for a Bohol Adventure!



AIRFARE / FLIGHTS

Since I am a PAL Mabuhay miles member, boarding a different airline company was not an option for me. I used my accumulated miles and only paid P900 for a round trip ticket. But I had to pay P3,000+/person (round trip) for the rest of my companions. All in all, our airfare totaled P14,000 (5 persons). For your travels, remember to set aside a budget for cabs to and fro the airport (if you don't have a car/someone to drive you off), airport fee of P200/person and other possible expenses like food or drinks. Avoid eating at the airport if you're on a tight budget. The food there is pricey and it’s not worth your hard-earned money. Just to give you an idea, a regular rice meal with adobo as viand plus soda costs a minimum of P250/order. You could grab something to eat at a nearby fast food chain before checking-in.

Three weeks before our target date, I went to the PAL Office in Cubao to purchase our tickets. I later found out that if you use credit card and book online, you’ll save more moolah. That’s a difference of almost P500/ticket. Problem, is I don’t have a credit card, so I pay everything in cash.

Btw, from years of personal traveling experience one of the best times to go on a vacation or tour (domestic) in the Philippines is during the month of September. Although this time of the year is still considered rainy season, most islands in the Visayas or Mindanao areas don’t get rains/typhoons during in September. It’s not a peak season either as classes are still on-going and resorts usually offer Rainy Day packages. Some things to consider when you’re looking for flights: the weather, travel (peak) seasons, budget and even your airline’s arrival/departure time.



BUDGET and ACCOMMODATION

After securing our flight, we needed a place to stay. One of the good things about Bohol is there’s no shortage of accommodation. You can choose from the pricey, 5-star hotels or resorts to the affordable, basic yet still comfortable bed and breakfast inns. Majority of your budget will also go to accommodation especially if it's a package you want to get.

I asked friends and turned to travel blogs on-line for ideas. I narrowed my list to three possible “temporary homes” while in Bohol: Dumaluan Resort (as suggested by Ate Haydee, Ptr. Jay and FB Friends); Panglao Island Nature Resort and Spa (as suggested by Ate Maloi) and Bohol Bee Farm (from the reviews I’ve read on-line).



Things to remember when choosing for a place to stay:

1. FACILITIES - What are you looking for in a resort/hotel? Do you want it to have spacious rooms, a big pool, a stone-throw away from the beach, wi-fi accessibility, souvenir shops etc?
2. PRICE RANGE – Is it under your budget? Do they have packages/promos?
3. FOOD and DRINKS – Most resorts have canteens and restaurants, some even have bars, but not all of them have good food. If they don’t have satisfying or affordable food, can you get it somewhere near? Can you cook in your room? Is the resort located near a store/grocery/market?
4. SERVICE – Are the staff accommodating, friendly, helpful, respectful etc.? Can they offer alternatives or ideas regarding tours or transpo or other things you need?
5. ACCESSIBILITY – Is it near the airport or the beach or other tourist destinations? Do they offer transport service (airport/seaport pick-up)? If not, are they near public transpo/terminals/rentals? Is the road safe and comfortable for travelers?
6. OTHER OFFERS – Do you want to have a massage? Jet-ski? Banana boat rides? Snorkeling gear?

After weighing in all the options, I decided to avail of Dumaluan Resort’s Rainy day package which covers rooms, use of facilities including the pool, airport transpo, tours and daily breakfast. I deposited half of the total amount of our package to their bank account 2 weeks before our arrival.

Since we wanted to try everything that Bohol has to offer, we decided to add another day to our package. We paid a total of P30,000 for 3n/4d, 2 rooms, 3 tours for 5 people for our stay in Bohol. Lunch and dinner excluded, except for lunch at the Loboc River Cruise (part of the package).



Part 2: Itinerary and more tips from our Bohol trip.