Coconuts and Bananas! (Mactan Island)

Our weekend adventure this time is a little bit closer to the heart of Cebu. Only a few kilometers away and still part of the Cebu province. The beaches are great so you can count on a number of resorts in the island. Yes, it's Mactan Island where the first Filipino hero Lapu-Lapu once reigned. The island was famous for the epic battle that once transpired there a long long time ago, wherein an also famous Portuguese explorer was defeated along with other Spanish soldiers.

Pado Resort!!! Entrance =P100

Enough about the short history lesson, let's get right back to business.So there was another opportunity for the gang to visit the island. Jed's teammates were going there for some group outing. He invited us and we agreed to tag along. We weren't staying for the night because, we can go home right away if we like to.  They had the outing planned in Pado Resort. The resort was alright, nothing fancy if that's what you expect. It was a bit secluded so you can get enough privacy. The place was more suited for diving, jet skiing, etc. Once there, we saw a lot of Korean tourists on a diving lesson with a couple of diver staffs from the resort. Although, it was so inviting to join them, we didn't because that was not what we came there for.

In this outing, we also brought a another close friend of ours who was only visiting for a job training. He is very well known as Ramz  and we were glad that to have him in spite of his busy schedule. Right Ramz?

Say hi to Ramz!

That's us figuring out what to do first on that beautiful day.

We wasted no time and soon enough we were on our snorkeling gears. It was our first time to do this kind of things with the exception of Jed,who did this during his trip to Malapascua island and Ramz,who basically had the sea for a backyard in his hometown in Neg. Or. It was a good thing that we have along good swimmers because Azi and I aren't exactly the best swimmers out there.

Life jackets to save us from drowning since Azi and I aren't too confident with the water especially  with the current.

Snorkeling Set with Life Jacket Rent = P200

Eager much?

It wasn't the best snorkeling spot either but being first timers, we were very excited when we saw a school of fish and a huge starfish. There was also a mild panic when Azi swore she spotted a jellyfish. Don't worry, nobody got stung or hurt in any way. We were not expecting an underwater paradise but this was a good start, we were saving one of the best diving and snorkeling spots on our April trip to Apo Island. We're looking forward to that and hopefully by then somebody would have purchase an underwater camera.

Lunch was served soon, thanks to Jed's workmates. The "kinilaw" was really good! So after brunch, we were off to our next activity there, which was the highlight of the day. We were to ride the banana boat! Hurray! Why so excited you ask? Again, this was our first time to indulge in this water sledding activity. Here are some "Before Banana Boat Ride" photos:

A fail attempt for a group shot.. tsk. Only Jed was on cue. Haha

Heading towards the Banana

Kuya giving us instructions in case the Banana will tumble: just let go!

Ready and  uncertain to what awaits during the ride... only hoping no one would fall from the Banana.

No photos were taken during the ride but I do hope maybe next time we can take some snapshots if it's not too dangerous. Well, now that I think of it, it would to take a lot of guts to get a self capture during the ride. We were sledding so fast, I thought the banana would tumble over. Thank God it didn't. We were shouting until we decided it was foolish to shout throughout the ride. The thrill was amazing and as we got far from the shore the waves got a little bigger so it was sort of a bumpy ride. We also saw other resorts alongside the beach including the famous Plantation Bay Resort. It was the most exhilarating 30-min ride I had.. ever. I bet it was the same for my friends too. Check out our "After Banana Boat Ride" pics:

By the way, Jed fell off during the ride.  We forgot to go get him back! 

Kidding!! Jed's actually the one taking the pictures. Or is he? Hahaha. Those are some of his workmates.

Azi wanting more Banana! Banana ride was P300/person.

Next on the agenda: Jet skiing!

Well.. more of Jet ski posing.. still too expensive for pocket.

After the banana boat ride, we went to explore the resort a bit. We found out that there were sharks in the perimeter, baby sharks for that matter. But still, seriously, SHARKS?!? Hey, we were snorkeling the beach awhile ago, those creatures aren't exactly hard to miss. But there was no need to fret. The baby sharks were actually enclosed in a lagoon in the resort so it was very safe. I'm not sure whether they are the killer ones. We failed to ask what type of shark they were. I wonder what they'll do to them once they got bigger. We only saw three of them at first but when we tossed food, the other two joined the feast.

Hello Babies! Baby Shark tat..da..ta..ra...ra

My favorite part of the resort was the boardwalk. I have a thing for boardwalks so when we discovered that they had one, I was so happy. It was located at the resort's bar and resto. We had to take loads of pictures there.

Hello coconut tree!

Hangul on stairs.. I wonder what it means. Gosh, I need to get back in learning Korean.

The bar and resto.. and Ramz..

The beautiful boardwalk!! >.<

Can someone translate please?..  I have a hunch it means -- no jumping from here.

Let's emote!

There's a bridge here but it destroyed. Currently under construction.

The  few hours we had at the resort soon ended. Ramz still had to go to a birthday party. It was a short day trip to Mactan Island but one very memorable. It wasn't as exhausting as our previous trip. Half an  hour later, we were back at our pad. So if you're thinking of mini getaway from the hustle and bustle of Cebu City, the closest to sand and sun you can get is Mactan Island, a place where you can choose from a number of resorts. If you're from Luzon or from out of the country, this island is where you can also find Mactan International Airport so it's quite convenient for tourists. So look no further, visit Mactan Island now and have fun.

We welcome suggestions so please comment down below. ;)

The Clouds, Sun and Sand (Camotes Island ) Part 3 Final

The rain eventually stopped and day turned to dusk. The entire day's excitement got us all hungry again and it was just in time for another early dinner. The resort's resto was open. We browsed through their menu and it was almost identical to the one from Santiago Bay Garden Resort. We found out that both establishments are actually owned by the same person.

After ordering and eating, I went back to the room to get a little rest. While I was busy laying on the bed, my roommates weren't too eager to rest yet so they went exploring the new resort, and here's what they've captured.

Sunset at Mangodlong

This is the best we can get with the camera. 

Before we proceed with the rest of the story, I suddenly remembered something that I must not miss to tell you. Let's rewind a little to the time we went to that magical pool inside the cave. As we carefully made our entrance to the dome that housed the clear pool, there was a group who was just about to leave. Anybody who had a camera who would see that scene will surely activate the reflex to press the shutter. And that's exactly what my roommates did. When the guys who were just going out of the water noticed this, they made comments in the Cebuano dialect about us. What's wrong with these pals? Are they not aware that we can understand them? They definitely mistook us as foreigners, so when my roommate made a comment in the dialect, they carefully made their exit trying to conceal the awkward looks in their faces. We thought it was all because of the limited light inside the cave but w e were wrong, because the second time someone greeted us with a loud "Anyeong!", it was done under the bright sun, while walking on the edge of a cliff. Did we really look like foreign tourists? You'll be the judge to that. But surely it was "wee" bit flattering.

So, going to the present part of our story I got really bored when they were not back after 40 minutes. I was wondering what they were up to this time and I didn't want to miss out on anything fun so I went out to join them. Indeed, they were playing with camera. Sometimes it pays to have an entry-level DSLR because you can play with a lot of features. When you set the shutter speed between 5 - 15 seconds, you can capture light at different parts of the frame. Here is what we've come up with.

Cebu lights ahead..

An attempt to make the perfect heart..

Almost perfect!

Finally, something went right!

Someone is learning to spell their name right.

A bear with a balloon.

The powerful Azi!

Ohhhh!

The sky that evening was clear and dark. It was perfect for stargazing. I should not miss to share this part that I enjoyed most while in Camotes. The dark sky makes a perfect background for the stars shining like tiny pieces of Christmas lights illuminating this giant ceiling. It was as if it was never cloudy and rainy in Camotes, ealier that day. It appeared to me as if there were more stars in Camotes than anywhere else. You can make out countless patterns and constellations and name it after yourself. We were in awe with the variety of colors we saw in the sky which would look plain and usual in the city. Could it be that all this time when we've had plain dark skies, they were all here on a vacation in Camotes? hmm, I bet stars can't get enough of the view as well.

I guess we've made the most of our night in Mangodlong that we slept very soundly, but that doesn't mean we can't make the most of the morning that followed. We had partly cloudy skies the next day, so we headed straight to the beach. The white sand in Mangodlong was finer and whiter than Santiago Bay. It was as if they got a bleach treatment for each grain to look perfectly white under the midday sun. But still, nothing beats the wide and vast shorelines of Santiago Bay.Nevertheless, we had good times in Mangodlong savoring the crystal waters and bathing under the warm sun.

Aang, is that you?

What is he trying to do?.. Call upon the gods?

Finally, we had to set out and say goodbye to this mini paradise for now. At noon we were already packed headed for Consuelo port. This time the place was peaceful and empty. It was hard for us to believe that this was the same place, filled with people welcoming us and eager to take us to our respective destinations when we first set foot in Camotes. We came here as celebrities and now we leave as civilians. Well so much for the drama, we had a good 2 hours to relax and eat something to fill our hunger. Soon enough we were aboard the ferry taking us back to mainland Cebu, showing us a view of Camotes island, slowly fading under the cloudy skies. 

THE END.

Moment of Truth!

Bus to Danao Port- P50

Barge to Camotes Island- P180 

Habal-Habal to Santiago Bay-P50

Room in Santiago Bay Garden Resort (P1200/3)- P400 

Island Tour- P500/Habal-Habal

Gasoline Charge for Habal-Habal- P250 (good for 2 motor)

Lake Entrance- P15

Cave Entrance- P15

Buho Rock Entrance- P20

Mangodlong Rock Resort Room (P2,200/3)- P730

Multicab to Consuelo Port (P200/3)- P67

Camotes to Danao- P180

Danao to Cebu City- P50

Food Allowance- P500

Total: P3,007/ per 3 persons (3Days2Nights)

We hope you enjoyed browsing! If you have the time, don't miss out on Camotes Islands as one of your must see destinations when you visit Cebu. Create your own adventure! 

Don't forget to leave comments  below. We like to know what you think. ;)