Cebu City
When we arrived in Cebu City, we found a hotel room for the evening. We had asked our friends, Dean and Yeoibom, how many nights they recommended we spend in the capital and they replied “zero.” We had also heard that the food in the Philippines left something to be desired, and after our 24/7 food tour in Malaysia, we didn’t know what to think. Our hotel room had a restaurant downstairs, so we ordered some room service (travel days are always exhausting!) so Coons could prepare for an interview. Yes, at this point we were a month away from returning home, and Coons thought it was time to start the job search. The food was decent, the interview went well, and the twin beds were comfortable. The next day we walked to the ferry headed straight to Bohol.
Panglao
Bohol is one of the more popular islands in the Philippines and we can see why our friends enjoyed it so much. We were picked up by this lovely gentleman driving a motorcycle with a large side cart for us and driven to Panglao, a smaller island just south of the main island of Bohol. We were staying ten minutes outside the touristy section with a local couple in their second bamboo cabana. This cozy homestay is a way for Lars, a retired German, and his Filipino wife, Jackie Lyn, to make some money while they enjoy the good life. It was nice to stay with them because we got a taste of the real Philippines living. The neighbors and their pigs, dogs, chickens, and kids wake up extremely early to start their day. The water wasn’t running so we took bucket showers most days. We also scooted around with our hosts quite a bit to check out the town. Luckily, Lars and Jackie knew the best spots to have any meal so we didn’t end up being very disappointed with the food: breakfast, lunch, or dinner. We feasted poolside at a retirement village/hotel, ate at a local bistro that could never seem to get our order correct, and went to one of the best Italian inspired pizza joints around!
We were particularly excited to swim with the sardine balls, so we headed to this little spot on the coast with cliff jumping and snorkel setups. The reef right offshore is quite vivid and alive given the amount of people that must visit each year. The thousands of sardines swerving back and forth in tight pods was one of the coolest looking things we’ve seen up close. Admittedly, we tried to swim with them, but it probably looked as if we were trying to break them up; they were so quick. They did provide us with hours of entertainment though.
January is the low season for diving in Malaysia, so we were really excited to get in the water in the Philippines. Lars recommended a great company, Valm Divers, so we booked two dives with them. Off the coast of Balicasag Island, we were surrounded by beautiful fish and coral. We just love watching the clownfish swim in between the reefs. On our second dive, we saw half a dozen sea turtles and a huge school of jackfish. We met a lovely couple from Canada on their first big vacation as a couple, so it was exciting to talk to them about their time in Asia. We actually hit it off quite well and all went for lunch at a Thai restaurant nearby. We decided to meet up later for a night on the strip. It gets quite animated in the town on a Tuesday: we saw devastating break-ups and even some local brawls, all before 9pm! The food and drink in the tourist section is very good and very cheap. We did a mini food and drink tour before settling at a bar where we started the dance party. We were so happy to have made some new friends!
Bohol
For the next couple of days, we decided to take the scooter and drive north to the main island of Bohol to see some waterfalls! Lars and Jackie were kind enough to let us keep our big bags with them, so we only packed our day packs for the excursion. On the way, we stopped at a Tarsier Sanctuary to get a glimpse of these cute little creatures native to Southeast Asia. It was a silent tour as they sleep during the day, so it was difficult for Kourtney to keep her little excited squeals in, but she did okay for the most part. Tarsiers are the smallest primates in the world, weighing only 4-5 ounces. They are the size of a human fist, and females deliver one baby per year the size of one’s thumb. We were lucky enough to see a couple of little ones with their eyes open! We couldn’t take them home–we asked!
On the way to our destination, we also took the scoot scoot through the Bilar Man-Made Forest where we watched several tourists risk their lives for a picture on the centerline of the road in the midst of all the trees. Us? We would never! We visited several waterfalls during our time near Carmen including the Ingkumhan waterfall where we jumped from level 1 and 2 only to be shown up by a seven-year-old boy who jumped from level 3 which also happened to be from a tree! There was also a rope swing that was quite fun! Coons killed it with the waterfall photography at the Pahangog waterfall — seriously ND filters are life — and then we enjoyed a nice sunset right outside of our hostel door.
Given our luck in Panglao, we booked another homestay in Carmen. Our hostess’ name was Fely and she was wonderful! She cooked us dinner that evening, and it was delicious, although she worries she’s not a good cook. She quickly learned our favorite things in the two nights we stayed there and always tried to cater to us. Coons prefers tea in the morning and Kourtney prefers coffee. One night while we were sitting on the deck enjoying a bottle of wine, she asked us how we like to pass the evening; she commented that she sees many couples who play card games. Kourtney commented that we do have cards, but we can only play so often because Coons always wins and it makes her mad. Fely was delighted with this story! We ended up passing our evenings chatting with her which was much more memorable!
The next morning we got up before the sun rose and went to the Chocolate Hills which during this time of year were more of a mint chocolate. The platform they built was 100 (and change) steps up where you could see these rolling hills for miles! We were happy to have arrived early before all of the crowds, so by the time it was packed with scooters and tourists, we were on our way back to Fely’s for breakfast. We spent the rest of the day chasing waterfalls. We were the first tourists to arrive at Camugo Falls. The trees and flowers leading down to the falls were breathtaking. Kawasan had a nice big swimming area and a rock to jump off. There was not a ton of water, but it sure didn’t feel that way when you were right underneath the falls. Magaso Falls was a beautiful, clear bluish-green color and we actually got to sit in the falls so it created a whirlpool tub at the bottom. It made for a nice massage for Coons as well!
On our final day in Carmen, we had high hopes to visit the remaining waterfalls on our list, but after breakfast a heavy rain set in which isn’t that much fun when you’re on a scooter. Just as we decided to turn around, we noticed a weird noise coming from the scoot-scoot. We pulled over and stepped off the moped to find our tire flat on the pavement. Lucky for us we were in a tiny town and just down the street was a mechanic. He changed out the tire tube and we headed back for our homestay.
Little did we know, Fely lets the locals sing karaoke at the bar every afternoon when her tourists are out. If you are imagining a terrible set up with too much base and Asian patrons who barely know the words to some of the most outdated American ballads, then you understand what we listened to for over five hours straight! Finally, Coons couldn’t take anymore and asked Fely when they usually call it quits. She must have been sick of them too because she shut it down immediately. I guess we can check that off our list of experiences!
Malapascua Island
Our trip to Malascua was a long one, involving multiple ferries, cabs, tricycles, and busses. As we were walking in the heat to our hostel adorned with all of our baggage, we ran into the Canadians from the dive in Bohol. We planned to meet them for dinner but needed to rest for the afternoon. We went to a restaurant with nice wicker tables and chairs right on the beach lit by candlelight that evening. We were here to see the infamous thresher sharks, so we asked the Canadians if they saw them and what dive shop they recommended.
The dive shops all line the beach along with a few restaurants and hotels; everyone who lives on the island lives in further from the beach in much shabbier accommodations. The dive shop suggested to us was right next to the restaurants where we had dinner (and a couple of lunches and breakfasts too). The dive shop was nice and their boat was huge, but we struck out both mornings with the thresher sharks, our whole reason for coming to the island We took one afternoon dive at Gato island to see a ton of marine life there and swim through an underwater cave which helped our sour spirits! We saw a couple of cuttlefish–by far our favorite–because they look like little hovercrafts!
We also saw a seahorse, although it seemed that everyone diving at Gato Island was there trying to sneak a peak at the same time. We definitely have been spoiled on most of our dive trips as we’re usually the only people or in very small groups. Hardly ever are we on a boat with 30+ people and multiple other boats as well. We decided not to dive the next morning; the sunrises are killer, but getting up that early is too (and Coons’ cold wasn’t getting any better). We decided we would come back next time when we’re Nitrox certified and can dive even deeper than 90ft. Hopefully, we’ll be back for those pesky threshers.
South Cebu
We came to South Cebu for one reason and one reason only–waterfalls!
But to get there, we had one more journey from hell. Knowing we couldn’t make it all the way from Malapascua to Malabuyoc in one day, we booked a place for a couple of nights in Moalboal. We left the island at low tide, which meant we needed to hop on a small boat to take us to the larger ferry to get off the island (which was late, of course). While we were waiting, one of the locals warned us that we were about to enter Cebu City on the busiest day of the year — Sinulog. Apparently it’s some type of festival for little Baby Christ. Nervous about our timetable, we decided to split a private van with another couple on the ferry. He drove like a madman but refused to bring us into the city; the North Bus Terminal was as far as he would go. We grabbed a taxi to the South Terminal, but were turned away by traffic police once we got close. We got out and walked the rest of the way only to find out that all the roads were blocked off and no busses were running from the station. We couldn’t even get a taxi, so we started walking south, in the rain, until we found a cab to bring us to a makeshift bus station south of the city. We could finally relax on the bus on the way to Moalboal. We ended up finding a cool little taco joint owned by a Canadian and run by him and his Filipino girlfriend. We had a great time watching weird music videos and drinking beers outside — we even went to his new restaurant the next day for an awesome pork chop dinner!
After leaving Moalboal, we headed down the coast to our last destination in the Philippines. We used the last of our points to book five nights at a beach house on the ocean so we could relax before heading to Japan. We were surrounded by waterfalls and managed to visit five in our first two days there. Most involved multiple viewing levels, climbing, and lots of jumping. One thing that was different here was that we were required to pay an entrance fee and often needed to be guided which of course we didn’t love. Some of our guides were awesome, swimming along with us and taking pictures; others sat around talking with their friends just waiting for us to be finished. We didn’t like feeling rushed and of course, the ones who care the least are the ones trying to negotiate their tip. We ended South Cebu on a major highlight though! We went canyoneering at Kawasan Falls where we spent four hours with our guide Noli swimming, sliding, swinging, and jumping through the canyon. He was a blast! Always happy to snap photos and mimic animal noises to keep us and others occupied. This was one of the most adventure-packed days we spent in the Philippines and it was worth every penny!
Osmeña Peak
Our last stop in the Philippines and the last time we would feel warmth for a while was near Osmeña Peak. When we weren’t looking for waterfalls, we were driving the three hours to the top of the peak to take a hike and try to see the sunset over the Pacific Ocean. It took two trips to nail the sunset and catch the views as it quickly becomes covered by the clouds. The first time we got caught in the dark without a GPS to guide us but managed to follow some nice Europeans down to the main road. In the evenings, we enjoyed blogging and beers in the lounge (and some more interviews for Coons, who managed to land a job!). On our last day, we got rid of all of our summer clothes and donated them to the staff. We packed all of our warm-weather stuff for Japan and made our way back to Cebu City. We finished exploring our 30th country of the trip; now we’re trading 90-degree weather and tank-tops for 20-degree weather and ski jackets! Here’s hoping we found some of that famous Japow!
