Port Barton, Palawan - A Little Piece of Heaven

Eversince our trip to El Nido, there was no other beach better for us. Then again we wanted to explore more of Palawan so our good friend, Bia, suggested we go to Port Barton. We don't regret it at all! It is actually a more laid-back, quieter version of El Nido.

DAY 1

We booked a plane going to Puerto Princesa. Unfortunately, the flight we got arrived at 2:30 in the afternoon.

NOTES:
Make sure you book for an early flight since you have to travel around 4 hours from Puerto Princesa to Port Barton.

Withdraw cash in Puerto Princesa. No ATMs in Port Barton.

Electricity shuts off at 2:00 AM - 6:00 AM. Some resorts have generators.

We rode a van to Barton at 3:00 PM from PP and arrived around 8pm. We booked an overnight stay at the White House. (because our reservation at Ausan Beach Cottages wasn't until the following day) Locals told us a government official owned the place. Anyway, it was late, of course there was nothing left to do but chill. We had a few drinks before going to bed. Ardie surprised Bia with a necklace! Yep. It was their anniversary. Talked a few minutes more and finally went to bed.

DAY 2

We checked in at Ausan Beach Front Cottages for the duration of our stay in PB. We realized there's really no use in booking an air conditioned room since you're out in the morning and afternoon, and when it's time to sleep, it's going to shut off anyway. We couldn't sleep! Ang init!

Also, it's fine if you don't book a beach front accommodation, the hostels are very near the beach. I'm sure that's also what the locals will tell you.

We booked a 2 day tour. (about 700 per person per day. including lunch)
Everything is actually negotiable with the tour guides. Just please make sure not to haggle too much. Their prices are very reasonable.

Exotic Island
We spent around 30 mins in this island. When the tide is low, a sand bar appears which connects 2 islands together.

Toby and Thelma’s Palawan Camping
For those of you who enjoy camping, this is the place for you! They're offering nipa huts and tents for rent. They'll go fishing for your food and cook it the way you like. For us, it was the best island we visited. The beach was really beautiful!

German Island
It's an island where a lot of palm trees grew in the middle, hammocks were set up, so people can chill, read a book, sleep, eat... We were startled by people shouting and immediately swimming towards something. I thought there was someone drowning. Apparently, someone saw a Pawikan! Too bad we didn't see it.

Long Beach
We went here on Day 2. You'll need to travel by boat, then by tricycle to get to the longest beach in the Philippines. We stayed for about an hour since there was nothing to do but swim and take pics anyway. :) It was worth seeing!

Lubog-Litaw island
It's a sand bar they call lubog-litaw since when it's high tide, it's under the water. :) Then it "surfaces" or lumilitaw in Filipino, when it's low tide. Here's where we took pics with the star fishes!

WHERE TO EAT

We only tried 2 restuarants. Jambalaya and Paella restaurant along Bonifacio. Jambalaya is a beach frnt restaurant. You won't miss it since you'll see 2 large chairs where you have to use a ladder so you can sit on it. :)

We eat at Paella Restaurant EVERY SINGLE TIME - breakfast and dinner (since lunch is part of the tour)

We love this place since they have good food and reasonable prices. They are also open to a "paluto" style where you can just buy seafood from the market and have them cook it for you. Every night was a feast for us!

After the tour on the 2nd day, we rode a van going back to Puerto Princesa. Booked a room at Natua's Cabin, which is just beside the airport. Very budget-friendly and convenient! We rested for a while, went to Baker's Hill for pasalubongs..

 Then had dinner at Kinabuch, of course, we tried the tamilok and crocodile sisig again.

We had a few drinks at the Tiki Resto Bar then kwenuthans at Natua's.

Day 4
Morning flight to Manila. Couldn't believe it's over! Waaaaah! Til next time, Palawan. You'll always be one of our top favorite destinations!

Dumaguete - Oslob - Siquijor Day 2

5:30 AM - Alarm beeping

Yes yes... we woke up early! We're going to swim with the Whalesharks and visit Tumalog falls today.

Oslob New Village Lodge offers a car to bring you to the whalesharks and Tumalog falls at 500 per person. Not bad for us since we want to relax and forget about all the stress.

We met a fun couple staying in Oslob New Village Lodge - Mark & Mimi. They're such a fun couple! Adventurous & friendly. We clicked right then and there, and we went on a tour together that day.

Got to the whaleshark briefing area in about 20 mins. We had to listen to the short orientation where they mentioned the rules & regulations while you're swimming with the whalesharks.

Rules:
Don't go to near the whalesharks, no touching.
No flash photography
No jumping from the  boat
Don't apply sunblock - yes that's why we wore rash guards

Here's Mark & Mimi!

 All groups are given 30mins to swim and take pictures of the whalesharks. It was a really an enjoyable experience.

After the whalesharks, we drove to Tumalog falls. The car can only get you to the top and then you'll have to walk down the path - It's a cemented path so don't worry, trekking level: easy.

We took pictures and swam in the super cold water, but it was manageable, good thing the sun was up.

After an hour, we went back to our place. We had to since we're suppose to catch the boat going back to Dumaguete since we'll still go to Siquijor. We decided not to stay another night in Oslob since there was nothing else to do after visiting the Heritage park, Tumalog Falls and Whalesharks.

We packed our stuff and waited for a bus along the main road. Arrived at Liloan Port, bought a ticket and headed back to Dumaguete.

When we arrived, Kuya Hanz & Ate Jen were waiting for us. (Ate Jen and I were together in the Ateneo Children's Theater 16 years ago. Yup! That's how long we haven't seen each other!) They treated us to lunch before our boat ride to Siquijor. Food in Sansrival Bistro is yummy!

I ordered Lengua. So yummy!

Carlo liked the Bbq Ribs he ordered. 

There are several boat rides to Siquijor but most people prefer the Ocean Jet since it's air conditioned and only takes 40mins. Others take an hour and 20, others - 2hrs. We missed the once a day Ocean Jet trip (12:50PM) so we took the GL Express (1hr 20m) It wasn't air- conditioned, but it wasn't that bad.

Finally we arrive Siquijor. I was so shocked to see a long stretch of white sand. "Is this really a port??"

Here, we booked a room in Cocogrove Beach Resort Siquijor. It's not a budget resort, but I tell you it's really worth it!

We decided to relax today since we'll be staying here for 3 days more anyway.

We just ate dinner and slept the whole night.


Expenses (for 2):
Van c/o Oslob New Village Lodge - 500
Whaleshark watching - 1000 (500 each for locals)
Tumalog Falls entrance - 40
Bus to Liloan Port - 64
Boat to Sibulan Port, Dumaguete - 124
Trike to Dumaguete Port - 150
Boat to Siquijor (GL Express) - 260
TOTAL - P2,138

Dumaguete - Oslob - Siquijor Day 1

Our 2nd anniversary. That's what we were celebrating.

We were able to get a super cheap plane ticket (P2,332 for the both of us) since Cebu Pacific had a promo.

Here's how it went:

Arrived Dumaguete at around 1:30 PM. So hungry we asked the tricycle driver to bring us to Rizal Blvd where most of the restaurants are. There are no taxis in Dumaguete so tricycle trips are the most common mode of transportation. They have regular and "pakyaw" trips at P150. Regular is the shared ride. They usually offer "pakyaw" to tourists so they have the trike all to themselves.

Our trike driver Kuya Ben, offered to drive for us the whole time and said it's up to us how much we'll pay him. People usually don;t agree to this, but since I was in favor of the convenience, I obliged. (Plus, kuya Ben looked really nice and decent anyway)

We ate lunch at Kamalig Restaurant. Carinderia Type. They have a wide variety of viands, just like any carinderia in our country. Carlo ordered Sisig, I ordered Tanigue. After lunch, we passed by Silliman University (This is a 'must visit' to others), we decided not to go down since we were catching a boat to Oslob at Sibulan Port.

There are several boat trips to Oslob every hour, fast craft or pump boat . We took the fast craft that will depart at 3:00 PM. It was a hot day and we felt sweaty and uncomfortable since the boat wasn't air conditioned. then finally after around 45 mins, we arrive Liloan Port, Cebu. Ceres Liner buses are waiting there ready to go northbound to Cebu City. We rode a bus and arrived Oslob in 30 mins.

We stayed at Oslob New Village Lodge since we're friends with the owner, Kuya Hanz Villanueva. It was a nice place. Very peaceful and quiet at night. it's also near the main road so you won't have any problem looking for a pharmacy, a convenience store or a restaurant.

After settling in, we went to Oslob Heritage Park where we saw the old church, towers, gates and headquarters built during the Spanish era. It was a beautiful sight and we really felt we traveled back in time.

It was dawn and felt a little tired already so we went back to the main road and looked for restaurants. Them we saw these tables all lined up in one side of the street. They were all selling bbq and fried chicken. Tables and chairs are set up so you can eat there too. Unfortunately, unlike other street food, this was NOT good. It was okay, but hindi ganon ka-sarap.

We bought a few beers on the way back to our place so we can drink a bit and sleep soundly.

Expenses:
Lunch at Kamalig - 400
Tricycle Ride - 350
Fast Craft to Liloan Port - 124
Bus from Liloan to Oslob - 64
Dinner - 235
DAY 1 TOTAL: P1,173

Tattoos by Whang Od, The Last Mambabatok

My bestfriend, Kriska and I have been talking about going to Kalinga to meet Whang Od, she's the last original mambabatek. 

We planned the trip just a day before since we were busy with work and since we've both read a few blogs over and over and over like:

When in Manila's The Buscalan, Kalinga Experience: In Search of Whang-Od
Pinay Traveller
Wanderful Together's Things to know before going to Buscalan to meet Fang Od

We were able to plan it in a span of just an hour. 

Thank you so much by the way! it helped a lot!

I booked bus tickets to Tabuk in Victory Liner, Kamias. Regular tickets cost 614 per ticket. You can also choose the deluxe bus which is more expensive, around 800. We got the last trip which was at 8:45 PM. There are earlier trips - 7:30, 7:45 but we had to get he last since our friends were coming from work. Bought for tickets for Kriska, RV, Carlo and me.

Off to Tabuk!

The trip had 3 stops - it was okay since we all had to use the bathroom or eat snacks. 

We arrived Tabuk at 9:30 am. We ate brunch at a nearby restaurant. Waited for the van/jeep that would bring us to Tinglayan, where we'll meet Kuya Francis Pa-in. He's a recommended tourist guide. 

The jeep finally arrived, and we got to Tinglayan at 1:30pm. It took us another hour or so to get to Buscalan riding the same jeep. The whole trip was 150 per person. 

Time for the hike! 

While reading some blogs, we didn't actually realize how tiring the hike would be. But Travel lessons from Tripadora were super useful. Especially this: When the road seems long and your body is weary, never give up. Go on. Continue what you've started. There's no turning back. 

Kriska and me

It took us about 1 and a half hours to reach Buscalan and when we saw the elementary school, whew! it was a relief we were just steps aways from the village. As we walked a few steps more, there she was, Whang-Od sitting outside her house with a kid. Kriska and I were super starstruck!! 

Since it was almost sunset, the tattooing will push through early morning the next day. They want perfect lighting when tattooing. We went to our rooms which was fairly new. It was Grace's (Whang Od's grand niece) room. 

We brought canned goods as baon and we had the hosts cook the food for sharing. We had dinner and chatted with the locals, we also made friends with the other tourists. :) Apparently some of them were affiliated with Barefoot Travels. 

Sleeping time!

It was still early but since we were tired, we slept just before 10pm. Woke up really early the next day so we can get our tattoos done already.

Tattooing started at around 6:30 am. :)

I got the tattoo meaning The Traveler

Kriska getting her tattoo

RV getting her tattoo

Carlo got Ilat, meaning lighting like

As soon as all of us were finished, we packed our stuff, prepared ourselves for the hike back. We started the hike at 9:30am and we got to the end of the trail 40 mins after. There we rode the van to Tabuk. Arrived there at around 3pm. Bought bus tickets in Victory Liner, Tabuk. Tickets were at P605 each. Trips back to Manila start at 4 PM, last trip is at 5 PM.

The four of us were really tired with tattoos aching. So when we were able to board the bus. We just relaxed and slept. We ate along the way during one of the stopovers, but we really couldn't wait to go home to sleep on our beds.

We arrived Manila at 5:30 AM. It was really a memorable trip. We had so much fun and the leg and back aches were all worth it. :)