April 2012 ~ Beautiful Islands In The Philippines and Places In Canada

Sunday, April 22, 2012

Bais City Negros Oriental Escapade

Sunday, April 22, 2012 Bais City 10 comments

Bais City is a 2nd class city in the province of Negros Oriental, Philippines. According to the 2010 census, it had a population of 74,722 people. Located 44.7 km from the provincial capital Dumaguete, it has a land area of 316.90 km².

Bais City is the largest producer of raw sugar in Negros Oriental. There are two sugar mills in the city. The Central Azucarera de Bais was established by Tabacalera of Spain in the early 1900s and is one of the oldest in the country. The other mill, URSUMCO (Universal Robina Sugar Milling Corporation) was formerly UPSUMCO (United Planters Milling Corporation) and constructed in the mid '70s by Marubeni Corporation of Japan as a project of Ignacio Montenegro (also of Spanish roots).

Aroma Beach Resort, Campuyo Manjuyod Negros Oriental
For more inquiries, you can contact Aroma Beach Resort at Tel. no.: (63-35) 404-1245; Bacolod contact no.: (63-34) 446-1372.

Manjuyod White Sand Bar

When planning to visit the Manjuyod White Sand Bar, it is advisable to book in advance for a boat to take you there. The Bais City Tourism Office can be reached at (035)541-5161 / 402-8174 Fax (035)402-8181. Boat rate is P2,500 for a group of 15 and P3,000 for a group of 20. This is already basically for an entire day of use.

From Dumaguete City, you may board the jeepney (P15 per person) at the Dumaguete – Bais terminal near the port and going to Lo-oc Road in Rizal Boulevard or the Ceres Bus Liner at the Ceres terminal in Barangay Calindagan

Samboan Hidden Falls

Sunday, April 22, 2012 Cebu 3 comments

It’s summer time! Going out somewhere far just to refresh yourself this summer? Oops, you don’t have to. Don’t you know that our very own place has something to offer for a fun summer? If you heard of the place called Samboan, you’ve surely heard of that summer venue for families and friends.

Samboan is in the Southern part of Cebu with 18,613 people living that area. To reach the place you need to travel 140 kilometers if you are from Cebu City. Once you step on this place, you can enjoy your summer at Aguinid Waterfalls which is in Barangay Tangbo. Then, you can visit the Hidden "Triple Drop" Waterfalls in Barangay Bonbon. You can also try Barangay Colase Marine Sanctuary, Ponong Hidden Lake and Balay'g Sawa Falls in Calin-ay. However, we only visited Aguinid Waterfalls and Hidden "Triple Drop" Waterfalls during our visit to Samboan. As you can see in the pictures below, summer hotness is nothing with these kinds of water bodies. It’s a good feeling to look at those splashes of waterfalls overcoming hotness and dryness.

So, if you decide to visit those waterfalls; you better bring extra swim wears. That’s because you’ll surely get wet as you go forward to the next falls. Take extra care and expect to have an adventure as you climb those limestone walls every level. It wasn’t really a hard course of wall climbing. So, I’d say; this place is perfect for adventure and nature lovers like me. Believe me or not, you will surely enjoy your summer!

Aguinid Waterfalls (Barangay Tangbo)

Hidden "Triple Drop" Waterfalls (Barangay Bonbon)

Aguinid Waterfalls (Barangay Tangbo)

Coco Palms Resort Danao

Saturday, April 21, 2012 Cebu 1 comment

Coco Palms Resort is located at Danao City, 30 km. or 45 minutes drive away from Cebu City. You can enjoy outdoor activities through waterpark amenities and experience fun in water sports whether for overnight stay at affordable rates. Relatively, Danao Coco Palms Resort just had its opening last May 2010.

For reservations you can visit here.

Museo Sugbo - Cebu Provincial Museum

Saturday, April 21, 2012 Cebu 2 comments

Young people today usually go to malls and play some computer games. Only few of them give time to visit the landmarks that contribute much of the Philippines history. Some may consider the idea as boring but if we try to remember the adage, “Ang hindi marunong lumingon sa pinanggalingan ay hindi makakarating sa paroroonan.” So, getting to know about the past adds good luck to one’s good fortune coming. Well, this is just an adage but you will not lose anything if you believe.

In response to that, I’ve visited the Museo Sugbo with my girlfriend. That term is translated as Cebu Museum. It was once a Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center which is located in MJ Cuenco Avenue. This was also called Cárcel de Cebú. This is where Katipuneros were locked up without fair trial and some of them were later punished through death. This place eventually became the stable for horses during the American era. For me, this is one of places where tears shed and sadness felt by those brave Filipinos fighting for freedom. Knowing all these, I should always be thankful for being free from conquerors.

Oops, don’t cry now! For you can find more information about Philippine’s history which can only be found at Museo Sugbo. So, visit the place and feel like traveling via time machine in seeing the remnants of the past. You can go there by riding a taxi or ride the 01K jeepney route if you are from Colon St. Cebu City.

Dumaguete City

Friday, April 20, 2012 Dumaguete City 2 comments

This year I had a glimpse of how beautiful Dumaguete is! I got also the chance to meet lots of gentle “Dumagueteños”. For it is believed that the city’s nicknamed is “The City of Gentle people”. Dumaguete is coined from the word “daggit” translated as “to snatch”. Well, the rest is history.

So let’s go on how I got to Dumaguete. Since I am from Cebu City, I only need to travel the distance131.33kms. or 70.86 nautical miles. Today, you can visit the place by sea or by air. If you travel by air, you’ll reach Dumaguete in 15mins while traveling by sea in 4 hours.

We know that Dumaguete is a province but if you visit Dumaguete today, you can now shop in Robinsons Place Dumaguete and it’s the first full services shopping mall of the province. You can find food and beverage, apparel, beauty & wellness, services and retail industries from this two-level commercial complex. As recorded, there are more than 100 tenants since it was opened last November 2009 I also visited their Provincial Capitol which was built in 1924 during the American takeover of our country Philippines. According to the provincial official website, it was design by architect Daniel Hudson Burnham. In fact, this design is similar to the designs you will find in Manila - Post Office, Department of Tourism and the National Museum. Negros Occidental, Leyte and Cebu’s Provincial Capitols are also alike to this Provincial Capitol in Dumaguete.

Of course, I also visited Silliman University. I’ve heard lots of positive feedbacks about this school. High school graduates dream to be enrolled to this university which at first I don’t have an idea, why? The moment I saw it and read information about it, I exclaimed, “whoah! It must be because they are really excellent.”

Provincial Capitol of Dumaguete City

Siquijor -The Island of Healing

Friday, April 20, 2012 Siquijor 5 comments

I heard lots of magical stories about Siquijor. It must be because the place is very well known as the
hideout of witchcraft and witches. Whoah! That sounds scary, yay! Well, yes but I’ve overcome that fear by exactly visiting Siquijor.

What I have in me when I visited Siquijor to protect myself were faith to God and safety precautions like drinking only bottled water. I was also choosy of the foods I ate. Of course, I only chose those affordable foods good enough for my stomach. That’s how simple to enjoy the beautiful place of Siquijor.

As you’ll see in the pictures below I’ve been to Cantabon Cave. Promise, it was not really scary yet it was very thrilling to be inside that cave. You don’t have to worry to get outside that cave since you have a paid guide. I’ve passed by also to their widely known Lazi convent. The experience inside that church was really amazing. I was like traveling via time machine because of their unique floor and the whole structure. Then, I got a chance also to feel the water of Cambugahay Falls in Lazi Siquijor. Now, to make scary feeling fulfilled; I also saw a Balete Tree which reminds me of Balete Drive. It was not scary though.

So, still scared? You don’t have to be if you’ve got enough faith. Over all, Siquijor is a place blessed with wonderful art of nature. In fact, it made me feel like a tourist of my own country. It’s so good to witness how beautiful Philippines is! Therefore, it heals me of missing the place once. Now, are you going to miss the beauty of Siquijor?