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philippines

    Bohol and Panglao

    Even though we would have, we weren’t able to book a full week in Moalboal. We decided to spend the last two nights of our vacation on the island province of Bohol.

    Getting from Moalboal to Panglao took an entire day. I was hoping we’d be able to catch a ferry out of Oslab, but with it being Easter weekend, we were told the smaller ports would be crowded and unreliable. We hired a taxi for 1500PHP (around $30) to drive us three hours to Cebu City. From there, we purchased ferry tickets to Tagbilaran. The ferries had already sold out of the earlier time slots. After a few hours wait, we took the 2.5 hour ferry ride east to Tagbilaran. It was dark by the time we got there.

    We stayed at Momo Village on Panglao Island, just off the southwestern tip of Bohol. We found and booked the place through AirBnB. (Get $20 off your first stay with AirBnB!) Momo Village was AWESOME. The owner, Ana, was so hospitable. Believe the reviews – her cooking is incredible. Momo Village had a five-story tower with a room on each floor. We stayed in the very top apartment (which was originally never meant for guests, but was Ana’s husband’s art studio). The view was amazing.

     

    Momo Village Tower

     

    The mosquitoes weren’t awful at that time of year, but we needed the windows open to keep the room cool. So we put up the mosquito net to avoid creepy crawlies on us while we slept:

     

    Momo Village top room

     

    View from Momo Village Tower

     

    View from Momo Village Tower

     

    Purple leaves plant

     

    Ana’s husband had several beautiful driftwood pieces around the property:

     

    Driftwood sculpture

     

    After a delicious breakfast, we rented a motorbike from Ana and set off to explore. There was an option for a full-day tour around the area, but our time was limited and there were only a couple of places we wanted to see.

     

    David on Motorbike

     

    Leah store

     

    A holy week procession:

     

    Holy week parade

     

    Our first stop was the Tarsier Sanctuary. These nocturnal primates were mostly sleeping, but we caught a few with open eyes! They were cute little guys. A few fun facts:

    • They grow to just over 6 inches and weigh between 2.8–5.6 oz.
    • Tarsiers are able to rotate their heads 180º to compensate for their immovable eyeballs.
    • They are carnivorous primates. They eat insects, spiders, lizards, and birds.
    • Their third finger is the same length as their upper arm.

     

    Tarsier monkey

     

    Tarsier monkey

     

    Tarsier monkey

     

    From there, we went to the Chocolate Hills. There are over 1,200 of these natural land formations. Unfortunately, no chocolate was involved. The mounds get their name from their brown appearance during the dry season. Apparently the limestone mounds were formed ages ago by the uplift of coral deposits and the action of rain water and erosion.

     

    Chocolate Hills sign

     

    Chocolate Hills

     

    We had lunch at the restaurant at the Chocolate Hills. The quality wasn’t amazing, but the prices weren’t bad and we were super thirsty and hungry.

    We stopped by White Beach, but were too disturbed by the super old white men with teenage girls and left soon after. We’re talking girls probably younger than their daughters. Eegh.

    It was a long day on the motorbike. David did a great job of driving. We both did a great job of sweating. The showers we took that night were some of the most needed and refreshing ones we’d had in awhile. We ate dinner that evening at Momo Village. I’m telling you – probably the best meal you can have in Bohol!

     

    Sunset in Panglao

     

    David and Leah at sunset

     

    Our time in Bohol was short, but I’m glad we were able to explore it for a day! Ana drove us to the ferry port early the next morning. We took the ferry back to Cebu City and a taxi from the port to the airport.

    Travel Note: When flying out of the Cebu Airport, there is an airport fee of 750PHP per person (about $16). You must pay this before you go to the gate area, so keep some pesos on you!

    I claim our first Asia trip (outside Korea) a success! 🙂

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    Canyoneering in Kawasan Falls

    During our stay in Moalboal, Philippines, we wanted to take full advantage of the gorgeous scenery and explore some of the local landscape. Our resort offered excursions through their company Planet Action Adventure. We signed up with our friends for the Kawasan Falls Canyoneering expedition.

     

    canyoneeringkawasan

     

    We were so glad to have booked it through the adventure company. They provided the transportation, gear, wonderful guides, and a delicious lunch. We left the resort at 9:00 am and returned around 3:00pm.

    You guys. This experience was SO. COOL. And these pictures do not do Kawasan Falls and the canyon justice. (We had a waterproof cover for David’s phone, but it was difficult to take great photos and videos. Thanks to our friend Lauren for some of these pics!)

     

    Planet Action van

     

    Riding on top of the van. No big deal.

     

    Riding on van roof

     

    David and Leah wearing helmets and lifejackets

     

    It was Team Chaco vs. Team Keen and we all won.

     

    Chaco shoes and Keen shoes

     

    Cebu eco tourism stamp

     

    Sliding down rocks in Kawasan

     

    The van dropped us off up stream and we began our trek into the canyon. We jumped into fresh water pools, slid and shimmied down rocks, swam, and took in the amazing tropical scenery. I was cautious and did not do some of the larger jumps (partially because I’m a wimp, but this time I had an excuse). I doubt the experience would have been a doctor recommended event so soon after my surgery, but it all turned out fine.

     

    Hiking Kawasan Falls

     

    Cliff jumping

     

     

    Kawasan Valley

     

    David peeking out of a rock

     

    Swimming in Kawasan with friends

     

    We ended our hike at Kawasan Badian National Park. The waterfalls there are popular and were what we saw photos of when we first researched the area. We didn’t have time to swim there, but it was cool to see. I’m glad we didn’t try to do the park on our own – we wouldn’t have seen or experienced anywhere near what did with the tour.

     

    David and Leah by Kawasan waterfall

     

    Kawasan waterfall

     

    Kawasan swimmers

     

    Kawasan rafters

     

    The BBQ lunch was fantastic. Fish, squid, chicken, rice, salad, bananas (or plantains?)… We were HUNGRY and all got our fill. Bravo, Planet Action Adventure.

     

    Lunch feast in Philippines

     

    Other Notes:
    This was a very physical adventure and we wouldn’t recommended it for small children. You can avoid some of the cliff jumps, but in several places you must jump in order to continue down the canyon. The guides were great and showed us where to step and pointed out where to land. Wear shorts (the life jacket straps ride up) and shoes with lots of traction. You can sign up for the tour even if you aren’t staying at Tipolo.

     

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    Philippines: Moalboal

    The fourth week of March was spring break and we traveled to the Philippines! I was a little nervous; it was our first East Asia trip outside of Korea. I shouldn’t have worried. The Philippines was a dream and just the escape we needed. We chose there because it had the cheapest airfare and the beach.

    When it came to planning, we had no idea where to start. Fortunately, some friends were traveling there too and let us crash their digs. We flew into Cebu City and spent five nights at Tipolo Resort in Moalboal. (We spent our last two nights in Panglao. More on that in another post!) Tipolo was the best. The restaurant had delicious meals, $6 hour massages, kayaks and gear to rent, and it was quiet and right on the beach… we would absolutely go there again!

     

    View from Tipolo resort

     

    We took a late flight out of Seoul and didn’t land in Cebu until 1:25 am. We booked transport across the island to Moalboal through the resort, which worked out great. It was a long drive, maybe 3 hours or so. Because we booked the room for that night, we crashed as soon as we set down our bags.

    Seoul’s pollution did a number on me before break and a small cough turned into a full on infection. I lost my voice, was hacking up a lung, and I knew I needed antibiotics. In the morning, we took a motorbike taxi into town and stopped at a pharmacy. The pharmacy required a prescription, and after a couple of hours, I was able to see a doctor (pediatrician) and get the meds I needed. I was nervous that the visit was going to set us back on cash, but it cost $6 to see the doctor. SIX. DOLLARS. That’s it. And then around $25 for meds. With z-pack in tow, we took a motorbike taxi back to Tipolo to enjoy our vacation.

    Motorbike taxis were a hoot:

     

    Philippines bike taxi

     

    Leah in a Philippines bike taxi

     

    We had a blast playing in the water, checking out White Beach, searching for colorful coral, and riding around the area. Renting a motorbike for a day cost just under $9!

     

    David riding a motorbike

     

    Planted palm trees

     

    Beautiful view on side of highway in Philippines

     

    Tropical flowers in Philippines

     

    Man climbing palm tree for coconuts

     

    David kayaking in Moalboal

     

    Coral beach

     

    I’m obsessed with the colors of our beach finds. I called this our handful of Frutti Pebble confetti:

     

    Philippines beach finds

     

    Another dream fulfilled: fresh coconut!

     

    Leah with coconut vendors

     

    David drinking out of a coconut

     

    Moalboal is famous for scuba diving. We didn’t, but David snorkeled and saw some amazing fish and coral:

     

    David snorkeling

     

    Fish and coral in Moalboal

     

    Coral and blue fishes

     

    Most of the signs we saw were hand painted. Swoon!

     

    Handpainted signs

     

    Bright, purple flowers

     

    San Juan Nepomuceno Church

     

    Sunset at Tipolo resort

     

    Jumping on the beach at sunset

     

    Where we ate:

    • The Last Filling Station at Tipolo. The French breakfast was my favorite. And all of the mango and fruit juices. And the mango dream ice cream dessert. The pizzas were good too. Did I mention the mango?
    • Blue Abyss Dive Resort Restaurant. Food was decent.
    • Veranda on Panagsama Beach. This was our favorite meal, maybe because we were so hungry that night.
    • A fish restaurant close to the Chilli Bar Restaurant. I didn’t catch the name of it. Overpriced, slow service, but the tuna was really yummy.

    Where we stayed:
    Tipolo was great. The meals at the restaurant and gear rentals were added to the room tab, which was convenient. The ladies who worked there were all kind and helpful. The rooms were a good size and clean. The showers had no water pressure, but the water was hot. Wifi didn’t reach to our room, but was fine in the dining area. It was not a fancy hotel resort, but was perfect for our needs. We recommend it!

     

    I’ll share soon about our canyoneering adventure in Badian!

     

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