Check this teaser video!

For more details, visit http://pelicola.tv/AliveOutThere and http://rockersworld.com/urbandub-online-concert-free-tickets

See  ya there!

So I emptied a bag of piatos and look at the sun through it and oh my, a part of the moon is covering the sun. I got excited and really wanted to take a picture, but the piatos bag wouldn’t just work as a filter. Adrian used a film he pulled out from a 3.5 floppy disk. Lucky me, I still got a 5.25 floppy disk, hehe. I used it as a filter for my Nikon D70s, with Sigma 18-125 mm lens mounted.

.

.

.

For more of my partial eclipse photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/22571631@N08/

.

this year’s the week of the lent (holy week) was the longest vacation i could ever get. i took 2 days vacation leave from work to get a total of 12 days off from work (including the holy week holidays and weekends).  holy week’s  also the best time in boracay, lotsa beautiful people and parties.

i took my course with Sea Gaia, since i had my discovery dives with them too and lance’s (my bestfriend melany’s husband) sister and brother-in-law own the place.  Sea Gaia has lodging too so I stayed with them too. I actually have a favorite room there, the room with the glass door and a veranda facing the white beach.

on my first day, i got to the island around noon. i was with my friend Marvin, so we had lunch first and  rested a bit. then later that afternoon,  i was given a PADI openwater course book to read and lessons in video to view. i read and view on video the 3 first chapters.

the next day (2nd day), i suited up and took a dive preview on the beach with my dive master (Roel) and master scuba diver trainer (Sato-san).  they thought me how to set up and adjust my diving gears, the bcd (bouyancy control device), regulators, tank, weights, etc.  then in the water, they thought me scuba skills like inflating/deflating the bcd,  proper breathing, regulator clearing and recovering, clearing flooded mask, proper equalizing,  snorkel breathing, surface snorkeling, no-mask breathing, mask replacement, orally inflating the bcd,  proper weighting and more!

after the lessons at the beach, we took a boat and dived at the coral garden.

dive log 001 (coral garden)
time in/out: 10:00 – 10:35am
depth: 11 meters
weather: good
air/water temp: 31/28 C
visibility: 10-15 meters

during the dive,  we did the lessons i learned at the beach.  i enjoyed the dive, i didn’t have problems with equalizing and with applying the skills i learned but my finning was really bad.

in the afternoon, i did some skills on the beach again, deep water entry, ascent, swimming 50ms through the snorkel, neutral bouyancy control, cramp removal, tired diver tow, cesa, breathing through free-flowing regulator, breathing through alternate air source, etc. after learning the skills, we did another boat dive at angol point.

dive log 002 (angol point)
time in/out: 01:30 – 02:10 pm
depth: 12 meters
weather: good
air/water temp: 30/28 C
visibility: 10-15 meters

on the third day, i did some of my tests, finished the rest of the book and video lessons. we didn’t do any dive since there were several skills quizzes/assessments and knowlege reviews that i needed to finish.

the next day (4th day), i woke early around 7am so i could work on the rest of the skills i need to learn before we join some divers to crocodile island. this time i learned to remove, replace, adjust and secure the scuba unit, weights and bcd underwater, etc.  then we took a boat to crocodile island — it’s an island a few minutes boat ride from boracay.

the water was a bit more bumpy over there. i had motion sickness that time but i survived the dive. the dive spot at crocodile island’s, i think, is richer compared to the 2 previous spots we dived. but it was quite harder because of the current underneath. when we got up, i got a nose bleed and vomited.

dive log 003 (crocodile island)
time in/out: 09:30 – 10:15 am
depth: 18 meters
weather: choppy
air/water temp: 30/28 C
visibility: 10 meters

in the afternoon, we did the underwater navigation with compass skill. then we dived on the beach. to check if i learned my navigation skill, they left me in a spot and instructed me to swim a straight line 25 meters forward and back to my original spot. the goal was to be able to navigate back to where i came from. i did  it well so we continued the dive exploring the beach underwater. i enjoyed it more since it was pure exploration and i was done with all my lessons. i saw garden eels, a beautiful lion fish!, a big orange coral that looks like a giant pumplin, some sea horses, a big sea cucumber, some nudibranchs and more.

dive log 003 (beach)
time in/out: 04:15 – 04:55 pm
depth: 5.5 meters
weather: good
air/water temp: 31/29 C
visibility: 10-15 meters

all i needed was to pass the final exam after that. and i got 99 percent!!! i was hoping to get it perfect though.

my dive master Roel and master scuba diver trainer Sato-san signed my dive logs, my application form for the PADI certification ID to be sent to Australia, and i got a temporary ID.  then we had some beer to celebrate my graduation. it was one of the happiest times in my life. it was another dream come true. and a start of a new dream too…

What: PADI Openwater Diver Course (April 4-7, 2009)
Where: Sea Gaia, Boracay Island, Philippines  (Station 1, Tel. +63 36 2883661)
Cost: 18,000 pesos*
* course only, you need to pay separately for the lodging

.

]]> http://www.sandripples.com/?feed=rss2&p=334 4 http://www.sandripples.com/?p=271 http://www.sandripples.com/?p=271#comments Mon, 13 Jul 2009 11:28:01 +0000 noreen http://www.sandripples.com/?p=271 camotes island in cebu is a one stop shop for adventure-seeking travellers. i first heard of the island from my friend Zsazsa and when i googled it i fell in love with the island already. my friends  from Stratpoint and i organized a trip to cebu when cebu pacific had one of their super-low fare promos. we bought our roundtrip plane tickets for 700 pesos, lucky us.

it was the independence day long weekend and we thought we had just enough time for an adventure in camotes. from cebu city, we took the fastcraft at pier 1. it leaves the pier at 9am and takes 3 hours to travel to camotes island. camotes is even nearer to ormoc/leyte than to cebu.

the fastcraft docks at poro port, which is 45 minutes drive from our resort, the santiago bay resort. a golf-cart-like vehicle picked us up the pier and drove us to santiago. the drive was refreshing, the air was clean and scenery was healthy green for our eyes. (we paid 150 pesos each for the ride)

the mode of transportation in the island is by habal-habal (motorcycle) . for multicab or van, you have ask the resort to get you one to rent.

santiago bay resort

santiago bay resort is one of the 4 resorts in camotes (camotes resorts). we chose to stay there because it has a huge white-sand beach area.  we paid 1800 pesos for our room which was  good for 3 persons  (2 beds with extra matress). the resort has its own restaurant and you have no choice but to eat there since there are no restaurants nearby. food ranges from 150-250 per dish (can serve 2 persons), not that great except for the lechon kawali.  food takes time before they can serve it, so better order it ahead — like 2 hours before you plan to eat.

when we were there (june) low tide comes at around 5pm. during low tide you can see huge ripples on the sand, with lots of crablets running around and hiding if they see people coming.  lots of starfish(they are so many, you have to step on them!), blow fish and jelly fish too.  so better bring an anti-jelly fish sting lotion (godiva lotion which can be bought at mercury drugstore) and anti-histamines — their stings can trigger your skin allergies.

some may be “turned off” by the sea weeds, but i really don’t mind.  it’s the way nature works.  but definitely the beach is rich with marine life. there are a few litters on the shore, which could be been cleaned up by the resort. let’s face it, there are just irresponsible tourists. and once you put up a resort in any nice place, tourists will flock and litters are unavoidable, there’s no other choice but to be responsible for keeping it clean.

there’s a nearby white-sand cove, we attempted to walk through the water to go there but it was getting deep already so we didn’t pursue it.  we then took a kayak to get there and we saw lots of big jelly fish and thick sea weeds in the area, we’re lucky we didn’t walk through it.  when got to the cove, we realized it was  a cemetery.

mangodlong beach resort

mangodlong is another beach resort in camotes and is around 20 minutes habal-habal  ride from santiago bay resort. outside santiago bay resort, there’s a habal-habal terminal. we paid 60 pesos each for the roundtrip and just gave extra since the driver waited for us for 2 hours.

mangodlong has a smaller beach area but it is great for snorkeling. Four meters from the shore and you can already see a variety of marine life,  lotsa fish of different colors and sizes. Just be careful, we saw a black and white banded sea snake. It was long and was coming after us. snokeling gears can be rented at the resort, 150 for the mask and snorkel and 150 for the fins.  There’s an entrance fee of 25 but you don’t have to pay if you’re a guest at santiago bay resort since they have the same owners.

lake danao

another must visit in camotes is lake danao. the lake is surrounded by hardwood mangrooves secluding the whole lake. the reflection of the skies on the water is just awesome. there’s a nipa hut where visitors can view the whole lake and enjoy the peace and quiet.  but i recommend to cruise the lake in a sakanaw — a lake boat.  the sakanaw ride costs 100 pesos per person. the sakanaw cruise will take you around the lake and and to an islet passing by some wild ducks. (entrance fee is 5 pesos)

poro church and town

at poro town, we visited poro church. we bought some snacks and medicines ans we also ate our lunch at the market. lunch was pork+liver+chicken barbeque, puso rice, coke and some fruits.

buho rock

buho rock is just a few kilometers from poro town.  it’s a garden on top of a rock formation with a small swimming pool, a diving platform and a couple of slides to the sea. there’s also a stairway that takes visitors down to sea level pool of clear and cold water. (entrance fee is 10 pesos)

timubo cave

timubo cave is quite a small cave and easy to penetrate because of the man-made stairway. the water inside is very clean, cool and clear and is just perfect for a relaxed swim or for floating around. (entrance fee is 15 pesos)

bakhaw beach

bakhaw beach has sugary white sand, really clear waters and is secluded. (entrance fee is 5 pesos) we would have stayed there if we knew that we could rent a room or a house there. it’s only now that i know that there’s the borromeo’s bahay bakasyunan (Contact: Jocelyn Delfin at mobile +639086267585) which offers 4 bedrooms, but 1 room can be rented for 1,200 pesos. In my next trip to Camotes, definitely i’ll be staying there.

camotes has more to offer

there are still more  in camotes that we missed to visit.  three days and 2 nights are not enough to explore the 4 islands that compose camotes. cut i don’t mind because it leaves me a reason to keep coming back to that wonderful place.

i would love to visit tulang diot, bukilat cave and busay falls when i go back. i would like to go diving too but the only diveshop i’ve seen there is in mangodlong. i’d love to do some biking too, hmm and mountain trekking.

For more info:

http://www.camotesresorts.com.ph/
http://travelcamotes.com/

More of our photos:

Lake_Danao_Camotes
Bakhaw_Beach_Camotes
Santiago_Bay_Resort_Camotes
Buho_Rock_Camotes
Mangodlong Beach Resort

.

as much as i loved playing the trip to jerusalem game, i never ever dreamed of really going to the holy land. i wasn’t even curious about the bible. but i considered myself lucky when my company sent me together with my 4 other colleagues to israel for a ‘training’.

it was my first out-of-the country trip and i was more scared than excited. feeling lucky and scared at the same is like having a diarrhea. unfortunately, any amount of diatabs couldn’t help.

we travelled via Hongkong, and i was amazed of the airport. first time have i seen a really big airport with a mall, lots of lounging chairs, walkalators and aquarium-like smoking rooms.  it was big, i didn’t even realize how we managed to find the EL AL airlines counter.

at the EL AL counter we were thoroughly questioned about the possibility of having bombs in our luggage, we also had to surrender our luggage keys and/or lock combination. the scan was really very thorough, from the sole of your shoes to the strands of your hair. believe me they scan every inch of your stuff IN your luggage, even your undies.

the “tooth squeeze”

the 13-hour flight was hell. the pressure on the plane gave me a “tooth squeeze”.  when we got off the plane it was already sore.  and i forgot to bring my antibiotics! for a couple of days, i had an inflamed tooth. the hotel helped me call a dentist, but unfortunately he couldn’t speak english.  so i went to the pharmacy and tried to buy some antibiotics, but they won’t let me unless i had a prescription. i showed the pharmacist my sore tooth and then she gave me a mouthwash. two days after,  it was sore no more.

pine trees and beaches in the desert

we stayed in Haifa, the 3rd largest city in Israel located on Mount Carmel and is split into three tiers.  our hotel  (Dan Panorama) was in the upper tier overlooking the residential neighborhood on the slope of Mt. Carmel and the commercial center at the lowest level (where “our office” is located).

the temperature in the upper tier is averagely low and with the pine trees of mt. carmel it was just like we were in baguio.  and everyday we take a cab down to Matam (where ‘our office’ were). the ‘office’ is  just  20-minute walk to the beach,  awesome.  we got to unwind at the beach after work, you see.

haifa is a beautiful city, it has mount carmel, the beaches and the surf! there you can visit the Bahai Garden — the architecture, landscaping and water system are admirable.  there’s also the german colony — that showcases the old houses that survived from the time of german templars.

floating at the dead sea

yeah, it’s true. everyone floats in the dead sea.  just don’t get a drop of sea water into your eyes, it’s freaking painful. i really felt it could blind me, forever.

the dead sea mud is known to be used as facial mask and has curative effects to our skin. you see…

it is the lowest point on earth – 1300 feet below sea level. fortunately i didn’t get another “tooth squeeze” from the pressure.

the way of the cross

though i considered floating around the dead sea as the highlight of my travel in israel,  the jerusalem tour was also quite a significant experience. we went to the garden/church of gethsemane, hmm we passed by schindler’s tomb, we went up to mt. olives and the jewish cemetery and then to the old city of jerusalem.

the old city has several quarters, the jewish, the christian, the muslim and the armenian — each one having its own special shrines.  we visited the western wall, followed the ‘way of the cross’ , stopped by the spot of the last supper, then to the church of the holy sepulchre,  we just watch the dome of the rock from a distance.

i couldn’t grasp every detail of our stops. it was just too overwhelming.  i was busy with my thoughts. it  is said to be the holiest city in the world, but i could feel the religious tension through the old walls. one old city, different old religions divided only by stone alleys,  but  for years they have stood to be divided.

shalom shalaam

it was several days of shalom and good hotel living until i heard the rocket siren for the first time. i was window shopping at the hotel mall when i heard an announcement, it was in hebrew and it was repeated several times. i couldn’t understand it but i could see people moving fast so i sensed an emergency. i ran back to the hotel and at the entrance stewards were holding signs marked “TO BOMB SHELTER”. i panicked, i was alone and the bomb shelter seemed a really scary idea. i ran to the elevator and went up to edward’s room and told him that people were being guided to the bomb shelter. a hezbollah rocket hit a spot in the neighborhood. it was all over cnn. friends and bosses started to call.  but then we settled, it was only one rocket.

but then in the morning when we were having breakfast the siren wailed again. from the hotel window, we saw lotsa rockets hit the haifa bay. we felt the earth-shattering kaboom and saw the smoke cloud.  we had no choice but to go deep down the hotel’s bomb shelter,  we had to go down several floors.  the shelter’s not bad as i thought.  it was huge, good ventilation, not so much light but comfortable.  we were down there for around 3 hours. when it was safe to go out, ‘our office’ arranged our transfer to tel-aviv.

from rockets to diamonds

the view from my hotel room (Dan Panorama too)  took my fears away. we hang out at the beach, in front of the hotel, had a tour of the city and old city of jaffa. we shopped for souvenirs, bought some hookah and chocolates and toured the israeli diamond center.

the trip was never planned that way, we were supposed to work/train

this was three years from this week.  i never planned any of it except for the work part. it was a true adventure, unplanned and spontaneous.

.

]]> http://www.sandripples.com/?feed=rss2&p=236 2 http://www.sandripples.com/?p=187 http://www.sandripples.com/?p=187#comments Sat, 11 Jul 2009 19:28:39 +0000 noreen http://www.sandripples.com/?p=187 Day 1

who doesn’t love the beach? it is peace. it is paradise. and in an island, in the far far tip of cebu, there’s kota beach, a white-sand fortress.

kota beach is in sta. fe, bantayan island. bantayan island is in the northern tip of cebu island. it’s quite a long way to get there, but it’s all worth the rough trip. from the mactan international airport we took an airport taxi to drive us to hagnaya wharf, the gateway to bantayan island. it’s a 3-hour trip, that’s why we took a taxi for convenience instead of the bus.

then from the wharf, it took us 1 and a half hour to bantayan via the ferry (m/v super shuttle ferry), then learned later that it would only take us 45 mins if we took the fast craft (aznar fast craft).

we’ve been travelling since morning and were already tired when we got to the island. fortunately, manong dodong of kota beach fetched us from the port in his multicab. after unpacking we went to check out the beach, and all exhaustion went off. we then had dinner. it really was great, with shrimps and squids and a view of the beach. though all rooms in the resort were occupied, the place was still peaceful and never crowded. and though the nearby resort (budyong beach resort) was jam-packed with guests and tents, we still felt secluded in kota.

the weather was not that good, it actually rained a bit. we hit the sack early so we can wake up early in the morning and meet the sunrise. we slept well despite the vibrations coming from the party’s sound system in budyong.

Day 2

we woke up early, around 6am, and looked for something to eat. only one restaurant was open at that time, the mama titas bakery and restaurant just across the church and the market. we had dangitsilog for only 40 pesos! after that delightful breakfast we went around poblacion and looked for a store where we could buy toothpaste, shampoo, etc. since ours were taken out of our carry on baggage at the airport.

after a bath and changing to beach clothes, we walked on the beach and enjoyed the sun. unlike boracay or puerta galera, the beach is never crowded. but then the heat of the sun was quite strong on the skin, staying on the shades watching the wonderful blue cottony skies over blue crystal water and the white sands was heaven enough.

for a change of scenery, we rented a multi-cab for 500 pesos and went to bantayan town for their good friday lechon parade (yes, they have lechon (roasted pig) on good fridays, it’s been told that this rite is supported by the church and can be traced back from the time when the town didn’t have anything to fish on a good friday and had to put lechon on their table). but we were too early and except for the church, we had nowhere to go to since the town’s museum was also closed.

we just then went to ogtong cave beach resort. it’s a private resort and has an underground cave where you can go down and dip in cool water, a pool for those who don’t like the saltwater, and a beach. the resort is beautifully landscaped and very private though there were a few excusionists who paid 75 pesos entrance fee to explore the place. the cottages looked more expensive though. we just walked around the place, we didn’t like the idea of getting wet since it’s quite far from kota beach. and we didn’t want manong driver to wait for us too long since it was almost lunchtime.

we headed back to kota beach for our lunch. we ate at the restaurant, warning though, the food took time to prepare, so we realized we should order our food in advance so we don’t have to wait too long. after lunch, i asked mang dodong (the one who fetched us from the port and the one who looked for a driver to drive us to bantayan town and ogtong) where to rent for a skim board. i just gave him the 150 pesos rental fee for the 3 hour use of the board.

after resting our full tummies, we ran to the beach and tried skim boarding. it was all our first time and we didn’t have any idea on how to use it. so we watched the other kids do it. it looked easy, but when i tried it, it wasn’t! i got cuts on my toes, feet, and hand. after several tries and falls i got tired and settled to enjoy watching the other kids. haha and i really did enjoy.

for dinner, we ate at Marisquera O Portuguese Bar and Restaurant. the food are affordable but not really great. the pizza w/ anchovy was cheesy and good but the fettucine was bland. the dinner wasn’t really great enough to take away our exhaustion. we were really tired and went directly back to our cottage right after dinner, we really did a lot of activity the whole day. i felt like a was kid again, retiring to bed totally exhausted from playing all day. lying down watching the simpsons, i easily dozed off.

Day 3

it was our third day  and we wanted to visit the neighboring islands. manong dodong fixed us an island tour to virgin island and some snorkeling for 1200 pesos. along the way we joked about who’s not going to be allowed to step on the island, we would know who among us are still virgins haha. funny thing is, when we got there, we were not allowed to enter the island. oh, but it’s not about our virginity. it is a private island and the owner was having a private party there that day. we just left and the boatmen brought us to an area where we could snorkel. we snorkeled for just a little while since there weren’t a lot of fish in that area. we transferred to another spot, but the the waves were too strong for us. so we ended up heading to another nearby island which name i forgot because it wasn’t really easy to remember.

the island isn’t touristy, the sand has peebles and not that clean. there are a few houses along the shore, some kids, and a pigpen that smells. there were a few groups of local tourists seemed to go there for their lunch, i really wondered why. the only thing i liked there was the view of the sky, there were ripples, a very huge ripples. it was my first time to have seen something like that.

and oh yes, you can also see batayan’s long stretch of white sand beaches from there. the boatmen offered to look for some fish or squid for us to cook and eat. unfortunately, there weren’t any to buy. it was almost lunchtime, probably the families had already cooked all the fish they had. so we just headed back to kota beach for lunch.

the rest of the day was dull. dull afternoons on the beach feel really good. lots of memories came into my mind. lots of realizations. it was a counting crows moment.

i waited for the sunset only to realize that the sun sets on the other side of the island. waah! it would have been perfect at kota, the sandbar, the hightide, the lowtide, the sunrise, the seclusion, but missing the sunset was really a disappointment.

Day 4

i missed the sunrise. no thanks to budyong beach and smart, for their holy week summer saya party. i wasn’t able to sleep well the night before. i sat on the veranda and worked on sorting my photos. the other guests couldn’t sleep also. i really hate budyong beach and smart for that. did they really expect people to stay awake with their painful eardrums and headaches until 5am for a week? it was really very irresponsible for smart sponsoring such loud party in a quite town like sta. fe on a holyweek.

we just spent the whole day bumming around the beach. it was living life fully. it was feeling life. very spiritually uplifting. the whole day, i felt the need and excitement to refresh my perspective in life. and i thanked god. you see, i spent the week holy afterall.

Day 5

it was our last day at kota, so i woke up early to catch may last kota beach sunrise. ah, the drama of a sunrise. the light on the shores of darkness. missing the sunset means not missing the sunrise at kota which isn’t a disappointment afterall. and as one quote goes “We can only appreciate the miracle of a sunrise if we have waited in darkness”. another day stretching out before me, giving me the chance to realize and do what i ought to do.

but the day wasn’t as uplifting as i wanted it to be. the trip back to the city was a long trip and i just slept it off. when i woke up, i felt tired and wasn’t in the mood to tour the city. the temperature was really hot and worsened the mood. the taxi driver was good enough to drive us to mactan and lapu-lapu shrine, sutukil and the pasalubong market.

i really loved the sukutil part, sutukil stands for ’sugba’,’tula’, ‘kilaw’. we ordered crabs, prawns, lapu-lapu and oysters and paid only 1200 pesos which already included the charge for the preparation/cooking, 2 platters of rice, 2 liters of coke.

from sutukil, we headed to the pasalubong market. the prices of the goodies are reasonable enough. i bought some dried dangit and pusit. then manong juan, the taxi driver, drove us to the airport. we were too early for our 11pm flight, but we’re too tired to check out the city. we just killed time in the airport. next time, i won’t be booking for the last flight. we were already sleepy and too impatient to wait for our turn.

there was no drama leaving cebu. i was just too tired. but i felt i’ll be back soon. i love cebu, for the beaches and the nice people, and for some sentimental reasons.

.

Contact
Kota Beach Resort
Sta. Fe, Bantayan Island, Cebu
Tel#. (032) 4196135 / (032) 4389042

Rooms

We paid 2400 pesos for the room which is just in front of the beach. It is airconditioned,  has 2 beds (single & double) and a veranda.

.

a van picked us up at waterfront and we droved to mactan where the bancas dock is. it is just right beside the hilton hotel. our itinerary was: (1) pandanon island,  lunch and swimming at the beach; (2) guilutongan island, snorekeling at the marine sanctuary; (3) olango island sunset dinner at talima beach villas

we cruised to pandanon island on a big banca/boat. the boat had an ipod dock and lotsa bean bags. we also had a cooler for canned drinks and beers. it took us around 1 hour to reach pandanon, which is part of bohol already.

pandanon island

pandanon island is a big sandbar of an island. it has fine white sands and oh my, it has sand dollars! well, yeah it was my first time to see a sand dollar for real. the lunch was great, we had chicken inasal, pork barbecue and puso rice.  then we had some beach time, took some photos and picked up sand dollars. time was running out so we had to leave the island and head off to guiluntangan island marine sanctuary.

guilutongan marine sanctuary

cebu’s marine line is so rich you can’t get enough  of it. the sanctuary is around 30 minutes cruise from pandanon. we passed by nalusuan island, which has a marine sanctuary too. we went down the water and oh my, lotsa lotsta big, fat and colorful fish! one of the best snorkeling area i’ve ever been to. i wished we went diving instead of just snorkeling. but well, i can always come back. we we ran out of puso so the fish wouldn’t go near us anymore so we cruised to olango island.

olango island

olango island is also around 30 minutes cruise from guiluntongan. it is the island nearest to mactan and is known for its rich marine life and its bird sanctuary. the warm staff of talima villas welcomed as with fresh buko when we dock at the island. the watched the sunset while sipping the juice from the buko, and though it was cloudy i think it was still beautiful seing the clouded sunset all over mactan. great view, eh?

they served us with a special seafood dinner. now, i’m missing their fish kinilaw! we left the island after giving our tummies a rest from that super heavy dinner. we cruised back to mactan in the dark but calm waters. the view from the boat was just splendid, mactan’s nightlights from afar.

islands banca cruises

it was beachin and chillin! i had to email Fatima of islands banca cruises for the great service they had extended to us. with our package, we each paid 1800 pesos which already included the following:

• transfers from/to waterfront hotel (mactan to cebu city)
• barbecue lunch
• snorkeling gears, towels, drinks on board
• sunset dinner buffet
• pandanon – guilutongan – olango cruise

for more info:  http://www.islandsbanca.com/

.

for more of our photos: Cebu Cruisin Photos

.

though the wedding is at maribago blue water resort in mactan, we decided to stay at waterfront hotel in lahug. maribago has more expensive rates but is quite reasonable since it has a beautiful beach area.

the wedding ceremony was held in maribago’s private island, which is more like a permanent sandbar, the alegrado island. it was really romantic, a beautiful couple, exchanging vows with the view of the ocean from a white-sand beach and the sunset!

we enjoyed the reception just right there at the beach too with a superb set of dinner and some entertainment. we gave Fe and Chris our best wishes and went home with the same thought in mind. it was a dream wedding come true.

.

The Place: Maribago Blue Water Resort, Mactan Cebu

what i can remember is we rode in a jeepney together with ate beng’s friends and their family and friends. it was one big group, i couldn’t even remember their names. we left at night and i think i slept throught the trip and woke up when we got to the resort.

the place is lobo, it’s a town in batanggas. i love the beach, lotsa of sandbars, clean, untouched and not crowded. i just want to share some of my photos.

More LOBO Phots

i have no other info the share but here’s our awesome planet’s entry about the place LOBO@OurAwesomePlanet.

.

i couldn’t swim until i was 26yo. still then, i wouldn’t  dare going into deep waters without a life vest. but i wanted so much to get past snorkeling that i thought of diving. in 2007,  i had that opportunity when my bestfriend melany asked me to join them scuba diving in boracay. with re-assurance that i won’t be really needing my noob swimming skills in discovery diving.

melany and i did the discovery diver training. she has done it already several times though. lance, her husband was into openwater diving already. we joined them to a boat dive somewhere in coral garden i think, i couldn’t remember the divespot actually, melany and i were towed by our divemaster. and yeah, the experience is ultimately different. i wanted to take off my regulator and scream the excitement off my chest. but i had to hold it of course, ehehe. it was the most amazing thing i had experienced in my life that time and it made me think out loud “now, i can die”.

.

.

the experience made me want more and i realized i just couldn’t die, because there’s more! (hello, the expanse of the underwater life is about 70% of earth). i took another discovery dive the following year and that’s when i decided that i wanna learn scuba diving, get certified and continue exploring the underwater world.

.

Diveshop: SEA GAIA Dive Resort & Lodge, Boracay Stn.1  (+632 288-3661)

.

]]> http://www.sandripples.com/?feed=rss2&p=323 0