<– PREVIOUS… HOW TO ACHIEVE APO ISLAND IN 2 DAYS
PART 3: EXPERIENCE
DAY 1
By 5:30AM, we arrived at South Bus Terminal and we were thirty minutes late because “Filipino Time”. The 4:00AM bus was already full, and was ready to go. And so we waited for the next bus which arrives by 6.
And when it did, we hopped onto it and waited for an hour before we hit the road. And as expected we paid P215.00, and what we realized is that the breakdown of that fee is P190.00 fee Cebu to Bato, Samboan, which is the ferry port; and the remaining P25 is from Tampi port to Ceres Bus Terminal in Dumaguete City. And so, we still have to pay P70.00 for the ferry to make it P285.00 total… which was expected.
And so, the painful 4 hour ride plus almost 1 hour ferry plus another 45 minutes from Tampi port to Ceres Bus Terminal went on. Thankfully we arrived safe.
Then, we had lunch at Robinsons Dumaguete food court, and then checked in at Vintage Inn right after.
Vintage Inn
I booked at Vintage Inn a week before the date of our tour. But prior to arriving in Vintage Inn, I was still calling Harold’s Mansion: the famous budget friendly hotel in Dumaguete that has Dorms, good for 8 people, men and women separated, only for P250.00!; asking if there are available dorm beds for walk in customers that day since booking for their dorms is not allowed (bummer). Unfortunately, there were no guests who checked out by 12, and so we pushed through with our plans at Vintage Inn.
Photo credit: Kopilychee.com
Well, the Inn was across Dumaguete City’s public market and is in a commercial building together with some offices/businesses, which was uniquely odd for us Cebuanos. And although we only paid P319.00 each (see breakdown in Part 1 sec. III), the place was OKAY, although quite weird to say the least because of its hospital-ish rooms. You know that old rooms/wards in an old hospital? Yeah, but it was still quite an OKAY place to stay, except for the fact that mosquitoes can enter the room through an opening of the air conditioner, and they are freaking huge… although killable (LOL).
City Tour
We took a rest and by 4PM we pressed on with our city tour.
One of our friends has stayed in Dumaguete for 8 years so he led the tour.
Dumaguete City is a strong reminiscent of the old Cebu City.
First we went to their famous boulevard that has a century old tree looking strong and stunning in the middle. And then we went to the famous Sans Rival Cakes and Pastries to try their famous Silvanas and other treats as if it’s not available in Cebu. Anyhow, we were pleased with the low prices in there compared to the store in our hometown.
Sans Rival shop
Then we went to Siliman which was unfortunately dark but we still managed to do this:
After we had dinner at McDonald’s because we were on a strict budget.
Click the pictures to enlarge and drool:
DAY 2
Apo Island
We woke up at 5:00AM the next day, and bought breakfast at Jollibee and Chowking. We were running late so we took our breakfast and ate on the bus. When we arrived at Malatapay Market, I was surprised that only three of us have eaten, and so, I let the rest have their breakfast on one empty table in the market.
Anyway, we went straight to the port right after, and upon arriving: we were confused on what to do. There were lots of tourists waiting for outrigger boats and three people in charge were in disordered state as well, as if it was their first time. They were so unorganized that they don’t know what to do with the tourists.
TIP: Book ahead! Numbers can be seen in Part 1 sec. II.
Thankfully, I managed to book ahead and called the attention of one discombobulated woman who kept her anger from the other two by just smoking in one corner. I told her that I made an advanced booking and she let us write our names and then right after that, they found us an outrigger boat captain. We were then good to go, ahead of the rest.
The only problem we encountered was that the P3,000.00 boats for 8 were not available. They offered us the P3,500 good for 10 instead (but truthfully, I think they were bluffing). Thankfully, there were 2 tourists who haven’t got any rides yet, so I offered them the last 2 slots and they agreed.
TIP: Wear your swimming outfit already!
And so the outrigger boat sailed towards our destination… BUT it was a tough ride. I read some of the blogs say that the sea going to Apo Island is rough since it’s an exit point to Sulu Sea, and it would be best if people would visit during summer for calmer seas.
BUT it was not the case.
We went there in the middle of summer and there was no typhoon or rain for months but the sea was effed up. It was totally rough. I was in my ‘summer-fashion’ outfit and I instantly regretted that as I was dripping wet… I’m not exaggerating; we already took a bath prior to getting to the beach.
I was thinking: if this was the sea during summer, how much more if it’s on a rainy season?
TIP: Go to Apo Island on summer/dry season.
Upon arriving, I could already see the pristine water and a solid rock formation on the left side. And excitement entered my veins.
We registered at the Tourism Office for P100.00 per person which was at the beachfront, and then headed to the nearby diving/snorkeling orientation. We paid P50.00 snorkeling fee, and P100.00 snorkel rental fee. Some of us rented life vest for the same price.
What shocked me with the payment that wasn’t in the itinerary I made was the option to have a guide. Bloggers say that it’s an optional case. But I think that was before. Now, you’re not allowed to dive or even snorkel without a guide which is P300.00 for 4 persons. Also, there was a need for us to rent a cottage because there was nowhere to place our things along the shore. So we rented a P300.00 cottage fee. Still, this was not part of the itinerary I made because most bloggers did not mention this one before. But many things have changed and I think these two are part of it.
<–PREVIOUS… ITINERARY & COSTING
Snorkeling with Sea Turtles
And then we went to snorkel with sea turtles.
What we were expecting was that these turtles were elusive and hard to find. Prior to going, my partner was praying to the Gods that these turtles would show up even just a bit so we could feel completeness with our tour.
But then again, we were surprised (in a good way this time). When we dipped in the water, 10 seconds later we already saw one. My friends were already calling me because I had the GoPro, but I was still struggling with the slippery stones. And when I dipped and saw the turtle, I quickly rose up and backed away from shockingly seeing how HUMONGOUS it is.
I was laughing at myself and wasn’t expecting it. And so I dipped back, and watched how this creature acts in its natural habitat.
TIP: Buy yourself aqua shoes or what they call booties. There are P200.00 booties at SM stores. Renting the P100.00 would be impractical.
After minutes, I grew out of my fear and enjoyed… really enjoyed my time with the turtle!
And the best part was that we were just five meters away from the shore. Yep, that near to see them.
#ACHIEVE!
Then we get to see another turtle from afar and filmed it with joy. I can hear my partner giggling since his voice was echoing in the water. And I was enjoying it too. The fun thing was that these sea turtles were not afraid of humans! In fact, they nonchalantly eat underwater with lots of people surrounding them, and they just float there like a prima-donna… and I’m not complaining.
One of my frustrations in El Nido was not seeing Nemo (the Clown Fish), because I really loved the film that I wanted to see one in person in its natural habitat.
And just two meters away from the first turtle, NEMO APPEARED! The inner child in me was dancing with gladness and I just couldn’t help but smile and have fun! I was so excited that I reached with my hand only to get bitten by one of them. And I was like, “OH MY GOD, NEMO JUST BIT ME! BEST-DAY-EVERRRRRRRRRRRRR!”
We went back in our cottage after a sea-snake scare. It was frightening to say the least, that’s why it’s better if you just float than walk bare. They say sea-snakes don’t go above the corals and it was true. Thank GOD nothing happened.
And then we get to plan for our Lunch
TIP: If you want more information about diving: http://www.solitarywanderer.com/2015/01/diving-apo-island/
Lunch
The original plan was to have lunch at Liberty Lodge with the budget of P300.00 each, but then, the owner of the cottage offered us something better. She offered how they could do everything for our lunch for a price.
1 kilo Chicken – P140.00
1 ½ kilo Fish – P180.00
1 kilo Rice – P50.00
Spices, soy sauce, electricity, charcoal, soft drinks – P396.00
Labor fee (per person) – P75.00
TOTAL: P1,456.00
We had doubts at first with the total price, but when we divided it by 8 (since we were 8): we only need to pay P182.00 per person, and that’s really low from the expected P300.00 lunch at Liberty Lodge. So we agreed to it.
We had our chicken adobo and grilled fish and truthfully it was sumptuous and we still have leftovers.
And right after lunch, we went to the rock formation to have the… ahem… the “pang-profile picture” and “pang-Instagram” shoot.
Corals
As I’ve said, El Nido paved the way for me wanting to discover the sea-life more, and I thought it was just the same at Apo Island, but it was not at all. It was much more stunning at Apo Island.
After lunch we headed farther from where we saw the sea turtles before. The guide dragged us to the corals part and I was totally speechless from seeing the beauty of the underwater. Call me over acting but I was a bit emotional gazing upon the wonder in front of me.
It was too beautiful I could stay there for a year.
Lighthouse
After our coral reef experience, we headed up towards the lighthouse. It was a 312 step towards the highest point of the island. As a non-trekker… non-mover to be exact: I felt I was dying in the process of walking above.
It was very exhausting and hot and upon reaching at the top: you get to see the islands of Dumaguete, Cebu, Siquijor and behind, Mindanao.
I don’t know if it’s worth it, but all I know it was not fun.
Right after that, we went back down and the outrigger boat was already waiting for us. Then we headed back to the Apo Island port. And before we left, a sea-turtle even managed to take a peek out of the water. And we couldn’t help but smile.
PART 4: TAKEAWAY
Achieving Apo Island is costly but I can’t say that it’s not worth it. I was there. I experienced the waters, seeing the sea turtles and swimming with them as well, seeing other sea creatures like Nemo (clown fish), Dory (regal blue tang fish) and the others, the sublime corals and learning things about the island were priceless. I can definitely say this is one of the best things I’ve ever done, and one of the best spots in the Philippines. I am so happy I organized this trip and people came.
I am hoping and praying that people will be more aware of the damages caused by polluting the waters and global warming as well, because they affect the marine life. El Nido opened my eyes to the fact that Philippines is ‘WHAT-THE-HELL-THIS-IS-FUCKING-BEAUTIFUL-WHY-WOULD-ANYONE-TRY-TO-POLLUTE-OR-DAMAGE-THE-WORLD’: and Apo Island concretize that realization.
MORE PHOTOS
This cutie’s last day since it was Fiesta the next day.
One Setting Travels 