Tuesday, May 17, 2016

South Cebu Canyoneering

Are you up for extreme adventure which includes Cliff jumping, Swimming, Hiking, and Exploring the beauty of nature? Then this is for you! “Canyoneering” or also known as “Canyoning”, is a fast growing tourist destination in Cebu. Everyday, hundred of guest coming from different parts of the globe are longing to experience this extreme adventure. Ika nga nila, “kulang ang Cebu trip mo kung di mo masusubukan to.”

Canyoneering Activity:
The starting point of the canyoneering activity will be in front of an old church. There, you will put your safety gears and a few of reminders during the activity. There are a lot of small stores around the area where you can buy candies, eat your lunch, and even a place where you can rent a shoes if you forgot to brought one that is suited for the extreme adventure. From the church, they will take you via motorcycle ride to the orientation area. You need to fill out forms for your waiver, and a quick orientation and reminders during the activity. After that, your nature trip will begin!

From the orientation area, we traveled for around 15 minutes via motorcycle going to the drop off point of the Canyoneering activity. During the motorcycle ride, i advise you to ready your camera because the view going to the drop off point is breathtaking! Take a lot of pictures during the trip, i tell you its worth it!

When you reached the drop off point, you will be hiking for around 15 minutes to reach the first Cliff jump. According to our guide, that cliff is about 20-25 meters high and that is a required jump! Yes, you got it right! There is no way for you to start the activity without conquering that first jump. That was a crazy view especially when you were on top looking down the blue waters. And to put pressure on you, there were a lot of guest waiting for their turn to jump so better ready yourself and conquer your fear to avoid traffic. (hahahha. Evil laugh) The good thing about the first jump is that it’s one of highest jumps. So when you conquered your fear during the first jump already, other cliffs will be easy for you.

One way of conquering your fears during the cliff jumps is to make sure you do it FAST! Staying on top of those cliff is like letting your mind to play and scare you from the different “what ifs of life”. What if i wont be able to make it? What if i drowned? What if i bumped into that rock? The more you stayed on top, the more you will be scared. The “idle time” will really eat your courage to do great things. Just follow your guides, they will direct you on the safe paths, and will ensure about your safety.

Im so blessed with our guides (ate En-en and Kuya Karl/Carl) because they were sooooo patient with us. Though we were a bit slow because we were enjoying the place, they were still so supportive and kind enough in taking our pictures and laughed with us. I even noticed some groups lining up for their turn to jump, but our guides made it so cool that we don't need to line up with them. They had their own route of letting us experience the same spot but in a different way away from the crowd. I salute with these guys, so professional and super fun to be with.

When we reached the half point of the trip, i was so surprised seeing a small store their selling foods like grilled hot dogs, bbq, water, etc. I was so amazed and curious on how they brought their products there. Such amazing people!

Lastly, your adventure will end at the Kawasan falls. That is the highest jump with around 60 meters high according to our guides if I'm not mistaken. (optional jump) I suggest that you include the Bamboo rafting under the Kawasan Falls in your package. You will be enjoying the water massage and the freezing cold water coming from the magnificent falls.

The beauty of that place really captured my heart. I can still clearly see the clear blue water, rock formations and the smiles of each guest trying that extreme adventure. I am still longing to go back and to enjoy that adventure once again. Of course along with the same tour guides. (MCDC Canyoneering)

Action camera:
Bringing one batter and one memory card for your action camera is not enough to take all the precious views and memories of the Canyons. I suggest you bring a dry bag and place your extra batteries and other equipment there. The whole canyoneering activity is around 4-5 hours. So if you are a picture lover person or someone who likes to take a lot of videos then better prepare for extra batteries and memory cards just to be sure.

Package tours:
There are a lot of promo tours that offers canyoneering activity. You can just simply search for “cebu canyoneering” in facebook and you will see a lot of groups offering this trip. But i highly recommend the MCDC Canyoneering Team to be a part of your adventure. First, i was quite hesitant to accept their offers because i want to make sure that they are a reliable and professional tour guides. So i kept on looking for other tour guides and checked their promo/s as well. After how many days of searching, i can say that their (MCDC Canyoneering) offer suit my needs perfectly so i chose them. What i loved about their promo is that after paying the package, i don't have to worry about surprise payments along the way.  

Just contact MCDC Canyoneering through their facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/mcdc.canyoonering?fref=nf) or you can simply contact Miss Maria Corazon Capio at +639153901401 and +639433518866 for more information

MCDC Canyoneering package includes the following:
  •  Safety gears (buoyancy vest, aqua shoes/rubber shoes, helmet, snacks)
  • Motorcycle ride (round trip)
  • Action Camera (Supremo)
  • Lunch after the activity
  •  FREE jokes and laughter with their funny and friendly guides (hahaha)
  • Note: Offers may vary depending on your type of needs and the number of participants.









Not my picture









Wednesday, April 27, 2016

Oslob Whale Shark Watching

Oslob whale shark watching is a fast growing tourist destination in the Southern part of Cebu. Cebu City is starting to grow and to develop and so as a result, traffic is getting heavier so better start travelling as early as possible. Oslob whale shark watching is a 2-3hrs drive form the main city of Cebu so better start travelling before the sun rises.

In our case, we started travelling at 4:00 am and reached our destination at around 7:00 am. (April 21, 2016) We took a private car to save some time in waiting for the bus, but of course it costs us a lot as well but on the other hand, it was hassle free. They picked us up at the hotel and drove us towards our next destination after Oslob whale shark watching. But if you prefer a cheaper way, buses are a great option. The earliest bus trip is I guess 3am but you can check their schedule in this website for further information. (http://www.cebu.gov.ph/cebu-south-bus-terminal-bus-schedules/)

I am a first timer in Cebu but I didn’t find it hard to locate the Whale Shark watching area. You can easily notice it along the sides of the road. They placed some tarpaulins on both sides of the road. Another sign that you are near the area, is that you will noticed a lot of cars parking on the side of the road. Oslob Whale Shark watching parking space is a bit small, so other drivers parked their cars on the safe side of the Road. You don’t have to worry about the safety of your cars because there are some “watchers” as well guiding the traffic.

When you are inside the area, you will be required to listen first on their orientation. After it, you will line up for your swimming gears. (Life jacket and goggles). Then you will sign up/register for your boat number. They will assign you for your boat. If you are with someone or a friend, you will be considered as one. So the number that you are holding will be the number of your group/friends. You will be guided in a small boat and if there are still some spaces, they will include other people to be with you. So just expect that you will be with other tourist as well. But during those time, I saw some boats with only 2 persons, I guess they paid bigger amount compared to the regular ones. (Rich kids, hhahahhaha)

During the orientation, they will explain the dos and don’ts during the activity. But I will give you some as far as I can remember.
  1.  No applying of lotion or sunblock because according to them, it may harm the whale sharks. Just in case you applied those before going to the area, there are shower areas on each side of the beach to wash those off.
  2. Do not touch the whale sharks. There are “watchers” on each assigned boats, and if you are caught touching the whales, you will be pay the fines or worst you will be in jail for days.
  3. No using of Flash Camera. Whales are highly sensitive to light so using those may harm them
  4. You can only swim 4 or 3 meters away from the whales to avoid contact. But if in case the whale is coming near you, just be calm and do not move too much to avoid scratching them or hurting them. (my friend accidentally touched its tails) The whales are so harmless and I should say cute! Hahhaha. Especially when you look at their eyes and mouth. Hahhaa. Such a magnificent creature.
If you don’t have any sports camera/Underwater camera, there are some booth there that you can rent their cam for 30 min. Whale Shark watching is a 30 min activity, so it’s just enough for your trip. By the way, if you are worried about not having breakfast because of the early travel, you don’t have to worry! There are stores there (actually a looooot of stores) that offers foods and stuffs. You can buy foods after going to the whale shark. Also there are lockers in the area so you can just rent to leave your valuable things.

During the whale shark watching, it’s a big plus if you are an EXPERT swimmer. Again, EXXXXXPEEERT! I have this friend who claimed that she can swim well but during the activity, she mentioned that it’s hard for her to swim around because of the water current. Don’t expect it to be smooth because it’s an open sea. Everybody will be wearing life jacket, but if you are comfortable to the water, then you can take it off. I am not a swimmer, and I’m scared of deep water but according to one guide, it’s much easier to move without those so I tried taking it off. Indeed it helped me to move freely without the feeling of being dragged away by the ocean. Just cling on the boat and you will be safe.

If you brought underwater cam, better let the guide hold it for you so you can have good videos or pictures with the whale shark. They will offer help for you, so just grab those chance rather than holding it your own. They've been doing that for so long, so you don’t have to worry.

Ooops, before I forgot, I really like how the management treat the locals. They are giving discount for the locals. 500 pesos for locals and 1k for foreigners. For me it’s a good way to treat your “kababayan” because you are giving them opportunity to explore more about your own land rather being a foreigner in your own country. So saludo ako bilang isang PILIPINO!