20140502. Cebu. Oslob. Sumilon Island

20140502. Cebu - Oslob - Sumilon Island - Siquijor Day 2

This is a detailed itinerary of our second day in Oslob, Cebu where I saw three
Whale Sharks and went on a day tour trip at the magical Sumilon Bluewater Island resort. Click this link to check out day 1 where we explored Cebu City and Oslob.

The enchanting Sumilon island from the distance

Day 2
0530 Wake up call. Remember that you can't put sunblock since this might be harmful to the Whale sharks.

Sunrise at Ate Veny's backyard

 0600 Ate Veny has already called the boat that would take us to the Whale Shark Interaction Center and we just waited outside of her home. It's really just a 5 minute walk from Ate Veny's but this way, we already have a reserved boat that can take us to the sea once the formalities and introductions were done.

0610 ETA Whale Shark Interaction Center. Here you would just be given a short introduction of dos and don'ts and a brief background about Whale sharks.
 

Add caption

0620 Start of Whale Shark Interaction. Fresh from my Whale Shark Interaction at Donsol,
I was surprised at how fast we saw Whale sharks! Just 3 minutes in the water and there was already 1 visible whale shark at the distance. It came more of a surprise to me when I realized that it was following one boatman who was apparently giving it food. I've read about it but seeing it was so unnatural, these are gentle creatures but they aren't pets. I don't really know about these things so I can't judge or say how things should be done. These thoughts were running through my mind until I saw another Whale shark. By this time I was already putting on my mask and was preparing to jump.

 

It was pleasant and fun to just relax and swim with these whale sharks. They were completely comfortable with our presence as well, considering that there were a lot of people who were in the water with them.

To compare, finding a whale shark in Donsol was tiring. All the countless hours of excitement and the disappointment gets to you but seeing the giant Whale shark there which was about 3x as big as the ones in Oslob was also one of the best experience in my life. It was a humbling adventure and, I daresay, life changing at best. Whale shark interaction in Oslob is fun, relaxing and very enjoyable. You really get to see them and study them or just take a lot of pictures with them. I saw three whale sharks that morning and even got one of them all to myself for a few peaceful minutes. I just swam with it along with the several fishes dancing about its tail. It was really fun that I already made plans of coming back next year.

0700 End of Whale shark Interaction

0715 Breakfast. By this time, we were already back at Ate Veny's and eating their home-made banana loaves. I can not stress enough how happy I was to stay at Chateau de Tan-awan. It was really like a home for me. It was cozy and the people there were just really nice. Let me just put a few photos of their lovely home. For people trying to contact the kindest and most accommodating Ate Veny, this is her new number. 09063444386.

0815 ETD Walk from Ate Veny's to Sumilon Main Land Office
0830 ETA Sumilon Main Land Office. It's just a 15-minute walk. Just continue your way South. You won't get lost since there are a lot of signs pointing to Sumilon, and you would also see Sumilon island itself in the distance.

We were a bit early so we had a lot of time to take pictures and enjoy the view. Even just from the Main land, the see was very beautiful.
 

Entrance to Sumilon Main land office

Photo from Desiree

0930 ETD Boat. Sumilon Main Land Office to Sumilon Island. And wow! Was it magical!
Boat trips to Sumilon Island are at 0930, 1100 AM. By the way, they accept credit cards.

  0950 ETA Sumilon. Explore. Trek, Kayak, Snorkel, Swim.

Welcome to Sumilon Island

 

 1200 Buffet Lunch at Sumilon Island. Trek, Kayak, Snorkel, Swim.
  

 

1730 ETD Sumilon Island to Main land
Boat trips from Sumilon Island are at 1200, 1330, 1530, 1730
1750 ETA Oslob. Dinner. Chill.

Next: On to the mystical land of Siquijor

Itinerary Summary
Day 2
0530 Wake up call
0600 ETD Ate Veny's to Whale Shark Interaction Center
0610 ETA Whale Shark Interaction Center
0620 Whale Shark Interaction
0700 End of Whale Shark Interaction
0715 Breakfast
0815 ETD Ate Veny's to Sumilon Main Land Office
0830 ETA Sumilon Main Land Office. It's just a 15-minute walk
0930 ETD Sumilon Main Land Office to Sumilon Island.
0950 ETA Sumilon. Explore. Trek, Kayak, Snorkel, Swim.
Boat trips to Sumilon Island are at 0930, 1100 AM
1200 Buffet Lunch at Sumilon Island.
1730 ETD Sumilon Island to Main land
Boat trips from Sumilon Island are at 1200, 1330, 1530, 1730
1750 ETA Oslob. Dinner. Chill.

Expenses in peso per head for 5 people:
Day 2
500 Whale Shark Interaction Fee.
1500 Sumilon Island Day trip.
330 Souvenir shirt at Ate Veny’s.
190 Dinner at Brumini Beach.
350 Accommodation. Chateau Tan-Awan. 450 if you won’t be sharing the room with anyone.
__________________________________
2870

Summary of expenses:
942 Day 1 (Cebu City - Oslob)
2870 Day 2 (Whale Shark Interaction and Sumilon Island)
1347 Day 3 (Siquijor)
210 Day 4 (Dumaguete)
_________________________________
5369

Dumaguete to Oslob
http://eagerexplorer.wordpress.com/2013/07/14/oslob-swimming-with-the-whale-sharks/
http://www.ourawesomeplanet.com/awesome/2012/04/sumilon-oslob-do-it-yourself-travel-guide-2.html

Oslob
http://thetravelteller.com/oslob-cebu-an-ultimate-south-cebu-escape/
http://stunninglyschoonhead.wordpress.com/2013/12/30/oslob-cebu-the-rising-tourist-hub/
http://two2travel.com/oslob-travel-guide-cebu-whalesharks-butanding-tumalog-falls/#.UvOp0FCwrqC
Solo: http://jeffwasthere.com/2013/05/the-surprisingly-simple-and-nice-town-of-oslob-cebu/
http://www.thepinaysolobackpacker.com/swimming-with-the-whale-shark-in-oslob-cebu-a-travel-guide/

Sumilon Island
jeffwasthere.com/2013/05/how-to-go-to-sumilon-island-the-cheaper-way/
http://www.ilink.ph/sumilonbluewater

20140501. Cebu City Tour, Tumalog Falls and Heritage Park in Oslob

20140501. A quick tour in Cebu City and Tan-awan, Oslob

Tumalog Falls

Day 1
(CEB) 0035 1h20m. ETA CEBU Mactan Airport. Camp at Airport.

We picked this ungodly time for our flight to save money. It was a nice experience since we got to "camp" in the airport. Bringing our sleeping bags was a good call.

There’s a restaurant in the airport area and a Cebu Lechon just outside the airport.

0520 ETD Airport to Taoist Temple. Taxi. P220. We decided to go to Taoist Temple at first light. There are also public transportation just outside the airport, you can follow this very comprehensive guide if you plan on taking them:

- http://www.travextravels.com/2012/12/cebu-taoist-temple-map.html#.UyqOPYUxhtM - Ride a jeepney to Lahug. Disembark at JY Square. Take a taxi to Taoist Temple.

 

The team at Taoist Temple. (Cindy, Kim, Ranier, Rommel, Desiree)

 

0545 ETA Taoist temple. They open at 6AM. There is no entrance fee but donations are always welcome. This is inside Beverly hills subdivision. Be prepared to walk from Taoist Temple to the entrance of the subdivision if you are commuting. It’s hard to get a cab from inside. We went around this amazing and very colorful place for almost an hour. It isn't a huge place. We just really took our time admiring the place. At one point, I felt like I was in a dragon ball cartoon setup. There are also turtles and large Koi fishes that just takes your mind off the watch.

Koi Pond

View from the top

0715 ETD Taoist temple. Hunger has struck us so we had to say good bye to the Taoist Temple. I think it was a 15-minute walk to the subdivision gate.

There are Motorbikes just outside the gates of the subdivision, and this can also take you to the main road. You can ride jeepneys there to other points of Cebu.
We were lucky to find a cab when we arrived at the gate.
 

0745 ETA Larsian BBQ food station. Breakfast. Even at this early, there were a lot of stalls that were already opened and was inviting us to try their food.

There were a lot of BBQ selections and all of them taste good. My companions particularly liked "Puso" (hanging rice), they said it was tasty and sticker than the usual. I couldn't tell because I was busy with their BBQ Chorizo. I'll be buying BBQ Chorizo whenever I'm in Visayas.

Larsian BBQ

Puso (Hanging Rice)

0815 ETD Larsian BBQ food station. Walked around for a while and bought snack (dried mangoes) and took a Jeepney Route 06B near the rotunda to get to Basilica del Santo Nino.

0900 ETA Basilica del Santo Nino. We stopped by the Island Souvenir shop first just at the side of the Basilica to check out the souvenirs.

 

Just outside the Basilica is the Magellan's Cross. This was damaged a little by the earthquake in 2013 but the cross and the ceiling still maintained its particular beauty.

There were a lot of people visiting the Basilica. Some of them were tourist taking pictures, lighting candles, and praying in every corner.

Most of the people were lined up to get a chance to touch the statue of Santo Nino at the back of the mass area.

1000 EDT Basilica del Santo Nino to Cebu South Bus Terminal. We took the Route 12D Jeep to get to the Terminal.
Waited to board Ceres Bus bound for Liloan, make sure to ask if they will be passing by Oslob. 1100 ETD South Bus Terminal Cebu to Tanawan, Oslob (Whale Shark tourism center).

Try to seat at the left side of the bus so you can enjoy the view of the Sea. I just asked to be dropped at Tan-awan Oslob where the Whale shark interaction center is.

Alternatively, I also prepared a sample itinerary coming from Dumaguete. 
Day 1 (DGT)

0900 Airplane. Departure MNL to DGT 
1045 1h20m. ETA DGT. Sibulan Airport.
1100 0h15m. Tricycle(P100) or multi cab. ETA Sibulan Port.  
1200 0h30m. Ferries(P62)/Pump boats(P45). ETA Liloan Port - Departure every hour and every 30 minutes, respectively.
1215 Lunch 
1330 0h20m. Tricycle(P200)/Jeepney(P15/head). Liloan port to  Oslob, Cebu (Whale Shark tourism center).
 
Day 1 Continuation
1500 After 4 hours, we finally arrived at Tan-awan Oslob. Be careful when going in to a resort. I was informed that some of the resorts charge people there when they pass by their area. If you are going straight to interact with the whale shark, make sure that you are entering the actual Whale shark interaction center. I really planned on staying at Chateau de Tan-awan near the Elementary School but I wasn't able to contact Ate Veny. I later learned that she has lost her phone. I also learned that she is a very kind and a most welcoming host. It's a good thing that her place is just 5 minutes away from the Interaction center. For people trying to contact the kindest and most accommodating Ate Veny, this is her new number. 09063444386.

Her place really feels like a warm and welcoming home. I really loved my stay there and the rooms would only cost you P350/head if you have company and
P450 if you won’t be sharing the room with anyone. Just a tip, in the summer season, the rooms in the first floor can get a bit hot and it's more comfortable if you would be
staying in the second floor. I wouldn't really mind the heat though, I love Ate Veny's place. It's a place where you can feel at home while in Oslob.

They were also preparing to install an air-condition in one of their rooms. Each floor has a large, clean and comfortable bathroom. They also sell beverages, delicious home-made banana loaf and nice souvenir items. One thing I learned from my visit at Donsol to swim with the Whale Shark is that if you are going to visit a place for a specific reason, you better call or search the web to see if there are recent encounters and how frequent the encounters are. You should also ask what the best time for sighting is since this patterns might change. It's a good thing that it's summer and Whale shark interaction at Oslob is good all year round.

We also told Ate Veny that we were going to Sumilon Island. She knows boatmen that can take you just to the sandbar of the Island. If you are on a budget, this is the best way to enjoy the magical waters of Sumilon Island. But I tell you, if you are passing by Sumilon Island, better take the day tour that cost P1500. This includes a lunch buffet and the boat transfers from the Main land to Sumilon Island and back. And Sumilon Island is just lovely.

 

Bedroom on the second floor

Dining area

Souvenirs

Anyhow, back to the itinerary. After checking in and settling in our rooms, we took our exploration pack to see the Heritage and Tumalog Falls.

1515 Start of Oslob Land tour. There are tricycles and Habal-habals passing around the Chateau. There is no better way to travel around Oslob than going around

on a Habal-habal. Oslob has a very beautiful road by the cliff where you can feel the sea breeze and enjoy the sight of the pure blue to clear green waters of Cebu Sea.

We rented 3 Habal Habal's for the rest of the day at P750 for the three. I think I saw a blog before that a tricycle would only cost around 350-500 for a tour around Oslob.

First stop was in a canteen just in the center of the town proper. We just had a quick late lunch and went to the Heritage after.

Cuartel

1600 The Cuartel was just a beautiful sight to behold. I can't really tell why. It's not one of those huge, imposing and grand ancestral buildings nor is it a famous ancient mansion. There is just something in the place that makes you marvel at it. If I really have to single out a nice point about it, I think it's the beautiful texture of the blocks that created the walls of this ruins. That and the view of the trees joining with the sea from the opened stone windows. There is something relaxing about being there.

Cuartel Stone Window

Church of Oslob

Baluarte (Watchtower) and the statue

View of the park

Walls of the church

1640 ETD Cuartel to Market. We just passed by a large Sari-sari store and purchased a few personal things, food for snack and for breakfast. Before going to Tumalog Falls.

1700 ETA Tumalog Falls. The entrance fee to Tumalog falls is P20. It's just a 5 minute slightly steep descent from the entrance to the falls. I've always heard that Tumalog falls is something special as waterfalls go. It's not the usual falls that I normally go and seek. I've read of it and saw pictures online and I thought that it would be cool, but I wouldn't enjoy it as much as I did the refreshing and relaxing basin of Baler's Mother Falls or the exhilarating 15-foot cliff diving spot at Bohol's Mag-aso Falls or even the beautiful multi-level falls in Siquijor's Cambugahay falls where you can even use a vine to swing and jump to the basin. All of these thought vanished at the first sight of Tumalog falls.

It was a hidden paradise from where the path crosses the river. The trees around the falls were enchanting and acted as a perfect frame to display the magnificence that was Tumalog falls. No pictures online has done justice to this grand spectacle.

First sight of the falls

There is no substitute to the images and experiences witnessed by your own eyes. It was other-worldly. The basin was shallow but it's enough to lie down and completely submerge your body to do a back float and just adore the beauty of the falls. The waters were of a minty green color, something you might see on games and movies depicted as rejuvenating waters. There were two bamboo rafts when we got there and these just added a nice flair to the ambiance. It was as if we were in a different era or in a distant place.

Standing at the bottom of the falls and looking up at the cascading water was enchanting at its best. Normal falls would give you a massage or you wouldn't even be able to get close because of the gushing water. Tumalog falls, I don't know how it happened, but the light shower coming from Tumalog falls was gentle, fine and relaxing. It was as if time stood still for a moment just to allow you to see every drop of water before it rejoins the refreshing pool below.

It was a magical experience. Just writing about it makes me want to go back, soon. We ended up staying for almost two hours. We wouldn't have left but the last moments of day where slowly giving way to night. There was no light in the place so we decided to head home. Whenever I go somewhere, I always try to take a mental picture of the place and always try to bring the memories with me. But I must say that with Tumalog Falls, instead of bringing and adding to my being, a piece of me was left in Oslob.

1900 ETA Ate Veny's Place. We were welcomed by Ate Veny's pet rabbit. Primitiva. She's adorably shy.

Primie

2000 Dinner at Brumini Beach Resort. This is just a 5 minute walk from Ate Veny's.

There's a lot of food stores here and there's a lot of selection for drinks as well. It's a nice place to hang out since it's by the sea and you can feel the sea breeze from where you would be sitting.

Itinerary Summary
Day 1
 0035 1h20m. ETA CEBU Mactan Airport. Camp at Airport.
0520 ETD Airport to Taoist Temple. Taxi.
0545 ETA Taoist temple. They open at 6AM.
0715 ETD Cab. Taoist temple.
0745 ETA Larsian BBQ food station. Breakfast.
0815 ETD Larsian BBQ food station.
0900 ETA Basilica del Santo Nino. We stopped by the Island Souvenir shop first just at the side of the Basilica to check out the souvenirs.
1000 ETD Basilica del Santo Nino to Cebu South Bus Terminal. We took the Route 12D Jeep to get to the Terminal.
1100 ETD South Bus Terminal Cebu to Tanawan, Oslob (Whale Shark tourism center).
1500 After 4 hours, we finally arrived at Tan-awan Oslob.Check in at Chateau de Tan-awan near the Elementary School.
1515 Start of Oslob Land tour.
1600 ETA Oslob Heritage. The Cuartel was just a beautiful sight to behold.
1640 ETD Cuartel to Market.
1700 ETA Tumalog Falls.
1900 ETA Ate Veny's Place
2000 Dinner at Brumini Beach Resort.

Expenses in peso per head for 5 people:

Day 1

44 Taxi. Mactan Airport to Taoist Temple
24 Taxi. Taoist Temple to Larsian BBQ
69 Lunch at Larsian BBQ.
8 Jeep. Route 06B. Larsian to Sto Nino Magellan Cross
8 Jeep. Route 12D Magellan’s Cross to South Terminal
155 Ceres Bus. AC. Cebu South Terminal to Tan-awan, Oslob
50 Lunch at Oslob
20 Tumalog Falls Entrace Fee 150 Three Habal Habal(Best way to go around). Tour around Oslob
64 Dinner at Brumini Beach
350 Accommodation. Ate Veny’s Chateau Tan-Awan. P450 if you won’t be sharing the room with anyone.
__________________________________
942

Summary of expenses:

942 Day 1 (Cebu City - Oslob)
2870 Day 2 (Whale Shark Interaction and Sumilon Island)
1347 Day 3 (Siquijor)
210 Day 4 (Dumaguete)
_________________________________
5369

Dumaguete to Oslob http://eagerexplorer.wordpress.com/2013/07/14/oslob-swimming-with-the-whale-sharks/ http://www.ourawesomeplanet.com/awesome/2012/04/sumilon-oslob-do-it-yourself-travel-guide-2.html
 
Oslob http://thetravelteller.com/oslob-cebu-an-ultimate-south-cebu-escape/ http://stunninglyschoonhead.wordpress.com/2013/12/30/oslob-cebu-the-rising-tourist-hub/ http://two2travel.com/oslob-travel-guide-cebu-whalesharks-butanding-tumalog-falls/#.UvOp0FCwrqC  

Solo: http://jeffwasthere.com/2013/05/the-surprisingly-simple-and-nice-town-of-oslob-cebu/ http://www.thepinaysolobackpacker.com/swimming-with-the-whale-shark-in-oslob-cebu-a-travel-guide/