Oslob Whaleshark Watching

I've been looking forward to this for a few months now and since I was scheduled to go home to Cebu on my birthday, there's no better time than now!

So March 29, my dad drove my sis and I to the South Bus Terminal at around 3am. Apparently we just missed the 330am bus by a minute so we waited for the 4am schedule. It was my first time taking a bus to the South so I was impressed by how clean the terminal looked (or probably it's because it was 3am on a weekday). Bad trip lang that we had to pay terminal fee even if we didn't really get to stay in the terminal and went straight inside the bus. But it's okay since it's only Php5, hehe.

I also loved that we got to ride in a brand new Ceres bus, which was only 3 months old. It smelled good, had enough leg room, foot rest and reading lights, kulang na lang wi-fi hehe. Before I forget, the fare is Php155 and you have to board the bus going to Bato (or Bato via Liloan), Oslob. Just tell the conductor that you're getting off Oslob for the whale shark watching.

The trip's around 3 hours long so we decided to take a quick nap. But before I got to my 50th sheep, we were stopped by heavy traffic along the highway. An electric post, which got caught on a big truck, fell and was blocking almost the entire road. It was a scary 30 minutes but our driver was able to maneuver his way out, whew!

We arrived in Oslob at around 730am and I knew we made the right decision to go there on a weekday. There weren't any queues, so after a few minutes of paying the fees and listening to the orientation, we were off to see the butandings!

There's a viewing/feeding area a few meters out to sea where the boats are docked and where designated boat men move around feeding the whale sharks.

We went down the boat for a close encounter with the gentle giants and we were definitely not disappointed!

They are soooo huge, it's truly amazing! Although there were several people following them around, they just went on with their business and kept eating. They're that used to seeing people.


It's so mesmerizing seeing them swimming a few feet away. At some point I stopped taking pictures and just watched them. It's such a wonderful once in a lifetime experience!

Before we knew it, our time's up. Everyone's only given 30 minutes to watch the butandings, to allow more groups of people to see them. I just hope the people of Oslob are able to take care of them really well and that they don't get exploited so that future generations will still get to enjoy seeing these gentle giants!





What to do when you get to Oslob:

1. You go to a 'resort' and they will be the one to lead you to the registration and orientation area. There are lots of resorts along the road and you won't miss them because of the blue signboards right out front. The bus will drop you off right where these resorts are.

2. The resort personnel would lead you to the registration area to pay all the fees. Cost includes:

Php320 - whale shark watching w/ snorkeling (If you're only going to watch and not get off the boat, fee is Php300)
Php100 - resort entrance fee (includes life vest, and use of shower rooms)
Php100 - snorkeling gear (apparently, we got duped because another guy in the resort told us that they only charge Php50 for the snorkeling gear. What's weird is that our resort guy didn't tell us that, feeling namin baka may cut sya dun sa Php100.)

They also charge for underwater camera but I'm not sure how much.

3. After paying, they would lead you to the orientation area. The instructions are pretty basic (you can't touch them, no flash photography, no wearing of sunblock, etc.) but it's mandatory.

4. Next, your resort guide will take you back to the resort so you can change and put on the life vest. Then, you will be led to your boat.

5. You're off to the butanding viewing area!

Bookworm Log #5: Flipped

A friend first told me about the movie two years ago, but I never got around to getting a copy. So when I saw the book a few days ago, I immediately decided to buy it! Penned by Wendelin Van Draanen, Flipped is a cute story of family, friendship and first love.

The story is alternately narrated by both protagonists, Julianna and Bryce, so events are presented in two slightly different perspectives. It starts when Bryce's family moves to Juli's neighborhood a few days before they start school in second grade, and Juli is immediately smitten by blue-eyed Bryce. Juli liked Bryce all throughout their childhood and Bryce feels just the opposite for Juli. Until they reach eighth grade when everything gets flipped.

I liked the way both perspectives were written. I found it funny that they were typical 'he said-she said', you know, the way a girl describes every little thing in detail and a guy glosses over them and just talks about the main points. Haha! I also loved the moments with Bryce's grandpa and the lesson he taught them that who or what a person will become is determined by the choices he makes during childhood.

Overall, I liked Flipped because it brought me to that happy place where everything's alright in the world. It also made me remember the kilig feeling when you see your crush. Haaay! This is such a light and easy read that I was able to start and finish it at the airport while waiting for my flight to Cebu. Our flight was delayed for at least an hour, so it was a very good thing that I had this to keep me company.

Weekend Getaway: Nagsasa Cove

I was invited to a 'camping trip' to Nagsasa Cove in Zambales over the weekend. It's supposed to be a guided tour which promised a bit of trekking to the waterfalls, a visit to Capones island, and lots of sun time at the beach while roughing it.

The itinerary that was provided to us by Pinoycaravan.com (where we booked the tour) looked exciting enough that the P2,300 fee for the overnight trip seemed okay. I soooo looked forward to the weekend escape that I psyched myself up for the trekking part by buying my first ever pair of trekking shoes! 

So we trooped over to the meeting place at 5am still pretty much groggy because of only two hours' sleep, coming from a late night dinner and hanging out. (Just an aside, I never felt my age more than I did this time. I couldn't handle back-to-back gimiks anymore, yikes!) There were already a few people there because apparently it's the main meet-up point for all their tours. So there were other groups going to Nagsasa Cove and (the more popular) Anawangin Cove.  Anyway, as soon as we knew which one's our van, we sat right at the back and immediately caught some Z's. I was expecting at least 4 hours of uninterrupted nap time until we got to Zambales.

The first sign that this was not the trip I expected was that we had to wait more than hour at the 2nd stopover (2 stopovers already in just about 3 hours into the trip!) because our guide was riding in the other van together with all the other guides. They stayed behind because of another group that was late, so we had to wait so they can catch up with us. Question: so why did they let us go ahead when we'd have to wait for them anyway? Better yet, why didn't our guide just ride with us?

Moving on... so we arrived at Pundaquit, Zambales where we're supposed to ride a boat to Nagsasa. Our very friendly and efficient driver just parked the van and got out without even telling us what we're supposed to do next. After a few minutes we kinda figured that we're supposed to get out and head towards the shore. And since there was no tour guide in sight, we just stayed in one of the huts and waited for someone (anyone!) to approach us. Shortly, our guide finally approached and told us that they were just loading our camp stuff in the boat and we would be soon be off to Nagsasa. Yay! BUT, again we should have known that our elation was short-lived.

While waiting for them to finish loading, some of our companions started asking the guide about the itinerary. From where we were sitting, we can already see Capones Island. (As mentioned earlier, we were expecting that aside from Nagsasa, we will be doing some trekking to a waterfall and that we will also be paying a short visit to Capones Island.) So someone from the group asked him when we were going to the island, if it's before going to Nagsasa or the next day on our way back. Then he drops the bomb. He said that if we wanted to go to the island, we would have to pay extra. WTF!? It was in the friggin' itinerary they sent us! And as if that wasn't enough, when we asked him about the waterfall, he said that it would be quite a long walk to the fall and it will just be a waste of time because it's a bit dried up this time of the year so he advises that we don't go. Again, WTF!? These are things that we could have been brought to our attention yesterday! Most of us were already pissed off, to think we haven't officially started the tour. Which as actually a misnomer because there wasn't a tour to speak of, because apparently they were just bringing us to an island. 

Anyway... so we finally get to ride the boat. It was super small for 20 people, even smaller than the island hopping boats we have in Mactan! And we had to ride in it for at least 45 minutes, with the motor right below our seats, so you can imagine how comfortable we were. We made a quick stop at Anawangin to drop off some stuff for the other campers there. I was kind of surprised at how 'small' Anawangin is and how crowded the place looked with all the fences and other structures they built on the cove. From that quick view of the cove, I really didn't get the hype. Apparently, maganda na para sa iba yon. Taray! Haha.

We finally get to Nagsasa and the view's actually not that bad. It's loads better than Anawangin, with far less structures and it has a longer shoreline. Here's a view of the cove:

After settling down, we were told by our guide that as part of the tour he would now take us to the river. I was expecting 30-minute or so trek but apparently the river's really close to the campsite, about 10 minutes away! Why do we need a guide for that?? The river's not even hidden! AND, they didn't even take us further down. They only led us to a short part of the river, allowed us a few minutes of picture-taking (while they just sit and rest) before leading us back to the camp site. Sheesh, laaaazy... Sayang, the river looked kinda nice pa naman. 

Another part of the itinerary was supposed to be a trek up a hill to get a top view of the island. When some of us brought this up, the guide grudgingly led them to it. I decided not to go as he was really starting to become my least favorite person. The guides' only redeeming trait is that they are able to serve our meals on time and that the food were actually tasty. I think they were more cooks than 'guides'. I don't get the fascination with serving pasta in every meal, though. (our first lunch was rice, adobo and spaghetti; then dinner was rice, grilled fish and some carbonara.)

The water was actually really nice, so we couldn't pass up the chance to take a dip. The swim was very refreshing after our relaxing afternoon nap. Mga feeling lola!

There was supposed to be a bonfire after dinner, but we weren't feeling very chummy with other people in the group and the 'tour' guides, so we decided to hit the sack a bit early. I had a deep sleep, except for the one time I got woken up, so I was pretty much dead to the world. But according to one of my friends, she heard the guides complaining about one of their co-guides and talking about salary to some of our tour group mates. Talk about professionalism.

Waking up the next day, I was just really happy to be going home. The best part of this underwhelming weekend was in fact, our boat ride going back. It was already raining early in the day so we were told that we would be leaving earlier than scheduled. Yay! Our very considerate group mates didn't want to sit at the back of the boat near the noisy motor, so the privilege was given to us. Which turned out to be a real blessing because we had a tarpaulin roof over our heads and when heavy rains started pouring we weren't as  drenched as the others. Ha! The rough waters also made the ride very exciting. It was really exhilarating being in a small boat watching huge oncoming waves! And I don't know how to swim! Woohoo!

Bottomline is, I expected more from this trip and it was such a letdown. This just adds to my hesitation about taking 'guided' tours. Hopefully my next trip will be much better.

Looking For Inspiration

On days when I feel so spent and uninspired, I multitask. I turn into my usual couch potato self and spend endless hours watching TV and movies and at the same time surf the Internet to look at lovely, inspiring things to make me happy. (And I also go on Facebook.)

One of the blogs I always visit is Oh Hello Friend: You are Loved. The blogger, Danni, has plenty of cool DIY tips and I love her flea market and vintage finds. I also find her artsy design ideas so cool!

So, head on over to her blog and let's all be inspired!

Soundtrack Sunday: As

Aaaand we're back! It's been a while since my last Soundtrack Sunday post, I apologize for that.

I'm back to watching American Idol, not only because of Jessica Sanchez, but because I think they have really talented contestants this year. The Whitney Houston and Stevie Wonder tribute was enough to send me to music nostalgia heaven.

But I'm not here to talk about AI or the contestants, instead I'm featuring the song they sang for the opening. It's a song I haven't heard in a while and I'm happy to hear it again- it's As by Mary J Blige and George Michael.

Back in my MTV addiction days, this was one of my favorite videos because of it's simple yet very hi-tech (at that time) approach. You gotta love that they are the only two people in the video. Amazing!

Name Game. It's More Fun In The Philippines.

It is a known fact that Filipinos have a penchant for creating unique and witty names.

We are especially imaginative when it comes to giving nicknames. There’s Junjun, Dingdong, Tenten, and Popoy. Apparently, one syllable is not enough. Nicknames can also be a description of the person. My uncle has a driver we call Big Boy, not because he’s big, but just the opposite (he's just about my height, standing less than 5 feet).He also had a driver called Jackson, because he looks like Michael Jackson. We also have an abundant supply of Hs, Vs and Zs. Jhing, Bhoy, Vhong, Renz and Vinz all got one or two.

A friend's dad was especially creative in naming his children. They were named:

1. Akone - or Ako ni, meaning This is mine
2. Elane - or Ila ni, meaning This is theirs; and
3. Emone- or Imo ni, meaning This is yours

Of course we also subscribe to the 'normal' naming conventions, like naming kids after patron saints, popular celebrities, and using names found in baby dictionaries. But you may say that our 2 most common ways of naming children are:  

Number 1. Combining the names of parents/grandparents- my sister’s and brother’s names are good examples of this. My sister is named Riobelle- Rio from my dad, Rogerio and Belle from my mom's Velma. My brother Manuel Jose is named after my grandfathers. Can you guess their names? Their names are already normal, compared to Vandolph, a by-product of Vanessa and Rodolfo.

Number 2. We also name children after popular celebrities, but with a comical twist. Edgar Allan Po and Edgar Allan Pe are obviously Chinoys named after the poet. I’ve heard of someone naming their baby Kobe Bryant Cruz. And I have a colleague named Earvin Magic Chongson. Parents are sometimes just plain cruel.

Now, not only do we pour our creative juices to coming up with creative names of people, we also do the same thing in naming our businesses. Here are just some of them:

Tindahan sa Kanto - meaning corner store, for a sari-sari store that’s literally on the corner

Barak-Ooh-Mama for a brand of kapeng barako

Esteban Labada- Labada means laundry. So this is a laundry shop found in Esteban Abada Street.

Alabank- for a thrift bank found in Alabang

Johnny’s The 'Fried' of Marikina - food store whose specialty is fried chicken

Pakopya ni Edgar - a photocopier shop probably owned by Edgar

Automobili Co. - a buy and sell car shop. When read, this means literally 'Your car, I'll buy'

Goto Me Goto Ü - a goto shop

So you see, we find humor in even the most mundane task of naming a person or a business. It's definitely more fun in the Philippines.

P.S. If you don't get the connection of the picture to this post, she's Laura Branigan, who sang the 80s hit The Name Game. Sorry, I can't find a better photo haha!

Bookworm Log #4: Before Ever After

My friend, Farah, told me about this book a few months back. She described it as The Time Traveler's Wife-ish, set in Europe, written by a Filipina author. I was kind of skeptical about that given that I loved Audrey Niffenegger's book.

But when I heard that the author, Samantha Sotto, is coming to the office for our International Women's Day event, I immediately ran to the bookstore and bought myself a copy. This is only because I wanted to get it signed for my friend, and her review of the book was convincing enough.

So I read Before Ever After a few days before her scheduled visit, and I can't tell you how much I loved reading it! Although Sam was inspired to write it after reading The Time Traveler's Wife, it's definitely much more than its copycat. In fact, I think I enjoyed it more only because it's more lighthearted and had a more mystical feel to it (and not to mention a less depressing ending). I also loved the way that it made me feel like I also signed up for the Slight Detour, traveling through Europe with them, not knowing where Max's story will take me next.

And as if I didn't like the book enough, I loved it even more when I met Sam! She told us about how she came about writing the book and her story is truly inspiring. I must mention that she came complete with a full slideshow presentation (with matching music and video) to tell us about the making of the book. So artsy and creative! Love it! =)

Anyway, she was part of the corporate world for quite some time before she decided to quit and become a full-time wife and mom. She said that while she was looking after her brother, who just had an appendectomy, she was reading The Time Traveler's Wife. At that time, she was also hooked on the TV show Dr. Who. Then, Max suddenly popped into her head together with other bits of the soon-to-be-written story.

So she decided she had to write everything down. She would drop her kid off to school every morning and wait for him to finish after three hours, and in those three hours, she would stay at Starbucks and write. When she finally finished writing her book, her husband liked it but asked, 'What now?' He encouraged her to have it published.


Then one day, as fate would have it, she was in a book sale shop in one of her trip and there on a table was
an Idiot's Guide to Publishing. And so she started on her journey to finding her agent. There were a couple of unsuccessful attempts until she finally found Stephanie Kip Rostan, with whom she felt she had an instant connection because her name Kip meant 'chicken' in Dutch.

The rest, they say, is history.

Here's a sneak peek into the book:

And so I share with you my takeaways from this wonderful meeting:
 

Here's the note for Farah!

Chickens definitely rule! =)

She's just amazing and I can't wait for her next book! Visit her website here: http://www.samanthasotto.com/