While I also relish lazy travels, there are times when I'm left with no other option but to squeeze in several activities within a day to address time and budget constraints so I can explore more.
Here's my top itinerary pick for the most number of fun activities in a day for 2011. :)
Many thanks to the friends who helped come up with this Itinerary (Doi, Ed and Maou)
Location : Southern Cebu
Route : Oslob-Boljoon-Dalaguete-Tisa
Activities : Swimming in Oslob, Boljoon Heritage Walk (pronounced as Bol-ho-on), Osmeña Peak Day Hike, Siomai sa Tisa food trip
Budget : Minus the airfare from Manila to Cebu which I was able to reimburse from my company less the tax and the terminal fee, total expenses amount to less than 1,500 Pesos!
Our hectic adventure began by waking up in the wee hours to catch a 3:30 AM bus bound for Oslob from the Cebu South Bus Terminal. The ride's about 2.5-3 hours (156 Pesos). The bus dropped us directly in front of a resort in Tan-awan.
After swimming, we hailed a Cebu City bound bus going to Boljoon which is 30 minutes away .
In Boljoon, not to be missed are the Patrocino de Maria Church (commonly known as Boljoon Church & declared as a National Historical Landmark), its museum located within the same complex that houses artifacts dug from the old cemetery grounds and the ancestral homes dating from 1880's to early 1900's. Also another reason for a visit are the roasted chicken and meat balls from an eatery by the roadside a few blocks from the Boljoon Church. :P Yummy!
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| Patrocino de Maria Church Complex (Photo Source : EazyTraveler.com) |
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| Escuela Catolica, established 1940 (Photo Source : EazyTraveler.com) |
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| (Photo Source : EazyTraveler.com) |
Up until the road where the vehicle can pass, we did an hour-long relaxing cool hike up Osmena Peak. :)
Here we watched the sunset and hiked our way down using headlamps. Prior to our hike, Doi had negotiated with the Habal-habal drivers to pick us up at 7PM, at the rough road 30 minutes from the summit, so we can have a ride back to the main highway where there are buses back to Cebu City.
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| The Gang (Photo Source : EazyTraveler.com) |
Every great journey must be accompanied with great food! Our last stop was at Katipunan Street in Barangay Tisa which is popular for its siomai (steamed pork dumplings). At night, the street fills up with siomai stalls where one can dine along a busy street. (siomai-6 Pesos each, Puso - rice wrapped in banana leaves are sold at 3 Pesos Each). And guess who ate the most siomai for the night? It's that girl in green with a huge smile on her stuffed face! :P
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| Love in a wanton wrapper (Photo Source : EazyTraveler.com) |
Breakdown of Expenses :
Fare from Cebu South Bus Terminal to Tan-awan, Oslob - 149 Pesos (ordinary bus)
Resort Entrance Fee - 100 Php
Boat Fee for 40 minutes - 200 Php
Optional Expense: Snorkeling Gear Rental with Flippers: 100 Php
Tan-awan to Boljoon Bus Ride - around 20-30 Pesos.
Osmena Peak - Registration Fee - 20 Pesos/head
Habal-Habal from Brgy. Mantalongon to Highway - 200 Pesos/Habal-habal
Bus from Dalaguete to Cebu City - 100 Pesos (ordinary)
Tricycle from Cebu to Tisa - approximately 8 Pesos each (Can accommodate 7 persons)
Related Blog Posts of my Travel Buddies :
Edcel Suyo - Soloflighted - http://soloflighted.com/2011/12/29/cebu-whale-shark-butanding-oslob/
Edcel Ceniza and Sheena Darunday - The Wandering Couple - http://www.thewanderingcouple.com/2011/12/sidetrip-swimming-with-whale-sharks-in.html
Andrew Mamangun - Trippings By Drew - http://trippingsbydrew.com/boljoon-cebu-a-church-a-walk-and-a-jump/
Edgar Yap - Eazy Traveler - http://www.eazytraveler.com/2012/01/osmena-peak-summiting-cebus-crown.html
Other References:
What Else to See in Boljoon
Dalaguete's Official Website