I know… updates to this blog had been almost non-existent for the past week or so. There’s a very good reason for that. We’ve just kicked off the second leg of our tour and spent the most activity packed week and a half in the Philippines.
One of the things we did not bitch enough about our trip to China was how cold we always felt. Somewhere along the way, we decided to head to warmer climates, preferably with beaches and activities that don’t require us to wrap ourselves in ten layers of clothing.
And since Fortress USA threw a giant monkey wrench in our plans by not granting us our visas to Hawaii and the US, we decided to spend all the time initially planned for Hawaii in the Philippines instead.
After a bit of research, we came up with a travel plan that would see us speeding overland from Cebu to Manila in 3 weeks (no flights).
Our plan is as follows:
Day 1 – Cebu (Straight to Bohol?)
Day 2 – Bohol (Hinagdanan cave?) (buy tickets to Siquijor)
Day 3 – Bohol Whale and Dolphin
Day 4- Morning Ferry to Siquijor via Dumaguete
Day 5 - Siquijor Dive
Day 6 – Siquijor Dive
Day 7 – Morning ferry to Dugamuete (buy tickets to Bacolod)
Day 8 - Morning bus to Bacolod then ferry to Iloilo
Day 9 - Arrival Iloilo (Day R an R in Iloilo)
Day 10 – Morning Bus to Caticlan, Ferry over to Boracay (Buy ferry ticket to Batangas)
Day 11 – Boracay
Dau 12 – Boracay
Day 13 – Depart Boracay towards Caticlan for Batangas port (2gotravel). php799
Day 14 – from Batangs port take a bus via Lucena to Legaspi
Day 15 – Legaspi R and R
Day 16 – Legaspi to Donsol (Snorkelling)
Day 17 – Donsol (Swim with Whale Shark?)
Day 18 – Donsol (Rest and Relax)
Day 19 – Donsol night bus back to Manila from php700
Day 20 – Manila (Buffer Day/ R and R)
Day 21 – Manila (Buffer day/ R and R) Fly to Taiwan
Day 2 – Bohol (Hinagdanan cave?) (buy tickets to Siquijor)
Day 3 – Bohol Whale and Dolphin
Day 4- Morning Ferry to Siquijor via Dumaguete
Day 5 - Siquijor Dive
Day 6 – Siquijor Dive
Day 7 – Morning ferry to Dugamuete (buy tickets to Bacolod)
Day 8 - Morning bus to Bacolod then ferry to Iloilo
Day 9 - Arrival Iloilo (Day R an R in Iloilo)
Day 10 – Morning Bus to Caticlan, Ferry over to Boracay (Buy ferry ticket to Batangas)
Day 11 – Boracay
Dau 12 – Boracay
Day 13 – Depart Boracay towards Caticlan for Batangas port (2gotravel). php799
Day 14 – from Batangs port take a bus via Lucena to Legaspi
Day 15 – Legaspi R and R
Day 16 – Legaspi to Donsol (Snorkelling)
Day 17 – Donsol (Swim with Whale Shark?)
Day 18 – Donsol (Rest and Relax)
Day 19 – Donsol night bus back to Manila from php700
Day 20 – Manila (Buffer Day/ R and R)
Day 21 – Manila (Buffer day/ R and R) Fly to Taiwan
I know. What detailed planning right?
This plan lasted us all the way to the airport where we were almost denied entry to Philippines because we hadn’t bought our ticket out of the country yet. Right off the bat, the 21 day plan had to be changed to an 18 day one (cheapest air ticket to Taiwan was in 18 days).
Other than that, the trip so far had been GLORIOUS. We managed to adapt and made some changes to parts of our plan. So we spent the last ten days or so lazing on some of the most pristine beaches, hanging out in bohemian-chic university towns, diving with exotic sea creatures and swimming with the gigantic whale sharks!
I don’t think Hawaii could’ve been better than this. (TAKE THAT USA!)
(Understatement alert!) I’m currently a bit behind on my China blog entries, so I’ll finish whatever I have on China before starting the Philippines chapter. I figured I have another five to ten posts left for China.
In the meantime, here are some teaser images we’ve taken so far in the Philippines.
We celebrated our tenth anniversary together on the impossibly chill Alona Beach in Bohol
Whale Sharks! They are BIG!
Sunset in Boracay
