Davao Del Norte | A Quick Escape in Tagum City

 As I continue to pursue my dream of travelling the 81 provinces of the Philippines I once again landed the land of promise: Mindanao. It's my first time to travel Mindanao with my good friend/travel buddy Weng. We hope to cover the 10 remaining provinces. 

We left Manila at around 2am boarding a Cebu Pacific flight to Davao City. upon arrival we took a cab and go straight to Ecoland bus terminal and have some coffee then hop a bus bound to Tagum City in Davao del Norte.

We have no idea of what to do. We charter a trike and told the driver to tour us around Tagum City. Our first stop is the old city hall building. The big logo of the city erected on front of the government structure. From there we headed to the new city hall building. The construction is ongoing on this new edifice. There is an artistic artwork.

The huge EPark is the venue of Boy Scout jamboree camp and we ended it at the provincial capitol of Davao del Norte. We boarded a bus and were bound to our next destination Mati City in Davao Oriental.


Budget |  Davao del Norte | Davao Oriental | Compostella Valley | Agusan del Sur | Surigao del Sur | Dinagat Island | Agusan del Norte

Leyte | Walking Around Tacloban City

I spend my last day of Eastern Visayas trip in Tacloban City. It is the political and commercial center of Eastern Visayas. I walked the long stretch of Magsaysay Boulevard down to Trece Martirez then the Justice Romualdez St. I pass by the Tacloban City Hall, University of the Philippines-Tacloban and the Leyte Provincial Capitol.

The elegant design of the capitol really amuses me. There is a huge mural of General Mc Arthur and Ferdinand Magellan on the side of the building. On the flag pole there are statues of some Philippine heroes.

After that i packed my things checked out at the Tacloban Village Townhouse then I drop by the Robinsons mall were I left my backpack. I headed to Palo town to visit the Leyte memorial landing park where the historic larger than life monument of General Mc Arthur and his cohort stands.

A few hours left before my flight back to Manila I told myself that I have to comeback to this region soon to explore further the provinces of Eastern Samar and Biliran, to walk the 2 km stretch of San Juanico bridge, spend a night at Limasawa island and to experience the zip lining in Agas-Agas bridge! I shall return Eastern Visayas!

This part of my Eastern Visayas trip series.

Budget | Southern Leyte | Samar | Northern Samar | Leyte

Northern Samar | Exploring Rock Formations Of Biri Island

After five hours of land travel I finally landed Catarman City in Northern Samar. After checking in at GV Hotel-Catarman I roam around the city. I checked their dilapidated Northern Samar Provincial Capitol. Riding a trisikad we pass by the airport runway.

I explore the rock formation of Biri Island on my fourth day. Biri Island is an hour boat ride away from Lavezares town. Behind the Laverzares market is the port where boat docked that awaits passenger like tourist and locals bound for Biri.

The boat took an hour to crossed the island from the mainland of Lavezares, good thing the weather is fine.

This is the wooden walkway going to the rock formations.

bel-at rock formation

magasang rock formation

Upon docking in the island habal-habal drivers were waiting to transport tourist to the rock formations in the island. This island was really a piece of paradise to be hold. It’s amazing to see those picturesque rock formations.

This part of my Eastern Visayas trip series.

Budget | Southern Leyte | Samar | Northern Samar | Leyte

Samar | A Quick Side-Trip Enroute To Catarman City

I’m bound for Samar on the third day. Catbalogan City is the capital of Samar. Around the city is the Samar Provincial Capitol. It’s a huge government building with gothic design. 

I also found this unique monument of Jose Rizal. It is a half body with his novel Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo then carried three nude masculine men. 

For lunch I tried their tinola malasugi in the nearby eatery. Then i headed to Calbayog where i catch a van bound for Catarman.

This part of my Eastern Visayas trip series.

Budget | Southern Leyte | Samar | Northern Samar | Leyte

Southern Leyte | Town-Hopping The Towns Of Maasin, Padre Burgos And Sogod

The Eastern Visayas region is comprises of six provinces namely Leyte, Southern Leyte, Biliran, Samar, Eastern Samar and Northern Samar. My objective with this recent trip is to visit all the six provinces. It took me hard times in preparing my itinerary since I only have 5 days allotted for this. There so many interesting places this region could offer yet some traveler tend to ignore it.

Upon arriving at the Daniel Z. Romualdez Airport in Tacloban City I headed to the Van-Van’s terminal where I eat lunch in the eatery beside the terminal then after that I boarded a van bound for Maasin in Southern Leyte. Tacloban City, the regional center of Leyte and Samar, is the main gateway if you’re flying out of Manila.

My first stop is the city of Maasin in Southern Leyte. After checking in at GV Hotel I wash up then started exploring the city. I asked the hotel staff about the waterfalls in the nearby area but sad to say they don’t have any idea about it. It’s late in the afternoon though so I just spend it roaming around.

The 300 years old Maasin Cathedral was built in 1700. There is a huge painting in ceiling of the church. It is also well lighted.

Along the Espina Boulevard, locals spend their afternoon chasing the sunset and enjoying the fresh air.

On my second day I headed to the town of Padre Burgos. This is the jump off point to the island of Limasawa  this island is where Ferdinand Magellan celebrated first mass in the country.

Heavy rains welcome me and it so risky if I will push my plan of going to the island riding a boat. Instead i contended myself watching the island from afar and eating a burger I bought in the port area.

The next town I explore is Sogod in Southern Leyte. The breathtaking view of Sogod Bay blew me away. In the nearby is the Agas-Agas bridge which  is the tallest in the country. There is a zip line and cable car ride as an added attraction but due to unfavorable weather I wasn’t able to drop by instead decided to go directly to Tacloban boarded an ordinary bus with the locals. I spend my second night at Tacloban Village Townhouse.

This part of my Eastern Visayas trip series.

Budget | Southern Leyte | Samar | Northern Samar | Leyte

Negros Oriental | Wandering Around Dumaguete City

I spend my remaining days of my Negros+Siquijor trip in Dumaguete City. Straight from the ferry terminal I walked the long stretch of Rizal Boulevard. This is named after the national hero Jose Rizal who used to stroll in that boulevard before he was exiled in Dapitan. I’m surprised to see a city where you can’t see any single trash. The cleanest city I have been so far.

The city of Dumaguete dubbed as “The City of Gentle People” and truly it lives up to its reputation.

There is more interesting places around Dumaguete and nearby towns of Negros Oriental but I choose to explore the city because I’m run out of budget.

I enjoyed roaming around the campus of Silliman University. It’s one of the best universities in Central Visayas. 

I have dansilog (dangit+sinangag+itlog) for brunch. I tried a slice of sans rival and 

silvanas from famousSsans Rival Cakes & Pastries.

Dumaguetinos and tourist spend their afternoon watching the sun set along Rizal Boulevard. Vendors that sell balut, fishball, kikiam and soft drinks set up small chairs and tables beside the street. When dawn comes most of the locals flock to these area to enjoy the street foods, live bands and relaxing ambiance of the boulevard.

This part of my Negros+Siquijor Trip series

Negros Occidental | Negros Oriental | Siquijor

Siquijor | Circumnavigating The Mystical Island

On the third day of my Negros+Siquijor trip i woke up early as 3 in the morning and boarded a Ceres liner bus from Bacolod going to Dumaguete city. It’s a six hours journey to the sea port of Dumaguete where I took a ferry boat to the mystical island of Siquijor. It took almost an hour going to this island. 

This island is famous for black magic, witchcraft and the unknown. Most travelers were thinking twice before heading to this place because of those nonsense beliefs.

The excitement in me is immeasurable as i walk out of the ferry terminal. The cold breeze of wind, white sand beaches and the heartwarming faces welcome me to this island paradise.

Tricycles outside were aligned waiting for passengers and tourists. They were offering a tour around the island. Past noon when I arrived there and took a tricycle and proceeded to the Diamond de Siquijor Resort where i eat lunch and take a nap. I’m so tired for the long hours of traveling. It’s raining that afternoon that’s why i just stayed inside my room with door open wide overlooking the shores. 

After resting for an hour I check those amazing rock formations just outside my room. You can also do the cliff jumping there were I opt not to because of high tide and the strong waves were rocking the shores. it’s freaking raining the whole afternoon that I was not able to witness the sunset.

The next day the tricycle driver pitched me and toured me to the beautiful spots of the island. My Siqujor tour kicked off with the cold spring in the town plaza of San Juan. The locals flocked here every weekend and enjoy swimming in that spring. The century old balete tree nearby has a fish-spa where you quick dip in its spring water.

The San Isidro Labrador Church and Convent in town of Lazi showcases a magnificent structure. This is the oldest convent in the Philippines. The church is made of coral stone and timber.

After checking the church I took a dip at the refreshing Cambugahay Falls on the Po-oh River. The in charge in collecting parking fee was not around when I get there so I get a free glimpsed of that amazing wonders. It’s quite slippery stepping on the stones that served as stair going down to the falls.

It took me almost four hours to circumnavigate the whole island of Siquijor. My tour ended up in the beautiful town of Siquijor, Siquijor. I spend some time roaming around and took pictures of old church while waiting for the ferry bound for Dumaguete. 

This part of my Negros+Siquijor Trip series

Negros Occidental | Negros Oriental | Siquijor