Dumaluan Beach Resort,Bohol

Dumaluan Beach Resort Resort, Panglao Island in Bohol Philippines

-March 2009-

It was the first death anniversary of our Mom...since we knew Mommy will not want us to weep and be sad remembering her...I planned a family trip to Bohol. She may not be with us physically but she will always be in our hearts.

Bohol is known for nice beaches so we're excited to see it. We stayed at Bohol Plaza Hotel and they have van services that costs Php1200. It will take you to-and-fro the place you like to visit.

We asked the driver to bring us to the beach - a very nice beach if possible. And he recommended Dumaluan beach which is not that crowded, very nice & affordable.

There's no entrance fee, all you need to pay is the cottage you will be using. We took the small cottage which is already good for 10-12 persons, price is around Php250-350. It was about lunch time when we arrived and we're so hungry. Since we didnt pack any food, we ate at Dumaluan Restaurant & Lounge. The food was just so-so...nothing special and not big in servings...I recommend you pack food if you're a big group and wants to save on money as the food in the resto is not cheap.

behind them are the cottages

Ate Cielo with Dumaluan Restaurant & Lounge background

we don't want to waste money so, we made sure we finished off all the food! hehe

My family  - My Love :)

Well, we're fully charged and off the beach we go!

The first thing I love is the color of the beach - pristine blue-green water! And since the place is not crowded, we get to enjoy it more.

Fun under the sun!

enjoying the beach

Hero doesn't want to come out of the water even if he's left alone :)

The fine-textured sand is very inviting for the kids to have some fun as well. So make sure to bring their pails and shovels for some sand castle or even just sand digging activity.

excited for his "sand experience"

my nephew,Hero Miel, enjoys digging the sand

We did enjoy the sand, sea and atmosphere here in Dumaluan and if we're going back in Bohol, we will dropby again on this beach.

I'll share other Bohol destinations in my next blogs. :)

Hinulugan Taktak National Park

Where was the name Hinulugan Taktak derived from?

Legend has it that sometime during the 16th century, the townsfolk of Antipolo were bothered by a church bell that produced harsh, unbearably loud sounds when rung during Angelus. They demanded that the local priest get rid of the bell . Bowing down to the clamor, the priest had it dropped in a nearby river. This explains the name, “Hinulugang Taktak” which means ‘where the bell was dropped’. As Antipolo became a religious site, the waterfalls also become a prominent destination for bathing and sightseeing. In the 1980s, it was declared a National Park by the government.

...and this is a place I've wanted to visit since I was young. And its because of the song that goes like this:
"Tayo na sa Antipolo at duo'y maligo tayo. Sa batis na kung tawagin ay Hi-Hi-Hinulugan ng taktak..."

-24 April 2011-

It was Easter Sunday, me,my sister-Ate Cindy and my friend -Joseph, decided to attend mass in Antipolo. Its the first time that we will be visiting Antipolo Church which is also known as the National Shrine of Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage.

After hearing the mass, we ate lunch at a nearby carinderia (Carinderia is a local eatery selling and serving and viands with wooden benches-which in modern times have been changed to monoblocks or plastic chairs.)and agreed to visit Hinulugan Taktak since none of us have been there before. We hailed a taxi...I mean, a tricycle, from the church and asked the driver to take us there.

It was around 5-10mins ride and we paid Php50 for the trip. The entrance to Hinulugan taktak (that we've learned has been a National Park when we saw the sign there) costs Php8.00 (it's really cheap!). But if you will be using the swimming pool then you would have to pay extra (I think it's around Php15-Php20).

hoping this site development plan will push through...or is it already finished?

Since all of us were first timers, we were all excited to see what's inside. But to our dismay, the place is not that  appealing...and the worst...the falls has a very foul odour and the water is dirty, with a lot of litters floating...This really made me sad.

I'm expecting that it has a relaxing ambience because of the falls but I dont want to stay near the falls at all. There were 2 swimming pools, one Big, one extra small. But I don't want to try dipping at the pool as well because its super crowded.

So what we did was just to take pictures (make sure we choose a good spot and look as if we're enjoying being there hehe). We roamed around and saw that the place really looks promising.

view from top



view in the middle - from the bridge

view from the the other side - after you crossed the bridge

If only the water streaming below the falls can be cleaned from the litters and plant more trees and flowers. If only they could add addtional pool to accomodate a lot of people (coz there were quite a number when we visited) and additional shower & rest rooms. And if only those people visiting the place will take care of their surroundings (not to throw garbage anywhere, pee only to the restroom,dont smoke etc..) then it might be a very good place to go to.

top view from below

bridge to get on the other side

@ the Grotto : kids are looking at the wishing well

and we dont know where this stairs is leading to... we didnt climb it coz the steps are too steep

A Quick trip to Ilocos Norte

After our Vigan Day tour, instead of staying there for the night as what we original planned to do, we decided to go to Pagudpod. We took an aircon bus from Vigan to Laoag (fare Php150/each) and transferred to a non-aircon bus from Laoag to Pagudpod (fare Php100/each).It took us more or less 4hours for this trip. - All for wanting to see the WINDMILL! :)

Its already late at night & we dont have a particular hotel in mind. We're so glad that Ilocanos are so helpful! :) I asked the bus conductor if there will be hotels or resorts near the bus terminal and he informed us that there's none and we still need to ride a tricycle to be able to reach one. He told us that tricycle at that hour might be few or none at all but that he knew someone who has tricycle in case there's none. Thankfully, there are still few on the terminal when we reached it and the conductor told the driver to bring us to a cheap but safe place for that night.

We reached Jun & Carol Beach Cottages around 9pm (Tricycle Fare: Php50).
Room rate: Php1000/room - it has 2 double-size beds, tv, aircon and hot & cold shower.





The Tricycle driver (Kuya Nelson) offered us a Tour for the next day.

We opted to have the Southbound Tour as we dont have much time to spare coz we'll be taking the bus back to Manila the following night.

The next day, im so happy when i checked out the beach and found out that the Windmill was just at the other end of the island! (we'll it looks near...if only there are boats available to cross the sea) But no worries, our tour will be starting at 8am and we'll be exploring new sceneries! :)

Southbound Tour started:8am
Haggled Tour Price to: Php500
Destinations: Bangui Windmills,Bangui View deck,Kapurpurawan Rock Formation (additional destination) & Cape BojeadorLighthouse

Along the way, we took to short stops to take a picture, first to a giant clam shell display then to the welcoming sign of Pagudpod :

Remy & I @ the Giant Clam Shell

  

im gonna explore Pagudpod more next time! :)



Bangui Windmills - Yey! one tourist spot i really wanna see :)

Taken from Bangui Viewing Deck

Front view of Kapurpurawan Rock Formation (Burgos,Ilocos Norte)

@ Kapurpurawan Rock Formation Back view  - its worth visiting!

Last stop -Cape Bojeador Lighthouse,Burgos,Ilocos Norte

Tour Ended : 12nn

We then took a non-aircon bus from Burgos to Laoag, fare Php60. Travel time is about an hour. We stopped by Jollibee to have lunch and to check if we can charge the battery of my camera. Unfortunately, the plug didnt fit... Well, thanks for the technology of having phone cameras - we can stil pose some more!

On the right side : Marcos Mausoleum

From Laoag, our destinations are Marcos Museum & Mausoleum and Paoay Church. We took a tricycle to the Paoay jeepney terminal, fare is Php9/pax. Jeepney fare to Marcos Museum & Mausoleum is Php25/pax plus Php9/pax tricycle fare.







No picture taking allowed in the Mausoleum but cameras can be used at the musem. 

Several steps away from the musem is the office of Ilocos Norte Representative Imelda Marcos that also served as her Photo Gallery.

After this, we took a tricycle (costs us Php50.) to Paoay Church (also known as the St. Augustine Church in Paoay).  Its coral stone bell tower was used by the Katipuneros as an observation post during the Philippine Revolution in 1898.



Paoay Church

Our Ilocos Escapade began in the Church in Vigan (Apo Santo Kristo in Simbaan Bassit,Vigan) and ended it here in Paoay Church. We feel so blessed having it this way. This is our final stop to give thanks for our wonderful trip!

(Ilocos Sur to Ilocos Norte :June 4-6,2011) 

Henderson Wave

06 August 2010 : Henderson Wave,Singapore

One Friday afternoon, Sheila and I ,met up for lunch and decided to go to Henderson Wave. With the help of her Iphone's GPS,a train and couple of bus rides, we were able to reach our destination.

It's 274 metre-long pedestrian bridge that spans Henderson Road to connect Mount Faber Park to Telok Blangah Hill Park. At 36m above Henderson Road, Henderson Waves is the highest pedestrian bridge in Singapore.

You can admire the beautiful skyline as you stroll across there. The wave-like structure provides shelter for the public.And the illuminated look at night is quite a scene as well.It's a good place for relaxation, bonding with families and friends, jogging or if you just want to have some space to think.

chachie & shieby's bonding time

We enjoyed picture taking, people watching while strolling and chit chatting. We also came across with 2 monkeys,and while I got scared of them, Shiela enjoyed following and  taking photo of the monkeys!

watch out for the monkies

even the monkey comes here to think :)

The floor boards will also tell you the height of the location you're at. And though it's supposed to be just a pedestrian bridge, it also becomes a nice get-together destination.



the illuminated wave-like structure at night

  

view from top

view from below

It's one bus away from Vivo City, so incase you're near that area and havent visited this place yet, go and take a look of this wonderful bridge.