Be Calm at Camotes

March 21 - 22, 2015

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What is so special about Camotes?

Camotes Island is noted as famous and well-known top tourist destination in the islands of Cebu. Once known as “The Lost Horizon of the South”, because of its unspoiled atmosphere.

Another thing that manifests how this particular island evolves into a must-sought-visit because it has the quality of sugary beaches (a mini Boracay), picturesque and serene place. Aside from the beautiful beach resorts, to make your stay worthwhile, by visiting other important tourist spotsincluding: Timubo cave (exploring and swimming), Bukilat cave, Baywalk in San Fernando, Panganuron Falls, Buho Rock, Santiago Bay, Lake Danao Park and other exciting features available at the island. (www.whereiscebu,com) 

How do you get there? 

A v-hire at SM, Cebu will take you to Danao City where you can take the ferryboat to Camotes. There are available v-hires every hour. You can haggle with a driver and rent the whole van for Php 900.00. 

There are other options such as the Aznar boat or at the Ouano Warf. The SM v-hire to Cebu was the most convenient one for me since its a jeepney ride away from where I live.

Photo grabbed from Google images 

Photo grabbed from Google images

                           
Jomalia Shipping (Update: March 21, 2015)

Departure time:                 Port of origin                  Destination          

5:30 am                             Danao port                      Consuelo, Camotes

8:30 am                             Danao port                      Consuelo, Camotes

12:00 nn                            Danao port                       Consuelo, Camotes

5:30 pm                             Danao port                       Consuelo, Camotes

9:00 pm                             Danao port                       Consuelo, Camotes


Departure time                   Port of origin                    Destination

5:30 am                             Consuelo, Camotes            Danao Port

8:30 am                             Consuelo, Camotes            Danao Port

12:00 nn                            Consuelo, Camotes            Danao Port

5:30 pm                             Consuelo, Camotes            Danao Port

9:00 pm                            Consuelo, Camotes            Danao Port

Accommodation

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We stayed at the Borromeo Beach Resort at San Francisco, Camotes. We got the villa that's good for 8. It cost us php 2,600.00. It had 2 separate airconditioned rooms which were clean, had comfy matresses and 2 pillows each bed. They will provide you 4 extra matresses. There are 2 comfort rooms available (1 for shower and toilet, the other for toilet use only). It's not that clean, but will do if you're not a neat freak. 

There's a refrigerator that you could use but doesn't bring much cold. The dining area is huge! You could request their staff to cook your meals. Our food budget was 2,100 php in total for dinner (liempo, fish, squid, chicken, and rice) and breakfast (corned beef, tuna, dried fish, omelete and rice). Servings are bountiful and their cooking is average. Their beach front is clean, with fine sand and clear waters. 

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Here's a few snapshots of their beach front: 

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What you can do in Camotes:

We hired a jeepney for our round trip from the port to the resort and vice versa. The fee covered our Camotes Tour 

Camotes Tour: Timubo Cave

Camotes Tour: Lake Danao 

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Til the next adventure!

#max1moeats

April 4, 2015 

Our sudden craving for a new taste to tickle our taste budds brought us to the A.S. Fortuna street, Mandaue city area. Our initial quest was to try out "10 dove street" at Oakridge. Unfortunately, it was still close for the holidays, lo and behold, we ended up at Lightsite!

Our family will always have a common ground with food cuisine. JAPANESE. Thus, Ramen Sora met the Maximo family. 

Here is what we gobbled up: 

Miso Ramen regular
Php 325.00

"Tasty!" - Ana Patricia maximo 

Miso Deluxe Ramen Large
Php 405.00 

"GAINS!" - Luis Miguel Maximo 

Spicy Ramen Miso based regular
Php 345.00 

"Yummy" - Sheila Angelica Maximo 

Nori Ramen Miso based Regular
Php 325.00 

"Overwhelmingly good" - Bea Katrina Maximo 

Chicken Karaage with Neri sauce
Php 245.00 

"Tender" - Jonathan Maximo 

Gyoza (5pcs)

"Best tasting gyoza" - Maximos

Oh and btw, their sign up front is deceiving. It would seem like those two separate signs are for two different restaurants. But they both belong to Ramen Sora

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Til the next restaurant blog!

Bisikleta Iglesia

April 2, 2015

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This year teammaX1mo did something different. We rode our bikes, faced our fears (well I'm speaking for me and my mom), and finished visiting 7 churches in 4 hours. 

As soon as we got on the road, the whole "Bisikleta Iglesia" idea turned out to be a good one. Cars 
jammed the roads and people were stuck in traffic while we easily got through from one church to another. Today was a milestone for me. For those who know me, riding a bike did not come naturally to me. Getting on and off the bike is a struggle, trying to keep my balance is a nightmare and making a U-turn on a bike is pulse-racing. Don't even get me started on trying to keep myself alive riding beside cars, crossing stop lights, avoiding the crowd of people as we neared churches. 

But all's good! At 9pm I was greeted by home-cooked caldereta and grilled fish. Talk about a good recovery food *big smile*. I'm extremely proud I got home with no bumps, bruises, deep cuts or any form of battle scar. I finally faced my fear and rode the bike around the city. 

Maybe someday you can face your fears too!

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1. St. Jude Thaddeus Church

2. St. Therese Parish

3. Asilo de la Milagrosa

Sorry for the crappy lighting 

4. Sacred Heart Parish

5. Archbishop Palace

Sorry for the crappy lighting

6. Redemptorist Church

7. Capitol Parish

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Til the next adventure!

Osmeña Peak to Kawasan Falls

March 29, 2015

We took the air-conditioned Ceres Bus from South Bus Terminal headed to Mantalongon province. We boarded the 2 am bus and arrived around 4am at the market place. 

Photo grabbed from Google Photos

From the Market place we rode a motorcycle or "habal-habal" all the way to the foot of Osmeña Peak Mountain, I got on the regular small motor bike together with a friend and reached our destination with a sore butt. Lesson learned, request for the big motorcycles for a comfortable ride. Make sure you hold on tight because it's going to be an uphill bumpy ride. 

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View while riding the motor bike

Forgive the haggard face, I was trying to keep my hat on while snapping a photo of the mountains

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As soon as we got to the foot of the mountain the cold weather numbed my skin. It would be good to have a rash guard with you it helps beat the cold and protect your skin from the beating sun. It's also easy to pack inside your bag in case you don't want to use it anymore. The weather can be pretty bipolar during your trekking trips. 

Nothing but fog and nature 

At the Peak of Osmena Mountain

On a good day, you would see the ocean but unfortunately the fog greeted us good morning on today's trip. According to the locals a rather good time would be around 9am. 

Our trek to Kawasan Falls begins....

Trekk OOTD:
1. Hat to protect your face from the weather.
2. Dry fit shirt.
3. Compression leggings /comfy bottom which won't limit your movement. Remember, you'll be walking for hours and climbing rocks
4. Sturdy shoes/ trek shoes/ trek sandals
5. Trek pole (if necessary) this will help you as your go downhill. This might be useful for those who have bad knees
6. Small backpack enough to carry your essentials

-sunblock 

- towel 

- change of clothes (light clothes)

- first aid kit (Vaseline to rub on skin where friction might cause blisters, betadine and cotton, medicine (LBM, headache, motion sickness, etc)

- powerbank 
- cellphone (The Sun network can pick up signal)

- tissue 

- water proof cases

- camera 

I love my Merrell outdoor shoes. I got to go home without blisters on my feet and survived the trek. It dried up pretty fast after I had to trek on water. Another good thing about the design was the mesh material, it didn't cause a bad odor from the sweat and stored water from the water trek. The best part was the trail run design of the shoe, it was able to keep me steady as I stepped on different sizes of rocks and walked over mud. 

I got these beauties at Merrell Outdoor shop in Ayala Center Cebu at 20% off and got it at Php 3,000.00. 

Always have a trek buddy

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 Don't forget to stop and look around, breathe in the fresh air and enjoy the view.

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 By this time Mr Sun decided to grace us with his presence.

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It was torture to go downhill under the burning heat of the sun.

Sir Gaylord, the sweeper

Learned a few lessons from the experienced climbers. Don't miss out or mess up the trail signs.
1. Two rocks on top of each other - means that this is the trail
2. X made out of bamboo sticks, leaves, or X on the soil, or any barrier to a path - means DANGER

The leader puts up the trail signs for the rest of the group to follow. The sweeper stays behind and makes sure no one gets left behind. Both the leader and the sweeper have to be experienced climbers and must be familiar with the trail. 

We made it! We reached Kawasan Falls by 2pm

Always drink water to re-hydrate yourself

Foot spa 

As soon as you get to Kawasan, remove your shoes and let them enjoy the cold waters.

Sir Tom, our leader

It was worth every step 

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It doesn't end here. If you traversed mountains to get to Kawasan Falls you end up reaching the 3rd (top) water falls, a few steps up and you can see the water source. After our 2 hours of chill time at the water we trekked down to get to the main highway to catch the bus back to the city. 

It would be good to starting going down around 4:30 pm the last bus leaves at 6:00 pm. Don't be choosy when you wait for the bus back to the city, it will always be crowded by locals and do not settle for 'standing', make sure you have a comfortable seat. It took us 4 hours to reach the Southbus terminal due to traffic. It being a Sunday might have been a factor for the cramped bus and traffic back to the city. 

Tips:

1. Bring a light pack lunch for you to eat along the trail. There are no shops/ restaurants where you can eat. We had our lunch at the basketball court along the trail. Your lunch must be a viand which won't spoil, it must be enough to refuel you for your trip. Some of our trekk buddies brought sausage, adobo with egg, sandwich, and hotdog. You can stop by the market at Mantalongon to buy 'puso' or hanging rice before you trek up to the peak. Hanging rice/ puso might be a good idea since you won't be needing spoon and fork to eat. (less baggage in your bag) 

Hydration bladder. Photo grabbed from Google images 

2. Bring water. If you can get a hydration bag with bladder the better, these are available in any outdoor shop. If you do get into climbing/trekking it will be a good idea to invest in a bag. A good brand would be Camelback

Hydration Pack. Photo grabbed from Google Images

3. Bring healthy snacks, you have to munch on sweets or recovery bars every hour to give you energy

4. Bring waterproof cases, you can never predict the weather during your trip 

5. Put on sunblock as often as you can. Most especially on your shoulders, your burnt skin will not tolerate the friction from your backpack 

6. Be alert for trail signs 

Budget 

Bus from South Bus terminal to Mantalungon market                         P 105.00

Motorcycle ride from market to Osmeña peak                                     P 100.00 

Bus from Kawasan Falls to South Bus Terminal                                  P 126.00 

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Til the next adventure!