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Reisetagebuch: The Amazing Island Trips in PhilippinesVeröffentlicht am 2:35 10.01.2008 von redrogue |
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1. Kapitel: I. Meeting Friends at the Philippine Central Business District |
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I had to wake up early and be ready with all my luggage for our 4-day outing to various islands in the country. It was vacation time for me and my friends. Arriving at the business center of the Philippines, which is the Ayala Avenue of Makati City, I proceeded to meet friends at the Jollibee Fastffood. The city was still quiet and the streets were very organized since it was before six in the morning and people are slowing arriving to commence the working day that Thursday. Before seven o'clock each working day is unlike the rest of the day which is totally chaotic especially the front of Makati Stock Exchange where there is a bus stop and jeepney stop for loading passengers. Unloading is not allowed. This avenue though is one among the most popular in the country for its revenue generating power and the amount of employment it provides.
Tags zu diesem Kapitel: makati ayala ayala-avenue makati-city business |
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2. Kapitel: II. Makati City to Cabu Pacific Domestic Airport |
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Ayala Avenue is the place very familiar to me and my friends thus, it was our meeting place that day. We had our traditional hotdog,egg,fried rice and hot choco breakfast at the fastfood and had about an hour to waste before we start ourselves towards the airport. We were to go at the Manila Domestic Airport where Cebu Pacific lands and departs for its domestic flights. When we finished our breakfast we had to hire a taxi and it was not too bad paying three euro from Makati to the Airport at the Pasay area. After all there were six of us and we have hired two taxis. The travel was quick since it was early in the morning and it was Thursday.
Tags zu diesem Kapitel: domestic-airport cebu-pacific cebu-pacific-air cebu |
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3. Kapitel: III. Cheap Fares But Be Serious About It |
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More friends and colleagues were already waiting us at the airport when we arrived. We purchased our ticket at a promotional rate which is Php1.00 (1/ 60 of a euro) but of course it was exclusive of taxes and other charges. Cebu pacific has many tourist-conducive offers. Just watch out at their site (www.cebupacificair.com). One friend who was to have the flight two hours earlier than us have missed it and he had to pay the full amount of ticket which was more than Php 2,000. Indeed, it was cheap but must not be taken for granted. It was a big lesson learned for us.
Tags zu diesem Kapitel: tickets cheap-tickets fly fun flight tour cebu |
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4. Kapitel: IV. The Flight To Cebu |
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Flying to Cebu is easy and fast. Aside from the fact that there are three local companies for airplanes, Cebu is a big city and province making big demands for flight passengers. Since i was with friends I barely noticed the uneasiness of the flight (if there was any). It was more or less an hour to be in Cebu from Manila. It was a bright sunny day for an extended hot season in the country so the flight was so smooth and we landed without any noticeable problems. It was in the middle of the month of June.
Tags zu diesem Kapitel: cebu cebu-pacific fly flight fun |
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5. Kapitel: V. Arriving at Cebu |
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It was not the end of our trip for the day. It was only ten percent if the total travel was to be counted. From the city of Cebu, we had to proceed to a provincial port and take another ship to reach our destination. The trip lasted for around three hours due to the fact that we had to confirm our tickets for the next ship that we would be taking. Since it was our first time in Cebu, we enjoyed warching the countryside as we were busy talking inside our hired van. We also stopped along the way to buy some snacks because of the lunch that we have missed. Cebu people are friendly.
Tags zu diesem Kapitel: cebu-beach beach banatayan-island |
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6. Kapitel: VI. Taking the Ship to Our Beach of Choice |
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We had to be aboard the ship because there were no fast crafts available in the area. The trip was supposed to last for only an hour but it was three hours for us. It was really boring since we feel very tired to do anything and we were hungry as well. I remembered sleeping and waking up three times in that trip to our port of destination. The ship was really slow and there was nothing to do inside of it. There were few of us aboard. It was the most impatient part of my day for the travel. The bad thing is, we have had no any better choice but to take that ship!
Tags zu diesem Kapitel: cota-beach bantayan-island cebu-beach |
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7. Kapitel: VII. The Island Near Cebu |
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It was a small island where we docked and we had to get down the slow ship that we have boarded. The only good news is that the small van was already at the exist of the small port waiting for us. At least we had a little consolation for the bad trip that we had. The resort that we were to go was only five minutes from the port by car or jeepney. When we arrived, food in the table was waiting for us. It was supposed to be our lunch but we arrived so late so we had to eat it cold. It was cold and it was not very good with taste too.
Tags zu diesem Kapitel: island beach beaches beach-island |
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8. Kapitel: VIII. The Good Beach Things |
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After eating, we settled to our respective cottages. The name of the resort that we were in was Cota Beach. It was quiet and not very commercialized, thus very relaxing. There were few more cottages occupied aside from what we have rented. There are various diners at the beach's in-house restaurant although as I have mentioned. The food must be from the beach managment because it is not easy to find food around since we are in the small island where malls and grocery stores are not that abundant. It's a white sand beach and the more the sun shines, the whiter the sand becomes. We played much games in the sand like volleyball, various relays and we have also made a bonfire during the night where we grilled some dried squids, hotdogs and "danggit" to munch while we watch and listen to the waves with the light of our little fire. It was a great experience.
Tags zu diesem Kapitel: cota-beach beach food restaurant |
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9. Kapitel: IX. Snorkeling in the Nearby Seas |
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The next morning, which was Friday, we prepared early for our snorkeling in the clear waters of the sea surroundling the island. We hired a boat and rented snorkeling fascilities. It was only seventy five pesos or 1.25 euros to rent. We were two boats in total and there were eighteen of us. We travelled for around an hour before locating the snorkeling point in the area. We also had our breakfast in the boat. It was a sunny side up with fried rice, danggit and tapa. Very tasty and satisfying. The fishes are really beautiful and the corals are moving smoothly along with the direction of the wave at the bottom of the sea. It was a fantastic experience.
Tags zu diesem Kapitel: bantayan-island snorkeling bantayan-snorkeling |
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10. Kapitel: X. Island Hopping Near Cebu Islands |
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After snorkeling and after making sure that everyone had the breakfast, we decided to go to some nearby islands near the area to see what it offers. We went to a certain island full of dead corals making the place look white. The dead corals make the sand white after a long process and a long period of time. In the island however, the corals were not yet pulverized and hurts the feet when stepped upon. The place was also inhabited by villagers and was not very clean to enjoy its waters. In fact some garbage were floating at the shore's water. The villagers were friendly though. When we asked for a bathroom, they readily offered theirs for us and it was without fee.
Tags zu diesem Kapitel: island-hopping cebu-island-hopping |
