Visayas Traverse: Itinerary

Above is the original itinerary map that we will follow. This post will be about the places that we will visit and the activities that we intend to do there.

Iloilo City: Food Trip

Since Iloilo City is the birthplace of a lot of Filipino comfort food, this day is solely going to be about food.

We will begin our day with a "battle of La Paz Batchoy" for breakfast at the La Paz Public Market where we will be hopping from one Batchoy stall to another. Target Batchoy stalls are Ted's Old Timer, Deco's Original, and Netong's. Afterwards, we will head to Jaro district to munch on biscocho while looking at century-old ancestral houses. Come lunch time, we will head to Molo district to hunt for Chicken Molo Soup, or maybe another batchoy. For merienda, we will head downtown along Calle Real in search of Roberto's Queen Siopao before heading to Fort San Pedro for a sunset watch and a quick break from eating. Lastly, we will go to Oton district, near the sea, for some much-craved Talaba (Oysters) in preparation for the night.

Guimaras Island: Mountain Bike Tour

Guimaras is a mere 15-minute boat ride from Iloilo. Because it is so near, locals don't see it as a separate island but as a normal commute destination. There are a lot who reside in Guimaras and go to Iloilo everyday for school or work. I think that's similar to commuting to Makati everyday, except easier and less a hassle.

Although Guimaras is most famous for its world-class mangoes and virgin beaches, I also read that it is a mountain biker's haven for its scenic roads, hilly slopes, and lush routes . And since October isn't exactly Mango season and I know there are better beaches in Cebu or Bohol, and because I am a non-biker and a scaredy-cat, I decided that we have a biking tour instead of the usual tricycle tour and/or boat tour. The last statement may not make sense but I like challenging myself, as well as believing that I can actually conquer these challenges. I'm sure this one's going to be emotionally exciting and physically demanding. Stocking up on comfort food in Iloilo actually has a purpose.

Sipalay Beach: Sunset Beach

Sipalay is a small seaside town at the south-western tip of Negros Island. There really isn't much going on in this town and very few people know about it. However, those who do and who bother to cross rice paddies and a raging river are said to be rewarded with glorious and spectacular sunsets every dusk.

The sunset from Sugar Beach is that first-prize reward. I'm not a fan of sunsets and I can't see how it's romantic (yet) but I intend to explore that idea during this trip. Moreover, I am on a quest for the perfect, off-the-beaten-path, sunset beach and from what I heard, Sugar Beach should be a potential candidate.

Dumaguete City: Discover Scuba Diving

Dumaguete, where the famed Siliman University resides, is a University town teeming with laid-back college students, cheap student meals, and wide-ranging hang-out spots. Aside from this, it is also a good jump-off point for more adventurous trips either up in the mountain or down in the sea.

That being said, we didn't really have plans of trying out scuba diving here until I saw the diving rates from our hostel. It was P3,800 for 3 dives including all equipment and transportation and although this is way above our daily budget, I couldn't find any better package. Plus, it would include a dive at one of the most beautiful reefs in the Philippines. I rationalized that we could off-set the expense to other days instead of missing the opportunity.

Siquijor Island: Jumps and Fireflies

Siquijor is the infamous Philippine capital of witchcraft and mysticism. Every time I hear about it, there is always a Philippine mythical creature/monster attached such as an aswang or a kapre that I sometimes think the place is mythical itself. Although there is some truth to this -- there really is a gathering of witch doctors and healers deep in the province -- the strong proliferation of such stories also made the island a secret paradise for skeptics and nature lovers.

For starters, the island is encircled by virgin white sand beaches (a becoming standard for Philippine islands). Further inward are lush forests and waterfalls deep enough to jump in. And at night, it lights up with fireflies that would have been chased away by tourists and commercialization.

Bais City: Dolphin Watch

Bais City, located a little bit north of Dumaguete City, has been starting to gain popularity as a destination for dolphin and whale watching. It lies along Tanon Strait which is the natural migration path of whales and dolphins.

Because chartering a boat for just the two of us is both expensive and unexciting, we will make the detour to Bais City hoping we could hitch a ride with a bigger tour group for a dolphin and whale watching tour. If unlucky, we'll just have to try and spot one from the wharf or be content with mangroves and birds.

Moalboal Beach: Beach Party

According to Lonely Planet, when people say "Moalboal", they are actually referring to Panagsama Beach at the edge of Moalboal Municipality. Although its beach has been long gone and blown away by a typhoon, it remains a popular diving jump-off and beach destination, maybe because one can drink before/after a dip.

Because Panagsama Beach isn't exactly beach-bumming material (but it's sister White Beach is), we would go for the beach party scene and take a slight break from being an stingy and actually pay for something we don't need.

Carcar City: Lechon Lunch

The first time we went to Cebu, we were unprepared and ended up with two cold lechon meals, one at a random carinderia and one at an SM Foodcourt. Although these were still far better than a Manila one, it wasn't the lechon experience Adventurebuddy was expecting. It wasn't the Cebu Lechon Legend he heard about and it felt disatsifying.

So this time, I made preparations and did my research. I especially fixed our IT so that we could have lechon lunch at Carcar, where lechon was supposedly invented(?) and where they use a special lechon sauce that would put Mang Tomas to shame.

Malapascua Island: Island Walking Tour

Malapascua Island, located at the northern tip of Cebu Island, is a 4-hour bus ride from the capital. It is usually compared to its neighbor Bantayan Island for its diving spots and pristine beaches.

According to Lonely Planet, the island is small enough to be toured on foot in 3 hours. So aside from beach bumming, we plan to do just that. Public transportation is also not big so a walking tour instead of a tricycle tour might be more worth it.

Kalanggaman Island: Beach Camping

I once read about Kalanggaman Island in PinoyBoyJournals. He described what a struggle it was to get to the island and how all that was totally worth the serenity and solidarity. His pictures and tale simply amazed me and I bookmarked his page even though I had no idea what part of the Philippines he was talking about.

Planning our Visayas Itinerary, I kept reading about a nearby Kalanggaman Island that could be a side trip from Malapascua. I repeatedly ignored this information thinking that a side trip is out of our budget until I realized that THAT was the Kalanggaman Island I was amazed about. Unfortunately, when I revisited his blog, it was temporarily down, no one else retold the story of Kalanggaman Island like he did.

Anyway, Kalanggaman Island is just an island in between the islands of Cebu and Leyte. It has no accommodations nor electricity to offer but instead promises a powdery white-sand beach, two sandbars, perfect sunset and sunrise views, and most of all, an escape to life. We will return to basics and set-up camp beneath the palm trees while watching the waves and the sun go by.

Tacloban City: San Juanico Bridge

Before this trip, the only thing I knew about Leyte was the San Juanico Bridge. I didn't even know that Tacloban was its capital. And although I now know a little bit more, I decided to leave this one trip to adventure. I researched just about the bridge and will figure out the rest when we get there. Besides, we might have a local tour us around.

Bohol: Touristy Chocolate Hills and Panglao Island

I've been to Bohol before and although I'm absolutely game to do another adventure with the island's transportation, we figured it would be better to spend our last few days for an actual vacation. I didn't do much planning here either because our destinations are quite customary. We can easily rub elbows with other visitors at the Chocolate Hills and at Panglao Island.

Woooh! I can't wait to update my Lakbayan Map below after this trip.
4 days to go as of this writing!