Ambot ah! Travel Blog

Naga Penafrancia Festival Photos: My First CamSur Experience

I admit, I mostly got curious about Camarines Sur after it became one of the Philippines’ top travel destinations. I just had to find out what the fuss was all about. I finally had the chance to visit Camarines Sur during my weeklong trip to Bicol last September, which was great timing since it was the tercentenary celebration of the Peñarancia Festival in Naga City. Witnessing the Peñafrancia Festival, the largest Marian devotion in the country, was my first agenda after arriving at the Pili (Naga) Airport.

5226634333 c5689247bc Naga Penafrancia Festival Photos: My First CamSur Experience

Read the rest of this entry »

Panglao do-it-yourself (DIY) Day Tour: Dumaluan, Alona, Panglao Church, and Hinagdanan

21 Comments |

Tourists in Bohol typically have only two options when choosing where to spend the night. They can either sleep in one of the beach resorts in Panglao Island or rent a room in Tagbilaran City’s many hotels and pension houses. I decided to stay in Tagbilaran City since it’s cheaper and more convenient for my itinerary and just do a day tour of Panglao Island. It took a while to fish out tips online about public transportation in Bohol but I found out later on that exploring the island by commute is very doable. I recommend it to anyone who’s planning to go to Bohol and wants to save on travel costs.

Starfish sunbathing at the white sand coast of Dumaluan Beach in Panglao Island

Read the rest of this entry »

Cebu to Tubigon, Bohol via Starcraft Ferry

32 Comments |

Getting to Bohol was the preface to my 3-month adventure across the Philippines. I was definitely excited to put my weeks of itinerary planning to the test. Before the trip, I studied the tourist maps of Bohol and read rummaged blogs and online forums for budget travel tips in Bohol. I found out that the cheapest way to get to Bohol from Cebu is to take the ferries from Pier 1, Cebu City to Tubigon Port, Bohol. Tubigon is a town located at the eastern coast of Bohol Island. Not only did it cost less but, looking at the map, I thought it was a better entry point since some of Bohol’s major tourist attractions are just along the highway from Tubigon to Tagbilaran City.

Aerial View of Tagbilaran City and Panglao Island in Bohol

Read the rest of this entry »

Ambot-ah wins “Best Travel Blog” at the 2010 Philippine Blog Awards Visayas

17 Comments |

The announcement came during the awarding ceremony of the 2010 Philippine Blog Awards – Visayas leg held last November 27 in The Venue Function Rooms (The Avenue Complex, Smallville, Iloilo City). Thank you to everyone who supported Ambot-ah! Your comments, likes, shares, emails, private messages, and wall posts have helped me significantly to continue blogging about my travels and push myself to go that extra mile. A lot of times during my solo travels, I do have my episodes of feeling lonely but the creeping weariness does not last long because I know there are people out there who care about me and the things I blog about.

5221759792 c6958209d8 Ambot ah wins “Best Travel Blog” at the 2010 Philippine Blog Awards Visayas

Read the rest of this entry »

Bohol Tarsier Sanctuary: My Search for Tarsiers in Bohol

9 Comments |

Seeing the cute furry tarsiers was my number one agenda when I was in Bohol. Where exactly does one go to experience a close encounter with these highly celebrated critters? Well, there’s a number of places scattered throughout Bohol but the best place would be the tarsier sanctuary in the town of Corella. It’s a bit out of the way from the main tourist trail of Bohol but it was worth the effort. Not only did I get the chance to get real close to a few tarsiers , I also had the satisfaction of supporting the protection of these highly endangered species.

4992116595 38db7059a6 Bohol Tarsier Sanctuary: My Search for Tarsiers in Bohol
Getting up close to “happy” tarsiers housed at the Philippine Tarsier Sanctuary in Corella, Bohol.

Read the rest of this entry »

Heritage Tour of Southern Cebu

3 Comments |

What to do with a few days in Cebu? I had already seen a bit of Cebu City so I decided to take another popular tourist trail in the island – a heritage tour of Southern Cebu (particularly, its eastern coast). I took the bus to Boljoon, 2 hours south of the Cebu City, and then made my way back by hopping to each town/city along the way. A majority of Cebu’s towns and cities still have its old Spanish-colonial churches still intact. I was surprised to have discovered some of the most beautiful churches in the Philippines I’ve seen so far.

Read the rest of this entry »

Lost My Bag – BIGGEST Travel Blooper Ever While in Marawi

6 Comments |

This is the story of how I absentmindedly lost my sling bag in Marawi. I was so scared because it contained my camera, cellphone, and almost all of my cash. What was basically left with me was my backpack full of clothes, my plane tickets, and spare change in my pockets. I felt so grateful that I was with Eric and Sinjin since I knew that I could borrow some money and go home whatever the outcome could have been. Of course, I could not have possibly just brushed aside the fact of losing my stuff … especially my camera. Read the rest of this entry »

Northern Mindanao Budget Travel: Cagayan de Oro to Ozamiz Roadtrip

1 Comment |

Just after my 3-day trip to Bohol, Me, and fellow travel bloggers, Eric and Sinjin joined up our travel itineraries when we met in Cagayan de Oro, Misamis Oriental. I was really looking forward for this trip since it was my first time to be in Mindanao. We had planned on commuting from Cagayan de Oro to Ozamiz City, Misamis Occidental with a sidetrip to Marawi on the eve of the Eid ul-Fitr or the day which marks the end of the Ramadan.

5126471048 9e8fb1afac Northern Mindanao Budget Travel: Cagayan de Oro to Ozamiz Roadtrip

Read the rest of this entry »

Bohol Backpacking Tour via Cebu

28 Comments |

Seeing the famous tarsiers and chocolate hills of Bohol are definitely among the most popular items of most Filipinos’ travel wishlist, myself included (growing up with the mindset that it’s a requirement of Philippine Travel 101). Bohol is also famous for its many old Spanish-colonial Churches. I wanted to have a do-it-yourself tour of Bohol and Panglao Island. It took some effort and googling skills to fish out DIY commuting tips of Bohol but it’s definitely doable.

5125680467 4cb9c33abc Bohol Backpacking Tour via Cebu

Read the rest of this entry »

Central Visayas and Northern Mindanao Multi-Series

3 Comments |

To kick off my wanderlust, I journeyed to a number of places in the central parts of the Philippines particularly in Central Visayas and Northern Mindanao. It’s the longest time I’ve traveled to bisaya speaking provinces and I was aiming to get the hang of this widely spoken Philippine dialect during my trip not only for convenience but also because I was hoping to get closer to my Cebuano roots. This trip was dominated by visits to some of the most popular and scenic old churches and heritage structures in the Philippines. I also went to a few island/beach destinations and city/urban sights.

5123727092 df3204aca4 Central Visayas and Northern Mindanao Multi Series