Ambot ah! Travel Blog

Caramoan to Legazpi Commute: CamSur PARTIDO Coastal Highway

I initially planned to visit Calaguas Islands in Camarines Norte for my last stop in Bicol. Unfortunately, my plan didn’t push through. I had to pick a new destination … I found out about Lake Bulusan in Sorsogon after a bit of googling. Thank goodness Rex Tourist Inn had WiFi, otherwise I wouldn’t have known, in advance, about commuting to Lake Bulusan and the alternative way to get to Albay from CamSur. The popular option was to do the same route to Legazpi by riding the 4-hour ferry/van back to Naga and then a 2-hour van to Legazpi. Reviewing the map again, I saw a more interesting and shorter route via the coastal highway along the eastern towns of CamSur and Albay. I knew many travelers have done it but wasn’t sure if the infrequent jeepney/bus trips in that area would agree with my schedule since I was coming all the way from Caramoan that morning.

“Topload jeepney view” of Atulayan Island from the coastal highway of CamSur

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Manila to Singapore Flight: Arrival and Dinner at Pasta de Waraku

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I was finally on my way back to Singapore. My first trip to Singapore and Malaysia overland was quite hectic, which made me look forward to a more leisurely tour of Singapore … and an even more relaxing cruise to Malaysia. Our whole trip was set for 4 days and 3 nights (4 nights if you count the late-night flight back to Manila). Since we were flying to Singapore via AirPhil Express, we decided to meet at NAIA Terminal 3 at 2:00PM (almost 3 hours before our scheduled departure).

6095946643 2bcc960de3 Manila to Singapore Flight: Arrival and Dinner at Pasta de Waraku
AirPhil Express A320-200 plane at the passenger bridge of NAIA T3

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Zamboanga City Itinerary (3 days) with Cebu side trip (+1 day)

Day 1 – Philippine Eagle Center, Jack’s Ridge

9:10am – arrival in Davao International Airport
Walk to highway outside of airport compound gate (approx. 500m from the passenger terminal).
Cross street and ride jeepney to Downtown Davao (has “Claveria” on the jeepney route) – P15 fare
10:00am – drop off at Bangoy St., Downtown, Davao City
Walk to My Hotel Davao. Check-in.

Single fan room (shared TB) – P250 per night + P200 deposit (refundable upon check-out)

Walk to Bankerohan (Public) Market
Ride “hop-on hop-off” van to Calinan (45 minutes) – P40
Ride habal-habal to Malagos Water District – P20
1:15pm – Malagos Water District – P5 entrance fee
1:30pm – Philippine Eagle Center – P50 entrance fee

Ride habal-habal back to Calinan – P20
Ride jeep back to highway (“Ulas” intersection) – P20

Attempted to visit Eden Nature Park. I was discouraged when I went to Toril and asked about transportation getting there. There was no way to commute and it would have been too expensive to hire a tricycle/taxi by myself so I decided to go back to Davao instead.

4:45pm – Ride jeep back to NCCC Davao. Quick visit to NCCC and Matina Town Square
Ride jeep to intersection going to Jack’s Ridge (cor MacArthur Highway – Santos Cuyogan Rd) – P7
Ride tricycle to Jack’s Ridge – P10

Dinner at Taklobo Restaurant, Jack’s Ridge

Shrimp Tempure (Rebusado) – P243
Rice – P23
Garlic Rice – P27

Taxi to My Hotel – P80

Day 2 – Davao City Commuting Tour

11:00am – walk to Davao City Hall area

San Pedro Cathedral
Rizal Park
Osmena Park
Museo Dabawenyo

11:00pm – lunch at Banok’s

1 grilled chicken inasal, unlimited rice, 1 coke – P75

12:00nn – walk to Bankerohan (Public) Market
Buy 1 fresh (Arancillo) Durian and ate at the sidestreet – P35
Ride jeep to Ateneo de Davao – P7

Aldevinco Market
Marco Polo Davao

Ride jeep to Gmall Davao – P7
Ride jeep along Santa Ana Avenue to Chimes Mall – P7
Ride jeep back to Gmall – P7
Ride jeep to Victoria Plaza / Pryce Business Park

4:00pm – Ride taxi to Crocodile Farm – P100+
4:20pm – Crocodile Farm – P150 entrance fee. No crocodile show that day. Scheduled for the next day.

Ride taxi to Damosa Gateway – P7
Ride jeep back to F. Torres St. – P7
Walk to Kasagingan Kapehan
Pre-dinner at Kasagingan Kapehan

Maruya supreme - P75
Chorizo Sandwhich – P55

Dinner at Blue Carabao (Dr. 4-7 Sobrecarey St., Obrero, Davao City near Gmall). They have now transferred to a new location at 146 Montreverde St at the corner of Alveraz St. (near Magsaysay Park / Santa Ana Wharf right across the street from the Davao City Fire Department).

Pork Adobo, Pancit, Rice, Coke – P120

Ride Jeep to San Pedro St. 0 P7
Extended stay at MyHotel for two more nights – P500 (P250 per night)

Day 3 – Talikud and Samal Island

10:20am – Breakfast at Kusina Davao (infront of My Hotel)

Beef curry rice toppings – P55
Native coffee – P15

Taxi to Magsaysay Park – P60
Walk to Santa Ana Wharf
11:30am – Bought fery ticket for 12:30nn “Jessa 3″ trip to Talikud Island – P50 fare
12:30nn – Ferry departure from Santa Ana Wharf
2:00pm – Arrived in Sta. Cruz Whard, Talikud Island, Island Garden City of Samal (IGaCoS)

Habal-habal ride to Babu Santa Beach (20 mins from pier) – P150 round trip fare + P20 tip

3:00pm – Dropped off at Isla Reta Beach Resort.

Walk back to Sta Cruz Wharf (10 minutes)
3:30pm – No passenger crossing left to Kaputian (Mainland Samal). Had to split a chartered boat with one other passenger – P300 for the whole boat or P150 each

Ride “Island City Express” Bus to Babak (45 minutes) – P40
Ride tricycle to Monfort Bat Colony – P60 roundtrip charter (P30 per way).
5:30pm – Monfort Bat Colony – P30 entrance fee
Ride “Island City Express” Bus to Santa Ana Wharf

crossed Babak, Samal to Sasa Wharf, Davao City via RoRo (Roll-on Roll-off) Ferry

Ride taxi to Lachi’s – P50
Dinner at Lachi’s

Grilled Pork Ribs – P130, New York Cheese Cake – P45, Iced Tea (Sola) – P40, Rice – P20

Walk to tricycle stop
Ride tricycle to Davao Medical Center
Walk to People’s Park

People’s Park sightseeing

Walk to My Hotel Davao

Day 4 – Davao to Zamboanga Flight

6:45am – checkout at My Hotel Davao. Claimed P200 deposit
Ride taxi to Davao International Airport – P120
7:10am – arrived at the airport
Breakfast at the airport

Egg, Hotdog, Rice, Mineral Water – P110

Check-in for Davao to Zamboanga Flight – P200 terminal fee
8:30am – Departure from Davao Airport
9:40am – Arrival in Zamboanga Airport

Money spent for the whole Davao leg – P4,000+

Read part 2 of the itinerary at Zamboanga City Itinerary: 3 days.

Lake Sebu Lotus Flowers: My Sunrise Paddle Boat Ride

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What would possibly get a night owl like me to wake up 4:30AM in the morning? If I’m on the road, there would only be two possibilities: to catch an early morning flight/commute or chase a photo opportunity that MUST be worth the effort. Bernie, my travel buddy during my trip to Lake Sebu and blogger behind HabagatCentral, told me about his plan to take photos of the lotus flowers in Lake Sebu during the wee hours of the morning. It sounded interesting … a chance to photograph beautiful lotus flowers in a scenic mountain lake setting. But why do it so EARLY? Bernie answered that the lotus flowers in Lake Sebu only bloom during sunrise … It was a done deal, basically :| I was too intrigued by the morning lotus blooms to just brush the opportunity off. At first it was mostly because of curiosity … I haven’t read about Lake Sebu’s lotus flowers being featured by other bloggers. After pushing through with our mission to visit the “lotus fields” of Lake Sebu, I returned with one of the most beautiful sunrise experiences of my life.

Local kid riding a traditional T’boli canoe in Lake Sebu

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Caramoan Islands: My Solo Survivor Escapade

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I was craving for some downtime and a change to a less urban type of scenery after a busy itinerary in Naga and Legazpi City. No doubt, my #1 agenda for the whole trip to Bicol region was to visit the “Survivor” Islands of Caramoan! Caramoan became known internationally as the setting of several foreign “Surivor” TV series franchises in Italy, Isreal, France, Serbia, , Bulgaria, and Sweden. The islands have risen as one of the hot ticket destinations in the Philippines … of course, I wanted to get my fill of this tropical paradise. I stayed in Caramoan for two nights. Since I was traveling solo, I initially hoped to join other tourists for island hopping tour. Unfortunately, I failed to find a group when I arrived. I had to go island hopping all by my lonesome. The night before, I felt a bit scared. I’ve never done it solo before. Would I still enjoy it without any company? What could I possibly do the whole day alone? What if something happens to me while I’m in some remote island?

Solo Travel in Caramoan, Camarines Sur

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Caramoan at Last! DIY trip to the Survivor Islands in CamSur

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The commute to Caramoan takes at least four hours from Naga City, Camarines Sur. Two hours land trip from Naga City to Sabang Beach and another two hour ferry (pumpboat) ride going to Guijalo Port in Caramoan. After quick morning tour of Naga City, I took a tricycle to the FILCAB terminal located across SM City Naga. The (L300) van left Naga City at 8:15am and arrived in Barrio Sabang, San Jose, Camarines Sur by 10am. Sabang Beach was just a couple of steps from where the van dropped us off. Looking around the long grey sand beach, it was easy to find the makeshift ferry waiting area since many of the passengers were already huddled together in that section of the beach.

Toploading the ferry pupmboat to Caramoan in CamSur

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Singapore and Malaysia Cruise: Aboard AirPhil Express and Star Cruises

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Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia are two cities in Asia known for its multi-cultural diversity. Not only will visitors expect a convergence of different cultures in the region, the two cities also present a contrast between the Orient and the Western World. Just recently, AirPhil Express invited travel bloggers to try out their new package tour: “Double the AdvenTour! Fly to Singapore and Cruise to Malaysia!” As you could imagine, the experience was a lot different from my usual DIY travels because of the convenience of hotel accommodations and coach transfers. I really enjoyed our trip since we were able to go to attractions that I wasn’t able to experience during my first trip to Singapore and Malaysia last year.

Thien Hou Temple in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia with the imposing KL Tower and Petronas Twin Towers

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Puerto Princesa Underground River: DIY Solo Jungle Trek in Sabang, Palawan

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Coming out from a long trek through the jungle trail in Palawan, I finally caught sight of the underground river’s mouth. There were no crowds of tourists around, only me the boatman, who was intently anticipating my arrival for the guided tour of the subterranean marvel. From the dock, we swept across the tranquil waters going to the cave portal and drifted even further. The cave became increasingly dimmer as if the daylight were avoiding getting too deep inside the inner chambers. We continued our voyage until everything went … pitch black.

6075810975 5a71410d89 Puerto Princesa Underground River: DIY Solo Jungle Trek in Sabang, Palawan

The ghastly solace inside the underground river reminded me of tales from Greek mythology, particularly descriptions of the River Styx, which divided the world of the living from the world of the dead. The darkness, calm waters, eerie echoing sounds, and otherworldly rock formations made it easy to imagine as if I were being ferried by Charon on his ubiquitous paddle boat to the land of Hades. Like the hero Aeneas, who saw many illusions while crossing the river styx, the boatman pointed out peculiar cave formations, which resembled real life things from fruits, vegetables, everyday items to human figures, and religious scenes.

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AirPhil Express is Now the Official Carrier of Ambot-Ah! What Next in 2011 and Beyond?

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As you many already know, AirPhil Express is now the official airline carrier of Ambot-ah.com. I’ve flown with AirPhil Express multiple before and I’ve been very satisfied with their service. AirPhil Express has been very dynamic in servicing the needs of the budget traveler (like me). It’s no wonder that they’re now the fastest growing budget airline in the Philippines. I’m very excited to have AirPhil Express as Ambot-ah’s airline partner and, subsequently, be able to experiences even more travel destinations in the Philippines.

AirPhil Express Airbus A320 at the Cebu-Mactan International Aiport

Dreaming to be a Traveler

Back in 2007 when I was still on my 3rd year in college, I started Ambot-ah as a personal repository of thoughts and realizations of my teen self. Although I chose to study in the nursing profession (as did hundreds of thousands of young hopeful Filipinos), I always wondered about the idea of living the life of a traveler.

The free spirited journey of adventure and self-discovery, coupled with my new found passion for photography, inescapably appealed to my young mind. When I graduated and passed the board exams, I was finally free from my academic obligations and felt the overpowering freedom of having my whole life ahead of me … to be whoever I wanted to be.

Chao Phraya River Ferry in Bangkok, Thailand