Going on a vacation is one of the activities being looked forward to. Be it in summer or just about any time where you have ample time to squander alone or with some friends and family. For most outdoor people who love nature, a picturesque view of the endless horizon, a walk on the shore, their most common vacation destination is the beach. One may laze around under the cool shade of palms or sway along with the breeze on a hanging couch that is made of woven abaca fiber.
Some backpackers carry along with them their own hammocks that whenever the night falls on them, they just simply find some trunks usually with low lying branches to anchor the hanging couch and Viola! And you can now rest that sleepy head. Just make sure the place where you are going to hang your hammock is not the lair of the wild packs like the lions and hyenas or the habitat of the slithering anacondas or else you are just serving them the feast on a hanging couch.
Travelling light is also an advantage since it allows you to move around with ease. Don’t forget to include these things in your pack like a flashlight, small medical kit, water purifying tablets comes in handy when you are trekking in the mountain and of course a multi-tool utility knife.
The Philippines have three major islands and are blessed with wonderful beaches with powdery white or the black sand in Bicol and Iligan. In Visayas, you can find the island of Boracay. And another island found in the northern part of Cebu is the Bantayan Island. This Island is less populated compared to others which mean less exploitation on its natural resources like the fine grain sand, lush greenery and also the aquatic resources. The island boasts of its white sand that is mysteriously cool to the feet even on a hot summer. Seafood abound in this paradise, one can taste the freshness of these sea delights right on their dining tables.
Getting to this wonderful Island is easy. Most people get there by bus and then hop on a ferry. Although there’s a small private airport in the island but that is never been the way for the masses because you’re going to miss what you can see in the towns that you pass along the way.
So if your starting point is from Cebu City, take a cab to the North Bus Terminal. Once there, you’ll find barkers that will guide you to the bus bound for Hagnaya. There can be baggage handlers around that can help you too but just prepare for a tip of around 10-20 pesos which already puts a smile on their face. Then from there, you will travel for about 3 ½ hours to the port of Hagnaya where ferries are waiting to take you to the other island for your Bantayan Getaway. Sometimes the seas are rough but there ain’t any moby dick in the area.
Our Palawan Getaway last March 2012 started when we arrived at Puerto Princesa Airport from Mactan Cebu International Airport via Cebu Pacific Air. We have chosen Cebu Pacific’s flight not because it is a budget airline nor they have an excellent service but purely because we want to maximize our trip in Palawan. Cebu Pacific’s only flight from Cebu at 11:00 AM put them strategically on top from the rest of the airlines. Most especially if you want to maximize the places you want to visit in your trip like going to the Underground River because they have a cut-off time of the day for the last trip going to the cave which is at 3 o’clock in the afternoon.
Anyway, we arrived at about 12 noon and immediately went to Ka Inato Restaurant for our lunch so we won’t waste any time, knowing that it will take 1 ½ hours going to Sabang, where the Subterranean River National Park is located. Our tour guides Alex and his partner Jessica, who owns the Paradise Village Travel and Tours, brought us to the place for it is not just along the way going to Sabang but they said that it is also one of the best in Puerto Princesa. I will be talking more of our experience with them in a separate post and for the meantime you can visit their Facebook Page for promos and updates.
So indeed, Ka Inato lives to what many have said in terms of food preparation, the taste and the prices are affordable as well. I usually don’t recommend anything unless I am satisfied with it but because we all have different taste buds when it comes to food so all I can say is for you to try it then let me know about your experience.
When a person gets too loaded about paper works like sales reports, expense reports and other reports needed to meet a nagging deadline, one could only think of escaping or accomplishing it speedy fast so that they could go for a well-deserved rest and recreation.
Once you have submitted everything, you can now start to book yourself for a short getaway to the next island paradise. But just make sure that all the work deadlines are met otherwise you will end up working on the weekend to finish things and your booking will just go to the waste basket and end up losing a lot of money. Or, the worse is losing your job when you get back from an ecstatic trip.
And when you have put everything in place, make sure that before you leave, you’ve made a checklist just to make sure that you have filed all things that are needed like bills, mortgages and credit card is in check to avoid hassles during the trip. Nowadays, there a lots of travel agencies who offer cheap air travel especially if you travel in groups, advance bookings and some are offering holiday discounts and frequent flyer promos. Take advantage of these deals for you to be able to maximize every penny that you spent for a well-deserved getaway.
