island

One Day in Cebu

January 22, 2012 by Bino 16 Comments

My trips lately seem to be getting shorter and my recent one in Cebu takes the cake! This stopover was actually spontaneous, as my SilkAir flight got delayed in Cebu by several hours. Rather than sulking at the airport, I decided to go out and see what this city had to offer – for 5 hours. To my surprise, I later found this to be a do-able timeframe for exploring this fine city.

fuerza de san pedro

Despite being the Philippines’ second city (after Manila), I had never been to Cebu previously. This is a shame as the city and its surrounds has so much to offer – from bustling and cosmopolitan urban vibe to near-transparent waters just 30 minutes from the city center.

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Enchanting Hagimit Falls and the Mysterious Vanishing Sandbar in Samal Island

January 9, 2012 by Bino 10 Comments

The people of Davao City are blessed to have a resort island so close to the city. Currently dubbed as the “Island Garden City of Samal,” this elongated island is just a few kilometers away from Davao CBD and immediately transports visitors from the hustle and bustle of the city to turquoise-colored waters, enchanting waterfalls and other natural sights.

hagimit falls in samal island

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Camiguin: the Island of Fire

January 1, 2012 by Bino 30 Comments

A recent 6-day trip to Mindanao took me to Camiguin, that small pea-shaped island just off Cagayan de Oro City. I had wanted to come here for the longest time, friends and acquaintances only have good things to say about the wide variety of activities that this small province (the Philippine’s second smallest) has to offer. Camiguin is also known as the “island of fire” due to the presence of not one, or two but seven volcanoes in just 230 square kilometers of land!

sunken cemetery in camiguin

There are two popular ways to get to Camiguin – both involve passing thru Cagayan de Oro, where there are frequent direct air connections to Manila, Cebu and Davao. The first and quickest option is to take a fast craft (2 hours; departs at 8:30AM daily) from Cagayan de Oro for roughly Php 500 but since departures only occur in the early mornings, the most used method is the second one which entails a one-hour slow ferry from Balingoan (a small town that is about 2 hours drive from CDO) for Php 170 which takes you to Benoni in Southeastern Camiguin. The departures here are more frequent, and average about every 45 minutes in the mornings and afternoons.

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Discovering Singapore’s Outlying Islands

December 24, 2011 by Bino 5 Comments

all aboard!

… and I’m not talking about Sentosa here. What most people don’t realize is that Singapore isn’t just made up of just one island (or two, if you count Sentosa). Believe it or not, this tiny city-state is actually made up of 63 islands — most of them being uninhabited! I had the chance to check out some of these islands last year with friends and it showed me yet another side of Singapore that I hadn’t known previously despite living here for several years.

A short ferry ride from the Marina South Pier via Island Cruise (SGD 15, roundtrip, inclusive of stops) transports one from the hustle and bustle of an ultramodern city to tiny, mythical tropical islands lined with lush palm trees and some of the best beaches in Singapore. The ferry ride took us to three of the more well-known southern islands (aside from Sentosa). First stop was the larger St. John’s Island – a great getaway for those planning for a swim and/or a picnic.

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