Solo backpacking in Cebu, Philippines

Hello, dear readers!

I, your "Travel-loving Interpreter," am back with another travelogue. Let me warn you, this one is quite extensive and lengthy. I'll try to be as detailed as possible, as this trip was packed with fun and challenges. If reading it all seems daunting, feel free to just enjoy the pictures. No worries!

The trip was amazing! During the long weekend of July 8-11, 2017, I visited Cebu, Philippines, a neighboring ASEAN country. I believe many of you have heard or seen the natural beauty of this country. It's truly a natural paradise, with untouched areas where people live by the sea. I went solo, which was fantastic. Traveling alone allows for freedom and flexibility. I could go wherever I wanted, do whatever I wanted, and eat whatever I wanted. I could change my plans on a whim without consulting anyone. It was stress-free, which is perfect for me. Coincidentally, my trip to the Philippines coincided with the company's annual trip. However, I had already booked my tickets before the company announced the dates. So, I missed out on the company trip this year. Or maybe I didn't want to go? Who knows! Haha.

Before choosing to travel to the Philippines, I tried listing the names of each country to see which ones were interesting. Whether it was Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Laos, or Indonesia, the plane tickets to each place were quite expensive. So I decided to choose to go to the Philippines, which I had seen many foreigners I follow on IG go to Cebu. Some went to Kawasan Falls, went on a canyoneering adventure (this word doesn't have a direct meaning, it's an activity like hiking, rock climbing, wading through water, jumping into water, swimming, etc. Let's see what it looks like), went swimming with whale sharks, and I was like, "Damn, that looks like a place to go." What is a whale shark? I've never seen one, lol.

In March, I started looking for tickets. I checked all the websites to compare prices, but they were quite expensive. I kept checking, determined to find a good deal. At that time, I didn't consider Cebu Pacific Airlines. I only looked at the airlines I had heard of frequently. But then I saw the name Cebu and remembered that they used to have direct flights from Bangkok to Cebu. I quickly checked their website and realized that they had canceled the direct flights. So, the only option was to connect. The price I saw was 5250 baht, which gave me some hope. But I didn't book it because I thought there might be a better deal. I spent over a week watching the price fluctuate. Some days it was over ten thousand baht, and other days it was around five thousand. I realized that the price was unstable and that I might miss out if the promotion ended.

After checking the tickets for several days, I finally got the hang of the price fluctuations. I immediately booked a Cebu Pacific Airlines ticket, the airline of Cebu Island. Whether I go or not, I'll decide later. With such a cheap ticket, I won't regret it if I don't go.

The flight and accommodation have been booked, and I'm eagerly awaiting the trip. When will July arrive? In the meantime, I've been taking domestic trips to Chiang Mai, Koh Lipe, Koh Lan, and Khao Kho. This is my first international trip of the year, and I'm incredibly excited. Last year, I traveled extensively to Japan (leisure), Russia (leisure), Malaysia (work), Japan (leisure), and Vietnam (work). I'm a true globetrotter.

However, before the departure time, an email from the airline informed me that the flight from Manila to Cebu had been moved up from 5:30 PM to 4:15 PM. I was immediately worried, as this meant that I would have less time to transfer in Manila. I had heard that Philippine immigration is strict, which made me even more nervous. However, the airline's advance notice was appreciated, and everything went smoothly. In terms of communication, the Philippines is known as the third-largest English-speaking country in the world, and English is also an official language. Therefore, there is no need to worry about English. However, there are still some people who cannot communicate well in English. I don't know why this is the case. Despite my limited English skills, I was able to travel, shop, and talk to many people, and I managed to survive. So, I guess I passed the English test. Haha.

8 July 2017
The long-awaited four-day holiday from July 8th to 11th, 2017, had finally arrived, and it was time to travel to the Philippines. I arrived at Suvarnabhumi Airport without exchanging any money for pesos, intending to do so at the airport. However, I had checked the rates beforehand, so I wasn't worried about them being higher. I took the Airport Rail Link to the airport terminal and turned right upon exiting. There were many money exchange booths, and everyone recommended going to Super Rich. While I considered their advice, the long queue deterred me. I decided to check the rates at other booths to see if there was a difference. After checking four booths, I realized that the rates were the same everywhere. So, I opted for the booth with the shortest line, which only had two people waiting, compared to the ten-plus people at Super Rich. I saved time and got the same rate. Perhaps the long queue at Super Rich was due to different rates for other currencies, but I'm not sure.

The peso exchange rate at that time was 0.685. Honestly, I don't really understand how to calculate these exchange rates. I travel a lot, but I'm still confused. Haha! I'm really bad at math. That day, I exchanged 13,000 THB and got about 18,000 PESO. I don't know how much I'll spend, but I exchanged some extra money just in case.

After exchanging money, it was time to check in. When I arrived, there were a lot of people. However, I had already checked in online, so I went to the internet check-in counter, where there were very few people. I was so happy that I didn't have to wait in line. I got two tickets. I forgot to mention that I had to connect in Manila because there was no direct flight to Cebu. The route was BKK > MNL > CEBU. The return flight was the same. With everything ready, it was time to depart!

The weather this morning is a bit rainy. I hope it doesn't rain like this in the Philippines, because if it does, it will be difficult to enjoy the trip.

As a digression, I personally believe that Suvarnabhumi Airport is the most beautifully designed airport, luxurious and magnificent, compared to other international airports I have visited, including Russia, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, Philippines, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. However, in terms of systems, it still cannot compare to many international airports.

The rain continues to fall without stopping. It's okay to have rain like this because the plane is very, very, very big. It makes me feel a little more comfortable. I've captured some pictures of the inside of the plane to share. The interior is spacious, clean, and very large.

The flight was not full, with many empty seats. After the plane took off and stabilized, I moved to an empty row in the middle section and spread out, feeling like I had the whole area to myself. I slept comfortably and enjoyed the extra space.

I am ready to translate sentences from Thai to English. Please provide the sentence or phrase you would like me to translate.

After a long flight of approximately 3 hours, we finally arrived in Manila. Looking down from the plane, one can see the densely populated cityscape.

Upon exiting the aircraft, I rushed to the gate for my connecting flight. However, I encountered a slight confusion as I had never transferred between domestic flights in Thailand before. I had only experienced international transfers. Initially, I followed the "Transit" signs, but an immigration officer informed me that I needed to clear immigration first and then proceed to the domestic transfer area. It took me a while to understand the process, but it was a valuable learning experience.

Navigating the connecting flight was a breeze, but the stern faces of the Filipino immigration officers were intimidating. I was convinced I wouldn't make it through. After a thorough inspection, they tossed my passport back as if they had a personal vendetta against me.

Upon arriving at the gate, we waited in a loop.

We boarded the next flight, and it wasn't long before we reached our destination. Upon arrival at the airport, we tried to contact the driver we had booked. He initially said he would be waiting with a name sign, but we couldn't find him. Moreover, the SIM card we purchased only allowed 10 minutes of calls. We were worried that 10 minutes wouldn't be enough to communicate effectively. However, everything turned out well again. We had a very long car ride, and it took a long time because the traffic that night was extremely heavy. By the time we arrived at the hotel, it was already 10:30 PM. You might ask if we had eaten anything yet. The answer is no.

Upon arrival at the hotel, the staff was still waiting to check me in, as I was the last guest of the day. After settling in, I felt hungry and inquired with the staff about available food options. My first meal ended up being a cup of instant noodles, which surprisingly satisfied my hunger.

The resort boasts a beachfront location and offers a tranquil atmosphere.

In the evening, the atmosphere here seems very romantic, perfect for a relaxing time.

This is a full-size photo of the resort taken with a GoPro. It is not very large, but it is still quite beautiful.

Day 2: July 9, 2017

Today's adventure was canyoneering at Kawasan Falls. Initially, I thought we were meeting the driver at 8:00 AM, but I misread the time. The actual meeting time was 6:00 AM, and I woke up close to 6:30 AM. Oops! I profusely apologized to the driver, who informed me he had been waiting since 5:30 AM. Wow, talk about early! With my late start, I could only manage to wash my face, brush my teeth, and pack my things before we set off.

The sky looked overcast today, so I prayed that it wouldn't rain. I had come all this way to sightsee, so I hoped for good weather. In the end, it didn't rain. When I arrived, I got ready to ride a motorbike to my destination. I rode the motorbike for about 20 minutes. I had to go up a hill and then walk for almost a kilometer. Finally, I arrived and was ready to explore.

The stop will have various barbecue options for sale, but I didn't bring any money, so I'll have to skip it. I'll just have lunch at the waterfall instead. I'll keep jumping in the whirlpools.

Reaching this point, the point where I had to turn around and slide backwards into the water, I was initially a little scared that there might be rocks below. But seeing that others had done it without injury, I figured there was nothing to be afraid of. So, I went for it.

Ready, he told me to hold my nose so the water wouldn't get in.

However, in reality, I could only hold my breath for a short while. When it came time to slide down, I let go of my hands and went freestyle so that the photos would come out cool. 555+

The next stage was the highest jump of the day. The first jump was from the ground, which was already very high. It took a lot of encouragement from the crowd before I could finally jump.

After jumping from the ground, I was hooked and wanted to jump again. This time, the guide suggested jumping from a tree. I was hesitant, as the ground jump was already high enough. The guide encouraged me, saying that I should try it since I was already there. I finally decided to jump, but it took me over a minute to gather the courage to do it from the tree.

The moment I hit the water, I felt a wave of relief and pride wash over me for having dared to jump from such a great height. It was incredibly high, let me tell you.

After that, I went to sit and relax, but I didn't really rest. Seeing them playing rope swing, I wanted to play too. Haha.

However, just when we thought it was over, the guide told us to jump off the bridge and swim back to the parking lot. We were surprised, as we could have simply walked there. But we decided to jump anyway, just for the experience. The swim back was tiring, though.

That's all for today. Let's go back to the accommodation and rest up for tomorrow's trip. The food here isn't really to our taste. There are no pictures on the menu, so we have to imagine what the dishes look like. And the real thing doesn't look like what we imagined. Haha! We eat to live, right? Let's just eat.

Today's trip includes swimming with whale sharks, visiting Tumalog Falls, and exploring Sumilon Island.

The first stop is whale shark watching at Oslob. You'll need to wake up early because the tour starts early in the morning and there will be a lot of people. There will be many boats in the water, and when it's your turn, you'll board a small wooden boat that you wouldn't think could hold so many people.

As we sat in the middle of the water, we prepared to get in and waited for the opportunity for the whale shark to swim up and eat the food that the boatman had prepared. When I saw the fish for the first time, I was so shocked. It was so big! I was afraid it would bite me, even though I knew it wouldn't. 555+ But I was still a little scared.

Before entering the water, the guide will explain various safety measures, such as the prohibition of touching the fish and the required distance to maintain from them. However, sometimes the fish unexpectedly approach divers, causing surprise. As shown in the picture below, the fish came very close, causing a moment of fright.

Next, we continued to Tumalog Falls, a large and tall waterfall with a relatively low water flow. While not ideal for swimming, it offered stunning photo opportunities. After capturing a few shots, we moved on to our next destination.

Around 9 am, we took a boat to Koh Similan, a private resort that allows outsiders to purchase day trips. Guests can enjoy all the amenities as if they were staying at the resort, except for the rooms, of course. 555+

We arrived at the island a bit late in the morning, so it was quite crowded. No matter which angle we tried to take a picture from, there were always people in the way. As usual, the Chinese tourists dominated every area. 555+

Before boarding the boat to the island, at the check-in point, they will give you a wristband like this. It includes free drinks, food, boat, diving mask, and towel. Basically, everything is free, which is great. However, the trip is a bit expensive.

The ferry that we took across the river was shaped like a spider. It was a strange sight, but also quite cool.

After lunch, I took a short nap on a beach hammock and then woke up to play in the water again. This time, I decided to swim from the shore to a floating platform in the middle of the sea, which was about 100 meters away. At first, I thought I wouldn't go because it was too far, but I really wanted to go, so I decided to swim slowly to the platform. It was very far and I was very tired.

The individual swam to the platform without wearing a life jacket, which could have resulted in serious consequences. They were essentially alone on the platform, as most people would not dare to swim across to it. Only very strong swimmers would attempt such a feat, as the current can be deceptively strong. Some people who visit this area choose to take a boat instead, but the water is a beautiful, clear blue.

In the middle of the sea, it means being in the middle of the sun. Oh my god, the sun is so strong! You have to go into the water often or else it's hot. Jump, dive, swim around, and take lots of pictures. You can stick the GoPro in the bamboo slot and set the timer to take pictures. 55

As I swam back to shore, fear overwhelmed me. My strength was waning, depleted from swimming and diving at the raft. Panic surged through me, but I forced myself to swim back slowly, conserving as much energy as possible.

Upon returning to shore, they continued to play in the water, seemingly tireless. Even playing alone, they seemed to be having a blast. As the time to return to the mainland drew near, they played to their heart's content, laughing gleefully.

As the last ferry of the day approached at 5 pm, we rushed to join the queue to return to the mainland. Upon arriving back at the resort, we had to pack our belongings and prepare for our journey to the airport, where we would board a flight back to Thailand, arriving tomorrow morning.

While we were at it, I asked him to take a picture with me in front of this spider-like boat. I was a little embarrassed, as we didn't know each other and it was a one-time meeting. But I decided to throw all my shyness into the sea. Haha!

After returning to the resort, I showered, changed, packed my belongings, and waited for the car to pick me up. I left the resort around 7 pm and took a long drive to Cebu Airport. The Philippines is famous for its delicious mangoes.

Checked in, got the plane ticket. Need to transfer at Manila, the capital city, before flying back to Bangkok.

Let's go home. See you in Thailand, my love. See you again next trip :)

#cebu island#sea#philippines
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