I survived Zamboanga and Basilan! Part One

I made it! 

I thought I'm only limited to explore Luzon and Visayas, but I went to Mindanao, baby! I made it to the farthest part of the country that never in my wildest dreams I've ever set foot on. It was a fun-filled weekend as we toured around Zamboanga and Basilan to explore its beauty. I was still in awe as I write this because I still feel overwhelmed by the experience at this time!

Blame sponteneity for this trip (I think we've already mastered it. XD) since everything happened in a blur, all of a sudden, I booked myself to some destination without any plans whatsoever--6 months ahead of date. I was like, what the heck, just go with the flow. I'm starting to become an adventurer now, so I know I'll be fine.  ..and I also got certified lakwatseros/lakwatsera with me, I'm sure it's gonna be a blast.

I went to Zamboanga with 4 of my travel buddies whom I just met on Instagram. We've been places already prior to this, but this particular trip was something we've anticipated for the longest time. BTW, we choose an early flight so we can start our day early too. 

I love seeing a sunrise on the plane.

We arrived around 7am and went straight ahead to Chang-V Pension House which is just a jeepney ride away from the airport. For newbies in Zamboanga City, getting to and from around downtown and other places is easy, you just need to ride a jeepney. The fare varies from 8-15 pesos depending on the location. To get to Chang-V Pension House, you need to ride the Canelar jeepney and alight the Atilano Compound, which is marked by Gerry's Grill restaurant in front. You'll never miss it. (photo by @jepepips)

It's the only place in the compound that has an available family room and for a group of 5 people, it's Php1,000 per night. It's pretty cheap since we're gonna be staying for 3 nights there. However, you may explore the compound and check out the other pension houses.

After a quick rest, we rode a jeepney going downtown to explore the city. The fare is just 8 pesos and it's a quick 5 minute ride from the pension house. Mind you, it's safe now in Zamboanga. The chaos has ended and it's pretty safe to roam around even when you have your gadgets with you.

Day 1: City Tour

Our first stop was the city's famous city hall. The facade has an interesting vintage feel to it and according to my friend who lives there, a city ordinance has been made for all of their government buildings to look like Spanish colonial houses.

Even this BPI building looks cool too. :D (photo by @jepepips)

This is to preserve the city's culture and heritage; Zamboanga is Asia's Latin City afterall. It's even prettier at night. Check this out.

Christmas is in the air! :D

Across the city hall is the old Plaza Pershing. They say it has been reopened on 2011 after it's renovation.

For our first food stop, we ate at Tsokolate which serves the best moist chocolate cake ever!

It's a must try! It's only 35 pesos!

They also have interesting interior too, from Christmas figures to aquarium tables, to old vintage stuff alike.

After our late breakfast, we went to Paseo del Mar to check with the tourism office there on how to get to Santa Cruz island, where we will spend our second day. So, we settled our reservations because everyone must register their names for security reasons. 

Paseo del Mar, the best place where you can view the sunset in Zamboanga City.

We explored the area more and this is where we found the Vinta! It's so cool seeing one upclose. It's like reliving the images you see on your old grade school books.

Ohhh those colors! 

It was super hot and we wouldn't want the mid-noon sun to scorch us before we even hit the beach so we decided to take a Vinta ride later before the sun sets so its much cooler.

We then walked a short distance ahead of Paseo del Mar to Plaza del Pilar where a mini fort is located. It's like a mini walled city of Intramuros, and according to Wikipedia, "it's a military defense fortress built by the Spanish colonial government". However, since it's a weekend, the gates and the museum are closed to so we couldn't see what's inside. Boo.

Then across the street is the Fort Pilar Shrine, or Nuesta Senora La Virgen del Pilar. It's like a garden church where a mass is held in the open area. Interesting note here, when you see the altar, it's filled with pencils. 

They say that the students leave it there prior to taking their bar exams, then use it afterwards to get their blessing. (photo by @jepepips)

We resumed our city tour after taking a nap then went for our much awaited Vinta ride at Paseo del Mar. It only costs 50 pesos, but if you're feeling generous, you could give a tip. The ride was short, just about 10 minutes, I guess, for a quick photo op on the famous vinta. It's like reliving my childhood memory of just seeing these colorful sails on my text books, but now, I'm riding one! XD

Vinta ride. More fun only in Zamboanga City! 

Aside from a riding a vinta, there are also other things you could do at Paseo del Mar. You could watch the sunset while eating Zamboanga's Knickerbocker.

Sunset + Knickerbocker = B.L.I.S.S.

It's a tasty mixture of fruits (watermelon, mango, melon, coconut, banana and gulaman jelly) with milk and strawberry or vanilla ice cream on top. It's their own version of halo-halo. Aside from Knickerbocker, Paseo del Mar offers a wide variety of food choices, from grilled food to burgers to pizza. You may eat your heart out while watching the beautiful sunset, overlooking Little Santa Cruz Island.

Just look that at picturesque Zamboanga sunset. Simply beautiful for words!

Last part of our day trip is we went to Alavar Seafood Restaurant to try their Curacha dish, served with their famous Alavar sauce. 

*drools*

It's my first time eating something like this and my buddies did a good job in pushing me to try it. I'm like, if it's not fish or shrimp, I won't eat it. But this one was different, it's Curacha with Alavar sauce! Only served here in Zamboanga City! Funny thing is, my friends taught me how to eat Curacha LOL. I'm such a noob. 

It was a tiring day, but we still have 4 more days to enjoy our trip! The next part of my blog will take you to the famed pink beach! Before I forget, here's the suggested itinerary and expenses for today's trip, keep in mind that this is a shared budget for a group of five though but I hope you find it useful. 

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DAY 1: Zamboanga City Tour

7AM - ETA Zamboanga

7:15AM - Arrival at Chang V Pension House

9:00AM - Start city tour

9:10AM - Zamboanga City Hall, Plaza Pershing

9:30AM - Breakfast at Tsokolate

10:30AM - Paseo del Mar

11:15AM - Plaza del Pilar

11:30AM- Church visit

11:45AM - Buy groceries downtown

1:00PM - head back to inn for siesta

3PM - Lunch/Merienda at Paseo del Mar

4PM - Vinta ride

5PM - Sunset watching

6:30PM - Dinner at Alavar Seafood Restaurant

8PM - go home

Budget: (in pesos)

8 - jeep to Canelar from airport

8 - jeep to downtown

65 -Blueberry Cheesecake at Tsokolate

8 - jeep going back to inn

8 - jeep going downtown 

65 - Knickerbocker

120 - pizza

9 - jeep to Alavar Seafood Restaurant

180 - shared dinner

200 - shared room rate

First Solo Travel: Short Church Hopping at Iloilo Part 3

Upon arriving back at Iloilo, I asked around how can I get to Miag-Ao church. I couldn't find straight answers, I guess they don't understand me at all haha. One local told me to take the Molo jeep, while the other one says I should take the jeepneys across the street and ask them to take to to take me to the church. I don't want to waste time asking for directions so I combined both instructions and headed for Molo anyway.

The ride from the port was just about 10 minutes only and I was quite surprised because what they said sounded sensible anyway; because I took off at the magnificent Molo Church, one of the oldest churches in Iloilo and just a few blocks from it is the bus terminal going to Miag-Ao. It wasn't so bad taking risks after all haha!

To continue my Iloilo tour, I explored the Molo Church grounds first and was impressed at how clean and spacious the adjacent park was. The town square has a small shrine at the center where one school kid told me, it's used for holding small programs and such. I cozied myself on the chair beside the huge bougainvillae tree and just stared at the beautiful facade of Molo Church.

This beautifully preserved church reminds me of the Notre Dame Cathedral. 

Okay. I watch Disney movies too much.

The town square across the church has a small bandstand with statues of the Greek Goddesses. It really is an all-women's church afterall!

The Parish of St. Anne in Molo was one of the oldest churches in Iloilo City and it's a feminist church because of the evident display of lady saints inside.

Exiting the church grounds to the right, I walked a few blocks to this small terminal for buses bound to Miag-Ao. The non-aircon buses gets filled in fast and but it was a long ride, roughly 30-45 minutes. A trip this long would make someone get so sleepy after a previous trip, but the afternoon sun was too hot so I just enjoyed the hangin probinsya and went sightseeing along the trip. I happen to see Guimbal Church, the Guimbal Steel Bridge and the long stretch of gray sand beaches of Oton, Guimbal and Tigbauan along the way.

 Guimbal Church is said to be one of the oldest churches in the Philippines. 

 I stuck my camera out of the bus window to take a shot of this steel bridge in Guimbal.

This seemed like an estuary.

I nearly missed my stop because I didn't recognize it due to all of the vendors and the crowd of students/bystanders along the side walk that's covering the gate. When I got to the church grounds, I marveled at how beautiful the church is and how proud I am for myself for seeing one of the country's heritage Site.

The beautiful Miag-Ao church, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

From the intricate design of its facade and the richness of its olonial roots, no wonder tourists thrive on its beauty. That seemed like a banana tree on the center LOL.

I didn't travel for almost an hour to leave just because the church was closed, so I still stayed until sundown to admire its beauty. :) Too bad it was closed, I was unable to see the interior. Okay, maybe I'd say it's not advisable to go on a tour during weekends because most tourist spots are closed.

Damn overcast. I was picturing a sunset shot of this beautiful structure. But good thing it didn't rain.

I went home before it gets dark and just crossed the road to take the bus. They're usually on schedule, so you really have to wait. In case you don't want to, there's a jeepney as well but they'll drop you off to another place but still accessible to other jeepneys going around the city proper.

This caps off my solo travel to Iloilo. It has been a joy wandering alone without caring for anything. I amused myself with things I never knew I'd done. I conquered my fears of being alone outside of my comfort zone and amuse myself with things I never knew I'd done. If fear consumes you, you'll never get to where you want to go. It was the height of that earthquake scare in Bohol-Cebu, then just after a typhoon hit the city as well when I went there. Despite of everyone's warnings, I followed my gut feel and just flew away. Being afraid to go alone is just a small matter compared to the adventure that I will experience going there...and I'm happy I did. :)

ITINERARY (continuation from the previous post here)
2:30PM - Depart Guimaras
2:45 - Arrival at Ortiz Port, Iloilo
3PM - Molo Church
4PM - Take bus to Miag-Ao
4:45PM - Arrival at Miag-Ao Church
6PM - Depart for Miag-Ao
7PM - Dinner at Mang Inasal
7:30PM - Rest

BUDGET (in Pesos) - 540
14 - Ticket (Jordan to Ortiz Port)
8 - Jeep to Molo Church
44 - Bus to Miag-Ao
40  - Jeep back to Molo
99 - Chicken Inasal (dinner)
8 - Jeep to Ong Bun
330 - Ong Bun Room Rent

This caps off my solo travel to Iloilo. In conclusion, my total expenses for my 3 days, 2 nights solo adventure was just Php 2,011! (airfare not included). If you wish to save much but experience the thrill of exploring new places, I suggest you follow what I did. Channel your inner turista vibes on a budget with no fancy accommodation, no fancy foods or unnecessary spending. Just plain enjoyment and pure adventure! Did I went too easy and deprived myself of other things just because I'm too cautious about my budget? NO. It's all about the choices that I make.

Before this trip, I challenged myself that I'm going on an adventure without spending too much, after having getting used to a pampered vacay. It posed as a challenge for me actually, though I knew I have a specified budget, I still kept an emergency money hehee. ;)  It's not always that I'd get this chance of travelling solo, so I'd say I enjoyed it so much! It has been a joy wandering alone without caring for anything. I amused myself with things I never knew I'd done. I conquered my fears of being alone outside of my comfort zone and amuse myself with things I never knew I'd done. If fear consumes you, you'll never get to where you want to go. It was the height of that earthquake scare in Bohol-Cebu, then just after a typhoon hit the city as well when I went there. Despite of everyone's warnings, I followed my gut feel and just flew away.

Being afraid to go alone in a new place is just a small matter compared to the adventure that I will experience there...and I'm happy I did. :)

First Solo Travel: Guimaras On A Budget Part 2

I went up early to catch the 9am boat as I have already planned my day ahead. I'm a fan of sponteneity, but for something like traveling alone for the first time, that wouldn't be a nice thing to do. LOL. I actually made second thoughts whether I'll go to Guimaras or not because I'm gonna go over my budget! First, the fare is quite expensive for a solo traveler; the only transportation to go around the island is via  tricycle and you need to talk to the driver where to go as the tours are included in the fare, then I wouldn't know if I'd stay in the island or not if ever the beach convinces me to do so, but thinking that I already paid for that day's room rent, I just let that thought slide.

So I woke up at 7am and prepared myself for my Guimaras beach tour, and I contacted Kuya Cherald, as he was the most referred tour guide in Guimaras by almost all of the travel blogs I've read. He said he couldn't tour me around, but he referred his brother instead for the same price, and he even gave me an mini itinerary for my short sidetrip.

 The boats on dock at the Ortiz Port.

I left the inn around 8am and crossed the street to ride the jeep headed for Timawa. I just asked the driver to drop me off at Ortiz, where I just need to walk a short distance to where the port is. The ticket fare is just 14 pesos and from Ortiz to Jordan Port, it only takes 15 minutes. 

I went on the boat, and it's bigger than the boats we took to Cagbalete Island. It's spacious boat can hold up to 40 passengers max and for safety, they have lifevests on board. The trip was fast and I barely even finished my drink when we finally reached the island, where Kuya Cherald is waiting for me so I can start my tour. BTW, though he's the most sought after tour guide at Guimaras, be a good traveler and don't ignore the other tricycle drivers on the island. They are also making a living and they all charge the same rate, so don't be afraid to ask them to take you on tour.

 Jordan Port, Guimaras

My tour starts at the Smallest Plaza. Yes, literally. It's so small, they claim it's on the Guiness Book of World Records as the smallest town plaza in the world. 

A statue of Jose Rizal stands in the middle and for some reason, the Ilonggos are a big fan of our national hero. I could see him anywhere in the city.

After a quick photo op, we headed to the Museo De Guimaras, but unfortunately it's closed due to renovation. T,T 

Our next stop was the National Mango Research Facility of the Philippines. It's like a big backyard full of different species of mango trees and the tricycle just circled around the around the area beside a small lagoon there. I also found out that bringing mangoes to the island is strictly prohibited. I guess it's something about ecological balance as Guimaras takes prides in breeding the best and the sweetest mangoes in the world. 

 I'd imagine how these mango trees would look like when they're in full bloom with mangoes and such.

Next we went to the Trappist Monastery, the only male monastery in the country. The church is closed for renovation (again) but the monastery grounds is open for sight seeing. It was so peaceful and the landscaping was beautiful, rows of tall pine trees beside the pathway will make you feel you're on a different place.

 Where am I? LOL.

A little trivia here, this Monastery is home to the Trappist monks who are known for their strict observation of the Benedictine rule, which is a list of instructions that was made way back in the sixth century for monasteries and keeping one's individual behavior at hand. I was free to roam the monastery grounds but was unable to see at least one monk or nun around.

 The facade of Our Lady of the Philippines Trappist Abbey.

Just a few blocks from the monastery is their gift shop, where you can buy some goodies and pasalubong. Be a good traveler and help the monks make a living by buying their goods. I especially liked the Mango Biscocho and their Mango Jam. :D I also bought a pink rosary bracelet and a bark keychain that has a cross in the center for good luck.

 The Trappist Monastery Gift Shop

Last stop for the trip was of course, the beach at the Alubijod Cove, and the driver just dropped me off at the Raymen's Beach Resort. Upon entry, I paid a small fee and then I was free to roam around the beach just behind the resort area.

  Entrance to the beach area.

Raymen Beach Resort's rooms for rent.

Oh my God that beach was beautiful! Never mind the short distance between the shore and the resort grounds, but the crystalline blue water was so inviting! I haven't been into a lot of beaches but the sea at Guimaras seemed different from the others.

I walked along the shore and I think there's just three or four resorts along the Alubijod Cove. Doesn't matter where your tour guide dropped you off, you'll still end up in one shore anyway. A few tourists were at the beach at the same time and they're at the shade mostly because it was high noon when I got there. I also didn't go island hopping due to time constraints, so I just went beach bummin' for 3 hours hahaha.

I find those blending hues of turquoise and blues so soothing to the eyes so I couldn't stop staring at it, it's really like what you really see in a postcard! 

Boating/Island hopping rates at Raymen Beach Resort.

After a short lazy nap under the sun, I looked around and explored the area. The resort also offers boating/island hopping services that's I feel that I can't enjoy at this time because I'm alone and I've still got half of the day to go exploring back the Iloilo. So I asked Kuya Edwin (that's his name) to take me back to the port so I could continue my Iloilo trip. 

  The long road going back to Jordan Port.

I asked Kuya Edwin to stop at this area because I thought it seemed like a great view LOL.

Now for newbie solo travelers like me, here are a few tips that I'd like to share if you're going to explore Guimaras on a budget.

1. Decide whether you'd like to spend the night in the island or just make it as a your sidetrip to Iloilo. The tourist spots here can be reached within half day if you rent a tricycle.

2. Though the tourist spots are few and thinking of how long the trip was and how expensive the tricycle fare was as well, makes you think you'd just like to stay in the island instead. That's how I felt then, I didn't maximize what I payed for coz I just stayed for like, 3-4 hours in Guimaras. Anyway, feel free to explore and try island hopping!

3. You may talk to your tour guide where you'd like to go if you've done further research on the areas you want to explore. They will ask for an additional fee if you're going to somewhere far like the lighthouse or the falls. I didn't go there due to time constraints.

While at the boat, I thought that I should go back and explore it more. I missed some places like the Guisi Lighthouse and being a fan of anything waterfalls, I'd like to see the Sadsad Falls next time. Here's my itinerary and budget table during my solo trip!

ITINERARY - Thursday, October 17
7AM - Wakeup, prepare for Guimaras trip
8:45AM - Jeep to Ortiz Port
9AM - Boat onboard to Jordan Port
9:15AM - Arrival at Jordan, Guimaras
9:20AM - Start Tour
9:30AM - Smallest Plaza
9:45AM - Museo de Guimaras
9:55AM - Mango Plantation
10AM - Trappist Monastery
10:55AM - Arrival at Raymen's Beach, Alubijod Cove
1:15PM - Left Raymen's Beach
1:45PM - sidetrip, buy Pasalubong
2:30PM - Depart Guimaras
2:45 - Arrival at Ortiz Port, Iloilo

BUDGET (in pesos) - 841
8 - Ortiz Wharf to Jordan JEEP
14 - Ortiz Wharf to Jordan Port
500 - Trike tour
130 - Trappist Pasalubong
120 - Guimaras Mangoes
25 - Raymen Beach entrance fee
14 - Ticket (Jordan to Ortiz Port)