It is so ironic how I had never had a chance to see more of my own country before I decided to live in the UK. The thought struck me as I was on the plane towards Dubai last September after my month-long holiday back home. I had missed so much, that I only got to visit 1 island out of mainland Luzon back when I am living there (Boracay, which is a world class beauty aswell). The fact that the Philippines is composed of 7, 107 islands and I haven’t seen the rest, gave me the hunger to explore more of what’s in store and be a tourist, and at the same time try again to be a local in the country I once called home. With so much excitement, I planned the trip for months and made sure I won’t waste any minute to chance. I booked every single thing by myself, taking into consideration things like time, money, and the people I am seeing those places with. In the end, out of thousands of experiences this country is able to offer, I had narrowed my choices down into 3 destinations, namely Coron, Bohol, and Rizal.

It has always been my dream to see Palawan, even before I took my chance of life in Europe. I mean, it must be a very beautiful place to visit if the province generates most of its income mainly from tourists. Even back in the years when people hasn’t travelled as much as today, Palawan had been famous for its natural beauty, and just recently, Coron is hailed as one of the world’s best tourist destinations. When I am still on the planning stage, I was torn between El Nido and Coron, I almost picked both in one week and is contemplating if I could manage to spend most of my time in a boat and live in the islands with Tao Philippines’ (https://www.taophilippines.com/) adventurous approach to responsible tourism, but I think I couldn’t skip a soft proper bed just yet on my first week of vacation. Besides, I also would like to indulge and just take my time while I’m on it, so I booked all my flights with Cebu Pacific and searched for an accommodation and found Coron Westown most suitable. I haven’t booked the activities beforehand because according to the reviews, it is better if you will book them on the spot and also in the Philippines, to haggle is a means to get things a lot cheaper. On the first day of the trip, luckily, the weather is on our favour even though September is generally a rainy month. Me and my friend loves to hike, so we prioritised seeing Coron from the peak of Mt. Tapyas, which did not disappoint even its 200+ steps is truly a challenge. Then, to get rid of the sweat, we soaked up in Asia’s finest natural saltwater lagoon, the Maquinit hot spring. It was like a natural onsen, with the view of the peaceful Coron bay at sunset. The next day, we headed out to the ultimate boat tour which I booked with Calamian tours. I get to swim in seawater and for the first time enjoyed it as well as snorkeling with countless fishes in their niche in Siete Pecados and Coral Garden, admired the rock formations and discovered the unbelievable beauty of  lagoons, Kayangan Lake, Barracuda Lake and Twin Lagoon, eat the best seafoods with white sand under our feet at the Marine Park, and get to dive at siesta at the Skeleton Shipwreck. At dinner, we skipped the usual hotel feast and headed to the famed King Lobster, Coron’s best seafood place according to the locals, and by the end of the meal, by our standards too. On the third day, we headed to Coron’s distant islands, which are exceedingly beautiful, but this time, the weather got in the way and gave us drizzly spells. Malcapuya Island is the longest and most peaceful stretch of white sand I’ve ever seen. If not because of grey clouds and crashing waves, it is probably what perfect means. By midday, we are blessed with a satisfying lunch and the warmth of the sun at Banana Island, which is equally beautiful with finer, pink sands and its siesta perfect hammocks. Bulog Dos Island summed our day up in its version of a sandbar, and a little hill to view it from, all with its crystal clear waters and fine white sand. We are also supposed to watch the fireflies that night at the Kingfisher Park, but the monsoon started hitting Coron. At the end of the trip, it was well worth it, exceeding my expectation and satisfied my wanderlust. This place, is definitely worth coming back to, the next time, probably with El Nido and Balabac on the list.

The following week, I could have been in Japan with my family as planned. But the circumstances changed that led us to a place we haven’t expected to be equally wondrous. As a treat, because for the first time I was on a trip with them as a financially capable daughter, I took care of all the expenses for the trip, it was quite a challenge making this happen for us since my father is busy with business and my sister is on the 4th year of her Engineering degree, it should be worth a week of work and study holiday. It just came to me that we haven’t been to Bohol, although we have been meaning to go for a long time, because we would like to see the Tarsier up close. So when the day finally came, we are full of excitement. We spent the first day just chilling by the beach at Panglao, watch the sunset and get filled with Hennan’s unlimited Pan-Asian Buffet. By 6am the next day, we are already heading towards the coast to watch the bottlenose dolphins do their tricks and jumps in their natural habitat, such a sight to see. Before midday, we already encountered the diverse marine wonders of the Balicasag reef, I am in awe at how beautiful it is below the surface that I truly enjoyed diving with my family despite the erratic current we have to endure which is according to the locals, rare unless a storm is coming. I even saw a full grown turquoise swimming with us against the waves. At the end of the day, we went to the Virgin Island to see the sandbar, but to our disappointment, it had been full of vendors and stalls disrupting the quiet island’s peace, which the only negative observation I had during the trip. For our 3rd day, we explored Bohol’s magnificent countryside. We went to see and hike up the famous Chocolate Hills, still the province’s most valuable wonder boasting of probably thousands of hills naturally lined up to as far as your eyes can see. We also passed through Bilar’s man made forest, comparable to Japan’s bamboo forest with its tall trees lining up the highway. Then we got to finally see the Tarsier in person, actually 10 of these cute little guys in their sleeping time, they are the world’s smallest primates only endemic in the island of Bohol. At midday, we went to have lunch at Bohol’s Floating Restaurant at Loboc River, where we felt authentic Filipino culture with the sight of coconut trees, the folk music, and of course the delicacies on the table. In the afternoon, we went to Baclayon Church, and the Bohol Bee farm, also famed for their eco-sustainable products and their famous dragonfruit gelato. Bohol is truly a world class destination, and just recently inaugurating their first eco-airport in Panglao.

After spending the rest of my vacation in the city of Makati and Taguig, attending several occasions in Manila and Batangas and spending sometime doing things I used to do in my hometown in Laguna, my holidays would not be complete without a trail hike. Climbing mountains had been one of my hobbies to get my mind off stressful work saving lives. Also, apart from reaching several peaks, I believed asthma has left me when I started challenging myself to greater heights. Before I left the Philippines, I had reached the peak of Mt. Daraitan, the most challenging hike I have ever done with its muddy trail and wet cliffs. It is also one of the most beautiful experiences I can remember, seeing the sea of clouds and the winding river from above. This is the reason I decided to come back to the province of Rizal, and this time, with more friends along the trail. We initially planned to hike up to Mt. Pinatubo’s crater Lake, but we have a tighter time frame and travelling from a distance, so we have decided to take the easier path, but with more challenge. I have booked the hike at Masungi Georeserve, seeing positive reviews from visitors, and also for a different kind of trail. The place is truly well maintained, I imagine the commitment of the people behind the initiative of preserving the natural beauty of a place so vast like it. The trail itself is easy, but the challenge of crossing suspension bridges, ascending and descending through giant nets and spelunking beneath the caves is what made the difference. By the end of the day, our energies are well worn out, but our minds and spirits fully renewed which is in the first place, our goal in the hike.

The Philippines is is truly a gem. Thousands of islands yet to be seen and explored, opportunities to be created, endless possibilities. There are so many islands I am still yet to see. I still want to learn how to surf in Siargao, marvel at the cliffs of Batanes, bask under the sun at the Gigantes Islands and be filled of wonder at the mystical Lake Sebu, but for now, these 3 destinations got me my fill. Now I can truly say, it is more fun in the Philippines.

Tips:

If you are going to the Philippines in an international flight, you are most likely to land in Manila. But to see most of the Philippine treasures, you have to fly out to the islands and skip the city, unless you are visiting the country for shopping and want to find cheap finds in our humongous malls at the capital, just get ready to get stuck in traffic. Manila is a very densely populated city, and public transport is always crammed especially in a rush hour.

Like almost every asian city, street food is everywhere, and riding public transport is common, here it is called tricycle and jeepney. On the islands, you have to ride a banka, instead of a speedboat. Make sure to experience that even once. Be careful with taxis especially in the city, some of them give you way too high a price, so make sure to stick to the price in the meter, better yet skip taxi altogether, use grab. As to the street food, there is so much to try, I’d have to make a separate post for it.

Filipinos are good at english, they may not speak as fluent, but almost everyone can understand so do not get scared when you get lost. What you have to be careful about though, is the pickpockets especially in the city. Well, every city has their share of pickpockets even in the developed nations, just be mindful of your belongings. But generally, Filipinos are one of the friendliest and most welcoming people on the planet so you’re blessed with that, you’ll never get bored, I promise.

It is so hot, even on the rainy months, so aside from sunblock and sunnies, carry light clothes on your trip. You wont need a jacket. In terms of footwear, walking shoes or sandals are fine but on the islands, you have to get an aqua footwear when you are going for an island hopping. As I say, it is very cheap to shop, and when you need it, people around are more likely to sell it. I even saw a go pro floaty being sold on the streets! Make sure to haggle for the price.

Don’t hesitate to drop a question below for more tips. I’d try my best to give you an answer 😊