Category Archives: ACTIVITIES

Residence Inn Zoo (Tagaytay City, Cavite)

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From the 41st Division P.A. USAFFE Shrine, Jandy and I continued on our way to Residence Inn.  As it was along the highway, it was easy to find.  There’s an entrance fee.  The inn,  which also has an excellent view of Taal Volcano and Lake, has airconditioned accommodations and a restaurant.

Check out “41st Division P.A. USAFFE Shrine“

However, we were just there on a 1-day tour of its mini-zoo which is more like an interactive petting zoo as, at the entrance, fresh fruits and other food  are sold to visitors who want to feed the animals (except the tigers).  The zoo has a menagerie of 30 or so animals,  some caged while others were free-roaming.

Jandy beside a free-roaming cassowary
A caged tiger

The first animals we saw were the noisily chirping parrots and cockatoos, some caged while others were out, tied loosely to their perches.  Also near the entrance were pythons, fishes and a tiger cub.  There were also screaming monkeys, caged Malay civet cats and tigers, free-roaming peacocks, ponies, llamas,  a free-roaming cassowary, wild pigs and crocodiles.  The zoo could actually be toured in an hour.

A caged crocodile
A python in a glass case

Residence Inn: Km. 65, Brgy. Neogan, Tagaytay City, Cavite. Tel: (632) 899-9829 (Manila)

San Juanico Bridge (Tacloban City, Leyte)

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After breakfast at the Filamor Residence, Grace, Jandy, Cheska and I, together with Manny, Paula, Mark, Nenette, Daddy, Mommy and Cheska’s new friend Kookie Bal left for our tour of Tacloban City.  We secured the services of a guide and a van at the Department of Tourism Region 8 office.  Our first destination was to be the San Juanico Bridge, the longest bridge in the country as well as Southeast Asia.   At the foot of the San Juanico Bridge is the 15-hectare, Japanese-funded multi-million peso National Maritime Polytechnic, a  merchant marine training school and the most modern graduate institution for seamen in Asia.  

Posing along the San Juanico Bridge
 
We finally made our way midway up the bridge and made a short stopover.  Here, we had a panoramic view of the San Juanico Strait, located between the islands of Leyte and Samar.  It is considered the narrowest but most navigable strait in the world.   The strait has a number of beautiful islets.     The San Juanico Bridge, which crosses this strait, is also called the Marcos Bridge.  Inaugurated on July 2, 1973 and located 10 kms. from Tacloban City, it is a major link in the 3,000-km. Pan-Philippine Highway.  
 
San Juanico Strait
 
This impressive S-shaped bridge, said to be the most beautifully designed bridge in the country, is 2,162.4 m. (7,092 ft.) long, 10.62 m. wide with 43 spans and towers 41 m. above the sea at its highest point.    The S-shaped structure on the Samar side had to be adopted to make use of the importance of the existing islet, the Cabalauan islet that lies in the middle of the strait.  This islet serves as resting point and provides added support to the massive structure soaring over the swift currents of the strait.

Daliran Cave and Roca Encantada (Buenavista, Guimaras)

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Daliran Cave and Spring

Our next stopover (3:30 PM) was at the Villa Fe Summer Resort, in Brgy. Old Poblacion, Buenavista, a 5-min. hike from the wharf.  Frank and his family, together with a local guide, decided to go spelunking and explore the resort’s  Daliran Cave, the most accessible cave in Guimaras, and its cold fresh water spring and stalactites.  The rest, including me and my family, just waited outside.  Inside, they got down and dirty with guano (bat droppings) as they communed with its denizens of the dark.   Yuck!

Posing outside Roca Encantada

Our final sightseeing stop (5 PM) was Roca Encantada (Enchanted Rock), the summer vacation home of the Lopez family, one of the oldest grand clans of Iloilo and Guimaras. Emily Relucio Lopez was Guimaras’ first governor. We were allowed entry by the caretaker.

The grand balcony of Roca Encantada

The mansion, accessed by a long flight of stairs, was built in 1910 by Presentacion Hofilena-Lopez on a promontory on one of 7 picturesque rock islets of the Siete Pecados (Seven Sins) Islands, in Brgy. Getulio. From its grand, spacious and airy balcony, we got a panoramic view of the beachfront, the Iloilo Strait and the 6 remaining islands. A lighthouse is situated on the largest islet.

Presenting the Siete Pecados

The Trappist Abbey (Jordan, Guimaras)

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Trappist Monastery chapel

After lunch at the resort, we all availed of an afternoon sightseeing tour by jeepney.  Our first stop (2 PM) was the Trappist Abbey.  It was founded in 1972 and is the first and only one of its kind in the country and in the Orient.  The Trappist (or Cisterians of the Most Strict Observance) monks, who called Guimaras the “Island of a Happy Man,” follow the rules of St. Benedict and all adhere to a vow of silence. They take care of the Aeta community through the Contemplative Outreach Program, grow Philippine lemon (kalamansi) and pioneer fruit processing in the province.   

The Gift Shop

We dropped by the monastery’s Gift Shop where religious items (crucifixes, prayer books, rosaries, etc.) and excellent processed food products such  as jam, chutney, prunes, wines, marmalade, candies, ginger tea, cookies, piyaya and jelly (all made from mango, cashew, kamias, duhat, kalamansi and guava) are sold.  Grace bought a small crucifix.  We also bought some snacks and soft drinks.  Grace, Jandy, Cheska and I also visited its small but quaint chapel.  At the side of the walkway leading to the chapel are an array of 3 small bells.

An array of small bells

Trappist Abbey: Brgy.  San Miguel, Jordan, Guimaras. Fax: (033) 581-3468.

Windsurfing in Guimaras

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Learning the basics ….

Come morning, Frank, Jaja and I took our first lessons in windsurfing from the resort’s lady instructor.  It was a breezy morning but learning to windsurf wasn’t a breeze at all.  In winds stronger than about 8 knots and also depending on the size of sail used, the rig is actually pulled to windward over the sailor. The force of the wind pushed the rig upwards towards a vertical position, increasing the sail area presented to the wind which, in turn, increased the wind force on the sail. 

Trying my hand at windsurfing
At the same time, the sailor is being pulled to a more upright position to leeward. The whole setup is therefore inherently unstable. During my trial, I did not take any action to counter this and, as a consequence, was pulled over completely to leeward, ending up in the water.  Thus, trying to keep my balance, much less raise the sail, proved to be quite an ordeal.  Only Frank was successful, albeit for a few seconds.  Well better luck next time.

Igang Point Fisheries Research Station (Nueva Valencia, Guimaras)

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Island hopping tour
The morning of the next day, Good Friday, was spent on an island-hopping tour.  Some of the islands were the 2.5-hectare Isla Naburot (home to a eco-friendly resort owned by Alice and Ponciano “Pons” Saldana) and the 1,544 sq. m. Tiniguiban Islet (where rare red shrimps make their appearance inside a pool during high tide). Past the latter is the highlight of our tour – the Igang Point Fisheries Research Station in Nueva Valencia, a government-run aquatic fishery center.  
 
Situated on a coral reef cove, it embraces 4 islands interconnected by floating bridges.  This demonstration and training facility of the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center (SEAFDEC) promotes cage farming technology for marginal fishers.  It is home to brood stocks of milkfish (bangus),  giant grouper (lapu-lapu), sea bass, red snappers and other fishes in huge floating cages.   In this cages, fishes mature and spawn spontaneously during the normal breeding seasons.

AUTHOR’S NOTES

Today, milkfish cultured in marine cages provides livelihood to 4 Nueva Valencia barangays (Igang, Magamay, San antonio and Sto. Domingo) affected by the major oil spill in 2006. They were given operational capital for the construction of fish cages.  Income from the production runs was given to 5 organizations now operating cages on their own, with the assistance of SEAFDEC who taught villagers integrated culture and alternate day feeding to improve production.

Exploring Guimaras on Foot

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After lunch at the resort’s clubhouse, Jandy and I made a 20-min. hike, along well-marked concrete and dirt trails, past fishponds and Villa Igang, to sea-sculpted Igang Cave in Igang Bay.  From a small opening, we waded its cool, crystal-clear and waist-deep waters, and emerged inside a large chamber with a rock platform with a great view of some islets and the western sky, where the sun sets.  Taking a photo of the magnificent sunset and these islets, silhouetted by the cave’s opening, would have been a great shot.  Too bad, I couldn’t wait for it.     

Villa Igang
Jandy at Igang Cave
The late afternoon of the next day, Good Friday, Jandy and I hiked to Sacred Heart Hill (with its huge statue of Jesus Christ) as well as tried the alternative route to Igang Bay via a 30-min. crossing, over the murky waters of a mangrove forest, of a long and winding bamboo bridge where we observed, up close, these huge trees that are so essential for protecting marine life.   

Sacred Heart Hill

Also that day, the town was presenting the Ang Pagtaltal (meaning “to remove”), the Visayan version of the Oberammergau (South Bavaria, Germany) passion play whose final act is the scene where  Jesus is taken off the cross and laid on his Mother’s lap.  Too bad we didn’t watch it.

A Unique Dining Experience

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Isla Walang Lang-aw

Upon our return to the resort, from Calauit Island, late in the afternoon, we, as well as all the other resort guests, were again sent off on another boat ride, this time to back to nearby Isla Walang Lang-aw.    This small island, with its limestone cliff (ideal for rock climbing) and white sand bar, was to be the scene of our final dinner.  Our food was brought along in food warmers.  No chairs were provided, but we didn’t mind as we sat on mats on the sand and dined by torchlight.  What a romantic setting!  The night was cool and windy, the sky was clear and the stars were out.

Posing with resort staff

Alas, all good things must come to an end.  The next day, after a very early breakfast, we, together with other guests, left the island via the 7:30 AM boat after being given a warm send-off by the gracious resort staff.  It saddened me as I saw the waving staff, as well as the island, grow smaller as we sped away.  We left on the 10 A.M. Pacific Air flight back to smog-laden, traffic-clogged, garbage-infested and overpopulated Manila.

Calauit Island Game Reserve and Wildlife Sanctuary (Busuanga, Palawan)

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Calauit Island

After my trial dive,  we booked ourselves on an optional half-day tour of Calauit Island Game Reserve and Wildlife Sanctuary, located just off Busuanga Island’s northwestern coast and opened to tourists since 1985.  Cost, including permit and boat ride,  was to set us back US$30 per person.  We left right after lunch at the resort.

An eland

This 3,700-hectare, DENR-administered Strict Nature Reserve was, in response to an appeal made by the International Union of Conservation of Nature (IUCN), was established as a repository for 108 African animals endangered by the 1977 drought and Kenya’s civil war on August 1976 by virtue of Presidential Proclamation No. 1578 issued by the late Pres. Ferdinand Marcos.  Its original 250 island families were relocated, 40 kms. away, to Halsey Island and compensated with land titles.  Since 1994, it was managed by the Office of Palawan Council for Sustainable Development, a  government body dealing with environmental issues in Palawan.

On our way to Calauit

We, together with other resort guests, left the resort by 1 PM on the resort’s motorized outrigger boat.  The trip took about 45 mins.  Upon arrival, we first logged in at the sanctuary’s office.  Then, accompanied by a guide, we ushered to the back of the sanctuary’s only “safari” vehicle, a converted 6 x 6 truck which resembled a huge open cage.  From our slow-moving and somewhat dilapidated truck, we got up close and personal with these herbivores as some fed near the road we were traveling while zebras grazed under shading trees.  Bushbucks (Tragelaphus sylvaticus), Grévy’s zebra (Equus grevyi), Common Eland (Taurotragus oryx), Topi (Damaliscus lunatus jimela), Impala (Aepyceros melampus), Thomson’s gazelle (Eudorcas thomsonii),  Reticulated Giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis reticulata) and Waterbuck (Kobus ellipsiprymnus) can be seen, in pairs or in groups, as they feed or gracefully gallop at the sign of our presence.

A short necked giraffe

Graceful giraffes, with their somewhat shorter necks (maybe because trees here are shorter), were unmindful of our presence as they continued  feasting on the branches of their favorite acacia trees.  Our vehicle halted when these tall “jaywalkers” crossed the road.  Others stayed put for a short while as if purposely posing for our cameras.   Too bad we weren’t able to bond or interact with the giraffes by feeding them (it is discouraged), truly a highlight of any trip to the sanctuary.  Such an experience would probably  come second to swimming beside a whale shark or butanding off Donsol (Sorsogon).

Zebras in the wild

From the original 108 African animals brought here in 1977, 3 or 4 generations of offspring have increased the animal population to 570  heads comprising 8 species, all herbivorous.  At the time of our visit, there were now 43 giraffes, 155 impalas, two Thompson gazelles, 122 water bucks, 78 zebras, 50 elands, 14 topis and 16 bushbucks. Together with indigenous animals, they range freely around the island in an environment that loosely approximates their original environment.

The Palawan bearcat

The guided tour includes stops at pens holding many of Palawan’s indigenous species.  The sanctuary has saved from extinction, by  successfully breeding in captivity, the foot-high The Philippine mouse-deer (Tragulus nigricans) or pilanduk, the smallest hoofed animal found in Asia; the largely nocturnal and endangered Calamian Deer (Hyelaphus calamianensis)  and the Philippine reshwater crocodile (Crocodylus mindorensis) which now lives along the mangrove swamps.  Also bred in captivity are the Palawan bearcat or Binturong (Arctictis binturong), Palawan bearded pig (Sus ahoenobarbus), tarsier or mago (Tarsius philippensis), scaly anteater or balintong (Manis javanica), leopard cat or maral (Felis bengalensis), Philippine porcupine (Hystrix pumila) or landak/duryan  and monitor lizard (Varanus salvator).  I had a very close encounter with a forever hungry binturong.  Too close, in fact, that he snarled when I tried to feed him a banana.

An encounter with a snarling bearcat

There are also over 120 species of birds, endemic and transient and, as a boon to birdwatching enthusiasts, the personnel here are quite capable of identifying these birds.  There are also protected rearing and egg-laying areas for giant sea turtles or pawikan (Chelonia mydas). The project also includes a 7-km. marine sanctuary which protects the highly endangered 16-20 dugongs or sea cows (Dugong dugon) that feed along the offshore sea grass beds, and  7 species of clams including what is believed to be the largest live giant clam shell (Tridacna gigas) in the world which weighs as much as 300 kgs..  As fishing is prohibited, commercial fishes, crabs and lobsters now breed here in undisturbed .  The coral reefs around the island have shown a 75% recovery rate.

Scuba Diving Palawan

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Trial dive with Mike Olondriz

The next day was the anniversary of the EDSA Revolution.  I woke up by 5:30 AM for my morning stroll with my videocam.  It turned out to be an educational tour as I had my first close encounter with the endangered Calamian hog-deer (Axis porsinus calamianensis).  Introduced in the early 1990s, it is now said to number more than a dozen.  The sounds of colorful exotic bird life is also evident among the trees as the island is home to orioles, kingfishers, turtle doves and imperial pigeons.  It also has a resident baruray or Rufous Night Heron.  Although I didn’t see any, there are also monitor lizards (Varanus salvator) and green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas).

Attending pre-dive lecture

After breakfast, it was off to my first trial dive.  It comes free with the travel package.  Tellie and my mom (for obvious reasons) begged off.  Our divemaster was Mike Olondriz.  At first I mistook him for a foreigner, but any notions I had were dispelled after he spoke Tagalog.  Later late-evening conversations with him revealed him to be a resident of Magallanes Village in Makati City.  His brother was a barkada of my friend (and SPED teacher of my son Jandy), Inaki Martinez.  Small world.  

Getting into the water

Before the actual dive, I had to undergo a lecture on the use of the scuba gear as well as breathing techniques.  Then it was off to the beach with Mike.  I looked silly as I walked backwards to the beach wearing my fins, but once in the water, I was fitted with my tank, weight belt and mask.   The 15-min. dive was easy at first, but when we got to the 15-ft. depth, my ears began to hurt as they felt like popping.  We ascended to the 10-ft. depth where Mike handed me bread crumbs to feed the fish.  I was soon surrounded by them, large and small, and some of the large fish (probably a Napoleon wrasse) took nips at my bare legs.

Suiting up in the water

AUTHOR’S NOTES

“Is it ethical?”  Books that I have read later have revealed that this fish feeding craze which brings the fish closer for underwater photography also makes them tamer and ideal spear gun targets.  Also feeding leftovers could also be fatal as these fish sometimes die of indigestion.