Monthly Archives: July 2014

Lab As

By | Foodie, Proud to be Pinoy!, Travel | No Comments

On our last day, we took the boat from Bluewater back to Dumaguete and had lunch in the city before taking our flight back to Manila.  We arranged it with Lab As beforehand and they gave us this nipa hut for our group 🙂

Sandy the chef and owner was there 🙂  

Previous entry:  Taco Surf July 23, 2014 

Beautiful view from the hut

Baked Oysters with cheese

Lumpia Bangus and Kangkong

Kinilaw na Tanguinge

Chili Crabs

Dumaguete Express

Inihaw na pusit

Sizzling pusit

Prawn Ala Lab As

Grilled tuna belly

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More dishes Ron added 🙂

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We also tried the Native Chicken by Conchings

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And had Buko Halo 🙂

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There was a game going on which entertained us while eating – the one who reaches and touches the flag wins P 2,000.00 🙂  

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Beer pong

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 201 Flores Avenue, Piapi Beach, Dumaguete City  tel #:  (035) 2253536 or ( 035) 2263677  Email:  hayahay02@hotmail.com 

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Dining by Tumalog Falls

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We went to Tumalog Falls in the best way 🙂  We booked all our tours with Bluewater and even in Tumalog falls, they catered our lunch!  They are the only accredited caterer for Tumalog falls.  They will set up everything for you and there is an area there which is designated for dining  

Picnic mats on the ground with pillows 🙂 facing the waterfalls.   Still rustic but with a little comfort and style 🙂

Our lunch!! P 1,500 per person.  Free for kids below 12 and yayas.  You can order cebu lechon too.  I did not know I thought it was included already.  So next time make sure to order your Cebu lechon!!

Everything is cooked on the spot!!  Grilled!!

The liempo was so so good!!!!  We had liempo plenty times but this particular one at that particular moment wa just so good

Rice cooker 🙂  

You can open and eat the decor 🙂

Kamayan by the falls 🙂

OMG!! Of course when in Cebu, you must have danggit!!!  

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Watch them cook it right in front of you!! SO YUMMY!!!

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There are benches as well if you don’t want to sit on the ground 🙂

Very handy here 🙂  There’s nowhere else to wash your hands.  Good thing I keep these from the airlines 🙂

The blue water staff who are truly amazing to be able to do all this!!

Previous entry:  Bluewater Sumilon July  26, 2014 

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Tumalog Falls Oslob

By | Nature, Proud to be Pinoy!, Travel | No Comments

From the whale shark, you have to go to Tumalog Falls!  It’s only a few minutes away.  Bluewater provided the vans for our group to take us there.  WOW!! Just looking at this as we got there was so spectacular.  This photo cannot interpret how I felt standing before it.  You can hear a bit already of the falls from here and see it.  The van stops at this point 

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Beautiful views

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It goes downhill so I highly recommend that you walk this to appreciate the scenery and the greens

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There are many motorcycle guys there and you can hire them for P 25.00 one way but again I am worried that they do not have helmets and they do not provide helmets as well.  So as much as possible, walk! Uphill is very difficult so I took it going up

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Jeanne walked with me and we were just so amazed at the views

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Walking down some more- It is a pleasant walk because it is not yet noon time and it is not hot at the time we were there

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There’s the falls

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The bottom of the falls where the water ends.  That’s the first thing you see

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Just AMAZING!!!!  TRULY SPECTACULAR!!! Love the bamboo criss crossing to create that shade in the area towards the falls

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To take a full photo, you need to go into the water and take it from there.  I went into the water but I did not bring my camera 🙁 So this is a peek photo 🙂 

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Almost full size photo but now 🙂  It is very tall.  

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Everyone takes photos in this spot 🙂 

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Ron and his “dalaga” pose by the mini falls on the side 🙂

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The water is very cold and murky but you have to go in and go under the falls 🙂

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Beautiful bamboos!!

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Going up is difficult so almost everyone took the motorcycle 🙂

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Tips on How to Take Photos With the Whalesharks

By | Animals and Pets, Photography, Travel | No Comments

I will try to share as much as I can for those who have not done the whaleshark experience yet.  There are so many things I would have done had I known what to expect.  So for those of you who have not yet been to Oslob, here are some of Heart2Heart’s tips 🙂  

I was panicking and almost bought an underwater camera just so I could take photos of our whaleshark experience,  but apparently and I am so glad, you can rent right there and then!!  For P 500.00 per camera 🙂  I talked to the girl and I told her – galeng ng business na ito! 🙂  

We got one camera per family to make sure we capture as many photos as we can.  Though having thought about it again and since we did not know we were going to share one bought with another family, maybe one camera per boat would have been enough.  But again to be sure, it is better to have one camera per family 🙂

Make sure you get a camera that can take videos and photos.  Get the Go Pro camera which looks like this.  Make sure you have them teach you how to use it before you leave.  You can practice already even if it is not underwater 

 Be prepared with what type of photos you will want.  Plan it like how you plan a wedding photoshoot in the church 🙂  ( This is really serious!! haha!!  )  Then discuss this with your boatman.  Your boatman is very expert in taking photos. They know what angles to take already so the whaleshark will be in the photo.  So, discuss this with him and do it before you even board your boat.  You only have 30 minutes to do the interaction so you do not have much time in the water to discuss these things 🙂  Don’t forget you can also take videos.  You can get the camera from the boatman and take your own photos as well.  Someone has to orchestrate between the one taking the photo and the one who will be taken – just to be sure it is orderly and that everything is cover  

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You don’t want to regret later on that you don’t have a family photo with the whaleshark like us! 🙂  Had to cover myself because it was a funny pose.  This was our only family photo haha!

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Those goggles they provide look funny 🙂 My face looks distorted 🙂

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Maybe when it is picture taking time, you can try to remove it like what Bulgin did- I don’t know how it will be on the eyes with salt water.  Or maybe use goggles that are smaller

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Do not make bubbles or your photos will look like this!  They will keep reminding you anyway also 🙂

Since this is salt water, it is quite difficult to dunk yourself in the water – you have to keep pushing up so you can submerge yourself in the water or you have to pouch on the bangka wings to push you down!  

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So you have a tendency to look like a CRAB in the photo 🙂  

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Just be conscious about this and make sure you are posing just like if you were in land – pose 🙂 Bulgin really did a great job posing!!

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Good idea to take selfies with the Whale shark, but make sure the whale shark is behind you haha!!

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Like this 🙂  

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The whale shark does not have to be very near you – you can take many shots with it and it will look close.  The boatmen know how to do it.  Then you can also do trick shots like what Cheska did 🙂  

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These are the really daring shots my friends did – Bulgin really went near and made an effort to take these shots!

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This is Newton 🙂  

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Great capture of Ron so near the whaleshark!!!

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And this too!!

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Swimming with the Whalesharks in Oslob

By | Animals and Pets, Travel | No Comments

 The second group came mainly for the weekend to do the whaleshark experience.  

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We all woke up very early to have our breakfast and then leave for Oslob which is only 20 minutes away from Sumilon.  It’s the best way to enjoy the whaleshark experience

A beautiful day 🙂

There are several boats and boatmen by the shore waiting to take passengers

Before you go, they will give you a very short briefing

There is a special desk for residents of Oslob and they get a resident rate

Again Bluewater was with us all the way – with Erik and Raul, all the towels that we need, they watched our things while we were with the whalesharks, the boat to take us there and the vans

Snorkels and masks 

The handsome boys! 🙂  The life vests are only to use from the shore while you are on the boat.  Remove it right away when you are going to go into the water because you will not be able to go underwater 🙂  

The kids all excited!! It’s much more fun when you are in a big group

They put two families per boat which we thought was too much- I do not really know what the rule is, but I suggest you get one boat per family or group

Just our group alone we were 26 and there were a few more people around us.  I would also arrange that they give your group a separate time slot and not be joined with others so you can enjoy more and have the whalesharks to yourselves

 

FACEBOAT! 🙂  Only in the Philippines

They must have some strategy on how they put the boats and where to position the whalesharks

 I should have taken a shot but underwater – down below – there are divers swimming around watching everyone on top – making sure that no one is breaking the rules and also just watching out for everyone swimming by the whalesharks.  It gives me more peace of mind and so I jumped in too 🙂

Tama si Philip, he made us kwento that the position of the whaleshark is slanted horizontal.  Philip next time we want to be with you in your boat 🙂  

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Reese and Rianna were not scared at all, they both jumped in with Papa Ronnie and Mama Laura

Even Erik of Bluewater was with us in the water 🙂

 Look closely at this photo – that is our friend, Bulgin, who stayed in the water when everyone went up – you will see the whaleshark swimming towards him!!  He looks like he is closing his eyes but he was wiping his face when I shot the photo 🙂

 Another shot of Bulgin very near the Whaleshark!  His family is just watching him from the boat! 🙂

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I asked the guys to let the whaleshark go near our boat – I was brave because we were up already 🙂  These are just babies but they are already very big!

 That’s krill in the plastic bag- the food for the whaleshark.

  Another staff from Bluewater assisting our group – Eric

 You can take a shower after 🙂  

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Newton

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 We were so glad we had great company during our vacation.  We have been planning for a trip together with our friends Newton and Mish and finally we pushed through with this.  And very funny and entertaining always is our friend Newton.  Not only during this trip but all the time he always has some trivia and story to tell 🙂  

For this trip I captured quite a number of shots of him showing me something 🙂  I am so glad I caught them from the beginning.  First photo is a photo of the homemade brownies his wife, Mish, made and brought it on our trip!  

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It was a life saver because we were able to have it for dessert in the Malatapay market lunch Previous entry:  Malatapay Wednesday Market Dumaguete July 21, 2014  

and we were also able to eat it in between meals when someone would get hungry 🙂  

Here’s Newton again showing me the starfish he saw in Apo Island

Beautiful 🙂  We put it back in the water after

“Rica, have you ever tried Apple Mango before? 🙂 ”  

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They bought this in the Bais public market for P 10.00 a kilo!!  It’s very sweet though it is fibrous and as much as I wanted to eat more of it, it was getting stuck in between my teeth! haha But Newton continue to enjoy it.  He even showed me how to peel it and of course how to eat it 🙂 

Tuna panga!!! YUM!! 🙂

Newton getting the crab fat and crab roe from the crabs

 More stuff found in the water

They are actually the ones you see in the stores with the shells

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 Beer! 🙂 

Flowers he picked from around Florentina Homes 🙂  Beautiful!!  

Previous entry:  Florentina Homes Dumaguete July 21, 2014

Art in Florentina Homes July 21, 2014 

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