Birthdays @ the Beach!
As February comes to an end I wanted to share with you all a recap of my unexpected island adventures! This February I went to Panglao Island in Bohol (Visayas) for my birthday with a fellow DLSU international student by plane (Cebu Pacific Air) and then visited Potipot Island in Zambales (Luzon) by van (....& boat!) with some new friends from Ateneo University and the University of the Philippines. The best part about each of these trips is that both were unexpected. The other great thing about it is that each trip was a time to celebrate someone's birthday! It was such a treat to be able to celebrate my birthday. on an island. in the Philippines. in February. I don't think I have ever spent my birthday away from a cold winter in New York before so being able to walk in the sand in February was incredibly fun for me! I wish all of you could've enjoyed the sun!
While in Bohol, I was lucky enough to stay at a hotel located on the beach all at a really affordable price. Not only did I get to see the ocean right from my window, but I was able to do many of the "touristy" things I did not thing I would get the chance to do since I have been living in the busy city of Manila for the past couple of months. I was able to see the infamous Tarsiers of Bohol, visit the Chocolate Hills (probably the best part for me), go on the Loboc River Cruise, and meet many other travelers from places like Finland, Norway and other provinces in the Philippines. Overall, the trip was one of those things I have been meaning to cross off my bucket list and actually accomplished. This was my first time in the Visayan region of the Philippines and I'd like to go back again with family.
If you are in the Luzon region in the near future and want an island experience free from commercialization then Potipot Island is for you! One of my friends that I had met at an artist talk in early January invited me to the "Beach Birthday Bonanza" for one of her roommates. How could I say no?! Haha the weekend trip to Potipot Island was even better than I could have ever expected.... especially since I had no expectations of what existed on Potipot Island. I knew prior to our trip that it would be "as local as local gets" which is an environment I was really hoping to experience as much as possible creating a little distance from the urban life in Manila, Makati, Quezon City, and BGC/Taguig (as much as I love the city traffic and I are not the best of friends).
Potipot Island was soooo much fun because it is so different from the island experience I had in Bohol. First of all, I slept in a ten and not a room at a resort! :D Most people who stay overnight at Potipot will sleep in tents, but there are also cabins and rooms available for rent and the prices are quite affordable. I had gone to Potipot with eight other people and we only stayed for one night. We left at midnight on Friday, arrived around 6:45 AM and left the Island around 2:00 PM on Sunday. The drive back to Manila is probably about six hours without traffic. It was 100% worth. The clear blue water, and the soft blue sand alone is worth drive. I did not spend more than $40 for this trip. This included transportation (van & boat - two way), gas for the van, food, water, the overnight fee, and my share for the cabin and tent rentals. I would take this trip again in a heartbeat. The view, the experience, and the cost were excellent but the company I was with tops all of those factors. I brought one of my DLSU International Student friends from Myanmar with me to meet my new friends from Ateneo and UP and our group dynamic was awesome! It was the first time all of us were hanging out together except for the roommates that live together and I am so glad I took my friend up on this last minute offer to visit Potipot Island.
There is so much more I can say about my time here! I'll save it for another post but for now I have to get ready for my next class. Hope you are all doing well, Jasper Family. Always feel free to contact me about studying abroad her in the Philippines or planning a vacation here as well. :)
Panglao Island, Bohol (Early February 2018)
Potipot Island, Zambales (Late February 2018)
Comments
Post a Comment