Geejay Travel log meets IJuander of GMA News TV

Weeks ago, I received a Facebook message from a Program Researcher of GMA News TV. I really didn't expect that I'd be able to get a call from a TV network that big and inviting me to join them in an escapade. IJuander is a tv program here in the Philippines which features/tackles wide range of topics that deals about Filipinos' culture, history, beliefs and the country. It is hosted by GMA's veteran news reporters Susan Enriquez and Cesar Apolinario.

And since summer is fast approaching, the show looked for an amateur travel blogger to be featured on their next episode which is about discovering hidden paradise near the metro. Travelers and non travelers who are looking for a place to spend their holidays and summer will surely love the episode. The IJuander team and I went on an expedition somewhere in Laguna. The place we went to offers a combination of great landscape, adventure and water activities for those who'll be visiting it. And together with La Churva (segment hosts of IJuander), you'll surely enjoy your viewing not only because of the place but also because of their new acts!

I just feel so bless because they picked me and was able to experience working with those people. It was definitely a new experience to remember! So please... please don't miss this week's episode of IJuander. The episode will be aired this coming Wednesday (April 1, 2015) from 8pm-9pm, only on GMA News TV (Channel 11).

[04/02/2015 Update] For those who weren't able to watch IJuander, you may watch last night's episode with the videos below:

Part I:

Part II:

Cagayan de Oro: White Water Rafting at Cagayan River

Whenever I hear the place Mindanao and Cagayan de Oro, the first thing that pops on my mind is White Water Rafting. White Water Rafting in this province is claimed to be the main tourist attraction being promoted by the Department of Tourism. Therefore, it is really a must try activity to every tourists, backpackers and specially adventurers who'll visit Cagayan de Oro.

Cagayan River (which also referred as Cagayan de Oro River) is where the activity is being hold. This  river lies and serves as divider to the province of Cagayan de Oro and Bukidnon.  So as you do water rafting to this river, the land you'll see on your left is Cagayan de Oro and the one on your right is the province of Bukidnon. So you can say that you are actually in 2 provinces at the same time since you are in between them. Cool huh?!

How to get there? (How did we got there?)
After we booked our flight to Cagayan de Oro, the group had also started to find great deals on white water rafting online. As expected, Google suggested several groups and agencies that offers rafting. So our next basis would be affordability and the packages. With that criteria, we picked 1st Rafting Adventure to booked our CDO White Water Rafting Experience.

Why our group picked 1st Rafting Adventure? Simply because of their packages. They offer packages suited for beginners, mid-level, and pro water rafters. Along side with that, they have extra freebies that is favorable with their clients. To cut the story short, we avail their Advance 1 course at 1,000 pesos per pax. It is under Class III - IV rapids and the experience will take 4-5 hours river run. Aside from that, since we're more than 6 who had availed the package, pictures of our water rafting adventures was given to us for free. The package also includes free lunch at Brewberry Cafe also located in CDO, transfer (from Mcdo Divisoria to the jump-off & from the end point back to the city), safety gears (helmets, buoyancy aid, paddle), and certified river guides.

Look how angry the river that day :)

Our White Water Rafting adventure starts with a quick lecture on:

• The different kinds of paddling,
• The right way of paddling,
• The right way of holding our paddles
• The do's and don'ts during the actual rafting
• How should we act and react on possible things that may happened during the rafting and
• The CHEER!

To sum it up, the lecture is all about the basic of water rafting. That lecture is very important so participants of this activity should listen carefully and it should be taken seriously. Part of that lecture will actually save your life in case something went wrong as you are on the river. There is one rule that they share which instilled on my mind:

Do not panic. Because when you are in panic, it blocks you from thinking clearly in situations that requires you to think.

I wanted to do a slow clap the moment I heard our instructor said the lines because it do actually makes sense and he's definitely right.

Demonstrating the parts of the paddle

The right way of paddling

Ok. Going back, after our lecture on basic water rafting, we then proceed on our rubber boats. Since we were 9 in the this tour and the maximum capacity of a rubber boat is 6 (plus  2 experienced rafters/instructors who will be in charge on navigating the boat), we had to divide our group into 2 and had to recruit some other people from other group to complete our numbers in each boat. After completing oue numbers, then our white water rafting adventure in CDO (Cagayan de Oro) started!

First half of the group (Me, Paula, Foo, Edward, and Baron)

Other half of the group (Julius, Marie, Karen, Jing, Bona, and Yap)

The first trail of the rafting activity is the "Beginner's Course". However, I forgot to state that during our water rafting adventure, there was a signal #1 advisory in CDO due to Typhoon Agaton. Having said that, the supposedly Beginner's Course seemed like to turned into an "Advance 1 Course"! I think that was in favor with us because we don't have to pay extra to experienced that. Yeah! Downside, because of non stop rain, the water turns to brown. So can I say we experienced Brown Water Rafting instead? Hehe. All in all, we had gone through 27 rapids (originally, it should only be 21 rapids). Each rapid is packed with screams and shouts.

Conquering every rapid at Cagayan River

Other group that day

Cheering in the middle of the rapids

Other half of our group is rocking those rapids

During chill time or wherein the water is calm, our boat navigators entertained us with their tricks. Note: Please be patient with their tricks. Do not let your temper take over you. Hahahaha. Book now this activity and find out for yourself the tricks I am talking here.

Chill time in the middle of Cagayan River

I also find this activity educational. Water rafting is not just about shouting on rapids and paddling. It is also about appreciating nature. Along our way to the end point, we're able to see different species of plants and trees, caves and caverns, as well as rock formations. Unfortunately, it is not only beauty that we saw in this experience but also destruction. There were landslides happening here and there. Stories from from our boatmen like, before, animals (such as monkeys) were still visible in the forest and near the river but due to illegal hunting, their population became less and chance of seeing one while rafting today into this river is very low. Seeing and hearing news like that makes as sad and put into silence... but we became more aware of what is happening in the environment and learned a lesson because of this trip.

That wall said to be being housed by snakes - we actually saw one....

So who's up for this challenge? Rafting is definitely a great bonding activity for you and your friends!!!

Breakdown of Expenses:
Water Rafting Registration - 1,000 PhP per pax (The package also includes free lunch at Brewberry Cafe also located in CDO, transfer (from Mcdo Divisoria to the jump-off & from the end point back to the city), safety gears (helmets, buoyancy aid, paddle), and certified river guides.)

We Survived CDO's White Water Rafting!

Ardent Hibok-Hibok Spring Resort of Mambajao, Camiguin

Ardent Hibok-Hibok Spring Resort is one of the known site in Camiguin for both local and foreign tourists. I believe it is because of its calming effect it can give to an individual.  A visit to ardent is a great way to release stress after a day or week of work.  While backpackers and adventurers will surely love soaking in this hot spring after their long travel, island exploration and adventure in the Island of Camiguin.

Ardent Hibok-Hibok Spring Resort is a natural hot spring heated by Mt Hibok Hibok, an active volcano in the country. It is located at the foot of Mt Hibok-Hibok, Mambajao, Camiguin and this natural hot spring can reach up to 40 °C in terms of water temperature.

Ardent Hibok-Hibok Spring Resort offers...

40 °C may sound pretty intense to others but not all pools here have the same temperature. There are 6 pools in Ardent with different water temperature so I am sure you'll find a pool that will suit on your standards. All 6 pools are connected to one another however they are layered or in a form of a falls so one can still identify each of the 6 pools. I find the top most layer as the hottest and the lower layer the moderate one (I couldn't say it is cold).

Mini fall that connects one pool to another

[Relaxation + bonding time] Edward, Yap and Baron

Ardent Hibok-Hibok Spring Resort is operating 24 by 7 therefore people can visit the place anytime they want. How cool is that? Aside from that, Ardent is a smoke free vicinity so please refrain from lighting your cigarettes during your stay here. The only smoke I saw during my visit in Ardent were the smokes emitted by the water due to its water temperature. As I am talking with Ardent's vicinity, let me take this chance to commend the caretakers of this place. Aside from the fallen leaves that is just natural because the place is covered with tall trees and plants, I didn't noticed any trash or waste in the place. Kudos!

Lower pools of Ardent (Photo from Thea Isabel Velasco)

Upper pools of Ardent (Photo from Thea Isabel Velasco)

If you're looking for accommodation in Camiguin, Ardent also offers affordable rooms and cottages. Since we just stayed there for a couple of hours, we only availed a nipa hut for our shed. A regular size hut with table costs us 70 pesos which is good for 3 hours. But if you'll be in a larger group, they also have a family size hut for 150 pesos for the first 3 hours as well. 10 pesos per hour will be added for the excess of 3 hours. They also have grill station at 20 pesos.

I haven't checked their rooms personally but here are the ratings of their rooms:
Single Rooms w/ AC (good for 2 pax) - 1,200 pesos/day
Family Rooms w/ AC (good for 5 pax) - 2,750 pesos/day
Dormitory Type  Rooms w/ AC (good for 7 pax) - 3,080 pesos/day
** Additional bed for single, family and dorm rooms - 175 pesos/day

I believe these are some of the accommodations at Ardent

I really recommend visiting this place. Especially after a long drive, travel or adventure in the island of Camiguin. A nice way to relax those muscles and also your mind.

Breakdown of Expenses:
Entrance Fee - 30 PhP (adult rate)
Regular size hut - 170 PhP / 9 persons (our group number) = 19 PhP per pax

Camiguin's Sunken Cemetery and Guiob Church Ruins

After our visit in White Island, a plain and treeless island in Camiguin, we asked our boatmen if we could go to Sunken Cemetery. A famous cemetery in the town of Bonbon that subsided below sea level due to the birth of Mt. Vulcan Daan in 1870's. And with the right price, both parties agreed to visit Sunken Cemetery.

How to get there? (or how did we got there?)
As for us, what we did was we talked to our boatmen who brought us to White Island if he could also bring us to Sunken Cemetery. Well of course, we added some amount to avail that change of itinerary and here's what we came up with: Our group is composed of 9 persons and agreed to pay 267 pesos / pax

That 267 pesos per pax covered a trip from the shore near Paras Beach Resort going to White Island. Then, from White Island going to Sunken Cemetery. Plus! From Sunken Cemetery, the boatmen will bring us to the shore and wait for us because we will be going to Guiob Church Ruins. Then after our side trip at the ruins, they'll bring us back again to the shore near Paras Beach Resort. Not bad for the cost of 267 pesos, right?

Visiting by water or by boat, you'll easily know you're near Sunken Cemetery because of its noticeable marker which in the form of a huge cross. I, myself got excited when I saw that large cross from a far because I knew that we're in the right direction and it will take just a few more minutes to reach that famous landmark in Camiguin. It took us 35-45 minutes from White Island going to Sunken Cemetery.

Sunken Cemetery from the shore

Our boatmen became more careful as we came closer to the cross. Simply because it was low tide when we visited Sunken Cemetery and therefore we might hit some tall corals below us (well, we've bump once or twice during this trip). Yes, that's right! It is not only tombstones and graves you'll expect underneath Sunken Cemetery. There are also corals, fishes and other marine living organisms below and around the area of this cemetery. With that, snorkeling is one of the activity an individual can do during their visit here.

Transferring from the boat to the cross is somewhat challenging. The water during our visit was quite wavy (maybe because there was an LPA advisory in the area during our visit) and it makes our boat unstable so standing on boat and walking across the platform of the cross was somewhat a bit difficult. Also, the stairs going up to cross is very slippery so be cautious. One of my friend slipped off and hurt her elbow and back.

Those ropes are used as guides to transfer visitors from the shoreline across that cross

Oily Selfie mode Hahaha

There isn't much to do at Sunken Cemetery so after some walk around in the site and tons of photo ops and #selfies, we decided to go to the shoreline and visit Guiob Church Ruins. But as we thought that our Sunken Cemetery experience was over, a boatman named Kuya Obet approached us, borrowed our camera, positioned us into different poses and took several shots. Here's the output of his art:

Julius and Jing holding the marker of the Sunken Cemetery

Keep it closer guys!

[bts] Kuya Obet in action...

Kuya Obet gave an effort to take pictures for us, a variety of angles and poses that came along with tricks. He proves that people in Camiguin are very welcoming to tourists.

Tip #1: There are souvenir shops near the shoreline of Sunken Cemetery. Different sizes and designs of key chains and magnets are being sold there. For as low as 5 pesos, you can have a cute shell-designed key chain labelled with Camiguin - an ideal "pasalubong". I also bought a coin bank made of bamboo worth 100 pesos.

Side trip: Guiob Church Ruins

The rain started to fall when we visited the ruins

Right after the photo op with Kuya Obet, our group decided to go to our next destination -- the Guiob Church Ruins. It is about 500 meters away from Sunken Cemetery so we went there by feet and we were accompanied by one of our boatman.

Sometimes called as Old Catarman Church, Guiob Church Ruins is one of the oldest structure in the island of Camiguin. The church was built in the 16th century and turned into ruins in 1870's when Mt. Vulcan Daan erupted. What's left to this old church were its towering walls covered by moss. Those walls give a picture on how big this structure was and how violent & dark had happened in this place. 

View at the back of Guiob Church Ruins

I find this spot a good backdrop for photography

There is no entrance fee at Guiob Church Ruins but a donation box is placed in its entrance. People are not force to donate but during our visit we saw some locals sweeping around the area. I guess the amount from that donation box is used to maintain the cleanliness and beautification of the ruins. So I encourage visitors and tourists to donate for this place preservation.

Thank you Lord for introducing me to these crazy people

Tip #2: There is a souvenir shop in front of Guiob Church Ruins. They sell t-shirts with lots of designs in a very cheap price. If you're planning to buy Camiguin shirts, I recommend that you buy in that shop. I just forgot the name of the shop but it is just in front of the ruins. I got my shirt at 100 pesos and the fabric is more than ok, it is thick (I am lost of words on how to define a clothes' texture. Lols). 

As we end our quick tour at Guiob Church Ruins, we went back again at Sunken Cemetery where our boat awaits us. We were brought back again at the shoreline of Paras Beach Resort just like what we had agreed on. With my 267 pesos, I've got to visit White Island, Sunken Cemetery and Guiob Church Ruins. A perks on travelling in a large group.

Breakdown of Expenses: 

Boat (Paras Resort - White Island - Sunken Cemetery - Paras Resort) - 2,400 PhP / 9 persons = 267 PhP per pax

Donation in ruins - **.**

Food - **.**

Camiguin T-shirts - 200 PhP (100 pesos each)

Key chains -  115 PhP / 23 pcs = 5 PhP each

Coin Bank made of Bamboo - 100 PhP

White Island: The Naked Island of Camiguin

I've been to Naked Island of Britania Group of Islands in Surigao del Sur and even though I am not fond of staying (long) under the sun, I enjoyed my stay there. That's why I was very excited when I visited Camiguin and got the chance to visit its own version of the naked island, named White Island.

White Island is just like any typical naked island where there are no trees, plants or grass above its sand bar. However, Camiguin's White Island offers a 360 degree picturesque view featuring Mt Mambajao, Mt Hibok-hibok and Old Volcano. Plus, if the weather is fair, islands of Bohol and Leyte are also can be seen from White Island. A great backdrop for photo op and an ideal subject for landscape photography.

How to get there?
If it happens that you are from Mambajao (Camiguin's Capital), you may take a multicab ride going to Brgy. Agoho. Just politely ask the driver to drop you at the nearest beach going to White Island. White Island is a popular tourist destination in Camiguin and therefore, drivers knew where to take you. Multicab ride takes 15-20 minutes. Upon reaching Agoho beach, ask the locals where you can find rent a pump boat that will take you to White Island. Usually, they are near Paras Beach Resort. Boat rental costs 450 Pesos which can carry up to 6 people. Trip usually takes less than 10 minutes.

Approaching White Island

This sandbar of White Island is in the form of a horseshoe, letter C or letter I, depending on the height of the tides. It is surrounded by rich and clear water which makes it a perfect site for snorkeling. There are lots of untouched corals and innumerable species of fishes living underneath the island. Too bad because when we visited White Island, there was a LPA in Mindanao and its not that safe if we push snorkeling. So what we did was swam near the shore, take photos on this beautiful sandbar, and just explore and run around on its 700 meters of fine sand.

We still push through despite the LPA advisory

Baron and Pola reviewing our jump shots at White Island

Market and Business are also present in White Island. Some locals who stayed there including some boatmen sell fresh Swaki (or Sea Urchins) to tourists. I have an empty stomach before I went to White Island so I did not try to eat one. I just didn't want to ruin my stay on the island due to stomachache. And if you forgot to bring your umbrella, there are umbrella rentals in the island itself at the cost of 50 pesos. I can say it is pretty worth it if you'll be going there in the late morning or in the afternoon. Since there are no trees in the island, shades are also not available. These umbrellas can help to protect you from direct heat of the sun. Life jackets and goggles rentals can also be availed. Just ask your boatmen before going to White Island

Pola and Jing using that umbrella as their prop

We stayed in the island for about 45 minutes. The LPA gave us a cloudy weather and away from the rays of Mr. Sun which is I can say favorable to us since we don't need to rent for an umbrella anymore. Though White Island is just a small island lying across the water of Camiguin which can be explored for about 20-30 minutes, our visit had been memorable and really fun.

Century Tuna bodies of Jing and Julius

Yap photo bombing this shot

The boys of this trip!

Happy Pips at White Island

Breakdown of Expenses:
Multicab (Mambajao to Brgy. Agoho) - 7.00 PhP
Boat ride (2 way trip - Agoho to White Island) - 450 PhP / 6 person = 75 PhP per pax
Food - **
Umbrella - 50 PhP(optional)
Life jacket - 40 PhP(optional)
Goggles (for snorkeling) - 40 PhP(optional)

Taytay Falls [or Imelda Falls] of Majayjay, Laguna

Three names yet referring to one beautiful spot in Laguna. That's how I recall this waterfall...

Taytay Falls is a two-story high waterfall which others call it as the Majayjay Falls and even the Imelda Falls. The reason why it has so many names is because of its rich background. Its famous name is actually Taytay Falls but since it is located at Brgy. Gagalot, Majayjay, Laguna, people has started calling it Majayjay Falls. Another story is, it got its other name (which is Imelda Falls) from the First Lady of the late Ferdinand Marcos named Imelda Marcos, as she financed the promotion of tourism in this place and because of this, there was a time where the World Bank has sponsored the promotion of tourism in Taytay Falls. With those stories, I hope I eliminated the confusion when I use these 3 different names to refer the place for this post.

Off to Majayjay Falls!

How to get there?
Take a bus bound to Sta. Cruz, Laguna at Buendia (Gil Puyat - LRT) bus terminal. Fare is around 150 - 160 pesos. Notify the bus conductor that you are heading to Taytay Falls and to drop you off at the terminal where jeepneys going to Majayjay are located. Afterwards, take one of those jeepneys that bound to Majayjay which costs for about 40 pesos. Then from Majayjay proper, take a direct trip to Taytay/Brgy. Gagalot where you'll be needing to register first at the Barangay Hall before you can proceed to the location of the falls. Jeepney fare is 16 pesos and registration/entrance fee is 35 pesos per head. It was approximately 3-4 hours of travel time from Manila to Majayjay.

As soon as we finished paying our fees at the barangay hall, we started trekking all the way down to Taytay Falls. You need to walk for about 10-15 minutes in order to reach its location. Don't worry because you'll be breathing in and out fresh air since the way to Taytay Falls is surrounded with plants and trees. I can say that it is almost like a forest but with a concrete path way for the visitors to walk in.

All were excited as the splashes of falling water gets louder and louder

Upon reaching the Taytay Falls, every one of us got excited and astounded with the beauty of this waterfall. It is tall, wide and beautifully surrounded with nature on the side. Not to mention how clear the water running on Taytay Falls. Perhaps this is the clearest and cleanest waterfall I've been through. We could all say that the long travel was really worth it.

Presenting... the Taytay Falls [aka Majayjay Falls/Imelda Falls]

Water that came all the way from Mt Banahaw

After we found a spot where we can settle and put our things into safety, its time to dive on that water. Wait! I have to warn you that Taytay Falls water is cold... i mean very cold... what i really mean is, it is freezing cold,  like icy cold. To prove this, we even put our bottled drinks into the water to make it cold and it was effective. It was like a big refrigerator. Well, we just put stones around our drinks so that it wouldn't flown away down to the river. All I can say is, although the water is freezing cold, it is also refreshing. It didn't stop us from diving on it.

Photo op before the actual swimming

Its not cold [Mind over matter]... oh well, its not working because it is really cold

We pause from swimming to have our lunch and it was great. We are all hungry and all our canned goods tasted like lechon of Cebu. I guess that was because of the long travel we've been through. This adventure releases all our stress. It was nice to take a break away from the pollution of the city.

The best! Eating after diving into the waterfall

Tents are the only means of lodging in Taytay Falls. Expect no services like electricity and phone coverage. There are toilets and bathrooms available but don't expect too much. There were lots of campers the day we visited Taytay Falls. I can't blame them. If only this place is near my place, I'll definitely camp here most of my nights and drink out with a bonfire. Too bad we only planned for a day visit. I didn't experience an overnight. I bet it will be colder than during the day... feels like a fully air conditioned room at its maximum.

Down stream part of Majayjay Falls

Well, that's the end of our adventure. We departed at around 4:00 PM to go back to Manila. I hope the local community authority continues on enforcing strict rules on waste management in the area. In that way, the beauty of this waterfall will be remain and preserve for the future generations.

Breakdown of Expenses:
Bus ride (Buendia - Sta Cruz) - 160.00 PhP
Jeepney ride (Sta Cruz - Majayjay) - 40.00 PhP
Jeepney ride (Majayjay - Taytay) - 16.00 PhP
Registration Fee - 35.00 PhP
Jeepney ride (Taytay - Bus terminal) - 50.00 PhP
Bus ride (Bus terminal - Manila) - 170.00 PhP
Food - **.**