The driver picked me up a the Leyte Park Hotel at 8am. We then drove across the San Juanico bridge, and then on to Basey, Samar. About an hour drive. The private van cost me 3,000php. I am sure there are cheaper methods to make the trip. I just didn’t have the time to search around for them.

In Besay, they have a park station where you pay for the banka to take you on the hour long trip up river to the caves and natural bridge. The cost is just over 2,500php for the boat, which holds 7 passengers. Thus your fee is around 380 pesos. This includes the guided tour inside the caves as well.

At the station, I hooked up with 3 American medical volunteers and 3 Filipino seamen to share a boat. The ride was a bit long, but it was also my favorite part of the tour. I really enjoyed seeing the lush vegetation and observing how people lived along the river. I only have my Casio EX-Z8 camera for videos, so the quality is not as good as I would like, but here is a video of the river tour.

When we arrived at the caves, there was a very friendly and knowledgeable guide there to greet us. We first went up river a short while to the natural bridge. After taking pictures there and admiring the scenery, we headed back to the cave entrance. There we all given our hard hats and a flashlight. Then we went for a tour to see all the different rock formations in the caves.

When we came out of the cave it was raining. But the banka had a cover on it, and we stayed nice and dry during the ride back to Basey. From Basey I gave the three Filipino seamen a ride home to Tacloban in the van.

Really enjoyed this trip, and recommend it to anyone who enjoys eco tourism!

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The tour lasted about 5 hours, and included Price Mansion, MacArthur Park, Palo Cathedral, Hill 120 and a side trip to the San Juanico Bridge. The price was 2,500php per person, 2 person minimum. Includes all entry fees, tour guide, air conditioned van and boxed lunch. Since I was alone, the tour cost me 5,000php. Expensive, but sometimes have to spend if you are limited on time and don’t know your way around. It was certainly convenient as it was all done via Leyte Park Hotel. The tour guide and driver were both friendly. Overall, I considered worth the cost.

Price Mansion is where General MacArthur had his office after taking Leyte back from the Japanese. There are several pieces of memorabilia there, including many pictures, the actual sound system used and other pieces. There is a hole in one part of the wall where they say a Japanese bomb was dropped while the General was in his office, but it did not detonate, and thus MacArthur was not hurt.

MacArthur Park is the site where General MacArthur made good on his famous oath to return to the Philippines when he was driven out of the country by the Japanese. There is a famous statue there commemorating his landing on the beach in Tacloban, and it was one of the main pictures I wanted to get while there.

Hill 120 is where the American flag was raised the first time during the re-taking of the Philippines.

Palo Cathedral is a very large church and was used for injured soldiers and civilians during the war.

San Juanico bridge connects the island of Samar and Leyte. This is a nice looking bridge, built during the 1970’s under the Marcos regime.

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The hotel was constructed by President Ferdinand Marcos and his wife, Imelda Romualdez Marcos. Tacloban is the home town of the former First Lady, Imelda Marcos. Ground breaking began on January 27, 1979 and was inaugurated by the first couple on July 2, 1980.

The grounds are peaceful and safe. The view out over the water is wonderful. The swimming pool is ok. There is free wifi, but only in the lobby. The staff is very friendly.

However, I did find the price of 2,500php a bit high, in that the rooms are showing their age, water pressure was poor and hot water almost non existent in my room. The breakfast buffet which was included with the room was average at best.

Though I enjoyed the staff and the grounds, my next trip to Tacloban, I will be looking for a better kept hotel with more reasonable rate.

Here is a short video I took on the morning of June 13, 2009 from the terrace in my room.

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This is something I learned from one of the staff of the Sunset Hotel in Angeles City. She was making some candles late/early one morning for their dining tables around the pool. I struck up a conversation with her, and she was happy to show me what she was doing.

Now, I always fill up an empty water bottle on my trips to beach areas, an make candles to have around the house. You can also add little shells, etc. to make them even more attractive.

Please forgive the quality of the video, it is my first attempt, and I only have a video camera in my Casio EX-Z8 to work with.

They say the  total number of islands 124 at low tide and 123 at high tide.

It takes about 4-6 hours to reach Alaminos from Manila.  You can take private vehicle or one of the many bus lines.  At the park there is an informative visitor center where you can gather all the information you can need and book any trips you want to make, including boat tours of the islands via one of the colorful bankas.

There are three developed islands,Governor Island, Quezon Island, and Children’s Island.  Developed,  meaning they have facilities for tourists to picnic, swim, camp and Governor’s Island even has a small lodge you can book.  Price for a banka is about 1500php

During my last trip, December 2008, I decided to give camping a try.  I camped on Governors Island, next to the cave…see pics below.  The rules on camping are tents can go up at 6pm and must be down at 6am.  It costs a few hundred pesos to camp.  You can have a small cooking fire in the pits provided, and there are also picnic tables available.  Night time was wonderful.  The sky was clear, the moon and stars bright and it was very peaceful.  Day time, that is a different story.  During the day, I estimate at least 500-750 people visited throughout the day. This was during Christmas season, so the traffic was surely heavier than usual.

My suggestion when visiting Hundred Islands is to stay at one of the lodges and do day trips.  My favorite lodge is the Seaside Haven.  I like their small cottages which rest on stilts above the water.  They have air conditioning and hot water.  Television as well, but don’t expect much from your reception.  No worries for me, as I don’t usually travel to watch television.  Rate was 1200php.

For dining, I love Maxines By the Sea.  The restaurant has a large deck, with a portion of it being double decker.  Morning coffee and fresh boneless bangus while watching the sunrise over the islands is fantastic.  Dinner beneath the stars is also a treat.

This trip makes for a wonder weekend escape from Manila or a one or two night stop over if exploring Luzon.

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The seascape along the South China Sea offers wonderful sunrises and especially sunsets.  The sand is white, though coarse.  There is a shallow area from the shore for about 100 meters which contains rocks and sea grass.  This area presents some great tidal pools to explore during low tide.  The locals take advantage of the low tides to collect shell fish.  I found it very enjoyable to walk the tidal pools and to go out to the wave breaks at the end of the shallows.

Though the shallow area makes great exploration and scenery, it is not good for those wanting to swim.  Your best bet for swimming is at the Patar Beach.  This beach has more sand and less rock.  There is a small admittance fee, less than 50php.

Accommodations vary from bamboo floored kubos to high end luxury resorts.  There are also many areas offering places to pitch a tent.

In the photos you will see Puerto Del Sol and Treasures of Bolinao for the higher end facilities.   The prices here start around 4-5,000php a night.  The rooms are top notch.  They also each have beautiful swimming pools.  For sunsets, and closeness to Patar Beach, Treasures of Bolinao would be my recommendation.  For a bit better service and facilities, I suggest Puerto Del Sol.

I stayed in a kubo at AMS Beach Resort during the week after Christmas 2008 for 800php.  This is right beside the Puerto Del Sol.  Maybe a bit rustic for some, but it is very clean and the owners are extremely friendly.  I found it to be more than adequate for my simple tastes.   They have no restauarant, so you are welcome to bring your own food, or you could simply walk a few meters over to Puerto Del Sol to eat there, or venture along to any of the other restaurants around.

Speaking of restaurants, when in Pangasinan you must try the region’s famous Bangus (milk fish).  It is always fresh and delicious.

The trip to Bolinao is made for motorcycle enthusiasts.  The roads are mostly straight and in good condition.  Of course you have the usual nuances of driving in the Philippines (Buses, trikes, carabao, etc. etc.), but with a good sized bike you can easily get around most of these road blocks.  With a motorcycle, I can suggest doing the “loop” on your travel there.  Go up through Tarlac to Alaminos and over to Bolinao.  On the way back, go down the western side of Pangasinan into Zambales and drop into Subic.  From Subic you can get the expressway over to NLEX.  Of course you will need a 400cc or larger bike to take advantage of the expressways.  Plan about 4 – 5 hours from Manila, but if you leave early you should make much better time.

This is also an easy trip for a private car, and there are plenty of buses going to the area.

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Started the day off with an early morning breakfast at the historic Manila Hotel.  The hotel has been around since 1912.  It served as General McArthur’s headquarters during the first part of World War II in the Pacific.

The lobby of the hotel is very beautiful, with lovely large flower arrangements centered around large sitting areas with over stuffed antique sofas and chairs.

Breakfast at the coffee shop is a real treat.  You can enjoy an all you can eat breakfast buffet from 6am to 10am for 750php.  Ala Carte breakfasts run around 350php, and they are more than ample for me.

After a delicious morning meal in historical, luxury surroundings, we took a short walk to the brand new Manila Ocean Park .  The Ocean Park features some good aquarium exhibits, and is well worth the 400php entrance fee. Including a very nice “tunnel” going through a large reef aquarium complete with large rays, sharks and reef fish.  I was impressed with the beginnings of this park, and look forward to seeing the planned mall and other exhibits completed.

To finish our exploration of the wild life offerings in Manila, we jumped into a taxi for a quick 10 minute ride to the Manila Zoo.  I have mixed feelings regarding the Manila Zoo.  It certainly does not match up to zoos in more developed countries.  The cages are quite old, and the amount of animals is fairly small.  However the grounds are shaded with large trees, the kids are all laughing, and families are spread about the grounds enjoying picnics.  Considering the entrance fee of only 40php, I have to suggest you try it at least once.

All in all, if you find yourself in Manila on a Sunday morning looking for something to do, I can recommend this little excursion.

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The museum has four levels of exhibits.  The entrance fee for resident is around 275php and for visitors about 475php.  I was able to have a tour guide for an additional 100php.  What a deal this turned out to be, as my guide Charles, is extremely informed about all aspects of the exhibits.  As an added bonus, it was a private guided tour, there were no other visitors with us!

The tour lasted 2 1/2 hours, and the time flew by as all the exhibits were beautiful and interesting.

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We started on the 4th level at the Gold of Ancestors Pre-colonial Treasures In the Philppines exhibit.  The exhibit has 1,059 dating back as far as the 10th century. Most were acquired by a private collector, and have never been seen in public. Among the pieces on display are cutwork diadems (like crowns), funerary masks, ornaments and ritual containers.  There is one piece that is almost 4 kilos in weight.  The displays are beautiful.  Each one has a drawer below it that you slide out for even more pieces to look at.  On top of the drawer is a magnifying glass you can move around and study the intricate details of the gold works.

Embroidered Mulitples 18th to 19th Century Philippine Costumes is another fun exhibit.  I found it very educational regarding the local material used in the making of the clothes.  The stitching and detail on the pieces on display are amazing.

A Millennium of Contact: Chinese and Southeast Asian Trade Ceramics in the Philippines Collection of over 500 pieces of ceramics from China and other places in Asia collected by  the Villanueva famly.

For art fans, the collection of Fernando Amorsolo’s works of the Pilipina (Women of the Philippines) is a sure winner.  Juan Luna and Fernando Zobel works are also included in the Pioneers of Philippine Art exhibit.

All in all, the Ayala Museum is a great way to spend a few hours to see some of the treasures of the Philippines and learn more about the rich history of the archipelago.

Related Links:
Newsweek – Going For The Gold
Ayala Museum

So I booked my standard room there for February 21-25.  The rate was 1,300 php per night.

Upon arrival, I was pleased to see the hotel was exactly as advertised.  The staff was warm and friendly.  The room was basic, but spacious and clean.  It had an in room safe, wifi was great, water was hot and everything worked fine.

The food at the restaurant was very good, including the generous buffet breakfast which was included in the price of the room.  An important factor for my breakfast, they have brewed coffee!

Most of my trip in Bacolod City I used the hotel’s car and driver at very reasonable rates.  The car with driver cost me about 200php per hour.  Since I could not find a single place in the city to rent a motorcycle, the car was a big help for me.

I can safely recommend the O Hotel as a good place to stay while in Bacolod City.

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The beach was white and the skies were blue.  Very nice day.  Walking the beach, wading in the clear water, playing on the swing and having delicious foods were on the agenda.

The dive facilities at Artistic Diving were top notch.  After a short discussion with Alvie the dive master, we planned a 2pm dive on nitrox at A Rock.  The dive site was only 5 minutes from the resort, and I think the max depth was around 22m.  The vis was quite good, no current, and we saw lots of different wildlife.  Pipe fish, flounder which enjoyed being petted by Alvie, and lots of other macro sea life.  After 60 minutes, I gave Alvie the sign it was ok to go up.  You know, I think he wanted to stay down longer, can’t ask for more than that from a dive guide!

Next time I look forward to spending more time in Sipalay and exploring many of the dive sites available there.

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