Cebu City Side Trip » Bantayan Island Getaway at Sta. Fe Beach Club Ogtong Cave Resort

I don’t know why these first few months of the year always gives me extra stress. Maybe it’s because of that nagging desire to accomplish more, to plow the field early to avoid the afternoon burnout. Fresh start is not always easy as rebooting a laptop. The whole shebang gives me headache, and the energy surge always nearly bursts my sanity bubble.

This is the time of the year when I badly need an awesome beach. Yep, just give me sunset and a beach and everything will be fine.

Fortunately, we spent the extra day of our Cebu City business getaway on a side-trip to Bantayan, an island said to be the next Boracay at the western portion of the northern tip of Cebu province. We checked-out at GV Tower hotel early morning and took a three-hour drive going to Hagnaya port.

Dark clouds threatening our Bantayan Island escapade -- but the mighty sun proved he's king 

The three-hour road trip was fantastic because you got to see Cebu’s countryside – lots of greenery, mini chocolate hills and an occasional glimpse of the beautiful Cebu island coastline which adds up to our excitement. Luckily we catch the Ro-Ro in Hagnaya port just in time leaving for Sta. Fe. It’s really convenient because you can actually bring a car or your SUV from Cebu city to Bantayan Island.

The ferry (Ro-Ro) that took us to Bantayan Island

I felt like I was going to my hometown in Mindoro because the pier and the scenery are very similar to our Abra de Ilog pier in Occidental Mindoro. The ride was a bit nostalgic because it was a long time since I spent my vacation in Mindoro.

Smooth Ro-Ro ride going to Bantayan

Cute kid playing peek-a-boo with me during our ferry trip.

I’m expecting something like the Island of Tingloy in Batangas, quaint and mountainous. However, I found out that Bantayan Island is many times larger than Tingloy with many barangays and also a bit populated.

Sta. Fe Beach Club – Ogtong Cave Resort

Sky is really different at the beach

After about an hour Ro-Ro (ferry) ride, we headed directly at the Ogtong Cave Resort. You can instantly feel the relaxing atmosphere of the resort. No high rise buildings and noisy vehicles on the highway – just the trees and the soft sound of the beach.

The resort is set in a wide-open space with nice looking summer cottages in manicured garden. 

Ogtong Cave Resort Cottage

There is also a mini zoo, but that doesn’t catch my interest. Like I said before, I’m not a fan of caged animals. I’m not an animal activist but I don’t see the point of putting them in cages as pets or worst, putting them in a beach resort as attractions.

"In praise of the blue sky"

"Graceful Death"

Disappointing Cave

Ogtong Cave at the Sta. Fe Beach Club - Bantayan Island

I thought Ogtong Cave is the main attraction of the resort, hoping that it is more exciting to explore than the Hinagdanan Cave in Bohol. But to my disappointment, the cave is just like a pit with stairs – it is just a small dent in the Sta. Fe landscape. There is nothing exciting at the cave except for the small water lagoon. Also, they no longer allow swimming at the cave so we immediately abandoned it.

Serene beach

Sandy beach in front of the Ogtong Cave Beach Resort

What makes me excited was of course, the awesome beach! The sand was not as fine and white like those in Boracay but there is serenity here – no fancy tourists, loud bars and zooming jet skis. Maybe we are just lucky because there are only few guests staying at the resort that time. 

"Si Bantay sa Bantayan Island"

It was not in our plan to stay overnight at the resort so we didn’t rent a beach villa. Instead we just rent a small kubo (nipa hut) perfectly located near the beach. We only have the whole afternoon to enjoy the beach, hence after our awesome seafood lunch, we immediately disturbed the serene water.

Intricate rock cavities along the Bantayan Island beach

Unlike other beaches with wide shoreline, Ogtong Cave Resort has notable intricate rock cavities carved just a few meters from the shoreline, which is typical in rocky islands. It gives the beach a scenic touch together with nice palm trees and manicured green grass.

the backpackers

For more details regarding accommodations, facilities and services, contact details and how to book, at the Sta. Fe Beach Club – Ogtong Cave Resort, visit their website at http://www.ogtongcave.com. It has useful information although it seems they are not updating it.

Ready for battle again

We didn’t have the chance to visit other cool beaches and tourist spots in Bantayan Island due to our very limited time (actually we just sneak in there), but we did had a good time in Cebu. We also had a quick evening visit at the Kota Lighthouse and did some crazy barkada gig there before having our ritual booze-and-videoke night.

"The Thinking Man"

Over-all, our Cebu trip was quite memorable. A quick visit to Bantayan island was really de-stressing. The trip was a nice early treat for me before summer (and everything hot and stressful) kicks in.

"Fly High"

Definitely a quick trip to a sunny beach never fails to re-boot my system – ready for battle again!


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Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral Images » Mobile Things To Do While in Cebu City

The Griffin at the Cathedral's pediment

This is my noob attempt at phontography and SGS photowalk during our recent Cebu City visit. Although SLR camera is still the best at capturing images, always carrying it around is a real drag. We are now living a high-tech world where “convergence” is everywhere. Gone are the days when a point-and-shoot camera was a camera, an MP3 player was an MP3 player, a mobile phone was a just a phone.

I got some savings for a DSLR camera last year, but I end up buying a smartphone because I realized I need it more than an SLR. However, I’m planning to buy one if I have that extra budget again - I’ll try phontography in the meantime. They say phontography is the next generation revolution in point-and-shoot photography because every second somewhere in the world a picture is being clicked using a mobile phone and being immediately uploaded on the Internet.

I was browsing the net on this subject and came across “Cellular Obscura,” the mobile phone photography blog by Shawn Rocco, photojournalist for the News & Observer in North Carolina. The blog is emphasizing the notion that it's not always the quality of the camera that counts, but the artist behind it. Really inspiring!

I want to dig on this subject on the coming weeks. Now here’s my first attempt at phone photography using my Samsung Galaxy S featuring the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral.

Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral »The Bishop’s Throne

Ancient church tradition dictates that the local ordinary or bishop wields his power from his throne, the seat of the archdiocese. This was reflected in the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral, which has a “throne” or seat made of marble located on the left side of the altar for the politically powerful His Eminence Ricardo Cardinal Vidal.

Aside from entailing authority the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral is the symbol of unity of the church, the “unifying factor” in Cebu province.

"Seat of Power"

Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral is shaped into a cruciform with thick walls that were built to withstand typhoon and other natural calamities. Inside the church, a large dome sits upon the pillars of the transept, accenting the barrel vaulted ceiling. The convent now has balustrades to resemble Spanish era architecture.

"Cathedral Sentinel"

The church was almost completely destroyed during World War II. The remaining original structures are the belfry and the facade.

"Holy Grandeur"

The cathedral is a typical example of a baroque colonial church. When you enter, you will see an old design but it is devoid of ceiling murals typical in old Bohol Churches. 

"Mute Belfry"

During World War II, much of the cathedral was destroyed by Allied bombings of the city. Only the belfry (built in 1835), the facade, and the walls remained. It was quickly rebuilt in the 1950s under the supervision of architect Jose Ma. Zaragosa.

"The Power of the Golden Orbs"

The cathedral also underwent a 30 million peso renovation for the 75th anniversary celebration last April 28, 2009.

"Lungkot-lungkutan"

That's it! These photos are all from my Samsung Galaxy S phone. I used some built-in phone camera adjustment and scene selections while capturing these  images and do some light and color enhancement in photoshop. 

I'm a real noob at photography and I want to learn the basic tricks so I will be busy reading phone photography articles in a few weeks.

Also if you can help me in any way, I'll appreciate that. Please share your inputs or suggested readings on the comments section.

Thanks in advance!!!

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Tops Lookout at Mt. Busay Skyline Garden » The Antipolo of Cebu City

Ulong-pugot trick shot

The Tops Lookout is nice place for OL trippers, at the mountain area of Cebu City — Brgy. Busay, which locals simply refer to as “the Tops” is a sphere- themed fortress-like Skyline Garden, that provides spectacular view of the Cebu City. It is the counterpart of Antipolo over-looking (OL) sites in Manila.

If it is your first time in Cebu City and find yourself having no definite plans after an eat-all-you-can dinner or doesn’t want to do a very early bar hopping, I suggest you go visit the Tops Lookout at Mt. Busay. Or it is better if you could have your dinner there to catch the awesome sunset.

Awesome evening view of Cebu City from the Tops Lookout

A billion fireflies

The road going up there is quite steep and winding making it a very nice evening roadtrip gig with friends. You’ll just have to pretend it’s a roller coaster ride and shout at every steep curve – crazy but fun. 

However, going to the Tops Lookout could be quite difficult for visitors who do not have any friends in Cebu City and do not have their own car. It’s a good thing we have our crew with a car who brought us there. The only option for visitors is to rent a car going there or hire a taxicab, which could cost from 800 to 1000 pesos - quite expensive.

The main purpose of the place is just to have a view of the whole Cebu City so don’t expect anything fancy up there. There are no clubs, restaurants and facilities for outdoor activities. However, there are snack stalls up there, selling chichirya, softdrinks and beer.

Cebu Skyline Garden Bell

But wait, there’s a bell! (I know that doesn’t deserve an exclamation point, but aside from the view, it’s the only thing that is quite interesting up there)

The inscription on the Tops Bell is somehow interesting which says:

“A bell has soothing sound that seems to linger in one’s ears. This sound best signifies the feeling of endless bonding between individuals. Partners around the world have long used this sound to portray their lasting relationship or feelings for one another. This could be used in business partnerships, true friendship, or to symbolize everlasting love.”

At the lower part of the inscription is the direction for use:

“Standing face to face, or around in a circle (for groups), hold hands to unite the bond. With the other hand, ring the bell once for a firm partnership, twice for friendship, or three times to symbolize never-ending love. Repeat the process on anniversaries to strengthen the bond! For special celebrations, the bell may be rung repetitively."

Yodz emo-at-the-dungeon shot

What else you can do at the Tops Lookout? Well of course you can always have your endless camwhoring there. It’s also a best place for a date or simply to have your self-talk emo moment. If you’re on superman mood – you can do the mountain ravine jump – but one thing is for sure, you’ll die, so forget I said it and just stick to jumpshot camwhoring. 

Feeling artista..yay!

 More of our pictorial -- err -- Cebu City coverage soon. 

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