Lola Tekla's Beach Resort of Laiya, Batangas

This trip is actually unexpected. The original plan was to go to Puerto Galera with my officemates. Unfortunately, the weather didn't permit us and so we had to think for an alternative route. We're in Batangas Port, stranded and feeling hopeless because there were no trip going to Galera that day due to a bad weather condition. I hate that LPA building up that day! Good thing we were able to use our smart phones and search for a good spot in Batangas where we can spend our weekend getaway.  We traveled for 3 hours already and turning back will be and will always be our last resort. After a couple of arguments and lay back moments in Batangas Port, we finally made up our mind -- Laiya, Batangas it is.

We chose Laiya, Batangas because there are tons of positive feedback about how beautiful this place is. Most specially its beach part.  Creamy sand, enticing clear water, water adventures/activities, and lots of resorts to choose from. These factors made Laiya, Batangas a perfect place for us who were unprepared for this change of plan.

Personal chat? Lol (Photo from Thea Velasco)

As we land on Laiya, Batangas, the beach of Laiya didn't fail to 'wow' us. Our disappointment on our Galera trip just fade away and all we can think off that time was to get a nice place to stay in. Budget friendly, lesser crowd, fun activities, accessibility to market place, and lots of freebies. These are the qualifications we wanted as we scout for a resort. Then we found Lola's Beach Resort. A public resort in Laiya, Batangas that almost fulfilled our qualifications. Trivia: Lola is a local term for grandmother. The resort is called Lola Beach Resort because the owner of this place is already a grandmother - named, Lola Tekla.

Serves as our home for an overnight (Photo from Lola Beach Resort FB Page)

Lola Beach Resort is a non-private resort so there is no entrance fee implemented in this place. Aside from that, they have 5 rooms to choose from which can accommodate large group. We were 9 in the group and we chose Room #4 to spent an overnight. It costs 5,500 Php per night which includes a refrigerator, bathroom, kitchen with stove, dinning table, spacious receiving area, and (1) AC room with 4 beds that can accommodate 3 persons each bed. A free large nipa hut near the beach was granted to us as a freebie. Yeah!

This is how it looks like as you enter Room #4 (Photo from Lola Beach Resort FB Page)

The are 4 beds in the AC room and 1 bed outside of it (Photo from Lola Beach Resort FB Page)

Small bathroom and our free hut! (Photo from Lola Beach Resort FB Page)

There is also a Sari-sari store inside the vicinity of Lola Beach Resort which is good if you need something like soap, shampoo, canned goods, alcoholic beverages, etc. Another key factor why we chose Lola is because of its accessibility to wet and dry market. Since the room we got has a stove, might as well cook our own food instead of buying ready-to-eat food which is not ideal if we wanted to save money. Fresh fish, chicken, pork, and vegies are available in a market nearby. It is just a 5-10 mins walk away from Lola Beach Resort and it is hard to miss out.

We don't have any problem with the staff of Lola. They gave us a warm welcome and were all friendly. Lola Tekla even visited us in the house. Even at her age, she still manage to walk and checked out her guests. They also let us borrowed some kitchenware like plates, spoons and forks, knife, frying pan, etc...

After doing the grocery that we will be using for our whole stay, we decided to have a swim. I don't know if it is normal but the temperature of the water there is a bit warm. However, the water level there is gradually changing from shallow to deep so it is also ideal for non-swimmers. Apart from splashing on the water, we also had some fun games like creating sand castles. We divided the group into 2 to compete and let our creativity shine! Lol.

Fun time in the water (Photo from Thea Velasco)

D' Castle builders. Which is better? (Photo from Thea Velasco)

never mind... hahaha (Photo from Thea Velasco)

It's time for some water activity. One of the facilitator of Lola Beach Resort offers us a banana boat ride. Note: Standard fee for this ride is 1500 Php for 15 mins and is good for 5 pax. Only 6 of us are willing to try the Banana Boat so we divided the group into 2 again. One group decided that they will only go for a plain ride while the other group wants the extreme ride wherein the Banana Boat will turn sideways and riders will be toss into the air (of course, I am included on the 2nd option). It was my first Banana boat ride and I really do had fun. After that, we were also offered to try the boat ride going in the snorkeling part of Laiya. Again, the weather/rain stops us from doing that. We didn't take risk. Safety first.

Photo op before the water activity starts (Photo from Thea Velasco)

Team Extreme and Team Unexpected Fall (Photo from Thea Velasco)

Love the part when we are being toss in the air! Thrill part of the Banana Boat ride (Photo from Thea Velasco)

After almost 5 hours in the water, Jean and Ate Cath (the cooks) called us for dinner. It was one of the best dinner I have ever had! It was just a grilled fish, grilled liempo, plain rice and Ferdie's sawsawan recipe but it was a perfect combo! We all ate like a construction worker and seems like there's no tomorrow. I can still imagine how good it was as I blog this entry. Yum!

After the dinner, everybody washed up while others take some short naps before we continue on our socials. We drink all night till dawn and laugh. We also celebrated Jean's birthday. By the way I would also like to mention Donna because she took the responsibility for washing our dishes for this whole trip :] Thanks Donna!

The chef, the assistant chef, the dishwasher and the lazy boy (Photo from Thea Velasco)

The next day, we were all surprised to see the big waves. I actually planned to have a boat ride that time unfortunately it was really impossible. Just simply refer on the photos below to see how dangerous those big waves are. Having said so, instead we took that chance to have a photo op.

Big waves at my back! (Photo from Thea Velasco)

Next time we'll make sure that the weather condition is clear from LPA (Photo from Thea Velasco)

Polaroid shots from Jean's Instax camera (Photo from Thea Velasco)

Our most perfect jump shot that day...  (Photo from Thea Velasco)

Trying to catch viewer's attention but Claire outstage me here. Aw

We left Lola Beach Resort at around 3:00 PM. One of the caretaker called a jeepney that took us to Alps Terminal Bus and costs 35 Php per pax. Even though it seems like everything was against this trip, we still manage to enjoy and relax away from our busy life in the city -- not bad!

Breakdown of Expense:
Accommodation: 5,500 Php (divided into 9 persons)
Banana Boat: 1500 Php (divided into 6 persons)
Food: 250 Php (group contribution) good for 4 meals
Pasalubong: 300 Php (makapuno, espasol, etc..)
Transportation: estimate of 450 Php Two way (can't give you a breakdown since we
originated in Batangas port and we just rented a private van from there)

Lola Beach Resort
Balacbacan, Laiya Aplaya, SanJuan Batangas
Contact # Alex Atienza: 0917-3643602 | Ronald Atienza: 0919-6807597

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Whale Shark (Butanding) Watching of Oslob, Cebu

If you are looking for something new and amusing during your stay at Cebu, then I suggest to drive to the southern part of it and swim with the whale sharks which is also known as "butanding". Oslob, Cebu is a 3 hours travel from the city and it's known for its whale shark adventure. Swimming with the whale sharks is just once in a life time experience so I couldn't miss this chance. Well of course along with my friends.

Look how beautiful it is

Whale sharks are drawn in a specific area by a "bangkero" or fisherman that feed the gentle giants with krill (small saltwater shrimps) in the morning and in the noon. So our group decided to have a 3am call time to reach Oslob by 6 in the morning. I suggest others to do the same. Why? Because apart from preventing yourself from the raging heat of the sun in the afternoon, the area also has a pleasing sunrise to cite.

How to get there?
From South Bus Terminal located along N. Bacalso Street, Cebu City, one can take a Sunrays or Ceres Bus going to Oslob. As you hop in, just tell the bus conductor to drop you off at Tan-awan Barangay Hall. The bus ride takes 2 1/2 - 3 hours going to Brgy. Tan-awan, Oslob and it will cost you 154.00 pesos if you take air-conditioned buses.

We're ready to experience Oslob's wonder!

We needed to pay 300 pesos per head to swim with the butanding and it will take 30-45 mins (actually depending on your guide hehe). The personnel who collected the fees told us that the money goes to the government and to the boatmen who will paddle us in the butanding area. One can also rent goggles and snorkel equipment at the price of 200 pesos per pax. We also paid additional 70 pesos as an entrance fee to the resort we stayed in.

Let's get it on!

We don't have an underwater camera but thank God... a local offers us one at the cost of 500 pesos if you have your own SD Card and an additional 50 pesos if you don't. I consider this as a great deal because I want to record and capture this very unforgettable moment. Since 10 of us will pay for it, it will not cost me that much -- perk for travelling in group. *wink

The students :]

The rules and guidelines

After paying all those fees, we headed to the briefing area to discuss the do's and don'ts for this whale shark interaction. Note: Do not apply any sun block (or any lotion) before and during the swim. This is not good for the whales because it might contaminate the water. The talk lasts for about less than 15 mins and after that, we headed straight on our "bangka" and the adventure with the butanding starts from that point!

I really like the design of the "bangka" here

When I first saw the whale sharks, I was really terrified and afraid that they might knock me out but I was wrong. They swim gently and I can say these giants are very friendly. :]

They may seem like sharks however they are the friendly version of it

They love to eat krill aka "alamang"

It was really fun swimming with them despite of the large waves and the saltiness of the water. Looking at the photos below, we are proud to say that it was all worthy.

Butanding up close shot of Julius

Butanding up close shot of Baron

My butanding up close shot (I did not touched it. Promise)

Butanding up close shot of Edward

But before we had that shots (above), look at the craziness (chaos) we went through. Hahahahaha

I can easily identify myself with that knee support on my left leg. =]

Seeing the whale sharks glide about a foot away from me was the most fascinating part of this adventure. This was indeed a remarkable experience for me which will remain in my memory forever.

The adventure seekers

Breakdown of Expense:
Transportation: 154 pesos (from South Terminal Bus - Brgy. Tan-awan)
Registration/Boat: 300 pesos (local tourist fee, changes for foreign tourist)
Mask and Snorkel: 200 pesos
Resort Entrance Fee: 70 pesos
Underwater Camera: 500 (without SD Card / good for sharing)
SD Card: additional 50 pesos

Swimming. It's more fun in the philippines!

Additional tip: Sumilon Island is nearby this area. It will be a good side trip for your Cebu exploration. Now you have an idea on my next post. ;]

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Sky Experience Adventure at Crown Regency Hotel of Cebu City

Do you really want to test if you have Acrophobia or fear of heights? Then Cebu is the place to visit and try the Sky Experience Adventure that Crown Regency Hotel offers.

Be ready for a thrilling experience in the 37th floor of Cebu's tallest building - The Sky Walk Extreme. This heart pumping activity will let you (and your group) walk on the outer-rim of the building which let you see an amazing 360 degrees view of the city. Sounds cool huh?

I came at Cebu with my college buddies and our Sky Adventure starts as we reached Crown Regency Hotel. This building isn't hard to locate because of its height and its popularity. So as you arrive the city of Cebu, never hesitate to ask for directions just like what we did. =]

We were directed to go at the 19th floor of the building for the registration. Prepare 550 pesos (per head) for this activity. The front desk  will also ask for another 100 pesos (per group) which will serve as a deposit fee for the electronic watch -- this watch will serve as your ticket going in the activity ground, a techie thing. Don't worry the 100 pesos will be given back to you once you return the electronic watch at the end of your experience.

The adventure begins on this floor

After the registration, our group took an elevator going to the 37th floor of the hotel and we were given keys for our lockers. Note: All things should be put in the locker including your slippers, jewelries (including earrings) and gadgets (including cameras). Rubber shoes are allowed inside. If you don't have one, they can lend you except for the socks. You need to buy them for 20 pesos. We were also asked to wear an orange jumpsuit before we start the walk at the edge of this 418 feet high building.

Sitting on the edge of the 37th floor of Crown Regency Hotel

Thank you guys for doing the OK sign :]

Aside from the harness support, there is a guide that will lead and choreograph you and your group for the whole 360 degrees building walk. A photographer is also along with you to take photos since personal cameras are not allowed to bring  inside the activity ground which will be sold at the end of your activity. 

The thrill seekers

It was really fun and indeed a good bonding experience for our group. We successfully completed the walk on the country's first Skywalk Extreme and received a certificate as a proof. Yey!

I survived the Sky Walk Extreme! (photo from Paula Montano)

Breakdown of Expense:

Transportation - **.**

Registration Fee - 550 pesos

Socks - 20 pesos

Optional: 

1 photo (soft copy) - 100 pesos 

3 photos (soft copies with USB) -  350 pesos

1  photo (hard copy) - 150 pesos

This is me doing the "one foot at the edge" challenge

The Sky Adventure also offer Edge Coaster (roller coaster tour at the edge), Sky Lift (motorized zip line) and Cliff Hanger (wall climbing).  We only tried the Sky Walk Extreme because we have limited budget but we will definitely go back here to try it all and  that's a promise!

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