Lake Danao, Ormoc

Right now, I'm already set for my roadtrip to Vigan. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I am again going on an adventure of a lifetime. This will by far be my longest drive. From Davao to Vigan. And I'm really excited.

But before starting on another adventure, let us first end the previous journey. This is still part of my Ormoc Adventure with my friends a few week ago.

So after experiencing the white sand beach of Canigao Island and the priceless sunset of Matalom, Leyte, we are headed back to the city of Ormoc. It was our third day or was it the fourth day of our adventure? and I was actually thinking of just having the day off since we've been to a lot of places for straight days and I was exhausted.

But my friends wanted to maximize the trip so we were not allowed a day off... YET! So the third day, we were set to go somewhere near, because the last few days we were at hours away places and I was already tired. This time, it was Lake Danao National Park. According to some websites, Lake Danao is a violin or guitar-shaped lake at the nearby mountains of Ormoc. The lake is  about 20 to 30mins away from the city proper.

The purpose of going there was actually just to see the lake. But if only we had time or if we went there earlier that day, we would have explored the park. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, it is a park. A large forest park according to some articles I've read around the interweb which you can explore and do lots of activities. 

When we got there, we went to this little office for registration. I think there's a 50 pesos registration fee per head (or was it lesser?) and a 150 (or was it more?) pesos fee per hour for the raft that would bring you at the center of the lake or just across.

So we rented a raft and the lady (in the picture), together with her daughter, offered to pull the raft to the center of the lake in exchange for money. I thought it was that easy but it was really tedious coz' I decided to help out because we were paying 150 for an hour and with the rate that they are going, the hour would have gone by yet we still haven't reach the center of the lake. I was already panting after a few pulls on the string. No wonder they were going on such a slow rate.

We decided not to go across nor at the center. We just stayed where we could have a great view of the lake and the sunset. We were absorbing the silence, serenity and beauty of the place. Because it was so quite and so serene, it gives you an eerie feeling like there's something underneath the water that would just grab you if dip your feet in the water and kill you or drown you. Like the Lochness monster could just come out and cause havoc to whomever is there at the lake. Oh and did I mention that the lake is so deep that no diver ever reached the foot of the lake (that's according to R)?

We also took a lot of pictures. I was really grateful we did not have that day off. It was really worth it. But again, if only we had time, we could have gone exploring more of the area and tried more of the other activities. There were some people who were kayaking. Would love to try that next time and kayak back and forth from one end of the lake to another.

After an hour, we headed back to the dock, payed the lady and then started driving back to the city before the nightfall. It was a great day!

Canigao Island, Matalom Leyte

Part of our Ormoc adventure was to go to Canigao Island. Well, the initial plan was at Kalanggaman beach resort but because of budget constraint, we decided to go to Canigao Island. Canigao Island was unknown to me until the day that we went there. The island is near the municipality of Matalom, Leyte.

We made a quick stop at some town for our lunch. We had Chickenjoy from Jollibee and we went straight to Matalom. The whole trip was approximately about 2 hours (R is really a crazy fast driver. Don't follow her example. Hahahaha!) from Ormoc so it really was a long drive. We got to Itum, Matalom, Leyte where we will rent a boat to bring us to the island. It took us a few minutes before we found the boat that will bring us to the island.

To Canigao Island

We had the boat to ourselves on the way to the island. We payed 600 pesos for it. A little bit too much but its bringing you back and forth the island. If there were some other group we could have split the 600 pesos. So either travel with lots of money or travel with lots of buddies. The trip from Itum to Canigao takes around 10 to 15 minutes depending on where you departed. Itum has lots of boats to take you to the island. Some near, well some a little bit farther. So travel time varies.

Arriving at the island, you really can't help but be amazed at how wonderful the beach is. The white sand are so fine. It's like Boracay minus the crowd and the busy community. The island is quiet. There's no security so please be mindful of your belongings. We took turns watching our things. There are some cottages where you can stay. As far as I can remember, I think a cottage costs around 500 pesos. Too expensive so we opted to rent a table and some chairs for a much cheaper price. 

White, Blue and Blu-er!

After setting up, we ate lunch and then we chill. W and F went to explore the island and took pictures of themselves and the beach. R decided to rest. I on the other hand, went to the shore to feel the heat of the sun and coolness of the water. It was wonderful. The water was crystal clear. But there's a lot of rocks, so you better bring your water footwear. The current was strong and the water was deep. It was perfect. 

My Attempt of a Bruce Lee Flying Kick -- FAILED! MISERABLY!

Some R and R on the fine white sand beach

We ended the day with a lot of pictures, a.k.a. the jump shots and the "groufies" (selfie with the group). Bad thing about the island was there was no electricity and the changing room and bathroom seemed like it wasn't cleaned for so long. But the bad things can never outweigh the good things, right?

For those who'd like to know, you can rent tents for overnight use for a certain amount. Just look for it on the internet.

Priceless View -- MAGNIFICO!

Finally, to cap the day, as we traveled back to Itum, Matalom, we saw the most wonderful sunset. As I've said on my instagram, Matalom, Leyte is lucky to have one priceless view every day as the sun sets. It was a wonderful experience. I would love to bring some more friends to this place next time because I also want them to experience the wonderful that is Canigao Island.

The Hero Travels to ORMOC CITY, LEYTE

The whole school year has been rough; juggling oneself with school stuff, unending examinations and personal turmoils, one just can get enough of it. Good thing I have friends (new ones for that matter) to deal with it.

So after a stressful semester, it's time to get some fun and adventure. My friends Fab and Wam invited me to join them to visit Rachel's hometown, Ormoc City. I was actually reluctant at first because the only thing on my mind was to get home to Davao fast as soon as the final exams are done. But with their constant pleading, I gave in because I remembered my uncle telling me to just let loose, travel and have fun. Perfect example of a YOLO (You Only Live Once) And I sure made the right decision. Ormoc, sure, was a blast!

According to the 'It's More Fun In The Philippines' website, Ormoc City is a placid and provincial place. Ormoc is a first class city in the province of Leyte, Philippines. It is the economic, cultural, commercial and trasportation hub of western Leyte [wikipedia]. It actually reminded me of my hometown in Agusan. Small but bustling with people. Sadly, Ormoc was one of the cities in Leyte that was devastated by the most powerful typhoon that hit Southeast Asia in 2013, Typhoon Haiyan (locally known as Typhoon Yolanda). So, when you get there, the first thing you'd notice would be the wreckage caused by the typhoon. But you'll be surprised because people went on with their lives and Ormoc is slowly standing up and rebuilding itself.

Welcome to Ormoc! With Fab and Wam

We left Cebu at around 9 am of March 31 at Pier Uno via Weesam Express. We were suppose to leave the previous night via slow boat but because we don't want to stand up for hours we decided to leave the next day and get the fast craft so we'd arrive early. Of course, it was a little expensive than planned but I guess pleasure pays much more. We arrived around 11am to almost 12 noon. The sun was too much you really can feel the summer or Dry season as PAGASA describes it. We were picked up by Rachel's brother and mom at the port and went to their home. Driving around the city, you really can see the devastation Yolanda left. Roofs were gone, some buildings destroyed, windows shattered, but the people looked like they've already moved on. So everything was good.

The first stop was Rachel's home to meet up with her father to say Hi. And then we proceeded to our home for 4 days at her uncle's (I'm not gonna be mentioning some names here as I don't know if it's legal without their consent) wonderful Greek / Victorian inspired abode. It's a big place with a big pool and with its own gym and with all the things from all over the world. The first thing that went into my head when I entered the house was, WOW! The owner of the house has a habit of collecting things from different parts of the world from Japanese, Chinese, Thai, etc. Living there was like living at another country. It was nice!

Then we decided to have lunch at Ormoc's Chinese Restaurant, Fat Choi. I'm not yet sure if its the only Chinese restaurant in the area. The food was good. Can't complain. Then we just spent the whole day back at our temporary shelter, touring, exploring and ogling at the owner's collections from all over the world. It was a nice day!

Enjoying good coffee, new york cheesecake and good company
Photo from Wam & Fab

We capped the night stargazing at Sabin Resort and coffee at Lorenzo's Cafe, preparing ourselves with our Ormoc Adventure the next day. Off to Canigao Island!

Note: I'm not payed to advertise. But if you do visit Ormoc City, you should try the city's best Lechon Manok at Yu's Lechon Manok. Ask for more sauce!