THE OTHER SIDE OF BOHOL 2013 (Part 2): 4. Mag-Aso Falls 5. Badiang Spring 6. Maya Hill Garden & Tree House 7. Bohol Bee Farm

In Part 1, we have already tackled the ffg:

1. Cebu-Tubigon, Bohol

2. Sagbayan Peak

3. Loon Macaques

Part II topics shall be:

4. Mag-Aso Falls
5. Badiang Spring
6. Maya Hills Garden & Tree House
7. Bohol Bee Farm

FIRSTHAND EXPERIENCES

  

1. Mag-Aso Falls

    Located in Antequerra, Bohol, the Mag-aso Falls got its name from “Aso” which means “smoke” in the local dialect presumably brought about by its twin falls often obscured by fine mist that appears smoke-like. Entrance fee was only for 20 pesos.

     However, after surviving quite an ordeal of going down to the falls and climbing back up, my groupmates jokingly theorized that the "Aso" in Mag-Aso represents the smoke emitted from the nostrils of out-of-breath visitors. :D

After approximately 200 steps covered, all is compensated by the sight of the mystifying waterfalls. 

     The water was shallower than usual, it being summertime and all, but there were news of drowning in times of heavy rains due to strong currents and sometimes flash floods. Nevertheless, the water was very tempting and cold, inviting us for a dip to relieve ourselves from the humid and hot summer weather.

There is also this floating hut that you can rent for 100 pesos, plus the rowman will navigate it near the raging falls. 5. Badiang Spring

    Badiang Spring is an underground fresh water spring that falls from a cliff only a few meters high forming a mini-waterfall. The water is icy cool and flows directly to the sea which is only a few steps away.

    This is the stop where we stayed the longest (2 hrs+), to eat our lunch and to give time for those who would like to swim.

 There are 2 pools, the customary shallow and deep ones. However, unlike the traditional stagnant pool, the water is constantly flowing from an underground spring and you can even basked in the minifalls for a massage boost. ^_^

   The meal was for 250 pesos/person but our buffet was courtesy of Ms Jannes Suson, our group leader.  We had a delicious time, all thanks to Jannes and the resort's crew, of course. Yum! ;D

      After lunch, while others were busy swimming, the rest of the group were also happily bonding while availing of the hospitality of the hotel's management and facilities.

    Drinks were bought from the hotel's minibar, while some were content in sightseeing.

    Since, we had lunch at the hotel, swimming in the pools were free of charge, otherwise, one would have to pay 20 pesos. Still cheap by standards.

    All in all, Badiang Spring Resort is really great for family time, and many of us are planning on coming back and staying longer. For those interested, their rooms were clean and classy but very affordable.

6. Maya Hills Garden & Tree House

    This 3-storey tree house was featured in Kapuso Mo by Jessica Soho, and serves not only as a tourist spot to visit per se, in that it also offers a not-so-typical bed & breakfast accommodation for budget-conscious travelers.

  The Tree House started out as a backyard project that grew into a three storey structure complete with electricity and indoor plumbing. 

   

   It has two main sleeping areas on the second and the third floors. Each can sleep up to 5 guests and each floor has a lounge area. WC/shower facilities are located on each floor. WiFi is available at the Tree House and some areas. :)

 The two-storey tree-house, which is just 150 meters from the beach, is complete with amenities such as computers with wifi, a receiving room, dining place, bedrooms, refrigerators, television sets and a parking lot.

   The food is no problem. The visitors have their choices. They can cook their own food or order them from the restaurant in-house. Moreover, breakfast is served as part of the package.

    Maya Hills Garden tree-house was conceived and designed by retired Navy Rear Admiral Manny de Leon, former chief of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) who opted to settle permanently in Bohol with his pretty Boholana wife, Sonia Clarin.

7. Bohol Bee Farm
      Bohol Bee Farm offers a variety of products and services. The farm has a  bakery, ice cream store, gift & souvenir shop, as well as a resort & restaurant.

     There was also this painting station where you can have yourself portrayed, or you may choose from among the rad paintings available.

    The Farm also has this Buzzz Ice Cream Store where you can choose 2 scoops of different flavors for 80 pesos. I tasted the Avocado and Malunggay flavors and it was really creamy and delicious! :D

    Home baked bread, squash muffins, pure honey, honey spread and bee pollen are some of the products being produced by the Bohol Bee Farm. Its products are organic and are 100% natural. Thus, no preservatives. Really a plus as pasalubongs for our loved ones. ^_^

We didn't have time to check out their resort though as we have a Tagbilaran-Cebu trip to catch. 

   

     If those places already titillated your senses, then you'd be glad to hear that there's much more to Bohol than the aforementioned. My friends and I are planning on visiting the other famous tourist spots when we come back. It's more fun in the Philippines! :D

THE OTHER SIDE OF BOHOL 2013 (Part I): 1) Cebu -Tubigon, Bohol; 2) Sagbayan Peak; 3) Loon Macaques

April 9, 2013

THE OTHER SIDE OF BOHOL 2013

When we speak of Bohol, the usual tourist spots that come to mind are the ffg:

         * The Famous Chocolate Hills as viewed from Carmen, Bohol
         * Philippine Tarsier and Wildlife Sanctuary  in Corella
         * The Floating restaurants in Loboc River
         * Loboc Ecotourism Adventure Park
         * E.A.T Danao
         * Baclayon Church & many other old churches

Since many of our members have already been to the these places, our group decided to see the "other side" of Bohol, equally enjoyable although not as explored. Our itinerary is as shown below:

For this post, we will tackle first the ffg: (Part I)

1. Cebu-Tubigon, Bohol

2. Sagbayan Peak

3. Loon Macaques

Part II topics shall be:

4. Mag-Aso Falls
5. Badiang Spring
6. Pasalubong Center
7. Maya Hill Garden & Tree House
8. Bohol Bee Farm

Read more »

Danao Danasan Eco Adventure Park :p

A Taste of Extremes 

"Exhilarating experiences from extreme activities to extreme enjoyment to 

extreme body aches days after! Not to mention the extremely glaring sun. haha. 

Wet to Dry; Riding to trekking; Air, land , & water; Wakeboarding to swimming; 

Laughter & Muscle Aches. A taste of everything. A taste of Extremes! ^_^"

April 13, 2013 (Saturday)

HOW TO GET THERE
     There were only 5 of us and since the minimum PAX per van is 10, we had to coordinate with the Danasan EcoPark's staff to unite us with another group so we can avail of their shuttle service. We were picked up at Ayala Starbucks and the ETD was around 7:30 am while ETA was around 10:00 am. The ride was pretty comfortable and we were glad that we didn't listen to discouraging rumors about the roads being extremely rocky and all. But even if it were so, just consider it as a warm-up of the whole adventure. :)

THE ADVENTURES WE HAVE CHOSEN & THE COSTS

      Two of my friends availed of the Php 1,200 package which already consists of 4 adventures  @ Php350 each, thus saving Php 200. The couple availed of the ffg:

                 ATV                                                 - 350.00
                 Trekking and Water Falls           

                Exploring with guide                   - 350.00

              Rope Course                              - 350.00

              Zipline & Horse Ride                     - 350.00  

                                                                       1,400.00 but paid only Php 1,200  

       The remaining 3 of us, on the other hand availed only of 3 rides for we had already tried ziplines several times, and we found the rope course too tedious. 

                  ATV                                                      - 350.00

                 Trekking and Water Falls           

                Exploring with guide                       - 350.00

              Wakeboarding                                 - 350.00  

                                                                              1,050.00

      Other fixed costs per person are as follows:

              Shuttle (Cebu City - Danasan & v.v.)         - 400.00

              Entrance                                       -  50.00

              Corkage                                        -  50.00

                 Locker for our things (Php 100/5 members)  -  20.00 

                                                                                  520.00 

                                              Total cost incurred: 1,570.00

Note: We haven't bothered renting for a cottage (Php 500.00) coz the EcoPark already has this big dining area which is open to all, and especially since we know that we'll constantly be on the move. We rented a locker instead which was spacious enough to accommodate all of our bags. :p

FIRSTHAND EXPERIENCES ON THE ADVENTURES

• ATV

    No matter what your age is, this is one adventure you should not miss. It's not as extreme as the other adventures and you can control your pacing. We had 2 guides and we even asked them to take our pics. 

      I was scared at first but it's really easy.  Basically, you only have to remember 2 handles, the accelerator and the brakes, both controllable by your grip. You push the accelerator using your thumb, while you use the other 4 fingers for the brakes. As they say, it's all in your hands. :p

• Trekking and Waterfalls Exploring with Guide

         The adventure begins the moment you ride the tractor that'll take you to the site. Prepare for a bumpy ride indeed! Try not to wear pants or any clothes reaching below the knees.  There are 3 levels, with the 1st one being the shallowest, and the last one being the deepest. 

    You have the option to swim, take your time, and the kind guides will just wait for your signal to push thru. They provide lifevests for those who don't know how to swim (like me! :D). 

    This can also be a great bonding activity for lovebirds! ^_^

    The waters were so inviting and I just wasn't able to resist. I swam in all 3 levels! The 3rd level was the most challenging though since the current kept on pushing me back to shore. But it really was enjoyable! :D

• Wakeboarding

        I'm a lame, clumsy kind of person with not much athleticism in my bones and so I was hesitant in trying this adventure. I don't even know how to bike! haha. True enough, on my first try, I fell down several times until I asked the crew to pull me back to shore coz my wakeboard floated several yards away from me, with all 9 feet of water surrounding me! Although I had my lifevest on (I don't know how to swim -_-), I found the thought of swimming and retrieving the board so tiring already.

The insides of my nose hurt coz of the water's impact. huhu >_<

      However, on my 2nd attempt, I was able to maintain my balance from start to finish and then around again. Nevertheless, I was sort of unsatisfied as I was too keen on keeping my balance by bending my knees to the extent that I was not able to fully rise. I didn't get to try the 3rd time as it was already 5:30 PM and we had to go back as scheduled time of departure back to Cebu City is around 6 PM. :/                 
                                                       

     My 2 companions though (1 male & 1 gay) more or less got it from the first try. >_<

   As a conclusion, don't discourage yourself from trying wakeboarding just coz you don't know how to swim, or you think you're not athletic enough. They have this beginner lake, and as long as you're willing to get wet, it'd be really cool to try it out. ^_^ 

• Rope Course

     Only two of my friends tried the rope course since the rest of us found it too tedious, and well, intimidating. Take this as a hint to check out the EcoPark's rope course before you buy an adventure card since you may get cold feet the last moment.               

       
   While our friends were braving the odds, the rest of us on the other hand, granted our happy-go-lucky selves some time "cheerin' & chillin". ^0^
   

  For more information on their rates and packages, just visit www.danasanecoadventure.com. Hope u'll enjoy too! : )