Where We Stayed in Oslob - Malonzo Pension House

My mom did her research on the whale sharks and she found us a reasonably-priced pension house where we could stay. Unfortunately, she did not research about what else we could do in Oslob so she booked us for three nights at the Malonzo Pension House.

The Malonzos were decent folks and were super helpful to make our experience in Oslob a comfortable one. The pension house was about 20 minutes away from the whale shark area but it was in the town area so it was not that bad. We arrived late in the afternoon from the city and we had dinner there with the lechon we bought from Carcar. The Malonzos had a small sari-sari store so it was very convenient for us to just get stuff and they just put everything on our tab.

Day 1 was for rest. After all, it was almost dusk already by the time we got there. Day 2 was for the whale sharks and Tumalog falls. We even had siesta in between. Day 3 was lull day. My brothers and my dad decided to go to Dumaguete which was an hour's bus ride and ferry ride away. They bought loads of crabs and shrimps from the city since there's no seafood in town AT ALL. My sister then grilled the shrimps and I cooked the crabs in coconut milk (and yes, it was tasty!). And early morning of Day 4, we headed back to Cebu City. But we also stopped by the cuartel and the old, old church for some photos!

I suggest folks visiting Oslob to stay a maximum of one night only since there's barely anything to do. Some even fit the activities in one day. One night and two days is adequate enough to have your fun without being too tired. And there's also the option of coming in or flying out from Dumaguete since the trip to Oslob is shorter (about an hour) compared to the four-hour ride from Cebu City.

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Family is the most important thing in the world.

Princess Diana

Tumalog Falls

Another breathtaking scene in Oslob is the Tumalog Falls. It was a very steep walk down the mountain in order to reach the beautiful falls. The water was freezing cold so a few minutes under the natural shower was more than enough.

And the climb back up was treacherous.  My dad and I gave up and hired a motorcycle to bring us up one at a time. Rate was P50 each. You also have the option to ride the motorcycle going down to the falls for the same rate but walking down was so much easier than climbing up. 

And upon reaching the top, we quenched our thirst with fresh buko juice.

How we reached Tumalog Falls from the Malonzo Pension House:

The Malonzos arranged a multi-cab for us to rent at a very reasonable price. A multi-cab is like a tiny tiny van that can fit 7-8 persons.

Swimming with the Whale Sharks in Oslob

Right after the Bohol earthquake and a week before Typhoon Haiyan, my family and I were in Cebu for our outing. The city looked fine with very few broken buildings so we decided to push through. After all, the place of the whale sharks (aka butandings) is four hours away from the city.

My mom rented an Innova for P3,500 to bring us to Oslob. The driver was very nice and he has been chauffeuring for my mom before. The other option was to take the bus to Oslob for less than P200 each but comfort is our priority since we had several luggages in tow and my mom even bought a guitar.

STOPOVER

About two hours from the city, we stopped at the Carcar Market. I only read about this from Our Awesome Planet. This is a market which sells the best lechon for only P290 a kilo. Like a typical market, they have stalls and we chose the one by Aling Guiling. All stalls offer free taste of the lechon and the lechon skin so you can have your pick. Puso (the Cebuano rice in leaves)is also sold here for only P5 each.

And don’t forget about the chicharon here. They say that you can buy the best chicharon in Carcar. We bought the packed Mat-mat chicharon only to find out that you have the option to choose the chicharon, have it weighed and then packed. Just keep walking around the chicharon area in the market and you’ll definitely see this stall. There’s also one stall that lets you choose the chicharon about 5 minutes away by car from the market (on the way to Oslob).

See the boats on the right part of the photo? That's where the whale sharks go for the "Meet and Greet".

SWIMMING WITH THE WHALE SHARKS

My siblings and I were all excited as it was our first time to see and swim with the gentle giants. The rates were P500 for the locals and P1000 for foreigners. I loved it that they had a more affordable rate for locals - great way to promote local tourism. The rate already includes the snorkel and the mask and the 30-minute experience. Flippers can be rented for P50. I brought my own snorkelling gear but they did not allow the snorkel to be replaced by the fins. If one does not want to go swimming with the whale sharks but want to do whale shark watching, the rate is only P300.

Some of the rules about swimming with the whale sharks:

• Do not feed the whale shark
• Do not touch the whale shark
• Keep your distance from the whale sharks (about 4m away)
• No flash photography

I found the rules quite ironic since the boatmen were feeding the whale sharks to lure them to the spot where the tourists are. And the whole area is a bit cramped so it’s quite impossible for you not to accidentally touch the whale shark. I was terrified so I kept avoiding them if they got too close but a whale shark’s tail accidentally brushed my brother’s foot. 

We rented an underwater camera for P400 and the boatmen were the ones who took our photos. Some of us had a little difficulty staying underwater (we kept on floating to the surface!) that the boatmen had to push us downwards just to capture that shot with the whale sharks.

Over all, the experience was exhilarating, if not too short. With the 30 very short minutes, I spent half the time fretting because I was scared (believe me you’ll probably be scared too if the mouth of the whale shark is a foot away from your face) and half the time drowning just to get the perfect shot. We got to see about five whale sharks with the biggest one about 8-10 feet long. According to the divers and boatmen, there is an average of 18 whale sharks a day that visits the area and the biggest is as big as a bus.

There were several food stalls in the area so we had brunch after swimming. Souvenir items can also be bought in the area. The key chains and magnets were sold for 3 for P100.

Read about where we stayed and what else we did in Oslob on my next posts.

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It's better to see something once than to hear about it a thousand times.

~unknown

Gran Tierra Suites, Cebu

I was sent to Cebu last month for work. I had to supervise the booth we set up in a conference and I also had to present our case in front of a thousand attendees. Scary, but I survived. I would probably not be that nervous the next time.

Anyway, I checked-in at the Gran Tierra Suites in Cebu City. I was actually surprised that the accommodations were very affordable, if not cheap (breakfast not included). But at the same time, it was clean and comfortable. And I also found out that I was lucky since normally, the hotel is full and booking months or weeks in advance is necessary. So I stayed at the hotel for three nights. I was out of the hotel by 6 or 6:30 in the morning and I was usually back by 8 or 9. Again, how workaholic am I? Hahaha.

I was pretty satisfied with the service as I did not encounter any problems during the stay except for the fact that my door was a bit heavy and was scraping the floor a little bit. I even broke one of the bowls I brought and they cleaned it right away.

I wish I stayed here during my visit to Cebu last year. The place was very comfortable, easy on the pocket, at the center of the city and most importantly clean. I recommend this place to people on vacation and those who will visit the city on business. No need to spend a huge amount of money on classy hotels since Gran Tierra Suites will definitely do.

The Double Room for only P989/ night

The TV was tiny but I did not stay here to watch the telly

The welcome snacks

The filling was not that sweet and has a peanut-touch (way different from Camiguin's pastel but in a good way)

The bathroom was not that big but it was always clean