Philippines

Sweaty Betty…that is how I would describe Dylan and I on our trip to the Philippines. The air was thick, the sky went from blue to overcast, then it would rain (this made it more steamy - YAY) and then the tropical cycle would continue. We honestly didn’t care that we probably smelt like week old rubbish because WE WERE OVERSEAS!! Finally the borders were opening up, not without their challenges but we couldn’t be happier.

Ok, rewind! Why were we in the Philippines?

For the past few years Dylan and I have always had the goal of moving overseas and living and working in London…because why not? We could get a visa while we were still under 30 (that is definitely creeping up quicker than I would like to admit) and so we set our hearts on achieving it. Then, while living in Melbourne, the old C-vid hit and well…that was an experience we will never forgot.

So when domestic borders were finally settling down in Australia at the start of this year, Dylan and I applied for our visas and were successful. So in March, we sold most of our belongings and moved back home to the Gold Coast to spend some time with family and friends and go on a cheeky international holiday before moving overseas - because we deserved a holiday before a holiday.

Off we went! Little did we know, the Philippines would have its own challenges along the way but it all makes for a great memory.

We decided to go the less touristy and more budget friendly route. We flew into Cebu City and our drive into the city centre was interesting and at times, stressful. Cars, bikes, buses and trucks were driving all over the road and all we could hear were the soothing sounds of horns.

We stayed at an Airbnb near Mango Square. Once we arrived, we dropped our bags and walked to the closest grocery store to buy some beers. Our Airbnb had a great rooftop and so we enjoyed those while the sun set.

The next day we got an Uber to the local bus station and caught a bus to Moalboal. We decided to take the air conditioned bus, it cost a little extra than the standard bus, but it was definitely worth it. The trip took around 3-4 hours.

Once we arrived in Moalboal, we had to go to the Tourism Office and pay a tourist fee. Any tourists going to Moalboal, whether you’re staying overnight or just going for the day need to register to be given a pass slip. Your pass will serve as your ticket to enter the checkpoints before the beaches - it is an Environmental User’s Fee and costs roughly 25 PHP. We were able to use our pass for the entire 5-6 days we stayed in Moalboal.

We stayed at Pescadores Seaview Suites. We would recommend staying there if you were looking for something reasonably priced and in a great location. They had steps down to the ocean where you could snorkel, two pools and a restaurant on site. It was a short walk in to their pub street and we hired mopeds to go into town and explore the area.

During our stay, Dylan really wanted to go for his first scuba dive. Our resort was really close to the famous sardine run at Panagsama Beach. He was able to book a one on one short dive for beginners with an instructor. Dylan couldn’t recommend it enough! It was a phenomenal experience. Dylan and I went back and snorkelled around the area. We saw turtles, a variety of colourful fish and the sardines from above.

We rented a scooter for most of our time in Moalboal, would definitely recommend as it’s a great way to explore the area. We went to White Beach and upon arrival, a minimal entrance fee of 10-20 PHP will be charged per person. It was nice but due to the recent Super Typhoon Odette, a lot of the islands were recovering. The weather also wasn’t the best, so the water wasn’t as clear as it is meant to be normally.

The famous Kawasan Falls were closed due to restoration after the super typhoon. They were only opening for guided canyoneering tours and they were very expensive. So instead, we rode around and made our way up a very dodgy, mainly rocky (due to rebuild) road. At one point, I had to get off our scooter and walk because it was so unstable haha. We ended up at Cambais Falls and the local kids told us where to go. It was absolutely magic! We had this entire spot to ourselves.

The next stop on our trip was Oslob. We had to get a bus, then a tricycle and then another bus. Again, this isn’t the normal procedure but after the typhoon, a lot of their roads got washed away.

We didn’t love Oslob. It was really quiet, there wasn't a lot to do there and there were minimal food options. We did have two great experiences in our short time in Oslob. We went and saw a local basketball game between two rival clubs (that was fantastic and the locals loved that we were there) and we went to another waterfall.

Only a 15-20 ride from centre of Oslob, are the Tumalog Falls. You have to pay 20 PHP to enter and you have the choice to pay 50 PHP to get a ride down and back up or walk the roughly 600 metre steep hill. We decided to walk and oh my goodness, it was brutal on the way back up. The falls themselves were spectacular.

Moving along, our next stop was Bohol. We stayed in Panglao and tried to relax by the beach and pool most of the time. There were quite a few rain storms during our stay, so we didn’t get to soak up the sun and enjoy the atmosphere as much as we would have liked.

If you want the juiciest rotisserie chicken and crispiest fried chicken, then we would definitely recommend going to D'Ellens Fried Chicken. It is run by a group of young guys and it was very popular! It is nothing flash inside but the food was amazing.

One of our days, in between bursts of rain, we were able to jump on a scooter and ride to the Chocolate Hills. It costs around 50 PHP to enter, it is very busy with tourists but it is fascinating to see. Only some of the hills had turned brown (majority normally do during dry season) but because of the amount of rain they have had recently, the hills stayed green.

Our last stop on this three week adventure was Siargao. It is known as the “Surfing Capital of the Philippines” and is swathed in coconut palms. We stayed at Siargao Island Villas for most of our time on the island and it was fantastic. The rooms were lovely, the resort is right on the beach, they had a beautiful pool and an amazing restaurant that served Indonesian food. Again, we rented a scooter, as it is the best way to explore the island.

As I have mentioned numerous times already, the typhoon did significant damage to the Philippines but Siargao really copped the brunt of it. The famous Cloud 9 boardwalk got washed away and while we were there, they were rebuilding it and a lot of the hotels, restaurants and the locals’ homes.

Even though the Filipino people went through this devastating natural disaster, they were still such happy and welcoming people. They loved that tourists were slowly making their way back over.

We surfed a few times at Jacking Horse reef break. It was super cruisey and great for a long board. Cloud 9 was definitely too big for us! There are plenty of locals there who will take you on surf lessons or rent you a board, so you will have a multitude of options.

If I am going to be completely honest, we didn't love the food in the Philippines. It was a lot of rice, egg and processed/fried meat. We really craved vegetables after three weeks of hardly eating any. Before we left, we didn’t do much research as to what Filipino food was. It wasn’t horrible but it also wasn’t great.

Overall, we really enjoyed our time, albeit, it had numerous hurdles. If you wanted a bit more a luxury holiday in the Philippines, I have heard that Boracay and Palawan are the places to go.

This was my first trip I didn’t take my big camera with me and so I photographed it entirely on film. I love how they turned out. It’s a very exciting experience waiting for your film to get developed and then reliving the raw beauty of a place.