Tx Flashback - Down South in Antulang
Surfing the net has been really fun and informative for me, especially in looking for new travel destinations this 7,100 plus islands has to offer. Good thing there are tons of stuff about various destinations and activities in countless websites to help me plan for our upcoming trips. Organizing trips was never an easy task but hey, who’s complaining?
Six months had pass since we went to Coron Palawan. My body was again itching for another adventure. We’ve initially thought of visiting Bohol to see the Chocolate Hills, Tarsier, and the nice beaches but the flight sked and the price was not favorable so I had to scour the net for another great alternative.
I actually found out about Antulang early this year while surfing and was I impressed with their very nice website (www.antulang.com). They have all these nice cozy rooms full of various amenities that can satisfy those with the distinctive taste. Adding to this is a list of interesting activities offered by the resort like diving, snorkeling, dolphin watching, horseback riding, rappelling, trail biking, etc. Another nice thing to do here is to take a relaxing dip in their unique saltwater infinity pool. But if you want to just take it real slow, then why not watch a dvd movie in your room while being treated to a full body massage right after you’ve soaked your stress away in your own private Jacuzzi. Sounds like Young, Posh and Loaded? Nah, you’d be surprised to find out that they have rates that will not leave you with a broken piggy bank.
We left Manila early morning on October 30 via Air Philippines. Flight time is about an hour to get to Dumaguete city which is located in the province of Negros Oriental in the Visayas. This is by far the farthest trip we’ve ever had outside of Luzon. Antulang is located on the southernmost tip of Negros Oriental and on a clear day I think you can catch a glimpse of Ozamiz in Mindanao. To the east of Negros Oriental is the island of Cebu and to the southeast is the island of Bohol. Hmmm, we have a pretty stewardess on board. “Excuse me miss, can you help me with my seatbelt?” =P
Upon landing in Dumaguete airport, we were greeted by the whole town with singing, dancing and a fire-breathing Ati-atihan festival! Woohoo! Hehe, actually we were greeted by Noel, our one-man welcoming party who will take us for another hour by land to reach the resort. Dumaguete by the way is home to the famous Silliman University – one of the finest and oldest universities in the Philippines recognized by the US.
After a long stretch of off-road adventure, we’ve finally made it to Antulang. We were greeted by the friendly staff with welcome wreaths and drinks. Once we have settled into our rooms, it was time for the first order of business— to see the marine sanctuary of Apo Island.
Apo Island is a 72-hectare volcanic rock situated in the Mindanao Sea (09.05N, 123.15E). Home to seven hundred plus people, of whom two hundred and ninety (and increasing) are children. Apo people are simple fisher folk mostly dependant on fishing and the fishing way of life for their income, food and lifestyle. There is nowhere in the Philippines, maybe the rest of Asia quite like Apo Island; seventy-two hectares of volcanic rock, a century young vibrant community, supported by another equally vibrant community, the reef and its inhabitants. Evolving over thousands of years, six hundred hectares of the most beautiful, diverse and scientifically unique coral reef ecosystem in the Philippines surrounds Apo Island. (www.apoisland.com)
The Marine Sanctuary is on the east coast of the island and it comprises a large plateau area which stretches 100m from the shore where there is a wall which goes down to 30-40m before sloping down to the depths. This is an area with generally light but sometimes variable current. Here there are many Black Triggerfish. One of the highlights is clownfish city, which is a group of half a dozen very large corals, which have anemones growing all over them. These anemones are populated by large numbers of Tomato Anemonefish, which swirl around with many other small fish. There are many wrasses and goatfish, schools of Bigmouth Mackerel, Highfin Rudderfish and juvenile Barracuda. (www.apoisland.com)
Everyone came prepared this time, each with their own snorkeling gear and we even brought two waterproof cameras to capture the vibrant underwater life. Guess what’s the first thing I found when I dove down? Yup, I found Nemo…lots and lots of nemos populating clownfish city. Lots of varieties of fish also take refuge in this area. It was truly a visual delight. Before this trip I was even expecting to see some hawksbill turtles, manta rays and barracudas but the guide told us that you can only see them when you go scuba diving. Well, I guess the highlight of the marine sanctuary for me was when I saw a school of jacks circling below me. Each jack was about a foot long and together they number about a hundred plus. Isn’t it a sign of danger if you see fishes circling around? It was either they view me as a treat or a bigger treat was nearby. “Fish are friends, not food.” “Hey, humans are friends too! Help! Somebody!”
That night back at the resort, we feasted on our buffet of clam soup, fish fillet w/ tartar sauce, chicken estofado, coleslaw, and yummy dinuldog. Dinuldog by the way is a local delicacy composed of three kinds of mongrel dogs sautéed with chilies and shallots and spiced up with natural virgin lambanog and finally sprinkled with caramelized tails of tuko (gecko). Yuuummy! Top that Iron Chef! Well, dinuldog is actually the dumaguete version of ginataan. I don’t know the English name for it but trust me, it’s out of this world.
Day 2 – time to travel to Bais and catch some dolphins in action! For that we had to wake up at 5am, take a van for about two hours and take a boat for another hour to finally catch a glimpse of nothing but water! Huhuhu! Where are those stupid dolphins?! Our eyes already became white from squinting endlessly toward the horizon hoping that flipper would show his fins yet to no avail….sniff. After our futile clapping and whistling, most of us started to doze off on the boat waiting for flipper to show himself. Suddenly, three dolphins finally emerged and gave us a few seconds of excitement and they were gone. Aaargh! I don’t know if those fleeting moments were real or just a mirage we had after being at sea for so long. I hope those dolphins end up in tuna cans! Grrr
Of course our dolphin spotter was apologetic that we didn’t get to see much but it was not actually the season for dolphins and whales to go somersaulting. Somebody please remind me to come back when it’s summer time so I won’t be this bitter. Sniff.
After that disappointing morning, our boat headed to Manjuyod where there is a famous sandbar in the middle of the ocean. This unique sandbar is only visible when the tide is low. The whole sandbar disappears when the tide is high. This reminded us of the witty answer of Ms. Charlene Gonzalez during her Q&A portion in the past Ms. Universe pageant. I think she was asked about how many islands is the Philippines composed of. She then answered with another question, “During high tide or low tide?” What she said was true considering that there are lots of small islands which become submerged underwater when the tide is high. So you can never be accurate in numbering the islands of the Philippines.
Built on this particular sandbar are three rustic houses on stilts which can be rented by tourists who visits this place. We rented the first house for just P300. Inside there is a dining area, a room with a 50 inch plasma tv with dvd and dolby surround sound system plus a modified Xbox, a gym, a wet and dry sauna, a 10 lane bowling alley and a boy who cried wolf. =P
For lunch, apart from the packed lunch we brought, we also bought some seafood from a passing fisherman. 3 fish and an octopus cost just a hundred pesos. So while waiting for our food to be ready, we had our LTM to remember the Lord in spirit. Although we didn’t have the actual symbols on the table, we can partake of Christ as the reality of the bread and the wine. I really enjoyed our meeting that morning. We sang hymns and gave our praises and then bro. Albert gave us some words of fellowship regarding the Lord’s present move around the world. The important thing he said is that we need to consecrate ourselves for God’s Economy so that He can carry out His heart’s desire on this earth. This was one special LTM that will never again be repeated. Imagine Albert and Joseph having LTM with us in a native house stilted on a sandbar in the middle of the ocean somewhere in the southern Visayas. Now that was really something you can never forget.
After our meeting, it was time to explore the sandbar. By this time, I noticed that the tide had risen quite high already and had almost covered the whole sandbar. This was a great time for taking shallow underwater pictures. We had lots of fun taking various shots of ourselves above and under the water.
There were almost no fish to be seen on the shallow waters of the sandbar. If you want to see some fish, you’d have to go to the edge of the sandbar where there is a sudden drop into the dark abyss. There along the edge of the sandbar are some corals and fishes.
The best thing about this sandbar is that it stretches out very far out to sea. We’ve only covered maybe just a fifth of the whole sandbar. Nice sand and clear waters, this was truly an amazing place.
It was around three in the afternoon when we packed up and left the sandbar. Going back to the resort would take us on the same route and with the same long tedious hours. It was round two – another chance to catch sight of those elusive dolphins. Guess how many we saw on our way back… NONE! NIL! ZERO! KAPUT! Grumble…
Back at the resort, we had our dinner prepared by the cliff side overlooking the sea and just right beside the pool. The full moon provided a bright aura around the cool evening atmosphere. What a perfect time to get cozy with someone. Howl…I vant some vlood! Bloody evening it turned out to be as my friend and I cramped ourselves into a jacuzzi. "Sigh, why am I sharing a jacuzzi with a guy and not a babe?" "Hey, why don’t we paint your nails?" "Fabulous!"
After our nice warm soak, it was the ladies’ turn to lounge. I can’t believe three of them were able to squeeze into that small jacuzzi. We spent our last evening talking and taking pictures which turned out to be really fun and enjoyable. Tomorrow we will be heading back to polluted Manila. Sigh…
The next morning, we tried to make use of our last few hours in Antulang by again taking a dip in their nice pool. Some went to see the small aviary which had parrots, an eagle, a raven and lots of cute white pigeons. I was thinking of renting their mountain bike to explore the area around the resort but they were out of bikes during that time. I also tried to snorkel on the beach in front of the resort but the waves were very strong, causing the water to be very hazy so you can’t really see anything. Oh well, I guess when it’s time to go, it’s time to go.
Next time, when I can come back to this piece of paradise, I hope to be a licensed scuba diver so I can explore Apo reef. I also hope to see more of Flipper and friends. Hey, where can I buy some pasalubong?
I give this trip a 7.5
Till our next adventure.
Six months had pass since we went to Coron Palawan. My body was again itching for another adventure. We’ve initially thought of visiting Bohol to see the Chocolate Hills, Tarsier, and the nice beaches but the flight sked and the price was not favorable so I had to scour the net for another great alternative.
I actually found out about Antulang early this year while surfing and was I impressed with their very nice website (www.antulang.com). They have all these nice cozy rooms full of various amenities that can satisfy those with the distinctive taste. Adding to this is a list of interesting activities offered by the resort like diving, snorkeling, dolphin watching, horseback riding, rappelling, trail biking, etc. Another nice thing to do here is to take a relaxing dip in their unique saltwater infinity pool. But if you want to just take it real slow, then why not watch a dvd movie in your room while being treated to a full body massage right after you’ve soaked your stress away in your own private Jacuzzi. Sounds like Young, Posh and Loaded? Nah, you’d be surprised to find out that they have rates that will not leave you with a broken piggy bank.
We left Manila early morning on October 30 via Air Philippines. Flight time is about an hour to get to Dumaguete city which is located in the province of Negros Oriental in the Visayas. This is by far the farthest trip we’ve ever had outside of Luzon. Antulang is located on the southernmost tip of Negros Oriental and on a clear day I think you can catch a glimpse of Ozamiz in Mindanao. To the east of Negros Oriental is the island of Cebu and to the southeast is the island of Bohol. Hmmm, we have a pretty stewardess on board. “Excuse me miss, can you help me with my seatbelt?” =P
Upon landing in Dumaguete airport, we were greeted by the whole town with singing, dancing and a fire-breathing Ati-atihan festival! Woohoo! Hehe, actually we were greeted by Noel, our one-man welcoming party who will take us for another hour by land to reach the resort. Dumaguete by the way is home to the famous Silliman University – one of the finest and oldest universities in the Philippines recognized by the US.
After a long stretch of off-road adventure, we’ve finally made it to Antulang. We were greeted by the friendly staff with welcome wreaths and drinks. Once we have settled into our rooms, it was time for the first order of business— to see the marine sanctuary of Apo Island.
Apo Island is a 72-hectare volcanic rock situated in the Mindanao Sea (09.05N, 123.15E). Home to seven hundred plus people, of whom two hundred and ninety (and increasing) are children. Apo people are simple fisher folk mostly dependant on fishing and the fishing way of life for their income, food and lifestyle. There is nowhere in the Philippines, maybe the rest of Asia quite like Apo Island; seventy-two hectares of volcanic rock, a century young vibrant community, supported by another equally vibrant community, the reef and its inhabitants. Evolving over thousands of years, six hundred hectares of the most beautiful, diverse and scientifically unique coral reef ecosystem in the Philippines surrounds Apo Island. (www.apoisland.com)
The Marine Sanctuary is on the east coast of the island and it comprises a large plateau area which stretches 100m from the shore where there is a wall which goes down to 30-40m before sloping down to the depths. This is an area with generally light but sometimes variable current. Here there are many Black Triggerfish. One of the highlights is clownfish city, which is a group of half a dozen very large corals, which have anemones growing all over them. These anemones are populated by large numbers of Tomato Anemonefish, which swirl around with many other small fish. There are many wrasses and goatfish, schools of Bigmouth Mackerel, Highfin Rudderfish and juvenile Barracuda. (www.apoisland.com)
Everyone came prepared this time, each with their own snorkeling gear and we even brought two waterproof cameras to capture the vibrant underwater life. Guess what’s the first thing I found when I dove down? Yup, I found Nemo…lots and lots of nemos populating clownfish city. Lots of varieties of fish also take refuge in this area. It was truly a visual delight. Before this trip I was even expecting to see some hawksbill turtles, manta rays and barracudas but the guide told us that you can only see them when you go scuba diving. Well, I guess the highlight of the marine sanctuary for me was when I saw a school of jacks circling below me. Each jack was about a foot long and together they number about a hundred plus. Isn’t it a sign of danger if you see fishes circling around? It was either they view me as a treat or a bigger treat was nearby. “Fish are friends, not food.” “Hey, humans are friends too! Help! Somebody!”
That night back at the resort, we feasted on our buffet of clam soup, fish fillet w/ tartar sauce, chicken estofado, coleslaw, and yummy dinuldog. Dinuldog by the way is a local delicacy composed of three kinds of mongrel dogs sautéed with chilies and shallots and spiced up with natural virgin lambanog and finally sprinkled with caramelized tails of tuko (gecko). Yuuummy! Top that Iron Chef! Well, dinuldog is actually the dumaguete version of ginataan. I don’t know the English name for it but trust me, it’s out of this world.
Day 2 – time to travel to Bais and catch some dolphins in action! For that we had to wake up at 5am, take a van for about two hours and take a boat for another hour to finally catch a glimpse of nothing but water! Huhuhu! Where are those stupid dolphins?! Our eyes already became white from squinting endlessly toward the horizon hoping that flipper would show his fins yet to no avail….sniff. After our futile clapping and whistling, most of us started to doze off on the boat waiting for flipper to show himself. Suddenly, three dolphins finally emerged and gave us a few seconds of excitement and they were gone. Aaargh! I don’t know if those fleeting moments were real or just a mirage we had after being at sea for so long. I hope those dolphins end up in tuna cans! Grrr
Of course our dolphin spotter was apologetic that we didn’t get to see much but it was not actually the season for dolphins and whales to go somersaulting. Somebody please remind me to come back when it’s summer time so I won’t be this bitter. Sniff.
After that disappointing morning, our boat headed to Manjuyod where there is a famous sandbar in the middle of the ocean. This unique sandbar is only visible when the tide is low. The whole sandbar disappears when the tide is high. This reminded us of the witty answer of Ms. Charlene Gonzalez during her Q&A portion in the past Ms. Universe pageant. I think she was asked about how many islands is the Philippines composed of. She then answered with another question, “During high tide or low tide?” What she said was true considering that there are lots of small islands which become submerged underwater when the tide is high. So you can never be accurate in numbering the islands of the Philippines.
Built on this particular sandbar are three rustic houses on stilts which can be rented by tourists who visits this place. We rented the first house for just P300. Inside there is a dining area, a room with a 50 inch plasma tv with dvd and dolby surround sound system plus a modified Xbox, a gym, a wet and dry sauna, a 10 lane bowling alley and a boy who cried wolf. =P
For lunch, apart from the packed lunch we brought, we also bought some seafood from a passing fisherman. 3 fish and an octopus cost just a hundred pesos. So while waiting for our food to be ready, we had our LTM to remember the Lord in spirit. Although we didn’t have the actual symbols on the table, we can partake of Christ as the reality of the bread and the wine. I really enjoyed our meeting that morning. We sang hymns and gave our praises and then bro. Albert gave us some words of fellowship regarding the Lord’s present move around the world. The important thing he said is that we need to consecrate ourselves for God’s Economy so that He can carry out His heart’s desire on this earth. This was one special LTM that will never again be repeated. Imagine Albert and Joseph having LTM with us in a native house stilted on a sandbar in the middle of the ocean somewhere in the southern Visayas. Now that was really something you can never forget.
After our meeting, it was time to explore the sandbar. By this time, I noticed that the tide had risen quite high already and had almost covered the whole sandbar. This was a great time for taking shallow underwater pictures. We had lots of fun taking various shots of ourselves above and under the water.
There were almost no fish to be seen on the shallow waters of the sandbar. If you want to see some fish, you’d have to go to the edge of the sandbar where there is a sudden drop into the dark abyss. There along the edge of the sandbar are some corals and fishes.
The best thing about this sandbar is that it stretches out very far out to sea. We’ve only covered maybe just a fifth of the whole sandbar. Nice sand and clear waters, this was truly an amazing place.
It was around three in the afternoon when we packed up and left the sandbar. Going back to the resort would take us on the same route and with the same long tedious hours. It was round two – another chance to catch sight of those elusive dolphins. Guess how many we saw on our way back… NONE! NIL! ZERO! KAPUT! Grumble…
Back at the resort, we had our dinner prepared by the cliff side overlooking the sea and just right beside the pool. The full moon provided a bright aura around the cool evening atmosphere. What a perfect time to get cozy with someone. Howl…I vant some vlood! Bloody evening it turned out to be as my friend and I cramped ourselves into a jacuzzi. "Sigh, why am I sharing a jacuzzi with a guy and not a babe?" "Hey, why don’t we paint your nails?" "Fabulous!"
After our nice warm soak, it was the ladies’ turn to lounge. I can’t believe three of them were able to squeeze into that small jacuzzi. We spent our last evening talking and taking pictures which turned out to be really fun and enjoyable. Tomorrow we will be heading back to polluted Manila. Sigh…
The next morning, we tried to make use of our last few hours in Antulang by again taking a dip in their nice pool. Some went to see the small aviary which had parrots, an eagle, a raven and lots of cute white pigeons. I was thinking of renting their mountain bike to explore the area around the resort but they were out of bikes during that time. I also tried to snorkel on the beach in front of the resort but the waves were very strong, causing the water to be very hazy so you can’t really see anything. Oh well, I guess when it’s time to go, it’s time to go.
Next time, when I can come back to this piece of paradise, I hope to be a licensed scuba diver so I can explore Apo reef. I also hope to see more of Flipper and friends. Hey, where can I buy some pasalubong?
I give this trip a 7.5
Till our next adventure.
posted by Lee @ 12/05/2007
1 comments
