Garden by The Lake | TIEZA Botanical Garden

TIEZA Botanical Garden

Bloom where you are planted! ~ Anonymous

It has been a while since the infamous Sirao Flower Farm made a fuss all over the web. Curious visitors flocked the place but sadly, due to some people’s negligence, the farm suffered an unfortunate fate. Some were lucky to have witnessed the beauty of the place yet, I wasn’t one of them. When I visited Sirao Flower Farm last January, I did not see any of those that I saw in the internet. All I found were newly sprouting plants finger-span length. The local farmers were trying so hard, pouring their sweats to cultivate those plants, I just hope people know that and we should be responsible enough to take care of the vegetations, too. Let us not be selfish and say “I paid for this. I paid an entrance fee.” Paying the entrance fee does not give us the right to step and kill those flowers. Our money can’t afford the hardwork of the farmers who are working so hard to give us this wonderful view.

(I’m not here to scold or act like ‘I-know-everything-right’. I’m just saying.  LET US DO OUR PART!!!)

Anyway, here’s another fruit of our local farmers’ labor. The former Philippine Tourism Authority which is now called TIEZA (Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority) is developing the formerly Kan-Irag golf-course located in Barangay Malubog, Busay into a botanical garden by the lake.

According to the farmers whom we talked to, this lake was once a small hollow filled with rainwater then it resembled a lake. There were wild floras growing around the area and it showed a great potential to become a scenic garden by the lake, hence this project.

Despite not being able to see the wonderful beauty of Sirao Flower Farm, I am beyond lucky to have seen this enticing beauty of this new attraction. My hopes for this place not to experience downfall because of people’s lack of discipline. Let’s give others the chance to see this beauty.

Leave nothing but footprints. Take nothing but pictures. Kill nothing but time.

 

Demi in Kan-irag Golf Course.

You might want to visit the place. You can contact our kind driver to take you there just in case you are commuting. Here’s Kuya Roel’s number: 0919-954-4254. If you have your private transport, the place can be accessed through the transcentral highway via JY Lahug and take turn towards the corner of Busay Holiday Pool. You can also ask the locals for directions.

The flower doesn’t dream of the bee. It blossoms and the bee comes. ~ Mark Nepo

 

‘Til our next adventure!

Keep safe!

Love, Ace and Demi

 

 

 

 

Discover Catmon | Chasing Waterfalls and Trekking Rivers

The greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. ~~ Roald Dahl

Tinubdan Falls, Catmon

Catmon, Cebu — home of Cebu’s second highest peak, Mt Kapayas. Despite being flocked by outdoor enthusiasts and the like, this town remained self-effacing and humble. And lately, with people’s never ending quest of discovering wonderful places to visit, Catmon, in all fairness has another reason to boast.

Behind the tall mountains of the municipality hides a wonderful haven full of nature’s bliss. A mysterious river slithers through the valleys of the town and divided it into the Old Catmon and New Catmon.

This place is not known to many people not even to most locals. Some of them knew the place but never dared to visit it because of the creepy stories that circulates around the town. Not even the kids in the area are fond to play in this river.

Rumors have it that there were mysterious disappearances in the area. Sometimes, locals nearby hear uproarious sounds coming from the river but there are no people around. Our guide forwarned us to leave the river before 5:00pm to avoid any untoward circumstances.

Hmm? That sounds really creepy!

We trekked for about five minutes before we caught a glimpse of this beguiling watercourse. Just the sound of the water cascades was already inviting. As if nature’s telling us to leave the worries behind and commune with her. And that, my friends, we couldn’t resist. Before we knew it, our feet were already in the water and we’re ready to plunge into an unknowingly great adventure.

There’s something with rivers that we like so much. We love the beach but we always long for the streams.

It gives us the thought that life is indeed like a river. It keeps flowing.

Ace and his emotion.

There are times that life is calm and peaceful. Times when life is steady, just the way you like it to, like nothing wrong could come its way. The water maybe placid but it is vulnerable. This tranquility won’t stay that way.  

 

Struggle pa more!

Sometimes, this life could be harsh that you struggle and fluctuate. The flow could be strong that it could drown you, that it could wash you away forcing you to leave your comfort zone. These times will come when you least expect it, it’d slap you on your face and you couldn’t do anything to stop it.  

 

 

Kapit lang, bes!

Yes, you’ll have a lot of struggle, a lot of holding on, a lot of letting go, too. But one thing is for sure, all of these things will lead you to a better place. All of these struggles will lead you to something great. Really great that you also did not expect it. 

Tinubdan Falls

Yay!!! I couldn’t believe I just wrote that. hahah

Let’s get back to reality, everybody. 😀 And after that musing, Tinubdan Falls finally! Look at that isn’t that worth our struggles? Waterfalls everywhere.

Ace and Demi cheesy moments. 

Hubby and I were very astounded. Tinubdan Falls is not as tall as the waterfalls in the Southern part of Cebu, but it’s stunning just the way it is. It’s unique in its own way. Albeit its height, it would never disappoint you.

We also learned that during the Second World War, this place was developed by the Americans in order to supply electricity for their camp at combat in Agsuwao, Catmon. However, there were no trace of that.

River trekking in Catmon.

We saw more mini falls as we continued trekking downstream. We climbed more rock boulders along the way which tested our balancing skills. It was one great adventure indeed!

Ace and Demi trekked Catmon river.

Before we conclude this post, I’d like to mention few wonderful friends we met during this jaunt. Nhagz of Nhagzventures, who invited us to join this trip, Padz Lai of The Little Lai: Beyond Limits, and Gly of Chasing Potatoes. We look forward to having more adventures with you. Until next time. 🙂

 

What is life but one great adventure!

P.S  We had a wonderful time in this place and would love to come back again. Let’s help keep this place the way it is. Practice responsible tourism. LEAVE NO TRACE. 

Until our next adventure!

Keep safe!

Love, Ace and Demi

 

 

Inambakan Falls | South Cebu Tour 2016

Hey, everyone! I know this post has long been overdue. I was hoping to retrieve some of the photos we had on this place but we couldn’t seem to do so anymore. Anyway, I hope you’d still enjoy reading this one. 

When you least expect it, the great adventure finds you.

Remember our South Cebu Tour few months ago? (Oh, I hope you do but you can click here just in case you don’t.)

One of our most unforgettable adventure during that jaunt was our visit to Inambakan Falls. This mighty 100-foot waterfall is hidden in the outskirts of Ginatilan, Cebu — a half-hour motorcycle ride from the trash-free town.

 

Ace and Demi in Inambakan Falls

Upon disembarking from the motorcycle, we could already hear the sound of water crashing down from afar giving me a relief from the pain I felt because of that ride.

After paying the entrance fees, our guide led us to a cemented staircase which was very slippery because of the moss. I couldn’t count how many times I tripped. So, please take extra caution. (I’m talking.) As we got nearer, the sound of the water got louder, too. At last, after about 10 minutes of walking, this majestic beauty of Inambakan Falls was like telling us our search was all worth it.

The vehement pressure of the water falling from a hundred-foot height already hollowed the banks resulting to small cave behind the waterfall. The falls has a catch-basin as deep as 8 feet but there is also a shallow part for those who don’t trust their swimming skills like me.

Ace and Demi conquered Inambakan Falls

During our visit, there was already a newly-made makeshift raft. We were lucky to use the raft solely for ourselves because we were the only people there. Our guide also let us go to the small cave and plunge into the natural massage of the falling water.

Got your curiosity rising yet? Here’s another trivia, Inambakan falls is also dubbed as Ginatilan’s hidden treasure because this falls is not known to many people yet. the surrounding remained untouched except for the small hut cottages made for guests who wish to stay for a couple of hours in the area. Who would not love to hear the sound of nature alone?

What do you say? Are you ready to visit the place?

We hope you enjoyed our travel diary of Inambakan Falls despite the scarcity of photos. Have you been here? Tell us about it.

‘Til our next adventure!

Keep safe.

Love, Ace and Demi 

P.S You might want to hear about the rest of our South Cebu Tour. Know about our Historical Visit in Oslob, our quick visit to Sanayon Site in Santander, our time in Sumilon Island and stay updated for the rest of the places we visited by subscribing and following our site. Blessings! 

 

Finding Love at Lanigid Hill | Pre-valentine Climb

Every mountain is, rightly considered, an invitation to climb. ~ Henry Van Dyke

Situated in the far-flung barangay of Liloan, Cebu is a hill which is perfect for first-time climbers or for those who just want to get a dose of greeneries. They call it Lanigid Hill.

After a month delay of our plan to climb Lanigid Hill, it was finally realized last Saturday. It then served as a pre-valentine climb. Climbing with me were my single friends hoping to find love on top. 🙂

Feet forward.

The hubby was not able to come with us because he went biking with his friends. So it was my first venture without him, sort of ‘the girls’ climb’.

We rode a motorcycle at the old Liloan Public Market and paid 100 pesos each. After a 30-minute of almost an uphill ride, we reached Mulao’s barangay hall. There we registered our name and paid the Php10 environmental fee. After few minutes of warm-up we then started our trek to the hill.

The ascent was a bit easy but enough to get those sweats flowing. For first-time trekkers like Gichelle, it was a strenuous one because of the steep slope and loose soil. But she made it! (Clap, clap!)

Me and Louise.

Some of the plants along the way had been cut off for the wood to make charcoals which is the locals’ main source of livelihood. But we think, they’re also planting new ones to replace those.

After 20 minutes of ascending, we finally reached the top of the hill. And this view of Mr Sun greeted us. He’s very up but the wind beat his heat.

For office people like us, the kind of moment at the top is priceless. With all the lush greeneries and thick vegetation in the area we can’t help falling in love.

My girls, indeed, found love on top. 

After few hours at the top, we agreed to go down and have a quick visit to Mulao River. You might want to check out our adventure to this wonderful river on my previous post.

How about you? Have you been to this hill? How was it?

We hope you enjoyed reading this post!

‘Til our next adventure.

Keep safe!

Love, Ace and Demi.

 

 

Terrazas De Flores Botanical Garden | A Sweet Escape

Gardens and flowers have a way of bringing people together, drawing them from their homes. ~ Clare Ansberry 

While the Chinese and Korean communities were celebrating the Lunar New Year, we found ourselves jaunting the highlands of Cebu City to escape the bustle in the metropolis and get ourselves an ounce of repose.

Together with some wonderful friends, we visited Terrazas de Flores – Cebu’s first ever botanical garden in terraces. Located in Barangay Malubog, Cebu City (900 meters from La Tegola, Busay), just across Malubog Integrated School.

This botanical garden started operating last October 1, 2016. Since then, it continuously draws the attention of many people from all walks of life.

With over 120 species of local flora that are arranged on a mountain slope to form a flower terraces, it’s impossible to leave the place without getting the dose of relaxation we needed.

In collaboration with the Department of Biology from University of San Carlos, the species and names of these local flowers were being identified, as well as its horticulture.

What’s more amazing is that these flowers are very common and are often ignored. We have seen most of them in the streets, in the wild, in our grandparent’s houses…but we did not really notice their beauty.

Could it be because they are meticulously arranged here? Or, it could be because they are well taken cared of by the local farmers whom the owner hired to tend the place.

Aside from the garden, the place also has a cafe where visitors can have a sip of their preferred beverages while enjoying the scenic surrounding.

From the cafe, one can see the view of the neighboring hills which are breathtaking.

You can also choose to stay in their beautiful cabanas while you enjoy watching the butterflies land from one flower to another.

Or, while you read your favorite book. 🙂

Or, just chitchat whith your friends. 🙂

 

Girls just wanna have fun! 

Or, you can bring out your inner emo!?

Emo girl. 😛

Or, perform Yoga?! Why not, the place is quite and peaceful, not to mention the smell of the nature.

Everywhere here is so wonderful. You can’t help smiling and falling in love with it. Every corner is also picture perfect. You’ll love how the colors of the nature compliment each other.

Ace really had a great time practicing his phonetography, er, phone photography. He took over 50 photos of the flowers.

The gang!

But of course, the whole gang did! We left the place feeling relaxed and ready to face the city life again. 🙂

The garden is open everyday from 7am to 8pm with 100 pesos entrance fee.

Ace and Demi in Terrazas de Flores Botanical Garden. 

We hope you enjoyed our photo diary of the place. 

‘Til our next escape.

Keep safe!

Love, Ace and Demi.

 

 

 

Sumilon Island Sandbar | South Cebu Tour 2016

Let the waves hit your feet and the sand be your seat.

Want a quick breathe from the hustle and bustle of the city? We suggest you consider visiting Sumilon Island. Not only it’s a four-hour ride from the metropolis, it does not require you a full wallet, too.

Ace and Demi in Sumilon Island.

This beautiful secluded island is privately owned by Bluewater Sumilon Island Resort. They generously opened their sandbar to public for a very affordable fee.

When in Sumilon island. 

Visiting Sumilon Island Sandbar was included in our itinerary during our South Cebu Tour. We headed to this place right after our whale shark encounter.

The Sumilon island sandbar. 

Almost half of the sandbar portion was already submerged in water when we arrived but because the water was crystal clear, it was still visible.

The Sumilon island sandbar. 

There were not too many visitors during that time. We had a great time snorkling and enjoying the waves. After few minutes of basking in the sandbar, our tour guide offered us to tour the other part of the island. We climbed the giddy precipice which we thought is not for acrophobic individuals.

When in Sumilon island. 

But if you resolved to conquer that fear, this spot shows a panoramic view of the mainland and a wonderful view of the ocean. So, drop that fear, honey!!! You cannot miss this!

Ace and Demi in Sumilon Island. 

What do you say? Are you ready to visit the island?

We hope you enjoyed our travel diary of Sumilon Island. Have you been here? Tell us about it. 🙂 

 

‘Til our next adventure!

Keep safe.

Love, Ace and Demi 

P.S You might want to hear about the rest of our South Cebu Tour. Know about our Historical Visit in Oslob, our quick visit to Sanayon Site in Santander and stay updated for the rest of the places we visited by subscribing and following our site. Blessings! 

 

A Historic Visit to Oslob, Cebu | South Cebu Tour

Two weeks ago, we found ourselves in a historic municipality of Oslob, Cebu. We were on our South Cebu Tour but we stayed in Oslob – which was also our jump-off point. Why not? We’ve heard so much about this municipality, though 4th class, its tourism is thriving.

Nowadays, historical places are famous destinations in almost everyone’s bucket list. However, we are not doing this just because it’s a bandwagon. We’ve been interested in history since HISTORY was introduced to us. I’m just saying so…

History is not was, it is! ~ William Faulkner

Let’s take a look at what the place has to offer:

*Church of Immaculate Conception  

Immaculate Conception Parish

This Immaculate Conception church was among the oldest churches in Cebu. It became an independent parish in 1847. It was burned down during the Second World War liberating Cebuano guerillas against the Japanese in Oslob in 1945, and 1955 but was eventually restored.

The entrance door.

In 2008, another fire gutted the 19th-century church’s interior, including the altar and adjacent rectory, but it spared the image of Our Lady of Immaculate Conception, which was inside a glass case, and the 73 other icons near the door to the bell tower.

The church was closed during our visit, so we were unable to take a look at the interior of it. 

*Bell Tower

Church bell tower. 

This bell tower adjacent to the church was built in 1858. It fortunately survived the fire that gutted the church twice.

*The Cuartel Ruins

The Cuartel Ruins

Located at the front right of the church is this ruins of an unfinished cuartel. It resembles a Spanish-era barrack and was intended as barracks for Spanish soldiers or guardia civil but was halted during the arrival of the Americans.

The structure was made of coral blocks from the remnants of the collapsed floor of the bell tower.

The back view of the cuartel.

*Baluarte

Baluarte

Baluarte means watchtower in Spanish. This is among the seven fortifying watchtower built along the coastline of Oslob. This fortress provided a safe place for guards to observe the surrounding area. This defense strategy effectively dispelled the Moro raiders of the past.

*Museo Oslob

This museum is located at the back of the cuartel ruins. The locals told us that other remnants of the town’s history is inside.

But it was also closed that time because it was a Sunday.

Entrance door of the museum.

Our short visit in Oslob brought us back to the past. It’s overwhelming to look back to what made us today, to not just live and enjoy the ruins but to know the story behind them. Each places has its own story. Most might be painful but it is what made the place. History is not just the past. History is the present.

History despite its wrenching pain, cannot be unlived, but if faced with courage need not be lived again.

Over to you: do you find interest in your place or country’s history, too?

Continue following our South Cebu Tour story.

‘Til our next destination!

Keep safe!

Love, Ace and Demi

 

Ace and Demi went South 2016

With only four days to go before Christmas, we’d like to send everyone our hopes of a “merry Christmas”. This is indeed a season to be jolly! 

As we prepare our homes and selves for Christmas day, allow us to share this post about our South Cebu Tour last weekend. This trip was made possible by RoadWavesTour – a travel agency dedicated to give an outstanding and adventurous travel experiences. They have travel packages that give value for money and fit for those who want to travel on a budget. You guys should check it out.

Ace and Demi went South!

To celebrate our second year anniversary, we decided to go South of Cebu. Thankfully, RoadWavesTour has the package that suits our plan.

Oslob

• Whale Shark Encounter

Whale shark encounter

• Sumilon Island Sandbar

Sumilon Island sandbar

• Oslob Church  – The oldest church in Cebu 

The Immaculate Concepcion Church-Oslob

• The Cuartel Ruins

The Cuartel Ruins

Samboan

• Binalayan / Hidden Falls – also called the Three-Drop Falls

Santander

• Sanayon Site

Santander

Ginatilan 

• Inambakan Falls

Inambakan Falls

We will have separate posts for each major destinations — Whale Shark encounter and Sumilon Island, Inambakan Falls, Binalayan Falls, Sanayon Park, and Oslob Heritage Park. While we are still drafting them, kindly stay tuned.

‘Til our next destination!

Love, Ace and Demi

For some reason, I can’t retrieve our photos of the Cuartel Ruins and Sanayon Site. 

*Cuartel Ruins photo credit to WayPointsDotPh

*Sanayon Site photo credit to Laagan nga Bata

Mt. Naupa, Naga | The Climb

Stop talking about your mountains and start climbing.

We just did!

We’ve heard so much about Mt. Naupa from some of our friends from the blogosphere. It just ignited our curiosity and yeah, just last Saturday we decided to see what the fuss is all about.

With a staggering height of 584 meters above sea level and ranked as the 8th highest mountain in Central Visayas, one cannot question it’s popularity.

So, let’s see what Mt Naupa has to offer:

Our original plan was to start the climb at 5:00am to witness the sunrise but we sadly missed it because we came late. (Filipinos, yah know.) Anyway, we took a bus from South Bus Terminal and got off at Tungkop, Minglanilla. From there, we rode a motorcycle to take us to Brgy. Cogon. And we started our trek from the chapel where kids are waiting to offer themselves as guide to the mountain.

We had William and Kent, both thirteen-year old as our guides. These kids really knew what they’re doing because according to them, they climb the mountain every weekends. They even knew how to entertain us and they served as our photographer, as well.

Kat-kat pa more!

We made a research about the mountain, beforehand. We had to make sure the climb would be easy because we didn’t have any minor climbs but Osmena Peak.

The climb to the mountain is indeed for beginners. The trail is easy and pretty established. Except during rainy days, the soil could be muddy and slippery. The kids said, the climb will not take an hour if we have regular pace. After 45 minutes, we arrived at the campsite.

Let’s get those feet rested.

We had a few minutes rest and ate our snacks at the campsite. The view from there was already stunning. We couldn’t help taking photos with all the lush greeneries around.

It’s a plane, no, it’s a bird!

Oh, and we almost forgot…we climbed Mt Naupa together with these three cool sisters — Louise, Daisy, and Ann. These three are awesome! (More climb, girls!)

The gang on the losse!

When we thought, this is the only campsite… the kids told us that this is just the lower campsite. Now, that made us wonder where is the mountain we’re trying to conquer.

The upper campsite is this hill behind us…. 🙂

Upper campsite as our backdrop. 

There are no trees to give shade when the sun would be scorchingly hot except this small make-shift hut made from bamboo and recycled tarps. But it looked broken and no longer taken cared of. 😦

So, where is Mt. Naupa?

There is Mt. Naupa! 

When we reached the upper campsite, the kids told us that Mt Naupa is the eminent mountain in the area. We asked them if we could climb it, but they said it would be dangerous because it’s rocky and the soil is loose. So we have to just settle on the camp area and just look at the mountain while it’s standing proud in front of us. Sigh!

It’s better in the mountains. 

We were just fortunate to have the mountain solely. We were able to take pictures to our contentment. We even had the trending “mannequin challenge” at the top which was posted on Facebook by yours truly (if you’re following us).

After an hour of resting, the sun started to get hotter… we decided to pack our things and go down. When another kid came and told us that there is a waterfall near. Us, feeling hot and wanting to take a dip in a cold water, immediately headed to the falls following the kid.

After 3 mountains. 

We came across corn fields and other forms of vegetations. The first 30 minutes was fun and full of talking… when we noticed we already passed three mountains and we did not arrive to the said falls yet. Guess what???? Yeah, you’re right.

We were lost!!!

And yeah, it’s another story! (ahahah) Know what happened on our next entry. 🙂

Despite being lost and going around all the mountains in Naga, Cebu…we still went home with CONTENTMENT and FULFILLMENT in our heart. These pictures may not tell you how happy we were with our adventure we know in our selves, we had so much fun!

 

Expenses: (Below are the general expenses, food expense is not included for you may have different preferences.)

Bus fare: Php60/person  (minimum for airconditioned bus) 

Motorcycle Fare: Php50/person (going up)

Motorcycle Fare:  Php50/person (going down)

*Guide Fee: Php300/5 people (according to guests’ account)

Bus Fare: Php60/person (airconditioned bus) 

 

We hope you enjoyed reading this post as much as we had fun climbing Mt. Naupa. Stay tuned for our next entry.

‘Til next climb!!!

Love, Ace and Demi

 

 

 

 

 

 

First in Cebu — The Sky WaterPark

Beaches are a whole lot of fun. After all, who does not like the feel of the salt and the sand, resist surfing the waves, hopping islands or just go circles on a jetski? But sometimes, all you want to do is drop down a nice water slide and into a pool with a big splash.

Finally, the country’s first and only waterpark built above ground and on top of a mall — The Sky Water Park Cebu. Located in an open-air space on the 6th floor of J Centre Mall, Mandaue, adjacent to the 583-room Toyoko Inn Hotel. This new leisure place offers panoramic views of Mandaue, Lapu-lapu and some parts of Cebu city. A perfect destination for people who want to take a break from the hustle and bustle on the ground.

Happy Birtday, Ate K!

Before we proceed, I’d like to greet this cute little girl — Krexea Maurel a happy, happy birthday!!! If not because of her, this post wouldn’t be possible. Special thanks also to Xelanne and Mark for letting Ace tag along. I wish I was there. You guys are awesome! 

Note: I wasn’t personally there, so I’m just relying on my husband’s telling and a little bit of Google’s help, too.

Ate K at 3.

This sky waterpark covers 4,200 square meters/45,208 square feet of rooftop space. The resort features a water playground with pool and a water house complete with water slides, climbing nets, a giant tipping bucket and other interactive water elements.

Ace feeling like a kid.

It has also an infinity edge pool with jacuzzi. They have sun loungers and cabanas for resting. They also offer food and beverage service by the pool area.

When viewed above, the main pool was actually shaped like Cebu’s famous guitar. Too bad we don’t have a drone to show you that. 😀

The resort also has a dining and entertainment area, a gift shop, spa and other concessionaire outlets.

Waterparks are very popular in Asian countries like Japan and Korea. It’s great to know that Cebuanos are embracing booming theme parks like this. This waterpark as well is the second resort-type development in the city after the Westown Lagoon in Mandaue Reclamation Area.

Here are some photos Ace took at the place:

The infinity edge pool overlooking the city. 

Hubby and Ate K with the Toyoko Inn Hotel on the backdrop. 

Hubby having a good time at the water house. 

With a location in the middle of the bustling metropolis, this Sky Waterpark is a destination you shouldn’t miss. It’s also an ideal place for social functions, corporate events and other special events.

The Sky Waterpark Cebu. 

For other details and queries, visit SKYWATERPARK CEBU website by clicking here. (Click me!)

Location: 6th Floor (Roof Deck), J Centre Mall, 165 A.S. Fortuna Street, Bakilid Mandaue City 6014 Cebu, Philippines

Tel. Nos: + 63 32 350 9111 or + 63 32 350 9552

Email: info.skywaterpark@gmail.com

Happy Splashing! 

Love, Ace and Demi