Dumaguete Adventure Series: ATV to Tierra Alta

On our last day in Dumaguete, we decided to go to take the kids on an ATV adventure.  We rented a van and drove for about 40 minutes from our resort, Pura Vida, to Tejero Highland Resort and Adventure Park in Valencia.

 

You have the option to choose the type of ATV you want to drive and the route you wish to take. For our family of two adults and two kids (8 and 5 years old), we got the ATV 300cc and took tour B to Tierra Alta.

The trip lead us to cross mini rivers and ride up the mountain on various types of terrains. It was honestly more exciting (read: scary) than I expected. The kids enjoyed the ride worry-free. I, on the other hand, feared we might topple over some rocks or worst, the mountain edge!

 

The tour brought us to the Tierra Alta subdivision where we got to take photos up the lighthouse. It felt a bit like a real estate tour - which is probably accurate given that the operator of the ATV is the same group as the developers of the Tierra Alta subdivision.

 

The entire tour took about 1 hour, including the stop at Tierra Alta. It was a great experience, especially for our kids who rarely get to ride on motorcycles and the like.

You may book by calling Tejero Highland Resort at 0917-707-0791. Lines open between 8am and 5pm Mondays-Fridays.

 

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Dumaguete Adventure Series: Whale Sharks in Oslob

On the last day of May of 2016, my 8-year old son experienced something he will never forget. He finally got to swim and snorkel with the whale sharks! After his first snorkeling stint in Apo Island, I was quite hopeful that he will agree to go down and swim with the whale sharks with us. The first time we visited Oslob a year ago, he wanted to go down but was too scared to do so. When he finally did, the whale sharks were already too far to be seen underwater. 

 

With much prayers and a lengthy heart-to-heard talk with his dad, my son finally agreed to go down. The moment he put on his mask and peeked under the water, I knew he was in awe. I can hear his muffled screams underwater. Thank God for Tribord masks! It's truly different seeing them from the boat and witnessing them underwater. 



Here are some fun facts about whale sharks (some taken from National Geographic):

• They are the largest fish in the sea (in case you're wondering about whales, they are mammals and not fish)
• Whale Sharks are sharks, not whales
• Can reach lengths of 40 feet (12 meters) or more
• Their favorite meal is plankton. They scoop these tiny plants and animals up, along with any small fish that happen to be around, with their colossal gaping mouths while swimming close to the water's surface.
• They use a technique called "cross-flow filtration" to passively filter food through its formidably sized
• They prefer warm waters which is why whale sharks are often found in tropical seas

You may travel to see the Whale Sharks in Oslob via a 3-hour land trip from Cebu which is what we did last year, or a 1-hour boat ride from Dumaguete like what we recently did. I found this very helpful site on how to get to Oslob from various cities. Click here to view it.

 

Seeing these gentle giants are worth the trip. The whole family will love the experience. Even smaller kids who are not brave enough to go down the water will be able to see the Whale Sharks feeding from the boat. Should you decide to go down to swim, do not forget your underwater cameras. You may also rent there and ask the boatman to take your photos. They are quite the experts at underwater 'whale shark' photography.

 

(Photos from this blog are my friend Franc Ng's GoPro. Not a professional photographer, not a 'Butanding boat man' either. Thanks, Franc!)

 

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Dumaguete Adventure Series: Dolphins in Bais and The Manjuyod Sand Bar

We woke up at 4:00 in the morning on the second day of our Dumaguete adventure. We had to leave by 5:00am to reach Bais before 6:30am.

Bais City is well known for its proximity to the protected marine sanctuary, the Tañon Strait.

From the Capiñahan Wharf in the South Bay, the boat heads out to the Bais Bay and into the Tañon Strait where the dolphins frolic in the water, and the whales emerge from the deep. [Dumagueteinfo.com]

We booked two vans from the resort which costs P4,500 (11-12pax per van) round trip from Dauin to the Bais and another P6,000 for the boat going to see the dolphins and the sand bar. The boat could fit all 23 of us and had it's own toilet. 

After about 30 minutes of sailing,  we were getting a bit discouraged. We decided to pray together as a group and asked the Lord to send the dolphins.  After a few minutes, we found them. We were able to see a few big ones swimming near us.

We were already quite happy with our dolphin-sighting but prayed for more. I wanted to see them jumping out of the water while my friend, Kim, wanted to see dolphins swimming alongside our boat. With our boat already far from the site where we found the pod of dolphins, we were not very hopeful with our requests. But after about 15 minutes, God surprised us. One by one the dolphins came up to do a show for us. There were proabably around a hundred of them swimming around us. The boatman even said 'libo (thousands) na yan, ma'am!' though I don't think it reached that figure. And guess what? They jumped out of the water and swam alongside our boat. We prayed for dolphins but we got more than that. We experienced God's power and His wonderful presence.  That morning in Bais, we searched for dolphins, but we found the Lord.

Watch this short clip to see the dolphins swimming near us.

We have watched the videos over and over again. And as I watch it, I thank God over and over again. It was such an unforgettable experience. My 8-year old son said "They look like cartoons!". It was surreal.

 

After our dolphin encounter, we headed to the Manjuyod Sand Bar, also known as the 'Maldives of the Philippines'. It was not low-tide enough when we went but the kids still enjoyed swimming in what look to them like a natural kiddie pool.

We reached the sand bar around 10am and stayed until around 12nn. We brought packed lunches with us and ate inside our boat while docked in Manjuyod.

After lunch we headed back to the resort and arrived at around 1:30pm.  The kids spent the rest of the afternoon swimming in the pool while the adults did intro-diving. It was a very fruitful day to say the least.

 

Next stop: Oslob Whale Sharks

 

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