Throwback: Kawasan Falls

On December 23, 2014March 31, 2015 By BerylIn Philippines, Travel3 Comments

In 2012 my husband and I visited the Philippines. It was his first trip here and he loved it (phew!). We went to seven islands in three weeks and this was when I realised how amazing the Philippines is.

During our visit we decided to have a family day out with my relatives and visit Kawasan Falls. I had seen numerous photos of the waterfalls on the internet but nothing mentioned where they were so I had to track down its location through lots of Googling and stalking of random photos!

Kawasan Falls is approximately four hours drive from Cebu City and on the West side of the island near Badian. Once you cross the mountains in the centre of Cebu, the view of Negros Island across the sea is quite striking. I almost thought I could swim there!

The water at Kawasan Falls is a beautiful light shade of turquoise and is so clear. There are a few waterfalls to visit as you walk up the hill, but obviously the one at the bottom is the biggest and most beautiful. Sitting on a bamboo raft under the waterfall is a must! And while you’re at it, hang around for sunset and cross the road opposite the Kawasan Falls carpark. There is a beach just behind the huts which has a great front row seat for watching the sun set.

Isla de Gigantes

On December 21, 2014March 31, 2015 By BerylIn Philippines, Travel2 Comments

The most memorable experiences isn’t when everything goes smoothly. Too be honest, most of the trips I have spent money on staying in luxurious hotels and perfectly catered tours, are usually quickly forgotten. But this trip! It was a bit of an adventure, cost us $50 each for the weekend and we ended up truly rewarded in the end. I just had to share it.

Isla de Gigantes is that place you see in travel advertising that makes you wonder if it is a real place. Well let me tell you, it is!

About 2 hours via pump boat from Estancia port, lies a group of beautiful islands that upon first look, makes you wonder why the heck you traveled all this way. But then the adventure starts. The pump boat doesn’t dock on the beach, or at a jetty. You have to stand on a bamboo raft along with 20 other people who are all trying to balance while the boat boys push you along. Like a gondola in Venice – though not as romantic.

There are no vehicles on the island, just motorbikes, horses and bicycles. This is not the place for giant roller suitcases! The motorbikes were a stand-out mode of transport; taking us to a lighthouse, century-old caves and back to the boats for our island-hopping trip.

We had the boat all to ourselves for our day of island-hopping, which was great when my husband spotted some deserted beaches that we ended up directing the boat to. We visited four different islands, all with varying levels of amazing-ness. But Cabugao was definitely the icing on the cake. Despite the bright, strong sun, we climbed up the rocks (while basically having the whole island to ourselves) and took the iconic photos of the beach below and the hill in the background. I’m happy to have added to the hundreds of photos on Instagram and the internet of this beautiful place.

I hope it doesn’t get too busy and overcrowded for a long time. Hopefully, only the truly adventurous will make the trek there so we can continue to appreciate it’s beauty for many, many more years.

Why, hello there.

On December 21, 2014August 25, 2016 By BerylIn IntroductionLeave a comment

It is well known that I love traveling.
But I’m also a bit of a dreamer. If I travel by bus, train or plane I will always choose the window seat so I can look out at the changing landscapes, the fluffy cloud formations and daydream to my hearts content.
It’s just me and my husband; and he gets my head out of the clouds and leads me through jungle paths. He is my ultimate travel partner, and these are our adventures.