Travel : Osmeña Peak

Oh yes, my blog is introducing another category -Travel. Let's just say, now that hubby and I have no chance but to indulge ourselves to other hobbies, and we chose Travelling. Particularly, over the weekend travels.

And yes, Southwestward was the first. Now that the origin has been discussed, lets go to the particulars of this post, shall we? :) Watch out for the 'lil tips that I'll be sharing along the way. :)

One weekday, hubby said he wants to climb Osmeña Peak. Don't ask how he arrived at that thinking. It's another long story. Anyways, he said that request, and I, being a local of the place (have I told you I am a local of Dalaguete, Cebu) didn't find the idea appealing at first. Not to mention that I mentally calculated the energy I have to spend for the activity.

THE view from the top

Luckily, a few people from our office had the same plan, on the same weekend. We ended up meeting each other at Mantalongon Market (the drop off of the local rides -habal-habal). They we're all geared up for the climb and overnight. Us, on the other hand had our rubber shoes, sweaters and a few ml of water.. and ohh, a few cookies for energy boost. We were "somehow", prepared too. hahaha

Mantalongon, or the "Little Baguio" of Cebu is 15-20 minutes away from the Dalaguete town proper. Habal-habal is the usual means of getting there. If you are from the city and is not so particular about airconditioned buses, you can also ride the mini-bus which is stationed at Taboan Market. The bus will take you straight to Mantalongon market.

goodness, the veggies here are soooo cheap. due to my excitement, i forgot to to take pic of my more than 5 kls of stash, which btw, cost less than Php 150.

Told yea, they're all geared up

It is a 2 hours walk/climb if you will start at the original starting point (the groto). I guess, due to improvements of the road, you can shorten that climb to just 30 minutes. Yes, they opened wider roads, wide enough for cars to pass and the second starting point is now at the bottom of the hill where the entrance fee is collected. Yes, there is 20 pesos entrance fee now (it was not like that during my last climb -which was like 10 years ago). Also, you can climb with ease and camp with luxury because there are local kids who serves as guides and "kargadors". They will carry your bags, your groceries, water, tents, cooking materials, anything you wish to have at the peak. You see, Osmeña Peak now open even for non-climbers.

But, if your goal is to sweat up while enjoying the company of fellow climbers and the view along the way, I strongly suggest you try the long and not-so-easy (for non-climbers) route. The feeling of success when you reach the peak is totally different if you invested 2 hours of walk and gallons of sweat. This is what you will miss if you go the easy way..

local kids fetching water

rows and rows of cabbage

this is one of the items in hubby's bucket list.
the basket is empty though..because when we asked
what is the weight if its full -its a whooping 200 KILOS!!!

Osmeña Peak,

Mantalongon, Dalaguete, Cebu

xoxo

Travel : Southwestward

It was a weekend getaway that we planned. But the planning stopped there. Up to the last minute, we have not decided where to go. So, while the taxi is heading to the South Bus Terminal we did a toss coin -Head=Moalboal, Tail=Alegria. 

This is how the weekend went:

Day 1 was all about Costa de Leticia. 
Day 2 was Suroy-suroy Sugbo. 

*The plan was Kawasan Falls, Basdaku then Molave Milk Station -or that was at least "the plan". What really happened was this.. 
1. Multicab ride to Badian (originally to Kawasan Falls), but while on the cab the driver told us that Kawasan Falls is still close to public. So, we ended up at Badian Public Market. Had Lunch and then waited for the "next ride". (Basdaku was cancelled due to "unexpected" events.) hahaha 
2. Ceres Bus ride to Molave Milk Station. We had our treat -ice cream from cow's milk and Kiseo from carabao's. 
3. Multicab ride to Carcar. It was a Sunday afternoon and most buses were "standing" so we ended up on a cab again! We were hoping to hitchhike but maybe.. our faces are not trustworthy enough because nobody stopped to the "thumb sign". 
4. Multicab ride (4th one) to (supposedly) Minglanilla (for KMK's station). While on the cab, we thought of stopping by at Junpin's house for one bottle. Unintentionally, all our Southwest trips ends up @ Junpin's. 
5. Taxi ride to Home. 
Just see the pictures for the real action..

all our bags are packed we're ready to go

Lunch @ Mang Inasal first, while we decide where to go..

*hihihi doing my nails while waiting for the bus to depart

and finally we arrived @ the Home By The Water..

Costa De Leticia was privy and a fairly new resort so the place was still well-kept. For a quick rundown, hmmm.. They had free wifi and breakfast, which is just expected for a 3000 Php per night resort, right? :) They had 1 infinity pool, an indoor and outdoor resto, their rooms (or at least, the one we got) was spacious the bed was a marshmallow, the restroom was nicely decorated with hot and cold water, the towels and linens looked and smelled clean (which is REALLY important for all resort who would provide free use of towels). The service was fairly fine too. For the not-so-good things, the food was not-great (they badly need a cook). The cable tv sucks!

@ Costa de Leticia

oh, another plus point - I love how the intricate details of their interior. It added "class" to the resort.

Okey, moving on to Day 2.

Breakfast and a little swim

L-R, U-D: Hubby's hitchhike challenge, Cab ride from Alegria to Badian, Badian Public Market, Photo op @ a waiting shed near the Molave Milk Station (while waiting for our ride to Carcar)

We had Ube flavored Ice Cream and Kesong Puti. 

  Just a little FYI. 13 KM from Carcar (Southwest ward) and you will arrive @ the Molave Milk Station. It is actually a farm, but only the portion where the station is open to the general public. A private tour could be scheduled if you have access to the owners of the farm. The station sells ice cream, shakes, cheese and of course milk, fresh from cows and carabaos. The ice cream comes in different flavors, ube, strawberry, chocolate and buko pandan were the available ones when we went there. You can also choose if you want the cow's milk or the carabao's.

xoxo

Molave Milk Station

Barili, Cebu

Costa de Leticia Resort and Spa

Alegria, Cebu

www.costadeleticia.com