Swimming with Sea Turtles at Apo Island

It kind of worries me that I may not be able to travel anymore as often as I did before as guess what? I've got a new job. Yehey! That's the positive side of it though. But I can't deny the feeling that I will miss travelling really bad. With one day off in a week, I don't think travelling is a luxury I can enjoy anytime soon. However, for the "dream job," I must infuse the word sacrifice in my system. The drama! :-D

In the middle of the newly-launched "Pretty Girls" by Britney Spears and Iggy Azalea and the upcoming premier of Taylor Swift's star-studded "Bad Blood," I'm trying to figure out what I can do now on a Sunday, my first day off. I'm thinking about a lot of things---my pretty travels and if I can still do more within this year and my future, which I hope won't be a bad blood at all. But as the cliche goes, "Patience is a virtue" then I have to patiently wait for what's in store for me and at the same time do what I need to do in order to learn and grow!

So much about the worries and uncertainties in my life or in yours too if applicable, let me share to you another adventures I had for summer 2015. When my buddy and I went to Negros Oriental, going to Apo Island was on our list. And we were so worried we won't be able to make it after the unfortunate motorcycle fall we had going back to the city from the Twin Lakes. (Twin Lakes Balinsasayao---A Second Chance In Life)

Shot of Silliman Hall, one of the oldest American colonial structures in the campus.

STAYING IN COCO GRANDE HOTEL

Since I wasn't able to book a hotel thinking I'd still be left with a lot of options even if I booked late, we ended up staying in a quite pricey place, the sister hotel of COCO GROVE Siquijor, COCO GRANDE, which is situated in the city central and very close to my alma mater, Silliman University, which I also wanted my buddy to see. The price is quite excusable though because of the close proximity of the place to food centers, transportation options, and a hospital, which we badly needed for our bruises and abrasions. 

GOING TO MALATAPAY FLEE MARKET

The hotel also offers tour packages to different spots in Negros including Apo Island, but we chose to do the tour on our own like the usual. From the city central, we took a cheap jeepney ride of less Php 50.00 for my buddy and I going to Malatapay flee market in the town of Zamboangita. The place is quite familiar to me already having lived in the Negros Oriental for twenty years. :-D  Once you get there, just take a few meters walk from the highway to the coast where you can see passenger boats going to the island. There are packages for you to choose from. 

So then my buddy and I, with our bruises and abrasions, limped ourselves going to the coast. We did the same after the tour too. But going back to the city central, we took a regular bus ride through Ceres bus. The fare was a bit higher than the jeepney ride, but not too much for us to frown upon. 

View of a part of Apo island taken from our boat. The cottage you can see is the one affiliated to our hotel, Coco Grande.

PUMP BOAT RIDE TO APO ISLAND

When we reached the coast, we were left with two options. A Php 2,000.00 boat for rent, which was good for four persons and Php 3,000.00 for 5-8 passengers. I think we got lucky because we met two Filipina ladies from Manila who were on the same destination as us so we decided to share the boat fee with them and agreed on the time we'd leave the island. Oue boat men also adjusted on our time preference and were kind enough to give us tips and instructions. The boat ride took 15-20 minutes from the main island to Apo. The environmental fee to the island is Php 100.00!

FOOD, COTTAGES, TOUR GUIDE AND SNORKELING GEARS

From Malatapay, we bought 1/2 kg. lechon and took it with us to the island. After talking to a few locals, we were able to get a cottage for ourselves, which was Php 300.00, but given to us for Php 200.00. The owner of the cottage also offered to cook rice for us and buy a liter of soda for our lunch for a very minimal rate. Cottage + rice + soda = Php 300.00! Not bad for something we didn't expect, right? 

For the tour within the sanctuary though, hiring a guide is a must for Php 250.00. Each snorkeling gear would cost you Php 100.00 too. If you wish to really enjoy the stay, it's really worth it to avail of all these options. For us, we just rented a snorkeling gear and wore our flip-flops as we swam and paid for our guide. WARNING: There are sea urchins so make sure to wear a good and sturdy footwear with you if not flippers. 

Yes, this creature may be slow on land, but they are definitely fast underwater. I truly had a hard time keeping up.

ANOTHER SUNNY SURPRISE

From the secluded marine sanctuary we discovered in Siquijor, another pretty surprise enthralled us while en route to the main island at 3pm from Apo. I was, personally, shocked when our pump boat stopped in the middle of the sea. I thought our boat men decided to drop us all in the sea and steal our things, but I was just being too judge-mental. Hahaha In fact, they stopped because there were loads of dolphins swimming and they waited until the dolphins actually swam near our boat. Since our vehicle was small, we could really sea the wonderful sea creatures up close, but maybe not too personal. But it was fun and out of awe, I wasn't able to take photos of them. :-P

THE LUST FOR TRAVEL

The lust for travel is I think the most accepted and moral in all of its forms and I don't wish to graduate from being a so-called wanderlust. Travelling may just be put on hold for a moment, but it will definitely happen again soon enough. If my buddy will be back for another holiday soon, you know what to expect from me! :-D Hahaha I may not live like Brit and Igs and the future might not be as star-studded as Tay-Tay's "Bad Blood," but I will make sure it will be full of mad love! Insert soppy here! :-D

XoXo,

Red Eye

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