“The Philippines is defined by its emerald rice fields, teeming mega-cities, graffiti-splashed jeepneys, smouldering volcanoes, bug-eyed tarsiers, fuzzy water buffalo and smiling, happy-go-lucky people.” – Lonely Planet
My husband and I just visited their museum somewhere at the mountain top in Grossglochner. I had already expected that I’d only see these creatures on screen or at their “most preserved” forms.
“Turn around. Look!” hubby was calling me out in a forcibly hush tone, so as not to scare them and run away.
We stopped walking, and I couldn’t believe what I saw.
“For real, I’m finally meeting my furry kinds at last!” I jokingly reacted.
Cute furry creatures in the Alps eh?
Marmots are large squirrels living in mountainous areas such as the Alps. These fluffy animals typically live in burrows and often within rock piles, and hibernate there through the winter. Most marmots are highly social and use loud whistles to communicate with one another.
My Lakbayan map is a constant reminder for me on how much I’ve explored the Philippines. Despite that I’ve been living away for over four years now, my latest map tells me that I’ve traveled around my home country more than ever before. I’m happy to report that my Lakbayan grade is moved a notch higher. It’s C+ now.
Our visit to Cebu and Dumaguete last year definitely added up. After that holiday, we actually didn’t expect that we would come back soon. Yet for some reason, we’re able to manage to visit the Philippines again. Though I also wanted to explore other places that I haven’t been, our return to Pinas for a holiday was another revisit of sorts for me.
We initially planned to visit Bohol this year, but an earthquake struck the said province last October that we decided to forgo the trip and go somewhere else. It was a choice between Camiguin and Dumaguete. We chose to go eastward.
A very promising itinerary was prepared for our visit to Dumaguete, but somehow along the way, it didn’t go everything smoothly as we planned. First, we weren’t able to go directly to Dumaguete. Instead, we spent the night in Bohol to take the ferry from there. Well, this overnight stay ain’t so bad at all. It suddenly became my husband’s surprise visit to the island, getting a quick taste of what it has in store. Unfortunately though in Dumaguete, we missed visiting the islands of Apo and Sumilon, and Oslob, the southern village in Cebu to see the whale sharks. This one was disappointing. It’s mainly because we got sick. We realized that the travel junkies in us deserved a much needed rest. And another booboo, I lost the captivating pictures I took all throughout the city stroll and the eco-tour. It’s devastating I know, but good thing, my husband was able to take photos of our nature trip.Yet despite all these, we still enjoyed our stay. Strolling around the town and visiting Balinsasayao and Danao twin lakes, Casaroro Falls and Red Rock hot springs, as well as dining in very nice restaurants, were the nicest things we did in Dumaguete.
This is the third part of CEBU ONCE MORE series. If you missed the first part, read it here – BE in Mactan. And the second part? Check it out here – Mactan Shrine & Sutukil.
Part of this post has been first published at The Filipino Expat. You can also check it out here – On Pinoy Malling and Cebu Lechon.
It was beautiful and sunny the following day we arrived, fitting for what we planned to do first in the city of Cebu. Since I’ve been here several times, as expected, I prepared an itinerary for the first-timer – my hubby of course! He had also been looking forward to this tour, as this was going to be the start for him to truly explore what my home country has in store, beyond the beach life that he’d ever been acquainted with.
This is the second part of CEBU ONCE MORE series. If you missed the first part, read it here – BE in Mactan.
Mactan Shrine Park is a must for first-time visitors in Mactan island. Here, you will see the shrines erected in honor of the two most significant figures in the Philippines history – Ferdinand Magellan, the Portuguese explorer who led the Spanish-commissioned expedition for the Spice Islands that resulted in the first circumnavigation of the world and the commence of discovery of the Philippines; and Lapu-Lapu, the chieftain of Mactan who bravely defended his sovereignty, through which it led to a battle that eventually killed Magellan.
