According to national geographic, whale sharks are “the largest fish in the sea, reaching lengths of 40 feet or more,” but they are gentle and calm. 

On the last full day of our Cebu trip, my family and I woke up at four am to get ready for the day. We readied our belongings, packed our lunch, and made sure our phones and cameras were fully charged. At five am, our driver picked us up to drive us down to Oslob. It took about two hours to drive from Moalboal to Oslob. We all fell back asleep because it was too early, and after the two hour drive, we woke up at our destination.Oslob's Whale Shark Watching. We paid our fees, met with our guide, and got on the boat.

FYI- There’s a P500 fee for people who speak Tagalog and a P1000 fee for those who speak foreign language. Also, YOU CAN’T WEAR SUNBLOCK.

As our guides kayaked out, you can’t see the whale sharks from afar. However, once we got to the middle, we were able to spot them going around the circle of boats. As soon as our guides said we could go in the water, I put on my snorkeling goggles, took off my life vest, and was the first one off the boat. I swam towards the whale sharks and watched it before trying to get photos. How could I not take the opportunity to watch such beautiful and delicate animals? 

We spent a good amount of time watching the whale sharks and taking pictures with them. When our time was up, we kayaked backed to shore where we washed off and ate lunch.

After Oslob, we drove back north towards Badian for our last stop- Kawasan Falls.  Before going to Cebu, I told my aunts and cousins that the main reason I wanted to go to Cebu was for Kawasan Falls. I saw videos and pictures of it on Facebook and Instagram, and wanted to see it for myself. After a thirty minute walk, we get to the waterfall. It did not disappoint. The water is blue. Trees and plants enclose the waterfall. There are picnic tables surrounding the area where you can eat and relax. It’s a stunning site. The only downside to having the picnic tables are the big groups that gather and crowd around. It was crowded and the surrounding grounds are very slippery. Nonetheless, it's a beautiful place. After taking pictures in front of the waterfall, we had the opportunity to go under it. We got on our stomachs on the bamboo raft and the guy pulled us towards the waterfall. As we prepared to go under the waterfall, the guy described it as a “hard massage.” But it felt more like a quick neck beating. HA. 

Now, time for pictures

That’s it for my Cebu adventures! Thank you for your time and for reading about my experiences while in Cebu. I hope you enjoyed reading about them and looking at the photos as much as I had writing about my experiences. Shout out to my aunts and my two cousins who went on this crazy, packed, sleepless adventure with me. 

A month ago, I came to the Philippines to visit my grandpa and the many relatives I moved away from when I was six years old. When we all reunited last year, I promised to return again to create happy new memories with everyone. I did just that this past month. I’d like to give a BIG thank you to my mom’s family (my grandpa, all the Lugay sisters, husbands, and cousins) for all your generosity, love, and care while I’ve been here in the Philippines and during my island hopping trips. I have jokes I can only make with my family here at the Philippines because no one else will know how to understand it since they weren’t here. I have pictures I get to look at and know I’ve been to a place I didn’t think I could travel to. I have so many stories that I get to carry along with me and an abundance of memories I get to keep because this past month has been full of experiences. I get to love because I have been loved by the most loving, caring, and thoughtful individuals. None of my adventures could’ve happened without any of you. Thank you. I love each and every single one of you.

There are over 7,000 islands here in the Philippines and I plan on seeing as much of them as I can. I’m just getting started….

Till next year!

“Traveling is a brutality. It forces you to trust strangers and to lose sight of all that familiar comforts of home and friends. You are constantly off balance. Nothing is yours except the essential things. -air, sleep, dreams, the sea, the sky. -all things tending towards the eternal or what we imagine of it.” – Cesare Pavese

Aguinid Falls was a whole lot of fun. Aguinid Falls originally has 8 levels, but when we did the tour, there were only 6 levels open. I would love to give a big shout out to our two tour guides who made our experience memorable. They were patient with us, helped us through the challenges, and took so many photos for all our different cameras. Of course, I was the only one daring enough to climb the waterfall and enter the cave just to take pictures. Also, I got to slide down the boulders so that was a thrill on its own. We took longer at Aguinid Falls than we anticipated.

The second fall we visited the for the day is called Binalayan Falls aka Hidden Falls. Since we took a bit more time at Aguinid Falls, we had limit time at Hidden Falls since the sun was setting.  Before starting the trek to Hidden Falls, you need to pass a pathway of trees, which you have the option to either walk through it or ride motorcycles. Since we were running out of time, we decided to ride motorcycles. Once we started the hike, we hurriedly walked towards the waterfall since that was what we were excited to see most. When we arrived, one of the tour guides asked me if I was afraid to jump. Me? Afraid to jump? I’ve jumped off waterfalls, gone skydiving, and cliff diving, so I’m pretty sure I can jump this waterfall. What I didn’t expect were the different levels off the side to jump from. I started at the first level, made it to the second, and even did the third. When I finished, the tour guide tells me there was one more. I had to jump out of a hole! That was a surprise. But I guess what... I DID IT! It was exhilarating. Now see all the captured moments for yourself.

Aguinid Falls

Hidden Falls

If you ever find yourself at the south of Cebu, I recommend visiting Aguinid Falls and Hidden Falls! Aguinid Falls is really nice to take pictures at because of all the different waterfalls you pass by in order to get to the big waterfall. Hidden Falls is just as beautiful because when you see the three different falls all flowing at the same waterfall, it's kind of amazing how the water stays separated. Next up? Sharks. Or maybe whales. Catch you later!