Alegria & Badian, Cebu

October 2019 - Badian, Cebu // 

I honestly think that it's long past due for a trip to Cebu. Most likely, when there's an opportunity to travel, I've always considered solo backpacking Cebu but I ended up visiting another island, lol. My chance finally came during our days off from work.

It was midweek, and at early dawn, we flew and took an hour plane ride from Manila to Mactan. I was with my office buddies, Gale and Jeff. We planned to have our breakfast in Cebu City but we decided to head straight to Alegria. We took a cab from the airport to the South Bus Terminal then we hopped on a Ceres bus en route Bato via Barili. We anticipated that we'd be in Alegria in just 3 hours time but we were surprised by the long journey. Okay, we did not do a lot of planning and research. It was a spontaneous trip, just asking the locals around adds excitement to our lives, lol. And so, we arrived in Alegria at around 11 am and we were all hungry, tired and sleepy since we didn't get enough rest all the way from work. Despite, Hostel La Vista's vibe is homely, I really loved how the dormitory stood at a beachfront with the view of the calm and serene sea waters. The hostel's owner, Charlie warmly welcomed and accommodated us to our room.

The Cebu packers L-R: Jeff, Gale and me 

After we got settled in, we headed out to have our lunch. Charlie invited us to join them for the whale shark watching tour in Oslob but we planned to idle the rest of the day, so he just recommended a nice place to eat, Dulot Bar and Grill. There and then, my cramps began. Duh-oh! I bought some remedy at a nearby store to ease the pain. I also started feeling anxious as we were scheduled to do the canyoning activity the next day. I already contacted Jham of South Cebu Outdoor Adventures and Byaheng Cebu Budgetarian the moment we arrived at the airport. Eventually, the meds started to sink in and I was a bit feeling better. We idled for the rest of the afternoon and strolled a little around the Alegria Plaza.

Dulot at night

In the evening, we enjoyed a few beers over karaoke, lol. By the time we're done at around 9 pm, we were told that public transportation in Alegria is only until 7 pm. Basically, we had to walk back through the dark road to our hostel. Thankfully, someone from the restaurant volunteered to drive us back to our hostel!

At 7 am the following day, Jham and his friends picked us up from the hostel. We were all set for the day's extreme activity. I still felt sick and uneasy but I had been looking forward to this! Moving fast forward, at their registration base we were introduced to our tour guide, Brian. For a few minutes, we did our gear and equipment preparations, he also briefed and instructed us about the do's and dont's of canyoneering, then we rode a habal-habal for 15 minutes up to the drop-off point. There was another briefing at the barangay.

Ready or not? Here we come :))

We started off with a 40-minute hike down to the starting point where the series of cliff jumps began. It was a gradual trek down the mountain, thank goodness. It was my first time to trek that I was not 100% feeling well, so I had to be extra careful. The unexpected happened and the show must go on. Predominantly, I love the mountains, the flora and fauna, the sound and scent of the woods, the feel of the forest. And even I'd be sick as a dog, I would enjoy and relish the moment.

Stalactite Galore

More than that, I have patient, helpful and considerate company of friends along with our tour guide. After a while of walking in the woods, we finally reached the river and we had to do the first jump to pass into the canyon. And guess what? I volunteered to be the first one to jump. I watched a lot of canyoning videos before and I thought it would be easy. I was wrong. I nervously stood there at the edge of the cliff for a couple of seconds and almost went blank, hahaha! Brian gave his first words of encouragement and at the count to three, I plunged into the deep, turquoise waters -- SPLASH! 

First jump happens here!

That was a rush! I couldn't believe myself doing that jump after all. But we continued treading the canyons, passing through river streams, doing a lot of climbing, scrambling, crawling in cave-like rock formations, swimming then floating in deep waters, and of course, sliding as well as jumping off cliffs! It was terrifying at first but it also gives you the feeling of relief when you've done it and somehow conquered your fear at the end. I enjoyed everything we did there. Brian took all of our magnificent photos and videos.

Three ducklings floatin' lol

Look at that magnificent view of the canyon

Sliding thruuuuuuuu...

STRICTLY...

We skipped the last 50 feet jump and will be the reason for me to get back! I was not really aware of the time but I guess by lunchtime we were already at the Kawasan Falls. I had another death-defying experience there, where I swam UNDER the heavy currents of the waterfalls, lol, of course with Brian's helping hand, he persuaded me to do it for all that, dayumm. Our canyoning adventure was a hit! I loved it despite my ill condition. It lasted for 3-4 hours, we started at around 9 o'clock in the morning and was able to finish the course by around 12:30 noon time. 

Our awesome canyoning guide, Brian

After the tour, we had  a generous recovery meal, thank you so much, Byaheng Cebu Budgetarian! Jham drove us back to our hostel and we rested and idled for a couple of hours. At around 4:30 in the afternoon he took us to Lambug Beach to see the sunset.

Bozz Jham of Byaheng Cebu Budgetarian

It was actually raining in Alegria but by the time we got to Badian, the skies were all clear. I instantly fell in love with the view of the beach. It has the unspoilt and reticent vibe but also stunning. I hope it does not get commercialized in the future. Lambug Beach is open to the public where you can just pitch your tents. We stayed there for a while to watch the setting sun and my friends also took a dip in the cool seawater.

Badian Sunset with beach dogs

That pretty sums up our thrilling, action-packed and lovely Cebu daze. We did not try to squeeze in a city tour the next day because we just wanted to relax for the rest of our remaining time in Alegria. 

Plus, Charlie's uncle grilled some tuna fish for our dinner that night and it was sooooo delicious. We did our best in bumming the following day and right before we left, Charlie gave an advice to skip the city's traffic. Unfortunately, we had to pass through that to get to the airport. We were told that buses do not pass through SM Seaside anymore. 

our host, Charlie of Hostel La Vista

Anyhow, the saddest part of the our story is coming back home to Manila! Daaaaamn. I will surely miss the vibe. I am thinking of going back next summer to do the 50 feet jump and hoping that I would be in 100% good body condition. I love you, Cebu! Daghan kaayong salamat, Cebuanos!

Travel Expenses Draft:

PAL air tickets RT - 3,197
Hostel La Vista - 3,300/3 = 1,100 (2 nights)
Canyoneering Tour - 1,500/pax
*Ceres Bus -  203 x 2 (South Bus Terminal to Alegria VV)
*Taxi - 300/3 x 2 (Airport to South Bus Terminal VV)

Contacts:
Jham Letigio (Byaheng Cebu Budgetarian) - 09159967909
Hostel La Vista Cebu - 09275500862