Cherished Travel

Palawod Festival: Fiesta in Bantayan Island

Posted on November 16th, 2010 by Temujin.
Categories: My Philippines, Cebu.

Fiesta in Bantayan Island is celebrated every June 29 and it is called Palawod Festival. A lot of local and foreign tourist have mistaken the town fiesta to be held during the Holy Week. But no it is on June 29. It is just that it is the town tradition to have an elaborate celebration during Holy Week. The highlight is the procession of life-sized images and icons during Maundy Thursday and Good Friday.

The Palawod Festival, which is the official town fiesta of Bantayan Island, comes from the word Palawod, which means to go out to sea to fish.

The Island’s main industry before it even became a tourist spot is fishing.

Like all Fiesta celebrated in the Philippines, the Palawod Festival is celebrated with dances, colorful costumes, and foods.

Photo Credits:
Gorio Digital

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Remembering Those Who Have Gone Ahead

Posted on November 2nd, 2010 by Temujin.
Categories: My Philippines.

Yesterday was November 1, All Saints Day. Like every year, Filipinos flock to the cemetery during these days to visit their love ones.

Yesterday I went to the cemetery very early in the morning and I was surprised to see so many people.

Remembering love ones who have already passed is very important to Filipinos.

It has been like this even since the time Jose Rizal.

I don’t know if it is like this in other parts of the world but in the two biggest cemeteries in Luzon, Manila North Cemetery and Manila South Cemetery, the number of people visiting could reach hundreds of thousands in one day.

Quite a spectacle to see if you are not one of the locals.

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Places to See on Bantayan Island

Posted on October 9th, 2010 by Temujin.
Categories: My Philippines, Cebu.

Aside from beach activities, there are also some nice places to visit in Bantayan Island.

1. Saint Peter and Paul Church
This church is five centuries old. It was founded by the Augustinians in 1580 and was built using coral stones.

In addition to its parish functions, the church also serves as a museum. A good place to visit to see antiques and arts made during the time of the Spanish colonization.

2. Fort of Kota Park
If you are in Madridejos, you can visit an the ruins of an old Spanish fort. The Fort of Kota Park. It was built sometime in 174 to protect the town people from marauding pirates and moro raiders who were said to kidnap children for slave trade . It is now a national heritage preserve and also serves as a park.

Don’t forget to visit the Fort of Kota watchtower. At the edge of the park there is a long connecting bridge (Bontay Baywalk) to the watchtower built far out to the sea. The tower is a three storey structure.

When you are at the top of the tower, you will be able to see ships and boats further in the horizon and you will also notice a lighthouse far away.

3. Floating Bar

There are a lot of restaurants in the Philippines that have unique concepts. When you are in Manila, you can eat at Dampa where you can buy fresh seafoods in a nearby wet market and your chosen restaurant will cook it for you.

In Quezon Province there is Kamayan sa Palaisdaan where the restaurant floats on a fish pond. and they serve fishes fresh from the fish ponds.

When in Tarlac, you can visit Isdaan in Geron, Tarlac. Another floating restaurant built on a fish pond.

Meanwhile, in Cebu there is Bantayan Island’s Floating Bar. The Floating Bar can be found in Santa Fe bay. It is a bar that floats several meters of the shore.

They serve cocktails, beers, juices, shoots, and softdrinks. For the food, they have sandwiches, sausages, pasta, fruit plates, and Halv Special (Swedish special).

They don’t actually prepare the food on the Floating Bar. What their crew does is text the order to the HR Music Bar on the shore. And then the foods are brought to the Floating Bar by boat.

The best time to visit the place is during the warm seasons. You can hang around the bar and refresh yourself with the cool sea breeze.

Other things to do in the bar is dive in the water or do some snorkeling.

4. Ogtong Cave

You can visit the Ogtong Cave in Santa Fe, Bantayan Island. It is a cave with an underwater pool.

A resort was built around the cave, Ogtong Cave Resort. But I would recommended you visit only the cave and not stay in the resort.

It seems that the resort has been built as a family vacation spot by the owners and not as a real resort. You may get disappointed with their service.

Photo Credits:
http://www.world66.com/asia/southeastasia/philippines/cebu/cebucity/lib/gallery/showimage?pic=asia/southeastasia/philippines/cebu/cebucity/octong_cave_santa

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Bantayan Island, Cebu

Posted on September 28th, 2010 by Temujin.
Categories: My Philippines, Cebu.

In a previous post we talked about the importance of preserving the environment. And we used the Bantayan Island in Cebu as an example. But what can we really find on this island?

Bantayan Island is a secluded beach in Cebu. It used to be one of Cebu’s secret get aways. But I believe that is not true anymore. A lot of resorts have sprouted in the area. But it’s still probably less busy than Boracay.

If you go to the Island during the summer, you will treat yourself to fine white sands, a blue wide open sky, a beautiful sunset, a laid back atmosphere, and affordable accommodations.

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Preserving the Environment: Bantayan Island, Cebu, Philippines

Posted on September 20th, 2010 by Temujin.
Categories: My Philippines, Cebu.

The Philippines is gifted with a lot of scenic places. But it has also become time for people to fight for their preservation.

We need to make sure that these scenic places are protected so that we’ll continue to enjoy them as well as our children and grandchildren now and in the future.

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