Cebu South Tour (Oslob and Samboan)

More fun in the Philippines indeed!!! The interaction fee goes for PHP 500 for Filipinos, PHP 1,000 for foreigners. This comes with a life vest, mask, and snorkel. Fins can be rented for PHP 150 a pair. For those wanting to stay in the boat and just observe the sharks above water, the fee is PHP 300 and PHP 500 respectively.

OSLOB WHALE WATCHING

But before you begin, you have to sit down to a short briefing outlining the dos and don'ts of whale shark interaction. Here are a few key things I came away with:

• Interaction is limited to a maximum of 30 minutes. At first, I thought 30 minutes was too short, but I soon realized that treading choppy waters whilst avoiding boats, people, and whale sharks can be very tiring, so 30 minutes is more than enough. This time limit helps keep things organized and moving as well.
• Sunscreen is not allowed. Hundreds, thousands of tourists leaving oily residue in the water can’t possibly be good for the whale sharks or the environment, so I’m glad they enforce this.
• Flash photography is not allowed. Self-explanatory.
• A maximum of six (6) tourists per whale shark. Less people, less stress for the animals.
• A minimum distance of five (5) meters from the head and six (6) meters from the tail must be maintained at all times. Again, to lessen stress on the animals and help prevent contact and injury (to both whale sharks and humans alike).
• Touching the whale sharks is strictly prohibited. An incidental touch here and there probably won’t be too harmful, but hundreds of hands intentionally groping the animal will undoubtedly cause it stress and potentially disease. Better to keep everyone’s hands off. This is the cardinal rule here, the intentional violation of which can be subject to a fine of PHP 2,500 and imprisonment of up to 6 months.

AGUINID FALLS

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Aguinid is just one of the 5 popular waterfalls in Samboan, located in Barangay Tangbo, a green, farming area of the municipality, and a feature that can easily amuse or attract visitors. You can see that each tier is unique and this feature makes it truly unique and incomparable with other falls in the area. Yyou need to exert some efforts to climb some rock walls in order to see the tiers themselves. But, it’s alright if you stick only to one of the tiers and not challenge yourself to reach the other tiers. The first tier of Aguinid is around 10 meters high and has about 5 feet deep water at its base where you can swim in and enjoy its refreshing effect. From this tier you can reach the second by walking for about 5 minutes. The third tier can be reached in another five minutes through the rock walls of the second tier. The fourth tier has the highest height (about 30 meters—that’s high enough!), which is about ten minutes’ walk from the third tier. Going from one tier to other tiers is not that easy since you need to be fit enough to climb the limestone walls, which are quite slippery hence dangerous. For that reason, most visitors prefer to stay only close to the first two tiers of Aguinid. The water falling from Aguinid runs for over two kilometers from its base and will converge creating what we call “Tangbo River” of Samboan. 

Mountain View

"Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better."
In this place, you will see a splendid variety of plants and trees. My favorite spot of many is the mountain deck, situated at the peak of the park. The deck offers a magnificent overlooking view of the city. It is a phenomenal experience.

Instagram is fun and quirky way to share your life with friends through a series of pictures. Snap a photo with your mobile phone and then choose.

SELFIE

'The Selfie' as we know it dated back to the 15th century, when artist across Europe most prolifically the German artist Albert Durer started creating works in which they themselves were the main subject.

Perhaps because of England's deep-seated suspicion of self-promotion, English artists were slow to adopt the new form, but selfies came to the British Isles through the arrival of a court painted England's earliest known self-portrait while imprisoned with the 'gentlemen pirate' Henry Strangwish. 

Social Media platforms such as facebook were initially created for networking, to help students to stay connected with their fellow students. It is now turned into a place to rant about one's bad day or brag about  one's lives. Why this selfishness, this need to turn the attention on oneself like that? Is this new generation an insecure generation who relentlessly need praise from people around them? Maybe it is because of its easy access. We live in a world of instant gratification. And in a world where everything is so instantaneous and moving so fast, it seems as there is a need for constant reassurance, a constant need to remind our entourage of our existence.

By becoming more self-absorbed and wrapped up in its own little own world, this new generation is trying to tell us something. They are more aware and are not afraid to speak their mind. They are more in control of their life than the previous generation, more entrepreneurial, and more interested in making impact in the world they live in. Maybe this selfie generation is on to something. By cultivating self-awareness, they know what their audience likes and do not like and, therefore, know how to target people and make an impact. With constant interaction with their audience, they know how to connect with them on a deeper level and become better marketers, for example.They are somewhat courageous as well by exposing themselves to the world and speaking their minds as they do. They learn early on how to cope with rejection and build themselves a self-confidence that some major heads of a corporation still do not know how to do.

One thing is for sure, this selfie generation has not finished impressing us. They may be self-absorbed and tad narcissistic, but they know what they want and I am sure they will succeed.

TAHO

 

What is Taho?

Taho is composed of tofu, brown sugar syrup, and sago pearls. Taho is a staple comfort food that can be found all over the country. Apart from being a cheap and satisfying snack, it is also considered to be a great breakfast option, especially since most vendors prepare their good before dawn.