Oslob Expenses Daytour

Ceres Bus Fare                                30

  (Liloan Port - Tan-awan,Oslob)

Whale Shark Snorkeling                500

Underwater Camera Rental           550

Locker Rental                                100

  (Aarons Beach Resort)

Lunch                                            200

  (Sinigang na LapuLapu, 3 cups Rice, Softdrinks)

Habal-habal                                  200

  (Tumalog Falls & Plaza Cuartel)

Ceres Bus Fare                            140

  (Oslob - Cebu City)

                                           ------------

                            TOTAL     P    1,720

Last Day in Cebu, City

Right before my flight back to Manila, I made a quick visit to Basilica del Sto. Nino to offer a prayer, took some photos at Magellans Cross and Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral. I planned to check out Fort San Pedro but it was scorching hot afternoon so i decided to head to Mactan for my flight. However, right before we take the turn to the airport, i asked the cab driver to take me to Mactan Shrine. I didn't get to see the shrine the first time i went to Cebu back in 2012 so i cant miss it this time. True enough, it does seem like he was wearing diapers from the back. LOL. 

The cross is in some sort of support, maybe this is another result of the earthquake. Inside, you would also notice devotees offering candles and dances for the Sto. Nino. 

Light a candle and say your prayer of giving thanks and forgiveness. 

The outdoor Pilgrim Center in front of the Basilica.

You will notice the construction of the bell tower, right side of the church. This is a result of the earthquake back in October 2013. 

Basilica del Santo Nino

There is a small adoration chapel located at the left wing of the church. Just follow the long line at the left to get inside the chapel. There are guards inside the chapel that manages the devotees. They are really organized.

Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral

Mactan Shrine 

The entire trip to Cebu was exhausting but was all worth it. I got the photos that i need for my blog and i got to travel many tourist spots. I get to visit Siquijor and a quick trip to Oslob. Although, i still need to go back and explore the north side of the city. Cebu is rich with white sand beaches and different types of falls. You will never run out of places to visit when you are in the city. I've seen the photos of the sights to see northside from other blogger and i cant help but be excited. I'll go plan my next trip now! 

Tumalog Falls, Plaza Cuartel, Baluarte and Our Lady of Immaculate Concepcion Church in Oslob, Cebu

Aside from the Whale Sharks, there are a few other tourist spots that you need to visit in Oslob like the Tumalog Falls, Plaza Cuartel Baluarte and the Church of Immaculate Concepcion. The last 3 mentioned are located in Poblacion. You can hire a habal-habal for 200 or take a bus to get to these destinations. I recommend that you take the habal habal instead, for your convinience. 

The falls is a short drive uphill from the national highway and from the drop off point for vehicles, you need to walk downhill to get to the falls. Its actually easier to go down to the falls than to get back to the vehicle drop off point. Ugh! Im telling you, you'll be sweating and catching your breath once your back up. 

They have chairs and tables for picnic and changing rooms. 

Tumalog Falls

The water was really cold. 

 Plaza Cuartel

Museo Oslob 

Baluarte (watch tower)

Bench facing the boulevard.  

Church of the Immaculate Concepcion

Panorama of Plaza Cuartel

Whale Sharks in Oslob, Cebu

On the day of my birthday i travelled back to Cebu from Siquijor to meet the gentle giants in Tan-awan, Oslob. The whale sharks are getting  a lot of hype from social media and other forms so im not one to miss this. 

I catched the earliest boat ride out of Siquijor to Dumaguete and then another boat ride from Sibulan Port to Lilo-an. From Lilo-an Port in Santander I Hopped on a bus heading to Cebu and after 20mins we dropped off at the Whale Sharks Watching area in Tan-awan, Oslob. 

I didnt book any reservation for the Whale Shark watching so i asked around and the bus conductor referred me to Aarons Beach Resort, for just 100 pesos you will have your own locker and you can use their shower.

Aarons Beach Resort

All resorts have the same rate for Whale Shark Watching and Snorkeling. 300 for the former and 500 for the latter for 30 mins. 

Whale Shark Watching Area, 5mins boat ride from the resort.

Facing Sumilon Island

After settling the payments and getting the underwater camera that i rented I went to the briefing area with 7 Koreans whom i will be sharing the bangka with. It was a quick briefing on the do's and don'ts while interacting with the whale sharks. Make sure that you keep them in mind, unless you want to be imprisoned or pay a fee. 

Briefing Center

Once at the view point, you can already see the whale sharks going after the boat men that feeds them so they stay on the water surface. You can also smell that stinky fish smell in the area. Its tolerable though. 

If you cant swim, it is best to wear a life vest for your own safety. Anyway the boat men will just push you down to get a good photo with the whale sharks.

Merrman!

Mermaid!

I have the same pose! LOL!

  

Photobombed

Tired and Cold 

The go pro we rented was a complete fail. The photos were jammed with lines, over saturation and distorted images. So make sure that you examine yours prior and after getting ur photos which will be saved in a Compact Disc, test them. Ask the care taker in Aarons Resort to play the CD. The staff are nice and will be more than willing to oblige. 

Things that you should know:

1. whale sharks are only available from 6am till 12 noon. I dont know where they go after 12 but definitely its somewhere in the deep ocean.

2. Don't wear sunscreen. This is hazardous lfor the whale sharks. Let's keep them safe. 

3. Don't go near them. Keep a distance of 4 meters. There will be an instance that they bump you, this happened to me twice, swim away from them. Touching the whale sharks means jail time for at most 6 months.

4. Don't use flash on your camera. Whale sharks are extra sensitive to light. 

5. Be nice to them. Just take photos and nothing else. 

The experience overall with the whale sharks was one of a kind. Its one for the book because its not like everyday that you get to swim with these sharks. They were gentle and they dont eat human flesh, thats for sure.