TRAVELS AFTER THE LOCKDOWN
Travel restrictions were lifted last year to slowly revive the tourism economy of the Island of Cebu (Philippines). My first travel after the lockdown was at Moalboal, a beach town at the south of the island. We celebrated the birthday of my teacher on that trip. I still remember being so full of the food we had for lunch before leaving. You can read about the whole trip through the link below.
My second trip was quite meaningful. My colleagues and I went to Alcoy, another beach town in the south but the highlight of our trip was Dayhag Falls in Boljoon. It was my first time there and we weren't even supposed to go in because it was scheduled for a cleanup. We sort of trespassed our way to the series of waterfalls. I remember the house we stayed in was quite lovely. Read about it and the other things we did on that trip through the link below.
Part 3 of the series showcased two beaches on the opposite ends of the island. The first one was in Alegria (south) and the other one was in San Remigio (north). Both were good but I enjoyed the beach up north more because I was with family. Check out that trip through the link below.
OVERCOMING EXPECTATIONS
In this last part of my Travels after the Lockdown series, I will be sharing my trip to Olango Island, a small island located on the east side of Cebu, near Mactan Island. I have been to the island when I was a small boy and I couldn't remember much about that trip.
I've been practicing a daily morning meditation and I can remember setting an intention on that day. I wanted to feel joy and peace throughout my trip. I tried to avoid coming up with expectations so that I could better enjoy myself. I went with my girlfriend and it was her first time to go there. I wanted the trip to feel like it was my first time as well.
We took a ferry from Mactan Island to Olango Island. The weather was a bit gloomy but the waters at the port were calm. But when we neared the port in Olango Island, the waves became rough.
We docked at Santa Rosa and a long boardwalk greeted us. We didn't plan a lot about this trip (which is unusual because my girlfriend and I are both crazy about planning our trips). We just knew that when we arrived, we would go to the nearest bike rental shop and get bikes for us to go around the island.
During our walk, the sun was shining bright despite the thick clouds and the heavy waves we left behind at the dock. A tricycle driver approached us and asked if we needed a ride. We told him we just wanted to get to the nearest bike shop. He told us he'd take us there for free. We took his offer right away.
Olango Island is known for its Wildlife Sanctuary. Many people would bring their own bikes and travel around the island and visit the sanctuary. There are also a number of bike rental shops on the island for people who want to rent. It's very cheap at P20 (USD 0.4) per hour.
OVERCOMING A SKILL
Whe we arrived at the rental shop, I became a bit anxious. I'm not really sure if I knew how to ride a bike. I vaguely remember riding our old bike when I was a kid but I can't recall riding it for a lot of time. We brought the bikes on the road and tested them. My girlfriend had no problem riding her bike and I was struggling to set off.
I know how to drive a motorcycle and I thought to myself, "I must know how to ride a bike as well." It took a bit of patience and the right directions from my girlfriend before I was able to successfully ride my bike. I still had to pull the break once in a while because I was afraid I was losing control. Thankfully, I did not crash, hit other people or other bikers. I was almost hit by other bikers though, because I was riding at the middle of the road.
We arrived at our destination and I was really tired. We rested for a bit and had our lunch before going in to the Wildlife Sanctuary. The place was more famously known as "The Bird Sanctuary." What really impressed me, at first, was the variety of plants and mangroves teeming in the area. We couldn't see a lot of birds yet so we just enjoyed the scenery before us.
OVERCOMING THE UNFAMILIAR
We reached a point past the green shrubs and mangroves when suddenly everything was gray and dark. It felt like we were at a completely different place. I looked at some of the pictures and they almost appear black and white.
The clouds were getting darker and the wind was picking up. We were the only ones present at that part of the sanctuary. It was a bit scary. We saw a few birds here and there. We talked about how the location would be a good scene for a movie. We wanted to stay a bit longer but it was starting to rain and we still had to go to the viewing deck to watch the birds.
OVERCOMING TIME
When we entered the sanctuary, we were told that we only had 30 minutes to go around the whole place. If you wanted to take your time in the sanctuary, I think 30 minutes would be not enough. We were mindful of the time but we also thought that there was no problem extending for a few minutes.
We headed for the viewing deck of the sanctuary where we would get to see the birds, both local and migratory. There was a long walkway that stretched along a mangrove zone. It was low-tide at that time and we suspected that during high tides, the water would reach above the foot paths. We could see schools of fish on each side of the walkway.
A guide was stationed at the viewing deck. He was there to help people see the birds using the mounted telescope and his binoculars. He told us that there weren't a lot of birds around that day. I think he said the season for migration was November (if I'm not mistaken). Still, we were able to observe some birds feeding on the fish exposed because of the low tide. The guide even taught me how to take pictures through the telescope. I was able to snap a few pictures of some small birds.
OVERCOMING THE WEATHER
We left the Marine Sactuary and decided to look for a beach where we could swim before leaving the island. The weather that afternoon was not looking really good but it was still early and we still had time. We asked for the closest beach where we could go and people told us we to go to San Vicente Marine Sanctuary.
At first, I was confused why we were directed to another sanctuary when we just wanted to go to a beach. We also asked if the water would be deep enough for a swim since it was low-tide already. We were told the water there was always deep enough for a swim.
When we arrived at the place, I realized that it was not a beach near the shore. Instead, we walked through a long bridge towards "floating" cottages located in the middle of the sea. It was exciting! It was a smart idea to bring the people towards the sea where the water would always be deep enough for a swim.
We took to the waters right away. The water was cold and the strong winds made it colder. We swum for a bit and enjoyed the water before it became too cold for us. We did not stay for long before because the weather was becoming worse. We were afraid that the last boat trip going back to the mainland would be cancelled.
We thought we could take the second-to-the-last trip going home but when we arrived at the port, there was alread huge crowd of people. I think the boat trips were delayed because of the weather. We saw that the waves were really strong. I was afraid that the trip had been to be cancelled but the lady from the ticketing office assured us that the coastguard had not issued any advisories about the weather yet.
We had to wait for more than two hours for us to be able to ride the ferry going home. The trip going back was just wild! I had to close my eyes the entire time because I was feeling sick from the sight of the boat rocking so hard. Thankfully, we made it back to Mactan in one piece.
That boat trip was quite traumatic and I don't know if want to do that again. Still, my time on the island was fun and I really enjoyed myself. The peaceful time at the sanctuary with my gf was also precious.
And that's it! That ends my Travels after the Lockdown series. Thank you so much for taking the time to read my post and go through my photos. This series is special to me because it symbolizes the slow return of things to a version of normal after the pandemic.
Cases are still high in the Philippines and the National Capital Region and some of its adjacent cities are back on lockdown. I pray that the situation there gets better already.
I will still be posting travel blogs in the future, don't worry. My good friend 
I will be exploring new blog formats and content in the my next posts. Hive has been thriving and even more so with the increase of the value of the cryptocurrency.
Be sure to check out my next posts. See you!
