I got a quick invite from my friends to visit Cebu. I was hesitant at first because I already visited Cebu last November of 2014 for our 2^nd Anniversary. (Check my blog post about the 4 days and 3 nights Cebu-Bohol Trip we had last November here)But when I checked Airasia, they have their introductory flight promo for Cebu-Cagayan Trip. So I didn’t think twice and booked immediately. I thought of visiting Cebu with a chance to see the gentle whale shark in Oslob when it was still at its peak and still not prohibited.

My friends’ flight is ahead of since they are coming from Davao. I arrived in Cebu around 3:00 pm of February 7. Since my other friends are still roaming around with their acquaintances, I also grabbed the chance to visit my best friend John. I am already familiar with Cebu so I told him that we will meet in Colon St. I commuted alone from the airport to Colon St. We had a mini food trip at Elizabeth Mall until we went to Sampaguita Suites near Robinsons Fuentes where my friends checked-in.

We prepared for a great dinner at Larsian. And guess what, the world is so small that I was shocked that somebody was calling my last name. I saw my college friend also having dinner at Larsian.

And after that, we went to Mango Square with my two barkada to have a drink while our other friends went to Osmena Peak at night with their acquaintances.

DAY 2: Oslob Adventure

I prepared the itinerary for the trip. I followed the directions I also got from the internet. We rode a taxi from Osmena Circle to Southbound Terminal around 2am. From there, ride on a bus. The fare, if I remember it right is P150, for sure it’s less than P200. Ask from the conductor which bus will take you to Oslob. Just tell the conductor to drop you at Oslob and remember to remind them so they won’t forget. The travel will take around 3-4 hours.

Tip: It is better if you travel early so that you will arrive early. When you start your whale watching around 8am or 9am a lot of tourists are also present. So the area where the whales are swimming is already crowded.

We arrived at the resort around 6am. I recommend to have the whale watching at MB Sunrise View Resort since they have lockers to deposit your bags, they have comfort rooms for shower and they also serve breakfast.

We paid P500 per person for the trip with free snorkel and life vests and P500 for the underwater camera since we don’t have and that’s for the group. I think I paid less than P600 for it.

So we are ready…

The whole bunch of underwater experience…

So here are my Oslob buddies…

Later, I will share to my experiences. After swimming with the whales, we ordered breakfast. The resort can accommodate tourist who would want to see Tumalog Falls. The fee per person including the entrance fee and the motorcycle round trip fare is P120. From the resort, it will take around 10-15 minutes of motrocycle and 5 10 minutes walk on the steep road going to Tumalog.

Just tell the driver what time you would want to be fetch and they will come back. Afterwards, we went back to the resort to shower and have our breakfast. After everyone was set to leave, we waited for a bus bound to Cebu at the front of the resort.

We arrived at Cebu City around 4pm and rested at the hotel. After resting, me and my two best friends Rose and John went to the IT Park and walk around. We also went at Pizza Republic and finally at Ayala Mall. We also spent the night with other friends at Mango Square fr videoke.

DAY 3: TABOAN MARKET

From Sampaguita Suites, I invited Rose to go with me at Taboan market to buy some pasalubong. We bought dried fish, fish tapa, dried mangoes and the like.

We went back to the hotel and prepared for a quick lunch at Giligan’s at Ayala Mall. After which, I rode a taxi to airport.

The whole whale shark swimming and watching experience is truly awesome. It was a lifetime experience that I will never forget. But until now, I still feel the guilt that somehow I might be one of the cause of their pain. They are feed forcefully so that they will go near the tourists which is irregular to their eating lifestyle. It may be unintentional or intentional but most tourists would really touch them which is really harmful to them. I may sound so selfish if I wanted to stop the attractions but I wanted a more peaceful habitat for this gentle giants to live in. If only I can undo the experience for them to be transferred in a more peaceful place without abusive human interactions then I will. However, it has become a tourist attractions and has helped the economy of Oslob. But I hope, as much as possible, if we would really want to try the amazing experience, please make sure that they will not be harmed nor abused.