11 Island Panubigan, Zamboanga City

11 Island Panubigan, Zamboanga City

Posted by the thick key on December 31, 2017 in 11 islands, 11 islands zamboanga city, island hopping in Zamboanga, zamboanga beach,

They say love is sweeter the second time around. In deed it is.

It was my second time visiting the 11 Islands in Panubigan, Zamboanga City and it definitely was sweeter than the first time. I fell in love with this place on the first time and I fell in love even more this time. The weather was perfect. The water was clearer. And most of all, it was a DIY (do-it-yourself) adventure which is my thing.

Check out the vlog here: 

The 11 Islands in Panubigan is now an emerging tourist destination in Zamboanga and other nearby cities. More and more people are getting aware of this hidden gem that has been unknown for quite some time. With the rise of social media popularity, photos and stories are easily shared and propagated. That's how this secret gem was disclosed. Also, the improved security of the local government has made this place easy and safe to visit. These islands used to be infested by pirates. Now it is swarmed by tourists.

For this trip, we hopped first on Bisaya-bisaya Island. Bisaya-bisaya island is endowed a beautiful white sand beach and majestic rock formations. Once you get on to the island, the first thing you'll be amazed about is its white sand beach with fine sand and clear water. It will temp you to dip yourself in the water and swim. However, you also see the rock formations that entice you to discover itself. So you tell yourself to do the swimming later and explore the rock formations first. You get your camera and start taking selfies and groupies with the boulders and sea as the background. You walk further through and you discover more rock formations with colors ranging from brown to green to orange. You have the rocks on the right side and sea on the left. As you keep on exploring, you would not expect that you already circumnavigate the whole Bisaya-bisaya island.

Unfortunately, many are still hesitant to visit this place. But with proper coordination with the local government of Panubigan, there's nothing to worry about safety. The Brgy. council of Panubigan provides escorts for security to ensure the safety of every tourists. They provide AFP personnel, all buffed to ensure your safety. However, you'll need to coordinate with the Brgy. Panubigan at least a week before so they'll have a time to prepare for a escorts. Visit them in their Barangay Hall to schedule a trip. 

How to get there?

Good news! We finally got the contact number for you to coordinate with the Brgy council of Panubigan.
If you're interested in visiting 11 Islands, you may reach.

MHOY BUAH or TARIH ASMAJIN
0906-855-2497

A Big thanks to Dave Fabian Gramatica for making this trip smoother for us

How to get there? 

For commuters, from Zamboanga City
1. Take a curuan-bound van from the van terminal in Tomas Claudio, Zamboanga City (near Gateway Mall) 70 pesos
2. Drop-off at Brgy Panubigan and take the Habal-Habal to Panubigan Brgy Hall. 20Php
3. Look for the Brgy Official you coordinated with at the Brgy Hall, he will lead you to the boat ride to Bisaya Island which is just few meters away. Boat Ride to Bisaya-Bisaya Island = 150 round trip.

If you have your own wheels, drive straight to Panubigan Brgy Hall and find the coordinator. :)

How we got there (the best way) IMO

Since there was 11 of us visiting the island, we rented an entire van to bring us straight into Panubigan's Brgy Hall where the boat's docking station is. The van operators normally charges 2500 pesos for the van service to-from Panubigan. However, depending on your haggling skills, you might get a cheaper deal. Luck us, we were able to close the deal at 180 pesos pero pax. That's 1980 pesos for the 11 of us. Good deal!

Our expenses breakdown (per Pax)

Van to boat ride = 180 pesos

Boat to Bisaya Island = 150php

Food and water= 100 (there is no food and potable water for sale in the island, you need to bring your own)

ENJOY 👍👍👍

MORE PHOTOS HERE

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Lantawan Grassland, Zamboanga City

Lantawan Grassland, Zamboanga City

Posted by the thick key on December 28, 2017 in lantawan grassland, lantawan grassland zamboanga, lantawan pasonanca, pasonanca zamboanga city, zamboanga city,

Here's where you can find the best view of Zamboanga City. Lantawan Grassland in Zamboagna city is such a romantic place and getting to here is literally no-sweat and easy!

This has become one of my favorite places in my city because it so near the yet, when you get here, it is as if you are far from the hustle-bustle of the city. It is so quiet that all you here are the sound of the birds, the breeze and forest, which is just right behind the Lantawan hill. The view of the city is spectacular. It is probably the widest angel of view of the entire Zamboanga pueblo. 

From the Lantawan Grassland, you could also see Mt. Pulong Bato, a popular destination of the Zamboanga local especially during holy week and you'll notice that the Lantawan Grassland has a higher elevation than the cross in Pulom Bato. On the opposite side of the city view lies the Pasonanca Natural Park Watershed, which is one of the oldest watersheds in the whole Philippines. Isn't that cool!?

Here a video montage of this trip

How to get here.

Ride a Pasonanca jeep to Pasonanca Holy Trinity Church or Red restaurant for 9 PHP. Then, take a habal-habal ride to the the grassland for 200 PHP (2 pax back and forth) and you're there! 

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Buluan Island Ipil Zamboanga Sibugay

Buluan Island Ipil Zamboanga Sibugay

Posted by the thick key on December 27, 2017 in beach, buluan island, buluan island marine sanctuary, buluan island travel, island, mindanao travel, zamboanga city, zamboanga sibugay,

This is probably one of the best islands I've been that is near my hometown. Buluan Island in Ipil, Zamboanga Sibugay is just 4 hours away from Zamboanga City, my hometown. It boasts a white sand beach, intact and pristine coral reefs, and a tropical paradise that is Instagram-worthy. 

Buluan Island is a marine sanctuary. Meaning, it is a protected area. Fishing and other activities that are harmful for the marine environment are strictly prohibited. That just gives us an idea of how beautiful the corals are in this paradise, all preserved well. You'll see small fishes, corals of different designs and color, giant clams, and if you're lucky enough, you might see a sea turtle wandering around the reef. That's how preserve this island is!

Check out this vlog I made for this trip:

Getting to Buluan Island was surprisingly easy. From Zamboanga city, we just took an Ipil bound bus in Zamboanga terminal then disembarked at Brgy. Buluan (that's about 4km before Ipil town porper). Then, we took an habal-habal ride from the highway to the residence to Ma'am Rosalie, the owner of the boat that took us to the Island. Finally, we took a pump boat ride to the island. It'll only take 15 to 20 minutes.  

If you're not sure where to disembark off the bus, don't you worry because the bus driver or kondoktor knows where to drop you off. Just tell them you're heading to Buluan Island. But if your still hesitant, then the best option is to disembark at the Ipil bus terminal where there are many habal-habal drivers that are more than happy to take you to Brgy Buluan Island.  

Our contact person for this trip was Ma'am Rosalie. She is the owner of the boat that took us to the island. She prepared for our habal-habal ride and snorkeling activities. We already contacted her 2 days before the trip for the boat reservation. Everything went smoothly because of her. We took her number from another Buluan blog post here: http://ujalmocera.com. 

Here's Ma'am Rosalie's phone number:  +63936528192 

So here the break down of our expenses: 

Fare from Ipil to Buluan: Php 500 round trip (rough estimate)

Habal habal to the boat's docking station: Php 60 round trip

Boat ride: Php 500 round trip

Snorkeling gear: Php 100

Boat ride to the best snorkeling sites: 500 php

Buluan island is so beautiful that it needs to be preserved well. So if you're visiting this place, please do me a favor. Let's leave nothing and take nothing in/from this island. 

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog. :)

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Jonglo Korean Restaurant, Malate Manila Philippines

Jonglo Korean Restaurant, Malate Manila Philippines

Posted by the thick key on December 23, 2017 in food, Jonglo Korean, Jonglo Korean Restaurant, korean food, Malate Manila Philippines,

I've seen this Korean restaurant in the internet where in guests, aside from devouring Korean delicacies, wear Korean cultural clothes, the Hanbok. I thought it was cool and awesome. So we decide to visit the restaurant and try it ourselves.

It was late in the evening and the Festival of Lights show in Ayala Triangle, Makati was over. We were hungry so we we headed to our next stop, Jonglo Restaurant in Adriatico St Malate, Manila PH, where all other Korean stores and restaurants are located. The restaurants stays open for 24 hours. Anyone can come here anytime of the day.

It took us about 30 minutes to get to the restaurant from Makati. Fortunately, the traffic wasn't that bad. When got in the restaurant, the lady service crew approached us and asked if we're going to wear the Hanbok. We said 'yes' then she instructed us to climb upstairs where the Hanbok closets are located. We climbed up and there we no chairs. You just sit on the floor like the traditional Koreans and Japanese do when dining. We took our shoes off, headed to our table; sat on the floor and selected our order from their menu.

Apparently, wearing the Hanbok is free. However, you can only wear it if your order is least 350php per head. That's their rule for the Hanbok. There were only two of us. So for us to be able to wear the Hanbok, we would have to order at least 700php! That's quite a lot of food to shove in our throats. The food is reasonably priced so 350php worth of food for me is already pigging out. We still went through with our order because we really wanted to wear the Hanbok for the Korean experience.

While we waited for our food, we went to the closet and picked our choice of Hanbok. There were many Hanbok to choose from; for gents, ladies, and also for little kids. We weren't really sure how to wear them so we asked the service crew but she was a bit moody, almost rude. Luckily, we were in a very good mood that I thought she was just very tired already. So we just figured out how to wear them ourselves. There were also other friendly customers that were very kind and showed us how to wear them.

So how's the food? Was it good? It was ok. It wasn't bad. I've been to other Korean restaurants and they tasted better. However, the Hanbok experience is one of a kind. I'd still recomemnd it :)

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