The Philippines: Simply Paradise
First, we took cabs to the HK international airport at 10 p.m. on a Thursday. Our flight arrived in Cebu, Philippines, around 2 a.m. We then proceeded to the Cebu Pier and took a ferry at 6 a.m. to Bohol, an island off of Cebu. After a 40-minute van ride to Alona Beach, it was around 9 or 10 a.m. the next day, and I was exhausted. However, all of this proved completely worth it, because we had finally arrived in paradise.
On our first day, we simply stayed at our resort, layed in the sun, and got a massage. Hayahay Resort on Alona Beach had everything we could ask for, including Mango shakes anytime we wanted them, but if they didn’t have what we wanted, we simply walked to one of the neighboring resorts. We found that it rained in Bohol pretty often, but thankfully only for a few minutes at a time– then it quickly cleared up and then sun emerged again! Below is a picture of the fantastic rain clouds.
On the second day, we arose at 4:30 a.m. to hop on a boat and go dolphin watching. An interesting phenomenon– around 20 boats had similar ideas and were filled with tourists, so every time there was a dolphin sighting, the boats would scare them away by all rushing after them. Therefore, we did not see as many as we would have liked. We then proceeded to Balicasag Dive Resort on another island near Bohol. We ate breakfast there, lied in the sun, and went snorkeling! Some of my greatest fears include heights, deep water, fish, and falling, yet somehow, this experience encompassed them all and helped me to (sort of) get over them! The coolest part was this: there is a scene in Finding Nemo where the reef drops off, and all they can see is the dark, blue, open sea. Nemo is warned against swimming out that way. Basically, we SAW that in real life. We suddenly looked down and the reef dropped off! All you could see is the dark blue depths! Incredible! It was kind of like this except muchhh more dramatic!
As we returned to Alona Beach by boat, we had the boat stop in the open water, and of course we all took turns jumping in for a swim! After going snorkeling (and seeing pretty good sized fish while getting bitten by mini-jellyfish) we were almost afraid to find out what might be swimming underneath us! Here is the sunset of that evening:
Other highlights of the trip included a trip to the famous Chocolate Hills. Unfortunately, we arrived on the off-season, but usually the hills are brown and apparently resemble my favorite sweet! However, it was still beautiful while green. 
On the last day, I jet-skied for the first time, and loved it. The feeling of freedom I got from ripping around on the open sea was just incredible. We then engaged on our 10-12 hour time period of transportation back to Hong Kong. Although tedious, it was completely worth it!
I felt as though this was a “real” vacation. All of the other ones consisted of massive amounts of sightseeing and such, which is amazing, but sometimes you just need a break. On this trip, I could relax and do exactly what my heart desired, eat good food, get a few massages. It really was the life, and I absolutely loved it!
Responses
Please note that responses close after 90 days.
11.30.09
7:24 pm
Hi MK!
Glad you enjoyed this post! Definitely look into going abroad–it is a blast! I am currently in Hong Kong, but have been traveling Southeast Asia while here this semester. I travel mostly with a mix–there’s one other girl here from U of I with me, and we became good friends. We also became close with a variety of other people, and those are the people we vacationed with to the Philippines!
If you have any other questions about studying abroad, let me know!
Trisha
Leave a Response
Please note that responses close after 90 days.
MK
11.28.09
9:32 pm
Wow,
I luv ur post! I’m currently a freshman here (ECE) and definitely lookin’ at study abroad…where did u go for yours? and who did u vacation with…solo, new frnds or frnds from UofI, or something of both?
Ch,
M.