Wonders of Oslob

One trip that's long overdue would be a visit to the whale sharks in Oslob, Cebu. More than a year ago, the first sighting of the 'tuki' was made by Koreans on a boat and a fisherman who was with them. From that day on, people were swarming to Oslob to get a chance to see them up close. We desperately wanted to go, but the fear that there would be too many people lining up plus our busy schedules didn't allows us to make time for it until last Sunday when RB finally gave in and went with me to swim in the ocean with the 'tuki'.

Late after work on a Saturday, we prepared our things and decided to head out on the first trip to Oslob riding the Ceres bus. Just so we couldn't sleep while waiting at home, we went out to Mango area to meet up with friends and hang out... but instead fate led us to discover La Taverna and all its sumptuousness(that story on another blog entry). We got some food and drinks for the 2 and a half hour travel and then proceeded to South Bus Terminal around 3AM.

About 2 hours of sleep in, we woke up to a beautiful view of the sunrise, luckily we were seated on the left side of the bus and had the perfect sea and sky coastline to look at in awe. We were then dropped of in Tan-auan, Oslob, Cebu which is a no-miss since you can see so many signs that indicated 'Whale Shark Watching' along the road. About 6:00 AM, we went in BCD's place just next to the barangay registration for the whale sighting activities. We decided that was a better option since we would be well accommodated with showers, chairs and tables, hot water, and a warm welcome by the owners for only P50.00 entrance. 

As early as we were, there were a couple of people ahead of us and out in the ocean already, we registered for P500.00/person for swimming with the whale sharks. We added P550.00 for renting the OLYPMUS Tough Underwater Camera (unlimited shots with CD) which was already a good price for a quality camera, no regrets there. Other rates are as follows (municipality rate): Whale Watching- P300 for locals/P500.00 for tourists, Snorkeling (includes snorkel, life vest, camera fee, photographer/boatman)-P500.00 for locals/P1000 for tourists, Diving (bring your own equipment)- P600.00 for locals/P1200 for tourists.

We headed out after changing and left our things in the counter. There was then a 5-10 minute briefing of the rules when going out for the activities. Then,  It was just the two of us in the boat with two other boatmen. When we anchored alongside the other boats, we then sighted the first whale shark and it was exciting yet scary at first since it was so huge! 

I let RB go in first and then I followed in, anticipating when the whale shark will be near. We were lucky enough to have a good photographer/boatman who not just took pictures but even choreographed our photos, LOL. It was a good 30-40 minute experience with the 'tuki'. I was a bit anxious at first, I couldn't even get a good picture in, blame it on the very 'langsa' ocean filled with enormous fish and little fish following it plus the 'hipon' it was being fed by the roving fishermen. But a few more tries and I was enjoying every minute of it, RB and I had a lot of close encounters with the 'tuki' and I could say they were harmless (when not provoked) and though not allowed to touch them, some would come so close and their tails and fins would touch our feet and elbows. The sea was also very cooperative that day, we had a clear blue green ocean surrounding us that allows us to spot the 'tuki' swimming below us or coming up beside us.

The whale sharks were not what I expected, they were indeed very big and beautiful creatures that we should keep from being endangered. I hear talks that the activities would soon close down, which is sad since I am excited to go back and swim with them again. The people of Oslob were also very nice and blessed to have this kind of tourist attraction coming in. 

Came in face to face!

Leading him to me?

It was about 7:30AM when we hung out by the beach, ate breakfast, and took a good rest as we overlooked the whole activity from the shoreline. We were also able to buy some wild honey from a local vendor for P100.00 only, and mixed it with our coffee... yum! 

We then decided to go to Tumalog Falls since we could ride a motorcycle for P120.00/person going back and forth from the resort. The ride was breathtaking, you could see the view of the mountains and the sea that pictures do not do justice for the sight we saw. We paid P20.00 entrance and drank some fresh buko juice before we did some 2-3KM walk to the falls. It was hot and steep but it was worth it when you have a good view to accompany the track, plus the sight of the waterfalls ahead was so inviting. When we finally arrived, it was a sight to behold, we could not wait to bathe ourselves with fresh and cold water after all that salt and heat!

An hour later, the motorcycle driver came back for us and we walked uphill which was very difficult by the way, and enjoyed the view again as we went back to the resort.

We stopped by across BCD in a small eatery to have our lunch. BEWARE: OVERCHARGING AHEAD! We were not aware of this since they charged us about P250.00 for some squid and we decided to get 2 pieces of fried chicken and eggplant instead so we can save, but we forgot to ask for the price, assuming that it would be cheaper than the squid. I could not believe one piece of fried chicken leg that even had blood in it still was P100.00. I know, yuck! This was the one thing that irritates me when we travel, when fellow Filipino try to cheat on fellow Filipinos. Anyway, karma on them... we just decided to eat so we wouldn't get hungry and went back to the resort for a quick power nap by the beach.

After an hour we changed to dry clothes and headed out to the central area so we could visit the church, the cuartel, and baluarte; these were old ruins of the old structures in Oslob dating back to when the Spaniards were overruling the Philippines. We paid P10/person as we rode the jeep to the 'lungsod' of Oslob. It was a beautiful sight and a good ending to our day trip. We then headed back to Cebu with happy hearts and already planning the next trip!

For all other travelers in Oslob, you can side trip to Sumilon Island or have a mountain trekking activity to see the both sides of Cebu from up top =)

'Til our next trip,

Xarie