Discovering the World through Cebu Pacific

Ever since I learned to appreciate the pleasure of flying, I also became an avid customer of Cebu Pacific. Although a bit junior to the much older Philippine Airlines, Cebu Pacific combined both innovation, creativity and practicality in order to be in front of the pack in the Airline industry. Cebu Pacific had been very aggressive in making ways to respond to customer's needs and in making it easier for customers have a pleasant flying experience. Before I give out my tips about flying Cebu Pacific and its website let us digest a background of the carrier:

Background

• Cebu Pacific started in 1996 with a promise to give "low fare, great value" to anyone who wants to fly
• the carrier catered to the domestic demand until November 2001 wherein it operated internationally catering to flights going to mostly Asian destinations where shopping and sightseeing is the attraction
• currently the carrier has 29 airbuses and 8 ATR 72-500 aircraft, considered still the youngest fleet in the Philippines
• first to introduce e-ticketing, prepaid excess baggage and seat selection; in-flight games called Fun Flights with entertaining flight magazine - SMILE

Ice Giants in Davao

After being so bored while staying here in Davao for a few days, I asked my sister to accompany me going out. Maybe this is the effect of too much free time. Another problem is I'm a little bit tied up on the budget since my parents slashed my allowance to as much as 80% explaining that I don't need it since I have no class. Well, how could I complain? My food is free and other necessities are also provided so I could not really complain about it.

My sister told me that she wants to go to a place where she and her boyfriend had been meaning to go but have not had the opportunity to visit the place. And so at 8 o'clock in the evening, we went out into the not so cold night. The place is called ICE GIANTS located in Sta. Ana Avenue. It's the street just beside the Davao Mental Hospital and near the Gaisano Mall.

The waiter at the door volunteered to take our pic. He said the pic was great. Uhmmm ok...

Plazuela de Iloilo, Iloilo City

After several years or even decades of dormancy, it seems that Iloilo City is roaring back again. Buoyed by the establishment of a coal-fired power plant within the city and electric power continuously supplied 24/7 without fail, several business has sprouted all throughout the city like mushrooms on the field.

Found just adjacent to SM City Iloilo in Mandurriao is another mall called Plazuela de Iloilo, constructed and owned by Dr. Florete.

Not Too Late to be Early

When we went around Cebu City just few hours after my flight going home to Davao, I never imagined that I will be making the greatest mistake of my life which I will dread for days.

We went to the Magelan's Cross, before this visit I only get to see the cross in pictures and elementary books but now I am posing under it. The actual cross is not there anymore or is it? The cross that we see is actually a container of the actual original cross. I could imagine that the original one is already rotting away after all these years.

Bohol in Focus

Last Chrismas break, I had the opportunity to explore Bohol and Cebu at the same time. We had been requested by the local government unit of Calape in Bohol to host and conduct a medical-surgical mission. As a bit of information, I happen to be a member of an organization of doctors and would be doctors that conducts medical consultations and do circumcisions as an outreach and as a service to the community.

And so, from Iloilo City, we had a ferry ride going to Cebu. It usually costs about P600 for a tourist accommodation in Cokaliong but we thought of saving enough in order for us to enjoy our trip in Cebu and Bohol and so we took the lower promo fare of P500 for an Economy accommodation. Ferry trips going from Iloilo to Cebu are scheduled every Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. Departure is at 7 in the evening and we are set to arrive at 7 in the morning of the next day. The ferry is pretty much on time, so far so good.

Arriving in Pier 1 at Cebu, we proceeded to the terminal still in Pier 1 in order to check in for the ferry ride going to Bohol. Some of our colleagues have arrived a day before us and bought tickets for us. We are headed to Tagbilaran. The tickets for Ocean jet cost us P800 but a classmate of ours tipped us that there is another route which is from Cebu to Tubigon (that is in Bohol) which is cheaper costing about P150 only. He said that it's also a fastcraft but a little bit loose on the exterior. The trip is about an hour and a half so it's good if you prepare for a sleep or an ipod for music. Don't worry if you rode in Oceanjet though, they provide entertainment through TV with cheap movies. Hehehe.

After a long long ride from Iloilo to Cebu to Bohol, we have finally arrived!!

Top 10 Secluded U.S. Beaches

Stir solitude into the mix of sun, surf, and sand for a rejuvenating vacation at one of these secluded U.S. beaches

By ShermansTravel Editorial Staff

Enderts Beach, California

Flickr/Darius Capulet

Seeking out sun, surf, and sand is an easy enough task, but is it possible to stir seclusion into the mix, too? Our editors say “shore”! We’ve dug deep into our arsenal of secret sands to present our top picks for secluded U.S. beaches, where quiet coasts invite in-the-know sunbathers to savor their relative solitude. Sure, some of these destinations are fairly remote (some even require off-the-path travel to offshore islets), but some of the most isolated shores are right under beachgoers’ noses, in popular stateside spots like Florida, California, and Hawaii. You’ll just have to plan a visit soon – while these semi-private sands remain undiscovered for the moment, the cat’s officially out of the bag.

World's Top Adventure Trips

We’re living in a golden age of adventure. Never have there been so many people who want to see and experience the farthest corners of the world, and never have there been so many adventure-tour companies, of such high caliber, offering such a wide range of destinations and activities.

Adventure isn’t just about escaping into the wild, of course. It’s about engaging and committing yourself no matter what you’re doing. “People today have the mind-set of wanting to master things,” says Keith Walden of Virtuoso, a network of luxury travel agencies. “They want to go and dive in and learn and be hands-on.”

While the ongoing financial meltdown may have temporarily taken the wind out of adventure travel’s sails, the state of uncertainty only makes the quest for adventure all the more relevant. As I write in my new book, Extreme Fear, times of crisis have a way of deepening our sense of connection and purpose. After all, as far as we may travel, the real destination lies inside.