Starfish Travels

Budget Breakdown: CDO and Camiguin

8:01 PM
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Hello CDO: Tips on first trip planning

Last June 2010, my best girl friends and I impulsively bought tickets to Cagayan de Oro because of Cebu Pacific’s Piso sale. We initially planned for Davao or Cebu but tickets were sold out. We picked a random place in Mindanao and just booked by lunch time.

We had no idea what to do in CDO but thanks to the internet we had our rough itinerary: white water rafting and Camiguin tour. All I needed to do was plan a more concrete itinerary before our flight.

When it’s your first time to plan a trip itinerary, there are many things that you may miss.
Throughout the planning and the trip itself, I listed my basic do's and don'ts from creating your itinerary and cost estimate to listing down your actual expenses.

1. DO research first. Most travel blogs list fares, costs and entrance fees. This will give you an overview on how much the trip will cost you and how you can save during the trip.

2. DON'T forget to include in your budget the tips you will be giving to your guides during your activities. Also include tips to taxi/van drivers.

3. DO have a list of things to bring (include candies and snacks to save you from hunger).

4. DO make your transportation cost estimate TWO-WAY (funny how I forgot about this). So that bus ride to Camiguin will cost P320.00 since you eventually have to go back to CDO through the same bus ride.

5. DO make more than one trip cost estimate. Best to know your options. Also, chances are your trip money is from your hard-earned salary so every penny counts.

6. DO bring a notebook to list your expenses. This is handy especially if you're in a group and you divide everything among yourselves. In our case, we just give what we have at certain moments and compute our cost for the day. We then tally who owes what. At the end of the day, our expenses even out.

7. DO check with your travel companions which budget and itinerary works for them. You may disagree on some places and it's best to settle these issues before you're actually there. This saves you time especially if you're on a tight schedule.

8. (In relation to no.7) DON'T block all time slots for activities. Make room for spontaneity. While planning, I made our Sunday afternoon and night free for whatever activity we wanted to do upon arriving back in CDO. We spent our Saturday and Sunday morning in Camiguin.

12:16 AM
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9:52 PM
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Misadventure Moments: The Quest for Rafael's

food trips

(original post from my personal blog)

I spent a week alone in Leyte last year for academic work. Sunday was my free day there so I decided I must embark on my own adventure to find a good place to take pictures and if possible, eat. It was a rainy morning so I figured I'll just eat at Robinson's Tacloban once again and probably because Jose Karlo's Coffee shop had wifi and my decent dose of caffeine. I didnt do any research before leaving. Note to self: list places to visit before riding the plane to my destination. It helps.

So I've managed to get to Rob Tacloban in a matter of minutes and ordered spag, chicken and mojos. I had the mojos to go in case I get stranded somewhere and no food was available. It was a smart move.

There I was in the coffee shop surfing the net when I read about Rafael's Farm and Restaurant. Anton of OUP described it as a cross between Sonya's Garden and the Farm. Since I havent been to Sonya's Garden or the Farm, I figured I might as well visit Rafael's. The adventure begins.

The problem with not knowing how to speak Waray in Leyte is the great chance of being LOST. I asked the travel agency for directions but they knew nothing. Thus I resulted to calling Rafael's itself and asking for directions. It was simple: ride a jeep until the old terminal, then ride another jeep going to Babatngon. Operator said it will take less than 30mins from the old terminal to the resto. Since it was only a little past 2pm, I decided to give it a shot. I already disregarded the thought of taking a taxi since taxis tend to be overpriced especially for tourists. I bought a map at National Bookstore just to see how far I would be traveling. Turns out it was around 30kms. Still, I was determined to visit it.

One thing I should have learned throughout my living years is that my world is a disciple of Murphy's law. It took me around 4-5 jeepney rides that went in circles from Mcdonalds to the new terminal. I asked the barker for the jeep that will take me to the old terminal and he said I should go down to Mcdo. Being an obedient little girl, I did what I was told but never did it enter my mind that that was not the old terminal. I asked for a jeep going to Babatngon and I was asked to ride a specific jeep. All these while asking for directions in my sole known dialect: Tagalog. I cant remember how many times I've passed by the same route before actually finding the so-called "old terminal". It was already around 4pm. This was bad. Night starts so much earlier in the provinces (as early as 5pm). So I was waiting in the van not knowing that was the last trip.

I got to Rafael's safe and sound thanks to the kind strangers who willingly helped a seemingly innocent yet LOST girl. I quickly entered and took pictures as the sun was already setting. Yes, it was 5pm and I have just reached my destination. A couple of photographs then the sun was gone. Since it would be a long way home, I decided to eat. Great decision. The food was wonderful. However, the waitress remarked on my solo adventure. They were not used to having just a single person eat there. The place was obviously for families and couples.