My Little Corner: 2-Day Bantayan Decade Strong Celebration 2013

Where else did we spend our "decadessary" but in this charming island called Bantayan. As there official website stated (http://www.bantayan.gov.ph/), this word came from an expression BANTAYAN! BANTAYAN!, meaning, "KEEP WATCH! KEEP WATCH! which was used by watchtowers who served as look-outs for the incoming moro pirate vessels during the time of Governor Sebastian Hurtado de Corcuera ( 1635 - 1644).

Decadessary, just my coined term for decade anniversary. Yes, Me and my cuddly Chuckie (whom I'm fond of calling Dady) recently celebrated our 10- year anniversary last March 18, 2013. Who would have thought that a city boy would end up to a simple "probinsiyana" like me. A typical "opposite attracts" beginnings that ended up appreciating their differences, even trying out things that he loves that I barely took an interest before (likewise with Dady) such as playing online games e.g. WOW (until dawn), reading fiction and mythology books, watching Marvel and Disney movies (he can memorize some of its lyrics too!), reading "mangas", watching anime series. I can go on forever sharing those moments and experiences that we shared together because I can surely remember them all except its specific date and time, Dady is good with that though.

Going back to Bantayan, our main plan is to simply rest and spend our time mostly on the beach, a complete opposite to what we did in Palawan back in November 2011 wherein we visited several tourist spots. Bantayan is a more laid back place that you just want to sit in a hammock, facing the beach while listening to your fave song, eat a sumptuous seafood at a very affordable price, get awed by vast stars and constellations at night, feel its fine sand and enjoy its pristine waters all by yourself!

Here's our 2-day itinerary.

Day 1: March 16, 2013

07:00 am: Left North Bus Terminal going to Hagnaya on board Ceres aircon bus

10:00 am: Arrived at Hagnaya Port

10:30 am: Departed for Sante Fe Port

11:30 am: Arrived at Sante Fe Port

11:45 am: Arrived at Sugar Beach Resort

12:00 pm: Lunch (Fulfilled our seafood cravings)

01:00 pm: Spent the rest of the afternoon exploring the resort

05:30 pm: Sunset viewing

06:00 pm: Dinner (Seafoods again..hehehe)

07:00 pm: Star gazing

Day 2: March 17, 2013

04:00 am: Searched for a bakeshop to no avail and ended up eating our "baon" instead.

05:00 am: Enjoyed the beach while waiting for the sun to rise

05:30 am: Sunrise!

06:00 am: Breakfast

08:00 am: Spent the entire morning at Ogtong Beach Resort

11:00 am: Lunch

12:30 pm: Departed from Sante Fe Port

01:30 pm: Arrived at Hagnaya Port

02:00 pm: Departed for Cebu City

05:15 pm: Arrived at Parkmall

Expenses

Taxi (total): 200

Ceres aircon bus fare: PHP150 per person/way

Super Shuttle Ferry Fare: PHP170 per person/way

Tricycle (total): PHP150

Sugar Beach Resort Deluxe Room accomodation: PHP1600 per night

Food and Water : PHP1250

Ogtong Cave Entrance Fee: PHP100 per person

**Obviously, we intended to splurge more on our food! It's definitely worth it.

We found our way to SM and decided to eat in Golden Cowrie (this time we ate Crispy Pata!) then watched Dady's much awaited movie in IMAX- Oz the Great and Powerful.

The next day, March 18 which falls on a Monday we dedicated this day to thank our Blessed Santo Nino for all the blessings that we received. We went to the church, lit a candle and offered our prayers.

This weekend getaway may sound a bit pricey but hey March 18, 2013 and a 10-year anniversary only happens once, why not make the most out of it.

Sharing some of our pictures in Bantayan