The Cebu Yellow Submarine

Hooray for non-swimmers and not so strong swimmers who wish to explore what's underneath the surface of the sea. Thanks to the Cebu Yellow Submarine at Hadsan Cove, Agus, Lapulapu City, Mactan Island, Cebu, Philippines, one can now explore the underwater world without getting wet.

Cebu Yellow Submarine

The Cebu Yellow Submarine was designed by Germanischer Lloyds and manufactured by Fabrico Antwerp in Belgium. It has a length of 22.2 meters, a width of 3 meters, and a height of 7.2 meters. The main engine is 45 KW while the sub engine is 40 KW. The windows are made of 122 centimeter special fiberglass. 

The vessel is capable of traveling at 7 knots and can dive up to depths of 100 meters. However, maritime authorities in the Philippines only allow the tourist submarine's operations up to 40 meters underwater.

It can carry up to 100 tons of load and is designed to carry 48 passengers with a crew of 2.

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Beach Bumming at Bantayan's Budyong Beach Resort

In my recent business trip to Bantayan Island, my team and I chose Budyong Beach Resort for our lodging in Santa Fe town. We decided to do so because it is among the cheaper options for lodging in Santa Fe and is very near the Santa Fe town center.

Features

Beach and Sandbar

Among the popular hangouts at Bantayan Island is the stretch of beach at the Santa Fe poblacion. A sandbar that submerges during high tide is right across Budyong.

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Biking in Bantayan

Getting from one place to another in Bantayan Island can be tricky and expensive for the unknowing tourist. Most tricycles in Bantayan Island, motor or pedal-powered, charge tourists a minimum of PHP 20 to get from one point to another. For the budget traveler, this can be a strain in the wallet. On my last visit to Bantayan Island, I figured a good way to save on fares: go biking in Bantayan Island. Surplus bikes sourced from China are offered for rent at bargain prices.

Renting a Pedal-powered Bicycle in Bantayan Island

My party of six (6) team building facilitators traveled to Bantayan Island to facilitate a team building program for Activation Machine at Beach Placid on 19 June 2015. We chose to stay at Budyong Beach Resort since there were no more rooms still available at Beach Placid. Since we figured out that renting a bike would be much cheaper than to commute using pedicabs and motorized tricycles, we rented 5 bicycles because one of our colleagues, Mia, didn't know how to ride a bike. She had to ride shotgun with Tracy. I rode my own bike and so did Clint, Jason, and Quennie. Quennie particularly enjoyed the whole biking experience as it was her first time to ride a bike on the streets as her parents wouldn't allow her to in Metro Cebu.

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Peace and Calm at Bantayan Island's Beach Placid

I had the chance to visit Beach Placid on Talisay Beach at Santa Fe during my recent work trip to Bantayan island. The opportunity was because I had to facilitate a client's team building activity on the said resort last June 19, 2015. I fell in love with the place as it perfectly captures what people love about Bantayan Island beaches.

Features

Beach and Sandbar 

Beach Placid's beachfront boasts of a fine grain white sand beach that feels ticklish to the bare feet. A few feet out is a sand bar that submerges underwater during high tide. The islands of Hilantagaan and Hilantagaan Diot are seen from the horizon. Most of our team building activities were done out in the beachfront.

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Down and Dirty at Danasan Eco Adventure Park in Danao City

After years of just hearing stories about Danasan Eco Adventure Park in Danao City, Cebu, Philippines, I finally had the chance to experience Danasan first-hand when a training client decided to hold their team building event there last June 20, 2015. Since I was coming straight from facilitating another team building program in Bantayan Island the day before, I could not join the group in the service van as they travel from Mandaue City to Danasan. My bus ride from Hagnaya to Danao City took an unusually long 3-hours so I again missed the van at Danao City proper. I had no other option but to take a habal-habal motorcycle and paid PHP 200 to get to Danasan Eco Park from the Danao City national highway. I was lucky, I hailed one with a driver that was good-natured, skilled, and familiar with the road and terrain. I was lucky too, there wasn't too much rain that day and the day before so the road wasn't dangerously slippery. The narrow road was paved with a few rough stretches and alternating uphill and downhill slopes. The 27-kilometer journey took one hour to complete. I couldn't feel my butt and legs when I disembarked from the vehicle. Thank goodness, I had a seat reserved in the resort's service vehicle on the return to Mandaue City. So along with my co-facilitator Honfred Maza, we facilitated the team building program of iLife CMS on the afternoon of 20 June 2015. We then had the chance to explore some of Danasan Eco Park's exciting activities the next day. Here's what we did:

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Panda Star: Just Another Buffet Restaurant

For the buffet lover that I am, I wouldn't miss a chance to explore new buffet offerings around where I live. So one day, my brother and I headed to check out Panda Star, a buffet restaurant along A.S. Fortuna Avenue, Banilad, Mandaue City, Cebu, Philippines. Not too many people frequent the place.

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Budget Beach Resort in Talisay: Coco Maldita Beach Resort and Swimming Pool

There are those who want to enjoy the beach but have a very limited budget. It would be nice to know that there are inexpensive resorts in an otherwise expensive resort-dotted Metro Cebu. One such inexpensive place is the Coco Maldita Beach Resort and Swimming Pool in Biasong, Talisay City, Cebu, Philippines.

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Work is Taking Me to Bantayan Island

Some of the perks I enjoy as a training and development professional in Cebu is that I get to travel to places to do programs. This year alone, I have traveled several times to do programs in Bohol, Negros Occidental, and Negros Oriental. Now, before this year's summer is coming to a close, I will be heading up north to beautiful Bantayan Island to do a team building program for Activation Machine there on June 19. Although our formal engagement will only be on the 19th, we will be arriving in Bantayan Island on the 18th to meet with the client's event coordinator and give us time to make the necessary preparations for the team building activities that we will be doing. And since we will be expected to finish past 4 o'clock in the afternoon of the 19th, it means we cannot catch the last ferry out of Bantayan island back to the mainland and so we will have to stay for another night in the island in the northern part of Cebu province.

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