Moalboal, Cebu

Now that 2023 has arrived, we have said farewell to Cebu City and headed south to Moalboal for a few weeks. We have rented a quaint little condo on the beach. We have been in Moalboal for 8 days, with a few more remaining. Moalboal has provided some highly anticipated snorkelling opportunities, along with white, sandy beaches. Following our lazy beach days we will return briefly to Cebu, then fly to Negros Occidental (island) to explore surrounding heritage houses / historical sites, waterfalls, mountains, marine reserves, wildlife sanctuaries, and (of course) beaches.

Negros Occidental is referred to as the “Sugarbowl of the Philippines”, as more than half of the country’s sugar is produced on this island. This is a volcanic island, so the sand will be a bit darker. Although, if we are missing the white sand, many small islands are only a short boat ride away, and will offer entertaining day trip or overnight opportunities.

The past few weeks have been very busy. Prior to leaving Cebu City, we visited the Cebu Safari Adventure Park in northern Cebu (pictures on Instagram). The past week spent in Moalboal has been filled with snorkelling, restaurant dining, and an exciting adventure to Kawasan Falls.

Kawasan Falls was a 5-hour water / land hike (approx 6.5 to 7 kms) followed by an amazing Filipino lunch (really, dinner, as the sun was setting by the time we arrived back). I agreed to join JP and the kids on the zip line, not because this is something that I really wanted to do, but because this is a family vacation that the kids will remember and refer back to years (hopefully decades) down the road. They can now recount how they convinced their acrophobiac mother to join them on the kilometre long zip line, and that she screamed for about 5 or 6 seconds following the launch. Yeah, I know, what you’re thinking. Yes, I do the same thing at amusement parks! After that exhilarating start, I could not get my legs to stop shaking.

The reminder of the journey involved a trek through the canyon across a series of trails, rocky surfaces, waterfalls, and pools of turquoise water. There are 4 main jumping points for those who are interested. I chickened out with the first jump, but to be fair, the Youtuber I watched did say 3 feet, not 3 meters! It does make a difference to me! The guides we had were absolutely wonderful. It didn’t take them long to classify me as a liability, and I had extra assistance following that categorization. There were a handful of times that I was very thankful to have someone to grip onto, as there are some very slippery rocks, and my water shoes do not have the best grip. In the end, we all made it through unscathed, together, as a family.

Until next time...