OnlinePinoy.net - Rene Leandro Padilla

October 15, 2013 - On a beautiful Tuesday morning while everyone has just settled in the office, an earthquake struck the Visayas region in the Philippines. The earthquake was recorded with a Richter scale of 7.2 magnitude with the municipality of Carmen (later on Sagbayan) in Bohol as the epicenter. Houses and churches collapsed, power went out and people were scared.

Something was needed to be done. The company that I have been working on has been helping charities as part of our monthly team building. Since there was no team building yet for the month of October, it was the right time to help the victims of the earthquake in Bohol.

A difference was made. Help was given to the victims of this tragic natural disaster.

September is my birth month. I celebrated my birthday simply together with friends and family. We went to the famous Portofino beach resort in Mactan Cebu and spent great time.

Osmena Peak is the highest mountain in Cebu. I had my chance to climb the peak for the second time. The first climb was as memorable as the second but the latter was sweeter. And it was for two reasons, the redhead came along and it was my first time to be a trek guide.

A pretty laid-back place, full of beach bummers, a nice place to relax in, an avenue to stress your thighs out through pedaling and offers an opportunity to meet awesome people and feel at home - this is Bantayan Island located in the northern part of Cebu.

The island of Cebu has a lot to offer in terms of escaping from the busyness of life and keeping sanity to its right place. From swimming in the powdery white sands of the beaches to climbing the towering and cloud-capped mountains, it will surely let you experience life like no other. There are a lot of adrenaline-pumping activities that will push you to the limit.

Life is short not to enjoy it. Conquer your fears and live to the fullest. Below are 10 adventurous things to do in Cebu that will sweat your body out and measure how daring you are. This is not in any particular order. 
1. Swim with the Whale Sharks

Redhead and I got invited by friends to enjoy time in a beach. The plan was to go to Coco Palms Beach Resort in Danao for an overnight stay but due to unexpected circumstance, we ended up in Estaca Bay Gardens Conference Resort located in the Municipality of Compostela, Cebu. Such a long name for a beach! It was a great night stay with friends.

Brgy Duyan in Catmon Cebu boasts a refreshing hot spring. It is called Esoy Hot Spring named after "Esoy", a kagawad in Catmon. The spring is hot coming from the volcanic waters underground. The surrounding is well-preserved even though the resort is undergoing an expansion.

I went there together with family and the redhead. I got this name for her from one of the people I look up to, Zig Ziglar. I just like how he uses this term in his books to refer to his wife.

In life, you cannot have everything you want. In mountaineering, you cannot reach the summit at all times. Several factors conclude the epilogue of your journey. This is what we have learned when we tried to climb Cebu's second highest mountain, the Mount Manunggal in Balamban. We initially planned to traverse through Mount Mauyog which is adjacent to our main point of destination.

After using my Honda Beat scooter for a year, I decided to make this review for the benefit of those who are  planning to buy this scooter. I'm not gonna lie, the points you will read below contain more positive statements about this motorcycle simply because I loved it and still loving it. I will try my best to sound unbiased.

We went to Camiguin Island for our first family vacation of the year. It was one superb and memorable of its kind.

We contracted a travel package with Teddy Pabualan of Pabualan cottages. They specialize in island tours and lodging. (More about his services at the end of the post.)

We were scheduled for 2 days and 1 night tour and lodging. My brother and I came from Cebu and the rest of the family came from Iligan. All of us arrived in Camiguin at around 11AM. (More transport info at the end of the post.)

We had another chance to go back to Sirao Peak in Kan-Irag Cebu. Before this, we did a day trek to the mountain. This time, we trekked in the night.

Malapascua Island in Cebu is one of the best diving and vacation spots in the Philippines. Both locals and foreigners fill in to what is known as the home of the thresher sharks every year.
I had a chance to go there together with friends. We spent 2 days in the island. We had an island hopping in the islets surrounding the main island. We enjoyed and had a good time. IT was really a paradise.
I originally wanted to make this post a photo-centric one. But to help others, I added some information about how to get there and a few contact numbers to some resorts in the beachfront. Please see the end of this post.

At 1,013 meters above sea level, we reached the summit of Osmena Peak in Dalaguete, Cebu. It is considered to be the highest in the island. We were welcomed by a beautiful sunset view created by the sun hiding from the slopes of the mountains of Negros.

Considered by many as one of the best diving spots in the Philippines, Pescador island in Moalboal Cebu boasts untouched coral reefs and rich underwater biodiversity.

When I found out that Janette Toral, the owner of DigitalFilipino, is bringing another event here in Cebu, I got very excited because I know she is the real deal. The last event that I attended to was the Digital Influencers Marketing Summit in which she also spearheaded.

I finally set foot in Davao. The home of the highest mountain in the Philippines, the Mount Apo, and the place where the stinky but delicious Durian fruit can be found. The city is industrially called "The Crown Jewel of Mindanao" mainly because it is the financial trade center and the main hub of Mindanao.

I got there for leisure, to attend a wedding. It was also the best time to do side trips. So we decided to visit Eden Nature Park and Crocodile Park a day after the wedding. We hired a passenger jeep (pakyaw) to answer our transportation needs.

We rented an apartment in the center part of the city so going to Mount Talomo in Toril where Eden Nature park was situated took us a good hour and a half.