Lost in the Mangroves

Olango Island, located 5 kilometers east of Mactan Island, is part of Cebu province and is under the jurisdiction of the city of Lapu-lapu. The island is a raised coral reef so if you're looking for long stretches of white sand, you're on the wrong island. But if you're a bird lover, then this could be heaven for you for Olango Island has a 920-hectare sanctuary where birds from Siberia, China, and Japan seek refuge from the winter climate of other countries.

Most visitors come to the island on a day trip. To stay a night, either pitch a tent or pick from a handful of choices: Talima Beach Villas, Abalone Beach, Shalala Resort [032 511 3201],  Isla Bonita Inn [032 424 8063].

I picked Shalala Resort for two reasons: sand and budget (Php 1000 for a fan room for two). Talima Beach Villas doesn't have a sandy shore and is way over my budget, so is Abalone Beach. Isla Bonita is inland and obviously doesn't have a beachfront, though this is the cheapest (Php 800 for an AC room for two) of the four.

Shalala Resort is on the south side of the island where the mangroves are.

It has fan rooms, AC rooms, and open cottages.

Blue Bayou, Shalala's next door neighbor, doesn't have rooms but open cottages.

The mangroves at high tide.

 

How should you spend your 24 hours in Olango? Relax, sleep, rent a kayak (Php 100), check out the bird sanctuary, and walk to Pangan-an island at low tide. The last one was unfortunately off the list for I got lost in the mangroves while trying to find the bird sanctuary. The upside? I got to see the birds without using binoculars! (Sorry, no photos, I don't have a telephoto lens. They hop or fly away if you get too close.)

Ack! Where am I???

Relaxing on a mangrove while figuring out which way to go.

Two hours in the mangroves searching for an exit got me all sunburned, tired, and hungry that once I saw a concrete road I decided to hail a tricycle even if the locals said the resort was close by.

Land! Oh land!

How did I manage to get lost? By taking two right turns instead of one. Quite easy to do when you're surrounded by mangroves and no directional signs! Try it! The goal was to reach the hut where tricycles were waiting (at low tide) to take passengers to Pangan-an island. And here's my actual 2-hour route round the sanctuary in red!

Lessons learned:

1. Know where you have to go. I knew where the wharf is but forgot the name of the area. It could have saved me one jeepney ride.

2. Bring water and food when strolling thru the mangroves. In case you follow my footsteps.

3. Be aware of the tides. You don't want to be in the middle of a 920-hectare sanctuary as the tide comes in, do you?

4. Do not fret if you don't have food. There are small stalls nearby selling food. Just be sure to get there at meal time. Getting there too late will assure you of empty pots and a growling stomach.

How this (mis)adventure bore a hole thru Mustachio's pocket:

Mandaue-Maribago jeepney Php 18

Maribago-Punta Engaño jeepney Php 8

Boat to Sta Rosa (Olango) Php 15

Terminal fee Php 1

Tricycle from Sta Rosa wharf to Suba, Sabang Php 20

Fan room at Shalala Resort Php 1000

Too tired to walk (tricycle) Php 10

Habal habal from Suba, Sabang to Sta Rosa wharf Php 15

Lunch Php 50

Boat to Punta Engaño Php 15

Terminal fee Php 1

Punta Engaño-Mandaue jeepney Php 15

What's in a (Business) Name? Dos

Would you go to a beauty parlor named such?

Spotted at ML Quezon Avenue, Mandaue City

For more amusing business names, please visit Go Random.

Persian Palate on a Discount

Was trolling around Ensogo Cebu one time and bought a discount voucher for Persian Palate. Take note when using a voucher: always check the terms and conditions.

Fast forward to 30 days and I'm now at Persian Palate, trying to choose a meal that would fit the Php 300 voucher (bought for Php 150) .

Lets roll out the orders:

First, and my favorite was the Chello Kebab Special:

I think this would have been Xerxes' favorite home cooked meal

 

It's two sticks of beef kebab on top of a serving of tomato rice with raisins, two pieces of grilled tomatoes and a small calamondin (limonsito in Visayan) for additional zest. The kebab was juicy and, just like Robin is to Batman, the tomato barbecue was a good side kick to the beefiness of the kebab.

Oh yeah, don't forget these condiments: Yogurt Garlic sauce and Chili sauce. What's great is that they serve these for free and possibly unlimited. I ordered the Yogurt Garlic sauce twice 'coz I had a hefty spread on my kebab.

Not pictured: Chuck Norris spreading the sauces on a kebab. Awesome!

Next, the good looking Falafel:

If I had a bad-ass middle-eastern alter-ego, I'd probably name it Falafel, no?

The ones that look like breaded pork chops are actually green peas patties. With the patties are lettuce, tomatoes, and cucumber, wrapped in a pita. If you can't choose a vegetarian meal, then try this one for a start.

And for the dessert, I had fresh fruits with yogurt. Sorry, forgot to take a picture of this one because I was in a rush to eat something sweet. It's made up of sliced apples, bananas, and papaya, with raisins and lettuce, smothered in yogurt. Just watch out for the papaya. I think yogurt and papaya don't taste good together.

Must have been the reason they went berserk

Time to round up!

This is where I ate:

Persian Palate

2nd Level, Active Zone, Ayala Center

(032) 232 6898

They also have branches at:

Mango Square Mall (032) 412 6795

Robinsons Place (032) 254 3608

Parkmall (032) 416 9211

You can check out their menu here (prices may not be updated).

How this bore a hole thru Mustachio's pocket:

Chello Kebab Special Php 180

Falafel Php 120

Fresh fruits with yogurt Php 85