MALAPASCUA, CEBU | HNY 2023!

MALAPASCUA ISLAND, CEBU

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We went to Malapascua Island [//]:# (!pinmapple 11.32708 lat 124.11718 long d3scr) which is a 3-4 hour car ride and 30 mins. boat ride from the city (Cebu). We decided to stay for a couple of days and celebrate the new year there. We left early in the morning around 6 am and safely arrived on the island just in time for lunch. The island was not that busy when we got there but their rooms in the resort were fully booked and I see a lot of tourists. We checked in at Ocean Vida Beach and Dive Resort and they gave us a wonderful and relaxing experience! I highly recommend that you stay in this resort if you ever find yourself on this beautiful island. 🌅

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Room tour

Here's a peek at our clean and beautifully decorated room at the resort. It is spacious, has a comfortable bed, and a patio with a view of their garden. We were surrounded by a landscape of different plants and trees which gave a warm and relaxing atmosphere. 😎

Love notes

I found these really cute! They would leave a note with goodies every night! Their staff is amazing! They can even remember your name and the drink you'd always order at their bar! 😃

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KALANGGAMAN ISLAND

On our 2nd day, we rented a boat with some new friends to go to Kalanggaman Island [//]:# (!pinmapple 11.11460 lat 124.25408 long d3scr) which became popular years ago because of its vast strip of sandbar. I was so excited since I've always wanted to go here! It looks so dreamy in pictures what more if you see it personally! 😍

We went around the island, enjoyed the heat of the sun, snapped lots of pictures and took a dip in the clear waters. I borrowed a lifevest and snorkelled in the deep. There were corals and colorful marine animals. I also had a close interaction with a curious fish who was following me as I swam back to the shore. 🤣 After snorkelling, we had lunch at the boat which was part of the package. They served pancit (stir-fried noodles), grilled pork belly, grilled tuna fish, chicken barbeque, rice and fruits. 😋 We stayed on the island for about 4 hours and slowly headed back to Malapascua which was an hour-and-a-half ride. The weather suddenly changed from sunny to cloudy and windy. We were approaching big waves making it seem like we were on a roller coaster. All of us were soaking wet and cold and tired. A pretty bumpy ride. 😅 Everything was nice except the going home part lol.

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DISCOVERY SCUBA DIVE

Aside from this trip and the gifts during Christmas, my boyfriend gave me another surprise! He booked me a discovery dive which was basically an intro for first-timers. It was a mix of emotions - excited and worried. I always imagine myself diving and seeing another world underwater but I am hesitant because I tend to imagine all the things that can also go wrong. 🤡

But I am so proud for challenging my claustrophobic and nyctophobic self. Thanks to the ever-supportive boyfie who was just behind me and watching over me as I was enjoying the ocean. In discovery diving, I was taught the basics of scuba diving and got to experience it on a small island called Dakit-Dakit. 🏝

My instructor was really patient especially when I started to panic.😅 I felt anxious and uneasy because I thought I got so close to the sea urchins that they would poke me, I also had trouble with the flippers as it kept getting lose and breathing through the mouth was uncomfortable. whahah But I definitely had a good time and I'm highly motivated to enroll in a course. *making it a goal this year! By the way, if you wish to scuba dive, make sure to do discovery diving first to get the "feels."😁

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NEW YEAR'S EVE

During New year's eve, we had a lovely dinner at Angelina's restaurant. It was pretty late when we went there and the tables were almost full! I had bruschetta, pork skewers and gambaretti alla sorrentina. We drank wine and had a shot of limoncello. 🍸

We had drinks at the bar by the beach while waiting for midnight. As I stared at the beautiful night sky, I can't help but feel overjoyed and loved. There's just so much to be grateful for in 2022 and as always, looking forward to bigger things in 2023!

CHEERS TO THE NEW YEAR!!!
HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

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So happy that I can journal all of my experiences on this platform. This is a place where I am reminded that I may not be wealthy in terms of finances, BUT I am wealthy in family, friends who continue to give me wonderful experiences!

This is a superdy duper late post that I intended to share after the vacation, however, work happened and 4 months later, I finally found time to blog this. nyahahaha 😄 One for the books experience! Til the next one! 😘

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