Once upon a time, a hill station was established in the area in 1923, through a provincial administrative order, to serve as a weekend getaway for the officials of the Negros Occidental provincial government and its guests. Now many years later it has became a tourist attraction mainly known for its Sulfur pools with a public sulfur pool, the Japanese-constructed rotenburo and the Ishiwata Bath. But there are also waterfalls, picnic spots, butterfly garden which attracts the visitors. 
Mambukal is home to several rare bat species for example the endemic giant golden-crowned flying fox and the Philippine tube-nosed fruit bat can be seen in the area. These, along with other resident bat species, are estimated to number between 7,500 to 8,000.

From Bacolod, take the bus from Mambucal Bus Terminal 40 PHP person. The trip takes 45 to 60 minutes. The last stop is the Mambukal resort so no worries there. Entrance fee is 50 PHP per adult. There is a foodcourt with several restaurants. So no worries there either if you are hungry and thirsty. The food is fully recommendable. Some of the attractions cost additional, for example the sulfur pools. 50-100 PHP per person. You can hike to the waterfalls and swim and if you are really lucky you might see some of the mythical creatures of the forest as well. When you are done the bus is waiting for you. They are going every 10 minutes (or so, you are in the Philippines after all) back to Bacolod.  

If you are like me, constantly searching for the pristine, unexploited and off the beaten track, then this can be something for you. But beware, it’s a little bit tricky to find your way out to Onuk island and there is no infrastructure for tourists whatsoever. But that’s part of the adventure right? 

And hey! Don’t miss to watch the video clip at end!

The short answer is yes, it’s safe to go to Onuk island. But consider the long answer as well. Remember before you travel to Balabac it’s always good to listen around regarding the concerns below since things can change.
Malaria​
There have been Malaria outbreaks in the mountainous Mainland Balabac but for now it’s considered safe to be out in the Balabac archipelago. But bring mosquito repellants because there will be tons mosquitos hunting for your blood after sunset.
Crocodiles
A minor concern are the saltwater crocodiles but they are only present in the Mainland Balabac. Which means out in the archipelago it’s safe from crocodiles.
Weather
The weather can be unpredictable. The dry seasons of April and May are the best times to visit the Balabac archipelago since the sea is perfectly calm on most days during these months. You may also visit Balabac during the months of December to February where it is fairly good. However, these months can the waves be particularly rough on the beaches.
Bandits
But hey! Balabac islands are located in the Sulu sea. Hmm wasn’t that the place where the Philippine army battle bandits? Yes, that’s right. But that’s on the other side of the Sulu sea at Jolo. There are no bandits in the Balabac archipelago.  

• Public bus from San Jose Terminal (Puerto Princesa) going to Rio Tuba. Fare 350 PHP per person with Aircon bus. The trip takes around 7 hours so better start early in the morning. Expect to stay overnight in Rio Tuba. In Rio Tuba there are a limited selection of restaurants. But Sizzling Republic is recommendable, click the link to see the review.
• Ferry from Rio Tuba to Balabac Island. (Mainland Balabac) You need probably to take a tricycle to the port 100 PHP. Be there around 7 am to buy tickets. The trip takes 4-5 hours depending on the weather. Fare 450 PHP. At Balabac island you have to take a tricycle from the pier to Balabac town 60 PHP. Expect to stay there overnight. In Balabac town it’s even more limited when it comes to restaurants and shops. There are Sari Sari stores where you can buy the the essential and the best two eateries are located next to each other and opposite of the police station.
• Ask around and rent a boat for going on island hopping. The price would be around 2000 PHP per person for the boat with lunch included. For Onuk island there will be an additional entrance fee of 1500 PHP per person. At Onuk island there are no shops so be sure to bring everything you need.
• For the time being it’s not possible to stay overnight at Onuk island. But things can change so ask around if you are interested to do that.
• If you for some reason need to extend your visa you can do it in Balabac town. There happen to be an immigration field office there.

Be sure to bring your snorkeling gears and you can enjoy the crystal clear water under the surface as well. There were some coral reef surrounding the island. Sorry to say much of the coral was already dead. But beautiful sea turtles were grazing sea grass from the sea floor but ever how hard I tried I couldn’t catch up with them. There were some amazing giant clams which were easier to spot since they didn’t swim away from me. 

If you are too comfy this trip is nothing for you. But if you are more adventurous and don’t mind to put in a bit effort to experience the beauty of Mother Nature I can recommend to explore this part of Palawan. It’s totally worth it all days in the week! Other post which is related to Palawan click here

Let’s say, that you for some reason end up late at the bus terminal in Rio Tuba (southern Palawan). Not many tourists go there in the first place... but anyway on top of that you are hungry, craving for some real food after a long tiresome ride in the bus. Then you will soon discover there will not be so many options for you. But if you extend your search by 5 minutes walking distance from the bus terminal you will likely find the Sizzling Republic Restaurant. Surprisingly enough they are open 24 hours and at Friday and Saturday they have live music... and that’s not all they even have a separate menu just for their cocktails!

The main attractions here at Sizzling Republic were of course their sizzlers. It’s what they claim to do, right? But they also had a varieties of breakfasts and other western and Filipino dishes. The menus below show just a sample of what the Sizzling Republic had to offer.

What is a “Sizzler” you may ask? It’s a common dish here in the Philippines and can be something like a open-roasted, grilled or shallow fried pieces of meat, chicken, fish or vegetables and it usually comes with rice,  served on a metal or stone hot plate, kept on a wooden base.

We tried the squid and shrimp sizzling. I liked that they included a large chili fruit. I had it sliced in small pieces and mixed it to get the right level of spiciness. The taste was really good.  

If you ever come to Rio Tuba I can definitely recommend the Sizzling Republic Restaurant. Generous open hours actually 24 hours daily, really good food, wide variety of dishes, nice staff, Friday and Saturday come with live music... what else can you wish for?   

Linaw’s restaurant,  I’ve been here a couple of times two years ago and thought it was time to catch up again with good food and the amazing view you get for free here.  

They have wide variety of everything to choose from. European, Asian and Filipino dishes with every kinds of meat and even crocodile for the brave ones. They have also a small selection of vegetarian dishes. When I get this kind of menu in front of me I tend to have a hard time to choose among all the delicacies. The menus down below is just a sample of what they offer. 

After some decision agony I decided to go for Tuna Sashimi and Tuna Provençal. Yes I like tuna. But to my disappointment they were out of tuna. That’s ok. But then again I had to go through the decision process but after some reading back and forth I finally opted for prawns with creamy tomato sauce. Instead of an appetizer which I thought of first I chose a dessert instead, Supreme Crepes. That would make my tastebuds very happy!

Linaw Pearl Restaurant is a part of Linaw Beach Resort which probably is a nice resort to stay at. I never stayed there though. The location of the restaurant is beautiful. To have your dinner there is like to have the front seat for an amazing sunset. The food was delicious and service excellent. Everything from the CR to the surroundings was nice and clean. One note about the surroundings though. Just very close behind the Linaw Beach Resort is currently a construction site where a new hotel is coming. It will be a large and high building which will not melt in in the beautiful environment like the Linaw Beach Resort do. Development is good but over exploitation is not. Just saying.

Bo’s Coffee Club in Tagbilaran is an institution for coffee lovers and others. It’s a life savior when you need a break from the bustling life outside and it comes with access to WiFi and clean comfort rooms as well. When I have been staying here in Tagbilaran it almost has felt as my second living room. 

There is one Bo’s located in ICM mall 3 km from the Plaza Rizal aka the City Square. The other one, this one is located at Plaza Rizal. Tagbilaran and not to mention Panglao with its new international airport is a very expansive area. New malls, restaurants and coffee shops are growing like mushrooms after a rain all over the place. So in this fierce competition, Bo’s still holding its position as the nr one coffee shop here in Tagbilaran.

Simply the best coffee in town. Deliciously unhealthy pastries and breakfasts. WiFi and clean comfort rooms. Nice and swift service. A good thing to know, is that the coffee they serve at Bo’s is grown and harvested locally here in the Philippines. So what are you waiting for??

So far on my short stay here in Manila I’ve eaten me through two different countries. Now it’s time for the third country India. It’s not that I don’t like Filipino food on the contrary I do, but soon enough I will travel out in the province where Filipino food will be the only option.

I am far from being a specialist on Indian food but it seems to me that’s nothing was missing in the menu. Mutton, chicken, fish and seafood in many varieties. There were lot’s of vegetarian dishes without any meat as well. So down below are just some samples of what was available.

​I ordered Chicken Cafrala, cubes of boneless chicken cooked in onion cashew gravy with coconut milk, garnished with grated cheese and cashew nuts with rice and Naan bread with garlic and cheese. The portion was not gigantic but together with the Naan bread it was totally enough for me and I consider myself as a big eater after all.

The food was delicious. The flavor was rich and spicy and together with the Naan bread it was super. Service was nice and swift. The prices are low to midrange. All together my lunch here was very pleasant and I will be back some day!

Today I had no special plan for the lunch. I was just randomly wandering around in Robinson Place fixing stuff when I ended up at the Teriyaki Boy, Japanese styled restaurant. 

Ramen, Tofu Steak, California Roll, Gyoza, Sushi, Rice Bowl, Dynamite Roll are examples from the menu. Some of the dishes would be suitable for vegetarians also. What I miss here is a combo platter with both sushi and rolls in a nice combination. They actually have something called sushi platter where you choose two variants of the four rolls which are available. In my ears that’s a roll platter not a sushi platter. But I might be wrong... it’s still to be discovered. The menus down below are just a sample, they have more to chose among.

I ordered a Maguro Sushi (tuna), you got two pieces for PHP 95. I also ordered four pieces of California Rolls and four pieces of Philly Cheese Steak Rolls and Miso soup. The Miso soup had a good salty and rich taste. The Maguro Sushi were two generous slices of tuna but they were only ok. I noticed also the two slices had different colors... hm two different batches of tuna? One old and one fresh? Well I don’t know. The rolls were all very good. The steak rolls had an interesting meaty taste but hey (!) it was meat after all. The California rolls were with fresh mango which made them very tasty.

The overall impression was good. Staff was nice and friendly. Price range low to medium also very reasonable. But the competition is fierce among the restaurants inside the mall so maybe next time if I would be craving for sushi I probably would try another place.

That’s their motto. Can they live up to that? Well we will see.

Soi Thai Restaurant is located inside the The Robinson Place mall in Ermita. When I am there and craving for Thai food I usually go to Soi Thai. Last time I was here was one year ago and since then they had changed the furnishing. New tables and chairs. The big question, was the food also changed?

They offer a variety of typical Thai dishes. For some that might be good not to have to choose between too much but for me I wish they could have broaden their menu. You can find chicken, pork, fish, seafood and veggies cooked Thai style. They have vegetarian dishes without any kind of meat but they are probably not vegan. Notice that the pictures below just showing a sample of their menu.

Yes the furnishing was changed but the food still remaine untouched. Thanks for that! You always get a complimentary snack, like spicy peanuts as a small starter before you order which is nice. The food is tasty and well cooked and they offer complimentary service water with ice. That’s not bottled water but tastes the same and is perfectly safe to drink. The portions are not huge but still enough for me, so if you are not a really big eater it’s probably enough for you as well. You don’t have to wait long for your food and the staff is nice and friendly. The prices are low to medium range so it’s very reasonable. In my opinion you can’t go wrong here at the Soi Thai Restaurant.

Teppanyaki is a style of Japanese cuisine that uses an iron griddle to cook food. But that's not all this place has to offer, Mismukuno has a wide selection of Japanese dishes like maki, sushi, sashimi, ramen, tempura etc etc. It's a little bit for everyone here if you are in to Japanese food. 

I have been here a couple times before, around lunch and it has been relatively crowded every time. That must be sign for good food, right? Anyway this time I ordered the Platter special which they advertised about at the entrance. Sashimi, sushi and maki in a nice combination.

Platter special offered 9 maki rolls, 3 pieces of sushi and 6 slices of sashimi (salmon and tuna) for 510 PHP. Miso soup was not included. Everything was more than ok but a little bit less than delicious. For example the meat of the tuna was ​slightly too fibrous for me to be perfect.

Mismukono Teppanyaki gave a clean and fresh impression together with a nice hardworking staff. They have lot's to offer on the menu that I would like to try. For example I am curious about their teppanyaki which should be their specialty I guess. So the conclusion is I will come back for more. 

​Other posts about/from Cebu Island (included this one)

If you are craving for Thai papaya salad, Som Tam, and you are in the Philippines and you are tired of Filipino Thai restaurants what do you do then? I went to Phat Pho, a Vietnamese restaurant instead. Yes, I know there seems to be no logic in that at all, I know. But before you cry out loud, please read this review to the end!

Phat Pho had a nice interior and when I was there it was not crowded. My impression was a modern style mixed with warm ambience and quality. I got my table on the upper deck with a nice overlooking view.

So what can you expect of Phat Pho á vietnamese kitchen? Since Pho in Vietnamese means noodle soup you obviously can expect they will serve noodle soups. Actually I would say, that's their specialty. Most of the guests when I was there ate different kinds of noodle soups. But they had other things on the menu as well.

Since I was craving for Thai papaya salad, Som Tam, I was obviously looking for something similar. So what couldn't be better than try the Shrimp & sour mango salad with rice. At least it looked a bit similar to the Thai papaya salad. So I did! I got a big portion of salad rich in flavour and spiciness. Not same as Som Tam but that was of course not expected. The Shrimp & Mango salad was unique in its own way and it felt as an excellent choice!

Phat Poh lighted up my appetite for Vietnamese food and I will certainly come back. Everything was fresh and clean and the staff was nice and friendly. Next time for sure, I will try the their Poh, aka noodle soup.

Other posts about/from Cebu Island