Two Birders to go - Olango Trip

Here I will talk about our adventures and the logistics involved in our trip to the Olango Island Wildlife Sanctuary. Since this was our first time to go to that place, we had some hits and misses in terms of transportation and dining experiences.


Accommodations:


We booked at the Island Stay Inn in Mactan Island. It is a modestly-sized hotel not that far from the airport. The room we got had two full-sized beds, an airconditioner, hot and cold shower and a TV with cable channels. It didn't have a clock, a microwave oven or a refrigerator though. For the room, I'd give it 3 stars. However, I would gladly give 5 stars to the hotel staff, especially to the doorman and the front desk personnel. They were all very helpful and quick in responding to our requests. We would definitely stay here again in the future.

Transportation:


Mactan Island offers a great variety of transportation options: Taxis are practically everywhere. Then there's the usual jeepneys and multi-cabs. For shorter trips, tricycles are also plentiful. From the airport we took a taxi to the hotel. We took taxis to the places we visited for the first time (Mactan Shrine, Angasil Pier) then jeepneys/multicabs on the return trips. Not familiar with the city, we got lost a couple of times on our return from the Mactan Shrine. Thankfully, the locals were very kind in directing us to the places where we can get the jeepney to take us to our hotel.

multicab

From Mactan we took a pumpboat going to and from Olango Island. At Olango we rode a very tightly spaced tricycle to and from the Sanctuary.

boarding and disembarking a pumpboat

Dining:


Our very first dining experience in Mactan was sadly quite disappointing. We've been hearing from our friends who had been here before to try a "sutukil" restaurant. "Sutukil" stands for "sugbo" (grilled), "tuhog" (barbecued) and "kilaw" (raw seafood fermented in vinegar). One of the more famous ones was the "Salo-salo sutukil". Little did we know when we got there that this area behind the Mactan Shrine was a tourist trap. Rows of "sutukil" restaurants and souvenir shops lined a narrow unpaved street. At Salo-salo, we ordered a "tangigue" (mackerel) filet for me and small "lapu-lapu" (sea bass) for Cynthia. We had them grilled. Then we also ordered "adobong kangkong" (river spinach cooked in vinegar and soy sauce) to go with Garlic fried rice. When we got the bill, we were shocked to find out that it totalled 980 pesos! Examining the details we discovered that we were charged 240 pesos for the "adobong kangkong" almost the same price for each of the fish dishes. Which of course is completely ridiculous, considering the market price of raw "kangkong" is only about 9 pesos a bundle. But they charged us 120 pesos for the bundle, then an additional 80 pesos for cooking it and another 40 pesos for the other ingredients that went with it (tomatoes, garlic, vinegar, etc). My wife just couldn't take such deviousness quietly. She stormed to the cashier, demanded an explanation and finally got a 100 peso discount resulting in a final bill of 880 pesos. Which is still outrageously high. We left the place in a huff and hurried back to our hotel. When we related the story to the hotel clerks, they surmised that the reason the restaurant personnel did that was because I "looked" like a foreigner and ergo has a lot of money. So whenever you are in Mactan DON'T EVER GO TO THE SUTUKIL RESTAURANTS BEHIND THE MACTAN SHRINE. Even if you are not "foreign-looking" if they sense that you are not a local, they will, I'm quite sure, overcharge you.

adobong kangkong and garlic rice

grilled seabass

grilled mackerel

That evening we ate at the Harbor City restaurant which is at the Marina Mall - a short walking distance from the hotel. It is a dimsum place and food was good but not that great.

Breakfast and lunch on the following day was the Zubu Chon restaurant which is located at the lobby of our hotel. Food here is excellent, reasonably priced and service is absolutely great! Their specialty, the Cebu Lechon (roast pig) is a must try and I highly recommend it.

dried fish breakfast

lechon flakes breakfast

monggo soup for lunch

crispy lechon for lunch

Dinner that night was at Chowking and like any fast food restaurant, the fare was so-so. What was even more pathetic was that half the items in their menu were not available which unfortunately included what we wanted to eat.


On our last day, breakfast was at MacDonald's which can be reached via multicab. Breakfast was the same as in any MacDonalds in the Philippines so nothing new there. Lunch was once again at Zubu Chon. At least our last meal in Mactan left a good impression on us.


Logistics:


Hotel stay: Island Stay Inn @ 1,650 pesos a night. We stayed for 2 nights. Total = 3,300


Day 1 Airport to Hotel via taxi - 60 pesos
           Taxi to Mactan Shrine - 120 pesos
           Lunch at Salo-salo Sutokil - 880 pesos
           Jeepney to Island Stay Inn - 9 pesos per person (actually costed three times more because we got lost twice)
          Dinner at Harbor City - 274 pesos for both of us (senior discounted)
          Total Day 1  = 1,352


Day 2 Breakfast at Zubu Chon - 234 for both of us (senior discounted)
           Taxi to Angasil Pier - 140 pesos
           Pumpboat to Sta. Rosa Pier (Olango) - 10 pesos per person 
          Tricycle from Sta. Rosa to and from Olango Sanctuary - 240 pesos
          Entrance Fee at Sanctuary - 20 pesos per person
          Photography fee - 500 pesos per camera
          Guide fee - 500 pesos
          Use of bathroom -  5 pesos (as a donation)
          Pumpboat from Sta. Rosa to Angasil - 10 pesos plus 1 peso terminal fee (per person)
          Tricycle from Angasil Pier to Main road - 8 pesos per person
          Jeepney from Angasil to Hotel - 9 pesos per person
          Lunch at Zubu Chon - 455 pesos (senior discounted)
          Dinner at Chowking -  120 pesos (senior discounted)
          Total Day 2 - 1,810


Day 3 Multicab fare from Hotel to MacDonalds - 7 pesos per person
          Breakfast MacDonalds - 150 pesos (senior discounted)
          Multicab from MacDonalds to Hotel - 7 pesos per          person
          Lunch at Zubu Chon - 445 pesos (senior discounted)
          Taxi from Hotel to Airport - 65 pesos
          Total Day 3 = 688


          3-day Total = 7,150 pesos 


Terminal fees - 200 per person. Total round trip = 800 pesos


Grand Total = 7,950 pesos (tips and gratuities not included)

Slosh and Burn

The thought of going to Olango horrified me. I tried not to show it and I hope my wife did not notice it. Perhaps it was the fear of traveling in a pumpboat while carrying my camera and long lens. Although they were stowed in a backpack for easier transportation, images of thousands of dollars' worth of equipment plunging into Davy Jones Locker while crossing the narrow plank to board the boat sort of worried me. Then there was the vision of being caught in the onrushing waters of a coming high tide. Being someone who can drown in a bathtub, that notion scared the bejeebies out of me.


And as it turned out, all that anxiety for nothing.


The planks used for boarding and disembarking from the motorized boats were steady enough for me and my heavy load. Besides there were even improvised handrails and helpful crewmen. What about the high tide? The deepest I got submerged in was up to my ankles only. 


We arrived at the Olango Island Bird Sanctuary around 7:30 am. While registering, we asked the person in charge if Boy the local guide (who was heavily recommended by friends who had been here before) will be coming. To our disappointment we learned that he won't be able to make it since he had to take his child to the hospital. Thankfully, Jun, another employee of the DENR (Department of Energy and Natural Resources), was available and willing to show us where the birds are.  Since it will only be me who will do the bird photography, we agreed that Cynthia will just stay at the observation deck to relax and enjoy the scenery. 

The tide was still very low at that time of day and the birds were only specks in the horizon. I was initially wearing a long-sleeved shirt (to protect my arms from sunburn) but by simply walking from the Nature Center to the observation deck my shirt was sopping wet from my perspiration. I had no choice but to take the darn thing off. Half-naked I followed Jun to the haunt of the waders. For more than three hours, we sloshed through the shallow sea waters stopping every so often when a bird appears within photographic distance, roughly about 20 meters or so. The sun was shining fiercely and since the expanse  offered no cover at all,  I got burned badly. Apparently the sunblock my wife smeared all over my torso and arms didn't do much of a job.

At around 11 in the morning, the tide came rushing in. So did the migrant birds. I only had a short window of time before the swift flowing waters drove the waders farther away. Frantic shooting became the norm. Then all of a sudden the birds were gone.


Once again I waded through ankle deep waters and my skin tanned to a degree of redness that was not unlike that of an American Indian. Red Seawalker should have been my name then. Nonetheless, I was all smiles knowing that through my sloshing and burning I have harvested five lifers that morning.


Lifer # 1

Greater Sand Plover

Lifer # 2

Great Knot

Lifer # 3

Eurasian Curlew

Lifer # 4

Terek Sandpiper

Lifer # 5

Little Tern