Manila Off the Beaten Path Tips by syllybabe

Get out of the city and drive 3.5 hours to Montemar Beach Club in Bataan. This picture was taken from a friend's house on the cliff that we stayed at for 5 days when I was in college...uhmmm...13 years ago more or less, but the landscape hasn't changed...
Montemar holds wonderful memories of cold beer and great food with friends while playing charades by the light of our cars' headlights and a bonfire.
If in some of these pages you see magazine clippings or labels, it is because I pulled out these pictures from my scrapbook.

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This picture was taken from a small waterfall about a 15 min. drive from Montemar in Bataan. I don't even remember if it had a name...I'm sure it did, but the fresh water was a cool change from the warm, salty waters of the beach.

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Sumilon Island off Dumaguete in Negros Oriental used to be a marine sanctuary managed by Silliman University. When we took this trip in 1994, it was no longer a marine sanctuary but a resort being leased by a Japanese company. The marine life was spectacular and the island was beautiful. The cottages were on top of the cliff overlooking clear blue water and a little walk down a narrow staircase carved out of the cliffs will take you to a sandbar perfect for sunbathing.
When we first got to the island, we were surprised to hear that we couldn't stay because the island was reserved for Japanese guests. We had made reservations 3 months before so we were really upset to hear that and just wouldn't leave until they could explain why they let us come all the way here without letting us know. What we found out was that the Japanese guests were a crew of photographers and models who were there to shoot for Japanese Playboy or something of the sort. All the more reason that my 8 male friends refused to leave! After promises to respect their privacy and stay away from the photo shoots, we were able to bring our stuff down from the boats.
The guys did stay away...but they had binoculars and zoom lenses on their cameras for just as good a view as those Japanese photographers.

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Imagine sleeping on this blanket, under the stars, a few feet away from falling off the cliff, where you would see hundreds of parrot fish and clown fish when you look down because the water is ooh so clear, seeing falling stars and hundreds of fireflies while drinking San Miguels and local rum. This island paradise is Sumilon, a quick jump off Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental.

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Please do not miss taking the ferry for a day trip to Corregidor. That little island is packed with so much WWII history. You can choose to spend the night at the island's only hotel...that way you can explore the island on your own, take long walks, or swim at the beach.

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