GETAWAY ON A BUDGET

So after those 4 days and 3 nights of backpacking around Western Visayas, I decided to share the travel experience with you guys as well as the breakdown of our budget-friendly expenses.

• ROXAS CITY

Gigantes Island can easily be accessible through Roxas City. So from Cebu, we flew there by plane and arrived late in the afternoon.

We stayed at Wallabies Hotel. Despite the other choice of transportation, we got there via a motor cab. It was much cheaper and it added to the entire experience. Checking in was quick because I already made reservations beforehand.

After we freshened up, we left the hotel and explored the city. The town isn't that big. Yet from the environment, to the people, and to the food, the place is filled with charm. It's calming and just worth it.

• BALASAN

Our next destination was in Balasan. We took a motor cab to the terminal and looked for a UV express there. It's faster than the bus, so take note of that.

The ride to Balasan town was approximately 2 hours, give or take a few minutes. When we got there, we took another motor cab to get to Carles port. It's were you can ride a motor boat to Gigantes Island. The boat leaves at 10:00am.

• GIGANTES SUR

The boat ride was about 2 hours, but we arrived at Isla Gigantes Sur just in time.

The name Isla Gigantes directly translates to "island of the giants." If you'd ask around, you might hear the myth straight from the locals' mouths. They are very welcoming, often offering you with a ride, some tours deals and several places to stay.

There are a lot of resorts and inns in Isla Gigantes, raging from fan rooms to air-conditioned rooms. We stayed at Jessa's Place, and settled for a fan room. Their rooms are okay, but their food is a bit pricey.

Since we wanted go island hopping that afternoon, we rented our own motor boat. All in all, we visited four attraction sites.

Our first stop was Antonia's Island. It's privately owned, so we paid for the entrance fee. Second stop was the Bantiqui sand bar. Unlike the previous one, there was no entrance fee. It was owned by the government. And if you're into scallops, vendors sell them there for as cheap as Php 1.00 each.

After filling up our tummies, we got back on the boat and headed to the next neighboring island—Cabugao Island. The entrance is not free, but the island's scenery is Instagram worthy.

Our last stop was Tangke Lagoon. It's a hidden pool surrounded with beautiful rock formations. Unfortunately for us, we weren't able to see such wonder. We came at the wrong time. It was already late in the afternoon and it was no longer safe. We turned the boat around and figured we could always go back some other time.

After our island hopping, we enjoyed the sunset on the beach. Our tour guide suggested the sunrise at the old Spanish lighthouse ruins was equally breathtaking. So we got up early the next day for it.

It turns out, our tour guide wasn't lying. The sunrise was magnificent.

• ESTANCIA

We visited their plaza, but we didn't stay there for long. Later on we headed back to the bus terminal, and boarded another UV express bound to Iloilo City.

• ILOILO CITY

It's my mother's hometown, but I can't really remember much about the place because I was still so young when I last visited. Well, even now, I still am.

After getting off from the UV express, we searched for a jeepney that could get us down town. Again, I took the liberty of booking our accommodations, so everything went smoothly as we checked in at Ong Bun Pensionhouse.

Iloilo was amazing. We went to La Paz to get their famous and delicious batchoy. We also discovered its nightlife.

On our last day, we went to the famous biscocho house, Jaro, to buy pasalubong for our families. You can also find the old Jaro Cathedral and the bell tower around the area. We took some great shots before going back to the bus terminal. It was bittersweet. A part of me stay there much longer, but we had a flight to catch.

When adventure calls you, money isn't necessarily not a must. You can have as much fun without spending too much. Just make sure to budget wisely. As for my friends and I though, our 3000 pesos went a long way. It was indeed a great weekend.

Expenses:
(expenses split into 4 since we are group of 4)

Motor cab - Roxas airport to Wallabies Hotel (town proper) - Php 25/head (Php 100)
Dinner- Php 165/head
Wallabies Hotel Php 899 good for 4 - Php 225/head
breakfast at the hotel - Php 70/head
motor cab- Wallabies to bus terminal- Php 15/head
UV express to Balasan terminal - Php 65/head
motor cab to Carles Port- Php 50/head
Motor boat + environmetal fee - Php 155/head
Motor bike - Php 10/ head
Accomodation + island hopping - Php 1,500 (room) + Php 2,000 (island hopping included tour guide) - Php 875/head
meal (breakfast, lunch, dinner) - Php 737- Php185/head
lighthouse tour - Php 150/head
Motor boat to estancia- Php 80/head
motor cab- port to Estancia plaza- Php 10/head
motor cab- Estancia plaza to bus terminal- Php 10/head
UV express to Iloilo- Php 150/head
8 times ride of jeepny- Php6 per head per ride - Php 48/ head
Ong Bun pensionhouse Php 820 good for 4- Php 205/head
La Paz Batchoy - Php 70.00
Bus terminal to Roxas City- Php 150/head
Motor cab- terminal to Gaisano mall- Php 15/head
Motor cab- Gaisano mall to roxas airport- Php 15/head