Thursday, March 1, 2012

Going Provincial - Balamban & Asturias Part 2


And just when you thought going provincial would simply mean endless view of the trees, hills, rice fields and more rice fields. But the little town of Asturias and Balamban proved me wrong. Their town has grown over the past years making different means and ways to generate income in the same way that would also attract local and (crossing-fingers) international tourist alike.


In Cebu, the city is situated right at the heart of this oddly elongated island, if you are looking for activities that will free you from stress and steer you away from the hussle and bustle of the city, just choose north or south? The towns along the way will amuse you with food, scenery and experience. Part 1 of this blog had already featured the scrumptious foodies we had the entire trip, so this entry will feature the amenities that kept us entertained. 


First, no Filipino household is complete without a karaoke and what good way to start this than to feature just that (tee hee). I don't know 'bout your household but if you say home karaoke system it would just consist of a dvd-like player, mic and a tv but this one didn't come close to that! This is the mother of all household karaoke systems, wouldn't you think? It comes complete with that booming speaker system and is jam-packed with thousands of songs LOL. 

Karaoke
One mean karaoke machine. Too bad this facility is invitation only. LOL


 Our next stop was IPI prawn farm in Balamban, a town beside Asturias(5 minute ride). This is very easy to spot since this is just along the road . A very huge property that has a lot of activities to offer. Here's a list of the things you can do there. What better way to describe than by pictures. =)



Fishing 
the fishing pond where you can fish for red & black tilapia and bangus. 
Ava waiting for her catch
seriously fishing + caught fish = one happy kid =) 
And it looks like it was a good day to catch fish, everybody whose anybody caught more than 1 fish. Hats off to these smiling fishermen hahaha.
We caught a total of 5 kilos of red tilapia. We had the option to have these cooked but since we are pressed for time, we all decided to buy and take them all home.
They have their restaurant where you can buy beverages and seafood for dining in or when you decide to give up on fishing and instead buy their fresh catch instead. Tiger prawns (fresh from the prawn farm) priced at Php 370/ kilo and the red tilapia at Php 150/kilo.

Horseback riding
rates: 10mins - P50; 15mins - P75; 20mins - P100; 30mins - P150; 1hr - P300

Okay! So let me tell you how special this trip is to my daughter. Me and my office mates have been planning this trip for weeks but I kept this from my daughter 'til we arrived at destination. Several days back, she was asking me that we go fishing and on another occasion she said that she wanted to go horseback riding. This trip was heaven sent! Well, let me say that she was surprised and beyond happy that she got her two wishes on the same day. Very happy that she kept on talking about her experience when we got home.
=)


Other activities include: 
Donkey Cart Riding rates 
(10mins - P50; 15mins - P75; 20mins - P100; 30mins - P150; 1hr - P300)
Car/Motorcycle Racing rates
(Car rentals: 1lap - P300; 3laps - P750; 5laps - P1,000; 10laps - P1,500)
(With own car: half day - P500; whole day - P1,000)
(With own motorcycle: 1hr - P100; half day - P300; whole day - P500)





At the end of the day, here we are; the happy campers =)
A special thank you to Lyris and her fiance Paul,to Nean and Mark for making this possible.
  
A huge thank you. =)

Bloggers featured here 
http://mommynean.blogspot.com
http://iamdanny-girl.blogspot.com/
http://jasmarcos.blogspot.com/

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