December 23, 2011

  • Hotspring, walking, and Pinoy Siri for iPhone 4S

    Travel

    Today I went to Dauin Hot Spring and Beach Resort, around 2 hours away from our place in Valencia.

    I first intended to go to the hot spring in Brgy. Magsaysay in Dauin but I got lost and ended up in this somewhat expensive and fancy hotspring that is definitely not a hotspring. The only plus, I was alone and the place was technically mine the whole day.

    When I arrived, the pool with the hotspring water wasn't filled so they had to fill it up and it took them like the whole day. It wasn't filled yet when I left around 3. It was a total bummer, and to think that one has to pay P300 (roughly around US$7) as entrance. P250 is consumable, with drinks or food, which is great if you really have the money to spend. I spent something close to P500 for the afternoon stay, with the "hot spring" only 2-feet deep! I had to lie down so that my whole body would be immersed in the "spring" water. Honestly it was just like taking a bath in a very hot tub. (The first picture, well, it had no water as well and they refused to fill it up because they said I would have to pay more if I want to use that pool. Bummer!)

    The water was ground water, which they have to pump out from the ground using a generator (I believe its run by diesel which is definitely not eco-friendly, but it could also be run by electricity from the power line). The water is nothing volcanic, so, no sulfur. The only smell I could identify is that of iron, which is really very common with ground water.

    The place is very small, with just one villa with four rooms (P1,800 to P2,500 per night or US$42 to US$58). It can be rented exclusive, or you can share the house with complete strangers. It has three pools: one bigger pool with seawater and then the small single pool where they pump in the "springwater", and yes the one on the first picture with the natural landscape.

    The beach, well, I don't recommend that you swim in it because its full of rocks, and today the waves were terrifying. Dauin, though has lots of marine reserves, so, it won't be a surprise if there are plenty of marine life several meters from the shore. But then there's no lifeguard, safety will always be a primary consideration. There are, however, safer sites in Dauin where one could snorkel or dive without any worries.

    Still, it was a luxury for me as I was able to spend time with myself.

    Although I won't recommend this place to people wanting to have that hotspring experience, but this is definitely a good place if you want to have an exclusive party or gathering. I've never actually seen the rooms so I can't say if they're good, but from the brochure, it said that the rooms could accommodate a minimum of eight people, two per room. They charge extra for more people, P500 per head. Exclusive rental for one day is P6,000, and for two days, P10,000.

    There are hot springs in our town since the source of geothermal power is here, so I guess I'd check those out.

    Anyway, dropping by the supermarket on my way home I tried to look for some gochuchang (Korean red pepper paste) since I ran out of it ages ago. I use it as a dip for virtually every raw vegetable that I can get my hands on, and as a flavoring for my rice. Don't want to waste my time at the grocery store, I settled for a bunch of fresh basil, olive oil, and some other stuff. I'm making pesto for Christmas!

    And then, I walked home. Again. From Dumaguete to Valencia!

    Now I'm beat.

    Well, ever heard of iPhone 4S and Siri, the virtual assistant? Well, we have a Pinoy (slang for Filipinos) version called Ate Vangie and here's how she sounds. She basically embodies the Filipino attitude. 

    Oh, by the way, I don't think Ate Vangie is for real, but she is a whole lot of fun. 

    Here's what Vangie said:

    To the first guy asking for the weather: She ranted saying that he's an adult, he can even afford an iPhone 4S so he should be able to tell the weather on his own by looking at the sky.

    The guy asking for his girlfriend: Vangie ridiculed him saying that he was with a guy named Junjun the other day, holding hands and kissing.

    The girl in the car? Well, Vangie simply sent a message as most girls would usually send their message with all the affectionate tsup! tsup! and stuff.

    The cooking girl, well, that's how most Filipinos cook pasta, sweet with lots of ketchup! Bwahahahaha

    The running guy, Vangie accused him to be a snatcher because his voice is different.

    Hahahaha I love this.

    Here are more pictures of the resort:


    The bigger pool with the bar on the background. On the left side is the house. I reckon that this was intended to be the owner's summer house but decided to make money out of it and turned it into a "resort".


    The "resort" has plenty of flowers.


    One of the many stray dogs in the beach


    Brain coral by the seashore. This one's already dead :(

    For more information on Dauin Hot Spring & Beach Resort you can email them at inquiry@dauinhotspring.com. They can also be reached by phone at (+63)35-400-3435 or mobile at (+63)917-302-0262. 

    They also have a resort and restaurant in the island of Siquijor called Blue Wave Inn. Email inquiries at inquiry@bluewaveinnresort.com. Their phone is (+63)35-480-9190 and mobile (+63)915-110-2155.

    Their flagship resort is Bravo Golf Resort & Residences in Sibulan, Negros Oriental, and can be reached through email at golfhotel_inquiry@bravogolfhotel.com. Reservations can be made through phone at (+63)35-400-3504 or through mobile at (+63)917-300-5574.

    Current tariffs can be viewed in their website. 

    (Photo credit: Dauin Hot Spring and Beach Resort on Facebook for first photo. The rest by Tribo's Cup | Video credit: Macapuno Systems)

    NEXT | PREVIOUS

Comments (27)

Comments are closed.

Post a Comment