TRAVEL BUG : DESTINATION BARILI





Barili is a a town 60 kms. south of Cebu City. From the provincial capital, you travel on the eastern coast, pass by Talisay City, Naga, San Fernando, other coastal towns; you can see Bohol island across the sea. At Carcar town, you turn right to cross the mountain range going to the western coast, where you will see Negros island. The road infrastructure is generally good and smooth even in the winding and mountainous parts.

                                                             Mantayupan Falls

Mantayupan Falls is tall and beautiful. There are actually 3 waterfalls; the first two are about 1-2 storeys high, and about 20 meters away from each other and share the same pool. The third is high, maybe equivalent to a 4- or 5-storey building, and waterfalls are strong. The swimming pool is wide and deep in the center. To get near where the strong water falls, there are bamboo rafts for rent, P150 per hour (we were able to haggle and bargain for only P100) that can carry 10-15 people. There is a rope that raft passengers can use to pull themselves closer to the waterfalls. It rained hard 2 days before we arrived there (December 28), which probably explained the strong gust of water falling from the top.

                                      

                                       Barili Church - Dedicated St. Anne
 

It's interesting to know more about one's faith, and there's one thing that i found out in barili that most people don't even know - the patron saint of the town is st. anne, otherwise known as the mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary. digging for some more info, i also found out the st. joachim is the husband of st. anne.

a word of caution, the picture simulates an "old" picture whereas the actual facade is an ugly white and yellow. do check out the shrine dedicated to st. anne. just ask any of the caretakers to open the place - it's at the back of the church altar.





                                                                    Sayaw Beach


Sayaw beach has white sand and gravel. The swimming area though is rocky, you have to bring a beach sandal or slipper if you do not want to step on some rough rocks and coral formations in the seafloor. Nevertheless, the sights are cool and you will find some colorful fishes when you go snorkelling. Entrance fee is P10 per head and bamboo cottages are P100 per day. Since we stayed for only 2 hours, we haggled and rented the cottage for only P50. The beach is about 4 kilometers from the municipal bus terminal, Shamrock restaurant and bakeshop.

From Barili town proper to Sayaw beach, you will pass by the viewpoint area; it's good to stop for a few minutes to see the cliff, wide sea, mangrove plantation, a fishing village. Good for picture taking too.












                                                Molave Milk Station

Keep your eyes open for this sign along the road from carcar to barili. it is a dairy farm and they selldeleysyusnes vanilla ice cream. and other flavors. and squid balls. and all sorts of snacks. my favorite is still the cheap ice cream. really fresh from the cows grazing on the hills. yumi!





                                           Kaumahan Festival
A festival of revelry where merry making and showcasing of Barili’s agricultural products takes center stage which give rise to the tow’s agricultural and economic development.






                                 A memorial cross on the slope of the cliff from palalong place

This cross marks the spot along the cliff of palalong where the japanese "allegedly" threw the bodies of the people they killed. spooky.





                                   That's the bed and breakfast - from the bottom of the slope

There are only two places where you can find accommodations in barili: shamrock pension and palalong place. if sharing a bathroom is your idea of "tripping" then shamrock in the middle of the poblacion, right across the bus station is your choice. if you want picturesque scenery, you're better off in palalong. don't mind the howling at night. it's just the wind.

food is reasonable in palalong place (taste and price), if you want an even cheaper selection take a short ride to town and grab your chow in shamrock pension carinderia. better yet, follow my lead and grab flavored sandwich spread (tuna, ham and cheese) and wheat bread.

room rates in shamrock is dirt cheap at Php 350 for al fresco rooms (read: no aircon) good for 4 people comfortable sniffing each other's armpits. aircon rooms are available for Php 450 (i think)

in palalong place, rooms are slightly pricier at Php 750 (2 peeps + 1 extra) or Php 950 (4 + 1 extra) but are airconditioned.

SHAMROCK PENSION HOUSE
National Highway
Poblacion, Barili,
Tel:(+6332 470.9235)

PALALONG PLACE
National Highway
Guibuangan, BariliTel: (+6332 516.0878)







                                             Panoramic View - Palalong Place, Barili

That's the early morning view from my room when i woke up from a restful sleep in Palalong Place (PP). PP is a bed and breakfast along the national highway about two kilometers from barili poblacion. situated on top of a cliff, you get an amazing view of tanon straight and the coastal town settled on a natural cove. under the mid day sun the stunningly clear light blue waters reveal coral formations where fishermen go about their activity.