BUTANDING! aka Whalesharks (tips for those going to Donsol, Sorsogon - kids or no kids)

My wife and a few friends have long been egging me to start a blog but to no avail.  I guess our recent trip to Donsol, Sorosgon and my (great? cool? awesome?) experiences with their Butandings have led to start this, my very first blog!

A Butanding (this pic is actually on the wall of Giddy's Place)

Our trip was a kinda spur of the moment decision.  There was, of course, my beautiful wife, Poi, and our two kids, Danna (12) and Anton (11).  Also at the last minute, we asked my brother-in-law, Berlin, his wife, Nita, and their youngest, Vernon (14), the kids' cousin to join us.  Rounding the group was another of the kids' cousin, Melbourne (13) for a total of 8.

Took CebuPac on a Saturday morning (Apr 2, 2011), landed in Legaspi City airport in about an hour, got fetched by the resort driver, passed by for a few shots at Cagsaua Ruins (alas, Mayon was hiding behind clouds!), then got to our home-for-the-next-5days, Amor Farm & Beach Resort after an hour or so.

1st question - is it ok to bring kids to "swim with the whalesharks?"  Yes, definitely!  My son loved it and wants to go back!  When we were there, I've seen other families with kids, some as young as possibly 6-7 years old!  Do they need to be good or strong swimmers?  It would be ideal (we had our kids practice their swimming and using their snorkeling gear for 2 weekends before we went) but as long as they know how to swim and are comfortable in the water, no problem - there are life-vests for kids so they can float and snorkel (and lessen the parents' worries!).  In the case of my kids, even though they were good swimmers, we made sure they had life-vests on.  The Butanding Interaction Officer (or BIO for short) was also kind enough to offer them to hang on to a flotation device and he swam/dragged the kids to where they can see the Butandings better.  I wouldn't suggest kids younger than 6 coz they just might get scared by the sheer size/bulk of the whale sharks plus they could get tired rather easily

1st Tip - bring cash.  No ATMs in Donsol (the nearest one is in the next town, Pilar, which is about 30-45 minutes drive away plus you're not sure if the ATM would be online when you go there) and not all establishments take credit cards (Amor Resort didn't have swipe machines either).  Approximately how much are you going to spend?  Let's see, below are some expenses:

• if you're coming from Manila's NAIA3, there's a terminal fee of P200 per passenger

• then you'll have to spend for airport transfer (Legaspi to Donsol) which cost us P2000 for a van (it was ok for us since there were 8 of us but i did find someone who's willing to pick up at a lower price)

• of course, you'll have to pay for your accommodations (in Amor, we got 2 rooms for P2000/night - each room fit 2 adults and 2 kids, came with air-con, hot shower but no breakfast.  The resort has cheaper rooms even some fan-only rooms.  You can search for their rates at their FB under Amor Farm Beach Resort, or call them at 0909-5181150)

Our 2-bedrooms at Amor Farm & Beach Resort

Among the resorts we looked at, Amor is quite spacious and has a bit of more beach front.  If you look closely at the background, you can see a boat at the sea side looking for Butandings

• and meals (breakfast at Amor will range from P60-100/person, lunches and dinners will cost P150-200/person.  Food was good and quite tasty at the resort, their waitresses always smiling and efficient enough) and drinks (tip: for sodas and juices, buy the 1liter or 1.5liter and just ask for glasses with ice - cheaper that way)

• for the Butanding interaction, everyone has to go and register at the Butanding Visitor's Center (Registration Fee is P100/person for locals, P300/person for foreigners).  You register, you attend/watch a 10minute introductory video, and you pay for the boat (will cost P3,500 per boat, maximum no. of passengers they allow is 6. the boat comes with 4-5 crew including the BIO, spotter, driver, and helper.  Also comes with life-vests.  You need to bring your own snacks and drinks)

The pier where everyone waits till they get assigned their designated boats.

• If you don't bring your own snorkeling gear plus fins, you can rent them - there are stalls at the center renting these out. One set (mask, tube, fins) will cost P300/person.  If you just rent the fins, it's P150/per person.  

• Btw, the Butanding visitor's center is a nice leisurely 10 minute walk from Amor Beach Resort.  If you're going to stay at Giddy's Place, that's in Donsol town proper and you will need to take a tricycle to get to the center (costs P10 per person for short distances, P15-20 for slightly longer distances)

• we also went for the firefly tour which  costs P1250 (the resort can arrange this for you).  This starts every 6pm and will take about 2 hours of riding a banca to the Donsol river to selected trees along the banks and back.  Nice experience especially for city slickers and kids who have grown up without ever seeing a real live aliptaptap (firefly aka lightning bug).  Here, you will see them gather around certain trees in large numbers such that the trees seem like live christmas trees (note - will not show up in cameras and will barely register in video cams or cell phones!).  The boat can accommodate 5 passengers plus the the boatman and a guide.  The locals there say that the fireflies are more numerous at a place called Ugud but that's much further away (will take more than an hour just go get there - and will cost more) - we didn't try that anymore

On our way to the riverbank where the fireflies can be found

• Fyi, Donsol is in Sorsogon - the last province in the Bicol Region while Legaspi is in Albay (the next province - where Mt. Mayon is).  If you're up to a tour of Legaspi city (see the Cagsaua ruins, go to Embarcadero, their newest mall by the sea, do to historic Daraga Church, buy pasalubong etc), the resort could arrange this and will charge you at least P3000 for a van that will be available for you with driver from 8am to 5pm.  Tip: in our case, we haggled it down to P2500 because we said it was only going to be half-day and we were going to do it on our last day and be brought straight to Legaspi airport after going round.  Other Tip: We went to Lingnon Hill on this tour, paid registration fee P20/adult, P10/kid.  There's a zip line there P350/person - includes a picture of you zipping by with Mt Mayon as background!  Nice!  If, however, you're going for the whole day tour, I suggest you spend a few hours riding/driving an ATV to Mt.Mayon (P1800/atv - single seater).  Btw, there are ATMs in Legaspi City

the view of Mt.Mayon from Daraga church

 

Danna at the zip-line

Anton at the zip-line

• still in donsol, we also went "shrimping" one night - wading along the seashore and catching shrimp the old-fashioned local way (with a net called sudsud).  We found someone who knew a local fisherman who was willing to show us and accompany us (me and the 4 kids).  The kids had a blast.  We caught enough shrimp to fill a big plate which of course we asked the kitchen at Amor resort to cook (steamed) for us.  We even caught some baby cuttlefish and octopus - tender and yummy, too!  We just paid the fisherman P300 for 2 hours

• We were there on a Sunday and so heard Mass at Donsol church (took a 15-min tricycle ride at P15/per person).  Only one mass - 5pm - it was said in a mix of English, Tagalog and Bicolano

• the locals (or the resorts) will also ask if you want to go island hopping - takes the whole day and a bit expensive at P6000 a boat.  This is coz the boat will already take you down Visayas to some small islands for snorkeling, there's one with white sand beach, and another with waterfalls.  We didn't try this anymore

• finally, don't forget, there's a terminal fee in Legaspi city airport as you depart, P30/person 

more tips to follow on the next post! (and some pics too)