Our second day tour was as jampacked as our first. We were able to visit an island, a lake, three beaches, and three caves.
THE DATE: August 14, 2017
THE TRIP
07:00-08:30 We don’t want to waste another breakfast voucher so we asked Kuya Michael to join us. At first, he was really shy but the resort personnel assured him that it was okay for him to enter the place. They even encouraged him to have breakfast with us. With their assurance and LesLo’s threat of non-payment, Kuya Michael finally gave in and joined us for breakfast. Accommodation: Php 3,785.79
08:30-18:00 Like yesterday, Kuya Michael asked for an advance payment of Php 100.00 for gas. Transportation (Gas): Php 100.00
We were supposed to go to TULANG DIOT island the day before so we decided to start here. 
We had to go to TULANG DAKO first and ride a boat to the island. According to Kuya Michael, diot (or diyot) is small in bisaya dialect, and dako is big. Our original plan was to go to the beach only. However, some locals were able to persuade us into renting their boat for snorkeling. For Php 600.00, they took us to some snorkeling sites around Tulang Diot. Included in the payment were snorkeling gears (mask and snorkel) and unlimited time for snorkeling. Before heading back to Tulang Dako, our boat parked on Tulang Diot’s white beach. No entrance fee for Tulang Diot beach but we almost paid Php 15.00 for the boat parking fee. Nobody was there to collect. Hence, free parking. Tour (snorkeling): Php 600.00
BAKHAW BEACH was our next stop. The sand was fine, there were no urchins, and we were the only ones there. We loved this beach! We could stay there the whole day! Entrance Fee: Php 20.00 each
We had lunch in LAKE DANAO. Lake Danao is mostly for water activities like pedal boats and water bicycle. The fee was affordable but it was really hot when we arrived so we just ate, had some pictures with some should-be-wild-but-already-tamed animals for a small donation, and left. Aside from the tamed animals, there were caged animals like alligators, turtles, and monkeys. We felt sorry for them but we figured these were allowed since Lake Danao was under the management of the local government. There were only two restaurants in the area. Kuya Michael said that the owner of the restaurant where we ate also owned Mangodlong Rock Resort. There were two swimming pools being maintained by the restaurant owner where visitors can swim for a fee of Php 150.00. Entrance Fee: Php 15.00 each; Parking Fee: Php 5.00; Meals: Php 660.00 for 3pax
Next stop is HEAVEN CAVE. Two elders own and manage the cave. It was big enough and deep enough for a good swim. Entrance Fee: Php 25.00 each
The next cave was PARAISO CAVE. For me, it was the most exploited cave and not just because of the fancy landscape outside the cave. Inside the cave, there were no longer any stalactites. It looked like the stalactites were deliberately carved out to make room for a higher ceiling. The swimming area, although deep, was small. Families with small kids may like this cave since it was the most well-lit of all the caves. Entrance Fee: Php 35.00 each
AMAZING CAVE was the last cave we visited. It also has a fancy landscape but unlike Paraiso Cave, there is no separate entrance fee to the cave and the cave’s stalactites were well-preserved. LesLo liked this cave best since it was the most “adventurous” for her. By adventurous, she meant diving for a second or two to get to the cave itself. The pool was 10 to 12 feet deep, which is why the owner also rents out life jackets. Entrance Fee: Php 35.00 for me (with life jacket) and 25.00 for LesLo.
Our final stop was SANTIAGO WHITE BEACH. It was a public beach, so no entrance fee. However, it was not clean. There were garbage everywhere. I’m not sure is it’s just because it was low tide when we got there. Kuya Michael said it was beautiful during high tide. We tried to stay here to enjoy the view but the trash beside us distracted and grossed us out.
18:30 Upon arrival in the resort, we paid Kuya Michael Php 2,000.00 and treated the gas payments as tip. We had cocktails at the pool bar and dinner at Mangodlong Rock Resort. Tour (for the second day): Php 1,000.00; Meals: 350.00
THE EXPENSES
Though I paid part of our accommodation, I included the full price below for future reference. I also included only the second day payment for our guide and considered the gas payment as his tip.
