Badian, Cebu
Badian is a
municipality south of Cebu that is emerging as one of the go-to places because
of the canyoneering activity there. However, I went there to do some
soul-searching and the place can really help you. If you are not into
canyoneering then you can check out Lambug Beach and Kansanto Spring.
How I got there:
From the South Bus
Terminal, take a bus going to Bato via Barili. There are a couple buses there
that has that route like but I took the Ceres bus. They have AC and non-AC type
of buses. The fare is Php126 (AC-type)
and although the non-AC costs lesser, it is not much of a fare difference.
Travel time is 3 hours. Just inform the
conductor that you will alight at the Badian
Public Market or mostly known as Badian's
merkado. You can opt to be dropped at the corner of the road to the golf
course but I preferred the merkado as there are a lot of habal-habal there that can take you to Lambug
beach. The fare from merkado to Lambug Beach is Php50
although I was able to haggle it to Php40.
Where I stayed:
I stayed at the
Lambug Beach Homestay and it was a very nice
place. It is very homey and you can use their kitchen and living room. The
homestay is just 1-2 minutes away from the beach. They offer dormitory type of
rooms for
Php400/person and double rooms
that cost from
Php1,500-Php2,000 but the
rooms are spacious and all have AC on them. The caretaker,
Ate Vilma, is friendly and nice to talk to.
They also serve breakfast for
Php150 but
you must order in advance. You can check out their website
here. You
can also contact them through 09167620044 and 09254606573 or email them
through:
info@lambug-beach-homestay.com
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| Kitchen and Dining area of the Homestay |
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| Living area of the homestay |
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| The big dormitory room that can occupy 10-12 persons |
If you really need
to have a place to stay at the beach front, there are also other places to
stay. Here are some of the accommodations you can check:
Angie's
Beach House
*photos courtesy of owners
You can also set up
tents at the beach and I've heard that it's for free. You can take your own
equipment with you or you can rent one at the hotels and just ask about those.
Take that for a budget hack.
The things I did and the places I went to:
Lambug Beach
Lambug beach has
fine white sand and clear waters. It is not a crowded beach and when I went
there, if it weren't for the locals, I may have been the only one there. It is
a quiet place that can make you think and relax. I have not used any cottage
and just opted to sit by the shade of the coconut tree with beverage and junk
food in hand. With a music player on, I was enjoying the view and chilling out
by myself. I wasn't able to swim at the beach as intended due to that time of
the month. Still I was able to enjoy my time there. I got to meet locals and
was able to try some sea urchin fresh from the sea. I also got to meet some
friendly dogs there. I would definitely go back and bring some friends with me.
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| Sari-sari stores that sell basic needs |
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| Unspoiled beach |
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| The friendly pooch I met at the beach |
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| The boy I met having fresh food for lunch |
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| Fresh sea urchin - is this uni? |
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| The beach is not complete without coconut trees |
Kansanto Spring
Kansanto Spring is a
lesser known place to visit in Badian. It is a cold spring and the water there
is brackish. There are about 5 cottages there that you can use for Php350-Php400 and I also see a videoke machine
certainly for Filipinos who love to sing and showcase their voices. There is no
restaurant or store there that you can buy food from so better have some
food/drinks ready or bought from the market before going there. The water is so
clear and there are fishes swimming around. There are two other
ponds/enclosures where they are somehow breeding fish but I was told that
before they had sea turtles there that they were raising but because they are
endangered species, it was ceased by the government and they had to set them
all free.
I was also able to
meet the caretakers, Ibong and Baldo, as I had the courage to join them because
I was the only guest there. Yup, I had the place all to myself once more. It
really is nice to meet locals, I spent my afternoon there with them and I got to
know them a little more. It was a nice thing to get out of my comfort zone once
in a while. Definitely, check this place out!
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| Hammocks to relax in |
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One of the cottages - not sure if the top part is a private function room
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Here is the breakdown of my expense:
- Tricycle drivers will ask you
to do a "pakyaw" to take you Lambug beach if you alighted from
the Public Market. They will ask you Php100 so don't opt for it if you
are travelling alone. There is the habal-habal that you can take for Php50
but I was able to haggle it to Php40 so if you can do that, don't be shy
to flash your charm. Of course, take the trike if you have a lot of
luggage with you.
- There are no restaurants at
the beach front only small sari-sari stores for basic needs so better buy
your meats or groceries at the market. For fish, I was asked by a local if
I wanted to buy fish so I think you can ask some of the locals to go
fishing but that's not a guarantee. I did see some carenderias
at the far end
of the beach near the port if you wanna try out local food but it is a bit
far from the hotels/homestays.
- ALWAYS have cash and change
with you. There is only one ATM machine found in Badian and it is located
next to 7-Eleven just adjacent of the drop off area. There is no guarantee
that it will always work so better have cash ready. If the machine doesn't
work, you will have to go to Moalboal, which is the next town, to withdraw
cash.
- If you want to have a driver
take you to the homestay or to the market, you can contact Kuya Sawi at 09322456126.
- The locals are very friendly,
I recommend that you interact with them. I was able to hear stories from
their life and also got to know the place a little more.
Hit me up if you
have questions :)
They are located:
