Skim No. 5: Tip on How to Do A Monkey Crawl

Hey there!

Aside from the common run-drop-slide method of riding the board, another way of doing it is through the monkey crawl method. Personally, I don't know why it was named so but here's a video I found in YouTube to teach you the basics:

You can find the link of the video here.

Happy skimming!

Skim No. 2: Looking for my first skimboard

After deciding to pursue skimboarding this year, I started looking for local suppliers of skimboards here in Cebu. Of course, if you search the internet, some of the popular brands like Exile, Victoria and Zap will pop-up however, these brands are in the United States mostly and are quite expensive. As a beginner, I had no choice but to either look for local suppliers or make one myself.

I tried searching in Shopee and found that one supplier in Lapu-lapu (Yey!). Unfortunately, I found the price too steep but as l looked at the quality, I can say that it can par with some of the popular brands.

I tried looking for another supplier in Facebook and came across Skim Talisay. Just by looking at their cover page photo, my heart skipped a beat because the children were all holding skimboards and can't help comment that maybe, just maybe, someone must have made them. I immediately sent a message inquiring if they have boards for sale and waited.

One of the owners of Skim Talisay sent me a private message that he has currently skimboards on hand but he has to finish the batch. He sent me his price and I found it justifiable and expressed interest on any available stock. On top of that, the dimensions that he sent to me was more or less matched to my height and weight. Before leaving, he asked to like his page Drop Slide Skimboards.

If you are looking for a quality starting skimboard in Cebu, you can definitely search Zeal Deck, Skim Talisay and Drop Slide Skimboards in Facebook.

#exploreph #skimboardingcebu #itsmorefuninthephilippines

My First Skimboarding Post for 2020

After the busy start of the year, I suddenly recalled one of the hobbies of my college classmates that I never tried or indulged myself into-skimboarding. This is one of the more popular hobbies back in my college days mainly because the sandy beach is quite accessible from our school. I suddenly got intrigued and decided to learn this sport for the following reasons:

1. Start of the year means new opportunities and opportune time to start something. So as a personal goal this year, I decided to learn how to skimboard.

2. I recall my hometown Hilongos has a very long sandy beach yet I wonder why only a few try to skimboard. I mean, the tides, the waves, the sand is perfect for skimboard and if I learn skimboarding I get to do something new when I go home.

3. It's a personal fitness goal for me at the same time. I really don't like going to the gym to lift weights or run for a long time. I'm more into activities that are not exercise in itself but is competitive and fun and makes you fit at the same time.

I will be documenting my skimboarding journey in this blog. Hopefully, I will be able to learn and be good at this sport. As a start, I tried to look for the definition of skimboarding and found it here:

Its a Wiki page located at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skimboarding. 

#exploreph #skimboardingcebu #itsmorefuninthephilippines

Outdoor Enthusiast’s View - Reasons Why Cebu City Is the Perfect Place for Your Next Adventure

To many people, Cebu City is the perfect place to be in because it has all the opportunities, entertainment destinations and business establishments next to Manila. You can also experience in Cebu City the busy and fast-paced life, traffic and other issues in Manila although in a much smaller scale. For outdoor enthusiasts, Cebu is blessed with outdoor destinations where you can do outdoor adventures on the weekend or even on daily basis. Here are the reasons why Cebu will remain close to the hearts of many outdoor enthusiasts.

Resting along Budlaan-Kang-irag trail

Hiking
 
You can find a lot of beautiful and challenging hiking destinations in Cebu City. Although the province of Cebu is not blessed with very high mountains, mountain enthusiasts are blessed with many hiking destinations where they can do their “practice climbs” before conquering high altitude mountains outside of Cebu. Aside from making you gasp for air, you don’t have to spend over a hundred pesos just to get to these hiking sites. Starters often try the Napo-Babag Trail that offers breathtaking view of Metro Cebu. You can also try the Budlaan-Kang-irag that offers a river trekking and the Budlaan Falls option. There’s a trail starts in Toong and ends in Jaclupan. There is a road/ trail in Buhisan that ends up in Guadalupe. Of course, I would only mention the trails that I have tried but I know there are still many trails all over the city that has its own charm and challenges. If you want to go for high altitude mountain that goes over 1000 masl, you can go for Osmena Peak where you can opt to traverse to the famous Kawasan Falls. You can also try to conquer the Mt. Manunggal Peak, where President Magsaysay’s plane crashed.

Caving

There are many people that don’t know this but Cebu City actually has cave systems that are still not very popular. When I hiked in Mt. Manunggal a few years back, I was able to talk to a resident and he mentioned cave systems that he said were used during the Japanese invasion. Sudlon cave system was mentioned in our conversation. The only cave that I got in was in Jaclupan. There’s also a White Cave that they say is accessible through Manipis road. I’m sure that there are still caves out there that have yet to become weekend destinations.

Rock climbing

Rock climbing has slowly gained a steady following these past few years. This has become popular because only few people were able to try it and at the same time it requires a certain level of fitness. If you are not ready for the outdoor setup yet, you can try the indoor wall climb in Metrosports Salinas. For an affordable fee, you can already sweat it out and try to finish the different levels. If you want the real deal, you can go to Cantabaco en route to Toledo through the Naga Uling road. You can try while limestone rock climbing there as a group so you can save on expenses. Just an hour ride from the city, it is a destination for those who want to experience real rock climbing. For the inexpensive version, you can do bouldering. I have tried climbing upriver in Campo Cuatro while navigating large boulders. It is free and is just a few minutes from Tabunok via Manipis road and is a quick option to do on a holiday or on a weekend.

Eco adventure

For those that want to try outdoor adventures within the city, you can try the rope course in Rainforest Park in Panagdait. For zip line addicts, Dose Pares in the Transcentral highway and the Papa Kits in Liloan will surely ring a bell. I heard there is also a zip line in Hidden Paradise in San Fernando. Of course, Danasan Park in Danao is the destination for countless eco adventures. There’s also an adventure park in West 35 going to Balamban and many more. 

Buhisan-Guadalupe bike trail

Mountain biking

Most of the time, if it can be accessed by foot then it can also be accessed by a mountain bike. If you want a steep trail, you can never go wrong in the Busay route where you will have to navigate on the concrete road while trying to evade fast vans going to and fro Balamban. If you like the offroad trail, you can try the Pulangbato-Guba Trail going to the Kang-irag Park. You can proceed to Sirao still from Pulangbato and go out to Ayala heights and go downhill to JY square. If you want another steep killer trail, you can try the Budlaan-Transcentral Highway route. I heard there is also a trail in Transcentral that will go out to Manipis road. If you are a downhill addict, Sibugay Peak is a must-try but only on a sunny weather. It will get too muddy and slippery when it rains. Some posh subdivisions are also biking destinations because of the steep entries but most of the time they can be accessed only by residents. You can also try the Labangon-Buhisan-Guadalupe route that starts from Labangon then go up to Buhisan and proceed to Guadalupe through the offroad/concrete road that connects these two barangays.

View of Talamban area atop Kang-irag Peak

Conclusion

 To those who are looking for opportunities and for a place to start but couldn’t leave their taste for adventure, Cebu City is the good place for you to do it. More and more companies are coming to Cebu and that means more job opportunities. On top of that, your next outdoor adventure is waiting for you. Your outdoor destination is very accessible from the city. You can have a challenging adventure on your own or with your friends within an hour or less.