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Olango Island Day Trip / Mongolian BBQ Resturant Review
Went island hopping last weekend. Took the car and put in on the Ferry which departed from near the Shangri-La hotel on Mactan. The destination was the Island of Olango. Not a whole lot there but an interesting day excursion non-the-less.
Firstly we got ripped off by the Trans-Olango Shipping Corporation Ferry which is the only service between Mactan and Olango. The cost for a motor bike is 100 pesos, a normal size car is 350 pesos but they charged us 900 pesos. My car is a larger 4WD but only perhaps 20 % bigger than the cars they charged 350 pesos for.
It covered insurance but there is no way the insurance would count for the difference and I would not hold my breath to ever claim insurance if the boat went down. Well I suppose I would initially hold my breath until the life jacket kept me afloat.
So back and forth cost 1,800 pesos. I really wonder if the full amount made it to the company. I doubt it. It seemed an arbitrary amount that was probably shared between the crew.
We arrived on the island some 10 to 20 minutes later (it is a really short trip). First thing we noticed was there are not many other cars on the island. One local commented that they hardly ever see a car like ours. NO wonder I thought if they are going to extort large sums of money for any car they think suggests the person is rich or more to the point a foreigner. It will certainly be the last time our car goes there.
We only saw probably half a dozen cars the whole day and all of them were less expensive type vehicles. The roads were surprisingly good (probably due to little traffic) and even the dirt roads were smooth.
We went to a so-called beach resort and had a picnic lunch. As is normal in the Philippines you are charged for even the most rudimentary shelter. In this case we paid 200 for a dilapidated hut that really offered little more than a roof and table with bench seating.
Next we went to the bird sanctuary which is the main attraction of the island. Its called the Olango Island Wildlife Sanctuary. The entrance prices were:
Foreigner - P100
Adult - P 20
Senior Citizen – P 10
Minors - P 10
They also had an additional P10 for photography
Now I have a thing about this attitude that foreigners should pay more.
I understand that some places back home have a different charge for locals and out-of-state visitors. The principle behind this is that the locals pay taxes which contribute to the upkeep of the facility. Often your car number plate is used to determine if you are a local or not. This I have no issue with.
This was not the case here. “Adult” is any Filipino and a “Foreigner” is anyone that is not. Racism I say. They would not see it that way. We would never discriminate like that back home. My brother in law talked to them and after showing my drivers license I was admitted as a Filipino. I Suppose I may have been the first person to even question or request the Filipino pricing. It was a matter of principle to me.
Once inside we were given a couple of pairs of binoculars and went to the area for observing birds which seemed to be on a rock floor, with various vegetation growing up through it, and mangroves along the seashore. There was an observation hut with a high powered lenz and descriptions of the various birds we could view. We were able to identify a number of the birds but they really were far away.
There are a few islands close by and we were told that you can actually walk to most of the islands even when the tide is in. There is a danger of accidentally standing on a Sea Urchin which is extremely painful.
We were back at the very long peer early and went to one of the very few restaurant type establishments. The water around this seems polluted and stinks to high heaven, one wonders why anyone would ever build a restaurant at such a location.
Another Restaurant Review.
Mongolian BBQ in Marigodon
As soon I went inside I knew it was going to be more expensive. Firstly the location is on the side of the island where all the beach resorts are located and secondly there were a lot of Koreans there and a parked bus.
Sure enough the price of a BBQ was 400 pesos per person which is still cheap in dollars but expensive by Filipino standards. The actually Mongolian BBQ was a disappointment. The available ingredients were not your usual selection. There was noodles, rice, fresh tomatoes and some other things that are not normally part of a traditional Mongolian BBQ. I was adventures and tried a little of each. Then there are the various oils and sources you add to your bowl. Ketchup was included. The result was unlike any Mongolian BBQ I have ever had and not very nice. I went back and made another using only those ingredients I thought were traditional and got a much better result but still not very good.
If you like a Mongolian BBQ then you will probably not like this. The selections of ingredients are more to Filipino tastes. Rice and Noodles just don’t work in my opinion. It is an eat all you can but even so I don’t feel its good value for money and its not a place I will bother going back to.
Posted: Saturday 16th September 2006, 9:45 AM
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