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Picture this… sitting on the shores of an unadulterated public beach and enjoying its cream-colored sand under your feet. You are breathing in the beauty of the turquoise-colored waters and you are sharing the experience with locals and locals only. You don’t see flocks of tourists, not even a shadow of foreign guests. This is an off-beat destination and it is known only among Cebuanos. This is Tabuelan.  Enjoying a laidback Tabuelan weekend. Tabuelan is the youngest municipality in the province of Cebu. Established in 1953, the town is popular for its community spring pools and its white sand beach spots. It is an off-beat destination so you don’t get the usual touristy fanfare. It makes you experience an OG weekend the way locals do. Join us as we discover the hidden gems of Tabuelan over a weekend. Tabuelan Poblacion It was a three-hour old style of bus travel to the town of Tabuelan. Since the town is relatively off the usual tourist grid, transportation is usually limited to ordinary mini buses that ply the route of Tuburan or San Remigio. This means that going to is relatively easy while going from can be quite a challenge especially if you are coming off from a weekend. Our travel to Tabuelan went unhitched since we left Cebu City early in the morning.  The Tabuelan Public Market is a central point of the town. Tabuelan is a typical rural town that is slow-paced and simple. At the heart of the town is the bustling commercial center, the Tabuelan Public Market. This is where business happens for most of the day. It is the center of trade and transport and commercial buses make a quick stop here. Apart from a nearby 24-hour convenience store, there’s no other trace of modern-day convenience in and around town. Everything that you need, from daily supplies to meals for tourists, is found in the area.  The San Juan Bautista Parish Church with its serene vibe. The San Juan Bautista Parish Church is just a 10-minute walk from the market. Void of the usual Spanish-period structure found in most municipalities of Cebu, the Tabuelan Church stands in the most conspicuous part of town and exudes an air of peace and tranquility. Its belfry stands adjacent to its facade by its mosaic windows. The interior is high-ceiling and spacious with its simplicity. Angels line the pillars of the church that helps highlight its gold-lined retablo. Just a short ride away from the poblacion, one can find the Tabuelan Municipal Hall. The government center is tucked along the hillside of the town. The compound houses government offices and the town’s gymnasium which serves the town’s center for its activities. The hall, together with the town’s version of its Rizal Park, stands overlooking the poblacion. From this vantage point, you get a quick glimpse of its coastal areas and the poblacion. Tabuelan Municipal Plaza At the heart of the poblacion is the Tabuelan Municipal Plaza. The plaza is a sprawling park that lies along the town’s riverside. The plaza is complete with a bandstand and a playground making it an ideal place to enjoy watching the day pass by in Tabuelan. Just right across the plaza is the Tabuelan sign with the mangrove cover as its backdrop. I have read that there is a boat cruise activity that tourist can try that will tour you along the river that snakes through the town. Unfortunately, we were not able to catch it when we visited Tabuelan and I am not sure whether it is ceased operations.
At the heart of the plaza is a statue of one of the prominent figures of Tabuelan - Casiano Gerona. He is referred to as “Titi Casi” and served as a public servant for Tabuelan. He is the man responsible for the developement of Tabuelan from a sleepy rural town to a bustling center for commerce. The town honors this man with a monument erected at the plaza. Tabuelan Wharf Did you know that Tabuelan has a municipal port that connects it to Negros? It was Titi Casi who spearheaded the construction of the wharf that connected Tabuelan to Escalante. The port is located close to river’s mouth and it is about a 20-minute walk from the town’s public market. The opening of the wharf significantly improved commerce in the area with supply trucks plying the route. There is even a bus line that connects Cebu and Bacolod that ply this route.  The Tabuelan Wharf connects the province of Cebu and the town to the island of Negros. The wharf was busy when we visited the port. We came at a time where a RORO just offloaded their cargo from Negros and was about to load their cargo trucks to Negros. Since boat trips are limited, the wharf is not as busy as other ports. I had the chance to walk around the port and enjoy the peaceful ambiance of the place. The view of the river meeting the sea was very relaxingly beautiful. Liki Spring Community spring pools are regular spots in Cebu, and Tabuelan has its own collection to show off. These freshwater pools are not the usual tourist attractions as it caters more to the community’s water needs. It is part of the locals’ daily lives and, for us urban pips, an attraction that really amazes us.
Liki Spring is one of the many spring pools in Tabuelan. Located along the hills of the town, the pool was developed to harvest fresh water for the community’s water needs in irrigation, household, and even potable drinking water. Liki Spring is a relaxing place to visit because the pool is surrounded by greens. Its clear waters offer a refreshing cold dip after we explored the town. It is a shallow pool and its depth varies through the day depending on the tide. On a usual day, you find locals washing their laundry or kids enjoying a quick dip in its cold waters. Gumbang Spring Among the three pool springs that we visited, Gumbang Spring was the busiest. The spring pool is small and is located along the highway going to the poblacion. It was developed into a concrete pool and its waters flow downstream to a stream that runs alongside the highway. It was a busy day when we arrived at the pools. The locals were probably surprised with our arrival in the middle of their usual Sunday chores. Mothers were doing their laundry and the kids were taking their usual baths. Concrete steps lead down to the pool and a concrete pool was also developed as a catch basin of its flowing fresh water. Who would have thought that there was a spring pool attraction right along the highway. Cantacoyang Spring Cantacoyang Spring is the most popular spring pool attraction in Tabuelan. Located just a few meters from the highway, you would have to take a quick walk through a trail to a concrete dam structure that collects freshwater into a pool before it drains out to a stream. Just like the two other spring pools, Cantocayang serves the fresh water needs of its surrounding communities. Do not be surprised to find locals enjoying its cold waters especially on a hot day.  The Cantacoyang Spring is the most beautiful and dramatic fresh pool spring spot in Tabuelan. What makes Cantocayang Spring different is it its picturesque downstream flow. As freshwater flows out of the pool. It makes its way down into a stream disappearing into its thick palm tree covers. This spot is a perfect spot for an IG-worthy picture. It gives the spring pool a dramatic view as you enjoy the cold waters of Cantocayang Spring. Maravilla Public Beach Located about 20 minutes from the Poblacion, Maravilla Public Beach is the most popular beach spot in Tabuelan. This is where you will find most local tourists enjoying the sun, sand, and sea on this side of Cebu. Unlike other popular destinations north of the province, Tabuelan is not a spot that foreigners often visit so you get to enjoy Maravilla Beach the way locals do and it does not come with a hefty budget. This is the real deal Cebuano kind of weekend beach spot.  Maravilla Beach is the most popular beach spot here in Tabuelan. The white sand shoreline is lined with private resorts but there is a public beach that you can visit that requires no entrance fees. There are beach tables and huts that you can rent if you intend to stay longer. We rented out a beach table before we checked out what we can get for lunch. We got a whole grilled chicken, puso, and 3 packs of steamed scallops. The scallops were a good deal for a hundred with around 15 pieces per pack. We ate in style using our hands as we enjoyed the view and the breeze.
Maravilla Beach exudes that OG beach vibe. You get to enjoy just chilling down and enjoying the beach without the usual touristy vibe. You get an occasional vendor coming through but they are not as pushy with their trade and the prices are not touristy. I enjoyed cooling down in the waters of the beach like the way I used to when I was younger. You get to enjoy the humdrum of a Sunday beach day the way local Cebuanos do. You simply just keep chilling the day until it is time to go home. Cansimon Bai Beach resorts line the coastal stretch of Tabuelan. These resorts cater to different kinds of tourists from the lavish spenders to budget-conscious travelers. In our case, we opted for a cheaper and a more laidback weekend accommodation at Carmeling’s Place in Barangay Olivo. It turned out to be a good decision as we got to enjoy the laidback vibe of the resort all to ourselves.  I have found a personal beach spot in Cansimon Point. Cansimon Bai is one of the beach spots that sit along the coast of Tabuelan. The beach is more laidback and, since it is relatively unknown, only guests of nearby resorts and locals get to enjoy the laidback and tranquil vibe of the beach. You get to enjoy the spot with its combination of white sand, rock formations, and mangrove covers. The northern side of the beach is home to a thriving mangrove forest where you can capture dramatic images of mangrove tree formations. This is also the spot where locals enjoy the beach here in Olivo.
Cansimon Bai is a pretty laidback beach spot. We enjoyed the unadulterated beach vibe of the place. It was untouched and was not crowded. It is one of the local’s best kept secret in Tabuelan. We enjoyed sipping on our fresh buko juice, sourced by one of locals, while enjoying the tranquil vibe of the beach. This was a perfect way to end a weekend in Tabuelan - away from the crowd, with just us and nature. POST TRAVEL NOTES Tabuelan was a great destination find. This off-beat spot, north of Cebu, gave us a perfect weekend escape from our usual urban hussle. It slowed us down, made use appreciate and commune with nature, and recharged us. It was a destination that unexpectedly gave us a perfect weekend that we enjoyed the time we spent there. It is THE destination that is perfect to unwind and recharge. I have found a weekend escape destination in Tabuelan.  Eeeeyyyyy to our next adventure! Exploring offbeat destinations often leads us to discovering a new and exciting spot that is not on the usual tourism trail. We are able to explore and enjoy the place in its unadulterated state, long before mainstream tourism gets its hand on it. We get to see its raw beauty and enjoy its local vibe before commercialism sets in. This is a great position because we can share the raw experience for others to start exploring and opening new opportunities for its locals and its community. Watch out for the release of my Tabuelan Youtube Travel Video soon. #MahalinNatinAngPilipinas #CebuSeries Getting there: Major airlines have direct flights to Mactan-Cebu International Airport from local and international airport hubs. You can take a cab, a Grab car, or the Airport-SM City Cebu Bus to get to the North Bus Terminal from the airport. You can then take a bus to Tuburan via Tabuelan and ask the driver to drop you off at the Tabuelan Public Market. To get around Tabuelan, you can contact our Trike driver/guide Kuya Andrew at (0965) 499 3072. Make sure that you make an arrangement for your pick-up at the public market prior to your arrival. I highly recommend Carmeling’s Place for their rustic and serene accommodations near Cansimon Point. You can reach them at (0920) 4859646 or through their FB page: FB Page: Carmeling's Place Shoutout to my travel buddies - HULL & STERN Dry Bags for keeping my stuff safe and dry during my travels and MAGWAI for their alternative and eco-friendly products for my local travels.
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Marc del Rosario
I believe in education, entrepreneurship, and caring for the environment. 
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