Whale watching in Oslob

Oslob in August 2016, the Philippines

Whale watching in Oslob is a big, big business. “Everybody” living in some 20-kilometer radius has a stake in that lucrative enterprise one way or the other. Competition is fierce. Thousands of tourists that visit Oslob come here for one reason and one reason only – whale watching. All tourists but me. 

I came to Oslob not so much for whale watching but  … well; it was an alternative route back to Cebu City or rather my final destination, the Mactan Island hosting not only the airport but also the friendly hotel storing my not-missed-suitcase. This seemed to be a perfect choice for someone who doesn’t like taking the same road twice.  Instead, I took a ferry to Santander, and a bus destined for Cebu City but got off about 30 minutes into the ride, right in front of my resort in Oslob. (Siqujor island -> Dumaguete -> Santander -> bus to the resort ). 

So what did I do in Oslob? Other than watching stressed people trying to find the best whale watching deal? Not so much. The town is small and other than hiring a boat for whale watching trips there isn’t all that much to do or see thus I do not have all that much to write about. Hope you can enjoy the images instead. 😉

Of course, I took a stroll in town, visited few landmarks like this unique structure, Cuartel, built to serve as barracks for Spanish army but halted when the Americans arrived in 1899.  For the most part, however, I stayed in my resort working on the blog, socializing or doing nothing.  

Even without the whale watching I found the stay in Oslob very pleasant and wanted to extend my stay for a few more days. Unfortunately, I got this brilliant idea too late. The weekend was approaching and all the rooms were already booked.

So I got on the bus in front of my resort to continue the interrupted route to Mactan Island. But once I arrived at the bus station I didn’t take a taxi to my friendly hotel but stayed in Cebu City, the city I consciously and successfully avoided during my entire stay in the Philippines. I guess I had to see what I didn’t want to see. 

Oslob in Pictures