⌛ Bike or bus?

You are not going to get to Twin Lakes in 20 minutes. If you drive fast on the highway north of DGTE you might make the turn off to Twin Lakes but it will be another difficult 20 minutes getting up the broken road to the lakes. It's also a very steep climb. I wasn't too confident on a motorbike on my trip and I mistakenly stopped throttling my engine. I nearly lost control of the bike as it started rolling back fast. Do rent a scooter for the trip but make sure it is in mint condition, especially the brakes cause you will need them on the way down. Look for the best/newest bike you can find. Ask a pedicab to take you to the OK Pension, you rent the bikes next door. They seem to be melded together but i think they are separate businesses so bargain with them but DO GET A GOOD BIKE. Plan on an hours journey to T.L. and bring a banana for the monkey they have tied up there. I take it you are going to the resort at Zambo. i didn't think much of it myself. Really extravagant but expensive and built on towering cliffs. I don't even recall beaches there. If you are pinched for time go to APO instead. It's a day long event and really beautiful..just like the movies & postcards and quite reasonably priced.

 

I also forgot to mention, don't try and double up on the scooter to Twin Lakes. I weighed about 130 pounds soaking wet on my trip there and the scooter I was on was having a hard time getting up the steeply inclined road. Not only get top quality.new bikes but get the highest CC's (engine size) and one for each of you. If your fiance knows how to drive a real motorcycle then you can try doubling up on a decently sized moutain bike. I don't want to scare you but the road gets to about a 45 degree angle in spots. I almost lost faith in my scooter and thought of turning around and retreating.

 

^Wow, that got me pretty nervous about going there on a scooter. Thank you for the tips. Do we have other transport options going to Twin Lakes should we decide not to bring a scooter?

 

It's really not that bad. It's just that i wouldn't want you going up there on any beat up wreck. For sure you want good breaks anytime you are cruising mountain roads. Also you want a bike that is sufficiently powerful to get up those roads. This latter case isn't a safety issue cause if you can't get up there, you turn around. I had a vision of you and your fiance on the same tiny little scooter trying to get up some pretty steep spots. Also avoid stopping on those steep spots because getting moving again from stopping and against an incline is tough for small bikes. I'm not trying to scare you, just be prepared. If one of you can't ride a bike and you must double up, make it a strong bike. If you tell the guys at the bike rental where you are going, they should know how much power you need and put you on the right machine.

 

Oh ok then We'll just be taking 1 bike (I don't know how to use a scooter hehe). We'll make sure to get a reliable bike. Thank you so much for the tips!

 

Provided neither of you weighs a hundred kilos you will be fine on decent scooters. If your combined weight is over 160 pounds and you are doubling up, I'd suggest a 150 cc or higher. You haven't told me whether you are planning to double up on one bike ???? Not all the road is extremely steep but you are constantly heading uphill. It does have several very steep hills in that climb. There was a few spots of loose gravel as well 3 years ago. Twin Lakes is, as far as I can tell, the mouth of a volcano.

 

Hi port80,

Good to see you around here. I think, we were on the same place on the same date in El Nido last 2006 - but we didn't met, I just learned it from your blog.

I hope I can hear from you any tips when you get there this Nov. 1 holiday. I am also going there on Nov. 30. I will be renting a motorcycle, going around town and to Antulang and Apo.

About riding a 110 cc motorcycle, don't negotiate riding that if you are going into a very steep road. I had a chance way back many years ago to ride a 110cc bike on very steep road in tagaytay. It really scared the hell out of me. You cannot stop... you must push on 1st gear or 2nd gear. I suggest you don't try that on a very steep road. I know it's possible but might be dangerous for you. By the way, I tried the 110cc bike on the Laurel-Tagaytay road - imagine that steep road!

Presently, in my planning stage, my problem lays on Apo Island. How do I ride a boat to Apo as cheaply as possible (a solo traveller)? When you go to Apo Island, please look for a suggestion for me.

As I realized, 2 or 3 days is not really enough to explore Dumaguete surrounding areas. Perhaps 5 days would do.

Good luck on your trip!

 

Hello Devs. Go to the Apo forum on this website for cheap transport to Apo info. The only other really interesting place around Dumaguete are Twin Lakes and a place called Forest Camp. It all depends on what you like to do and where you are from or living now. Of course I'm not going to recommend a desert if you are already from the desert. Forest Camp is a small park in nearby Valencia that is built around a river. It was nothing special for me but an easy half day trip. Twin Lakes is about the same distance but as we keep saying, a bit of a challenge to get to. You are right about small scooters on steep roads. You don't want to stop because getting moving again is sometimes impossible unless you give up and turn downhill. If you take my word that Apo and Twin Lakes are the only exceptionally nice places then you can see Dumaguete in two days. Actually the WhyNot cafe is also really nice but only because of their great food. If you are coming all the way down from Manila, why not go to Bohol after a short visit to DGTE...Panglao Island especially Alona Beach is out of this world and I could give you a really good cheap hotel recommendation for there.

 

Devs: Glad to see you here too! Great site no? Anyway, no problem about Apo. I read that you can take the public boat to and from the island but that these have limited trips. I'll ask around for you when we get there.

I agree on 3 days being too short for Dumaguete. I would've loved to extend but my bf's schedule won't permit. His sked is costing us! We were in Bohol last week and could've gone to a lot of other places including Dumaguete but sadly, we can only stay out for 3 days at any given time. So now, we're paying for another set of flights again. I would've wanted to visit Siquijor also from Dumaguete but that would have to wait until the next trip again :(

Chuck / Devs: I'm getting kind of lost on the motorcycle talk -- I'd have to ask my bf to visit this thread so he can explain it to me and reply to your tips hehe -- I'm useless when it comes to driving :o Thanks for the patience in explaining though

 

Yes..our tips on motorcycles are definately for the driver. By the way. It's not a constant climb, there are points where the road levels off and even dips down. That's where you want to stop and take in some breathtaking panoramic views of the ocean and jungle mountains and valleys. It is beautiful on the way up. If you do happen to stop on an upward incline and your motorcycle doesn't have sufficient power to get going again, turn around and drive back to one of these level spots to get going again in the right direction. If you go to Siquior be sure to bring some drugs with you or some very sexy night clothes or you may end up dying from boredom.