My Kasai Village Adventure

Fun and relaxation don’t always go together. But in Moalboal, they do.

Moalboal is 89 kilometers from Cebu City, an equivalent to about two-and-a-half hour of bus or v-hire ride. And another 20 minutes of tricycle ride, if you don’t have a private car with you, to the town’s famous beaches. That far. But for those who enjoy swimming, snorkeling or SCUBA diving, the long trip is all worth it. While for those who are looking for a place outside their homes to rest, the town has many secluded resorts for this type of need.

I was in Moalboal very recently. I’ve been there several times already, and each time was full of fun and adventure with friends and workmates. It was work that brought me there last July. Kasai Village, a two-year-old resort in barangay Tuble, invited us over to spend a weekend there.

From Cebu City, Rhia de Pablo (TF’s business reporter) and I took a V-hire at the Citilink Terminal. That time, a ride to Moalboal was a little over P100 per person. We were dropped at the town proper to get another ride that would take us to the beach. Here, it’s either you pick a tricycle or a motorcycle-for-hire commonly called habal-habal to get to the next stop. We opted for the latter, because that time it was already drizzling and we needed to get to the resort as quickly as possible. A habal-habal ride is P50 per head, but that depends on how good you are at haggling. The amount could have nosedived if we were not in a hurry that day.

After about 10 minutes, we arrived at Kasai Village. The owners, Swedish national Michael Petterson and his Filipina wife Lydia, were already at the resort’s lobby waiting for us. Like real guests, we were greeted with a lei and a welcome drink each.

For the many times that I’ve been to Moalboal, I’ve swum in its beaches, dove in Pescador Island and slept in a number of resorts there, I thought I’ve already seen it all. But there was actually more that the place had to offer. Kasai Village was one.

Nestled in a 7,045-square-meter property that’s overlooking the Tañon Straight, and even Cebu’s neighboring provinces like Negros, Kasai Village is a small paradise.  Initially, it has nine rooms: one-half of these are facing the beachfront while the other half are to the greenery at the other side of the property. In the middle of the resort lies the big swimming pool, for those who will later on get tired of the sea. And on one corner near the restaurant is the Kasai bar, and opposite it is the massage area.

Shortly after a brief chitchat with the Pettersons, we were then taken to our room. It was huge. But the price isn’t equally huge, according to Lydia. They, however, made it bigger than the usual rooms of some resorts in the area to give their guests the space they look for in a vacation. A Kasai room has no television set or a radio, though to allow guests to savor the moment while on a vacation minus these unnecessary domestic devices.

Each room has its own veranda, providing a better way to relax and enjoy the breeze and the scenery of the blue sea outside. We got to do all that while we were there, and even joined the manginhasay later in the afternoon while they were gleaning for seashells. The place has a very wide beach area during low tide, and it is at this time that walking around the place in flip flops to see exposed corals and seashells or just talking to the local residents as they hunt for shells provides tranquility. It was already late afternoon when we did that, and the sun was setting. And for souvenirs, we took snaps of Moalboal’s colorful sunset.

After enjoying the sunset, we proceeded to the resort’s restaurant.

Our first meal at Kasai’s restaurant, which is just at the corner of the resort, was Swedish: breaded chicken and potato. It was yummy. Like the rest of the meals during our brief stay. Michael informed us they wanted their food to be part of their main attraction, so that their guests will keep coming back not only for a nice place to stay but for the great food.

The next day, I was allowed to go diving to see the famous Kasai wall myself, the resort’s in-house reef. Moalboal is a dive destination. Both local and foreign divers go in this direction all year-round, giving the town at least P1 million each year in dive fees.

My dive buddy Bjorn, the dive shop instructor at the resort, guided me as we explored the depths of the marine sanctuary. Rhia, at this juncture, since she could not dive, was snorkeling at the shallow portion of the sea. See, that’s how rich the marine environment of Moalboal. Even at four feet, you can already see and touch (but that’s illegal) the corals and sponges and fishes and other marine lives that flourish there. And because of the clear waters, you can even watch these creatures even while on the boat.

I’m still a neophyte diver, that seeing big turtles, one of Kasai wall’s exotic residents, amazed me big time. There were other exotic species there, too. Bjorn brought me to where there were seahorses, and to where schools of colorful fishes were thriving. Although it’s scary down under, with the opposite side of the wall like an abyss waiting to swallow us whole, it was truly a great experience. I was also able to see a few small caves in the area. There are so many things to see in Moalboal, there are even bigger caves there. And white tip sharks, among other marine creatures that divers would like to see face-to-face. But there is always the next time.

After a quick nap at our room, we went strolling again around the property. There we met a group of Korean youngsters, a pair of Spanish men, and one Canadian national. Lydia told us 90 percent of their guests are foreigners. Probably that day, apart from Mrs. Petterson, we composed the remaining balance. At least, in that part of the country, the Filipinos were still represented. But Lydia said they just recently launched budget-friendly promo packages for “barkadas” and Filipino families who want to experience Kasai too.

After two days and a night, it was already time to go home. I had my adventure to write about. Sunday is my day-off but I was working that weekend. I still got to do what I normally do on Sundays though: relax and enjoy. Like I said, in Moalboal, we can have fun and relax at the same time. Till the next adventure.