Moalboal

A coastal town on Cebu in the Philippines. Harry calls it the most touristy place in the country while pointing out that this still puts it well below somewhere like Thailand, and rates it highly for the sheer range of things to do — dive, snorkel, or do nothing. It is the one place he seriously considers living, and rules out on infrastructure rather than character.

What Harry did

Walked the coast early, ate a smoothie bowl at a café he’d been recommended, and worked through the town’s activities on camera — recommending the sardine run, shrugging at the turtles, and deliberately skipping the whale sharks. He then met a woman selling pearls from a roadside table, came back three hours later with cash, and paid her 5,000 pesos for two pieces after she’d offered the entire table for that price.

Practical facts

• The sardine run is directly off the street — no tour and no guide needed, just a snorkel. Harry recommends it without reservation.
• Turtles are around but not guaranteed; he saw none.
• The whale shark tour is about an hour’s drive to the other side of the island, and is ethically contested — see check animal welfare before booking.
• Wi-fi in town is, in his words, terrible. Cebu City and Manila are fine.
• A smoothie bowl and coffee combo came to 580 (from video – unverified) at what he describes as the only Western place in town — expensive locally, and he expected it.
• Real farmed pearls sell from roadside stalls at around 100 pesos a piece.
• The town was affected by the typhoon; sellers Harry met were still trading from a stall with no door months later.

Harry’s tips

• Do the sardine run and skip the tour operators — you can walk in off the street with a snorkel.
• Don’t plan to work from here. The coast is right and the wi-fi isn’t.
• Ask around rather than booking ahead; the good things here are arranged on the spot.

Source

• Honest Filipino Street Vendor Gets A Reward 💰🇵🇭 — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSaPw3r8lkc