Join me in Panglao, Bohol at Jing's Yoga & Wellness Studio for some Yoga classes. Book Online!

April 24 Wednesday: (Energizing Yoga) 10-11 am / (Slow Flow Yoga) 5:30-6:30 pm
April 25 Thursday: (Energizing Yoga) 10-11 am
April 26 Friday: (Energizing Yoga) 10-11 am
April 27 Saturday: (Energizing Yoga) 10-11 am / (Slow Flow Yoga) 5:30-6:30 pm
April 28 Sunday: (Energizing Yoga) 10-11 am

Guruji Naushir
At Hostel 7 Cebu where I was staying, I came upon a book by Guruji Naushir, entitled Amrit. Amrita, aka Bindu, is a compelling subject for me so I gave it a read. He talked about his guru, a deathless sage who lived in the Himalayas - Mahavatar Babaji. With my yoga readings, I've come upon his name a few times as a great yogi who has been sighted and interacted with by credible people across the centuries. He has superhuman powers that allow him to be forever young, or at least to live indefinitely through his practice of Kriya Yoga (aka Kriya Kundalini Pranayama or Kundalini Yoga).

Biography
Babaji's real name is Nagarajan and he was born in 203 BC. At 5 years old, he was kidnapped by a slaver and sold to a benevolent master who gave him his freedom back. He then drifted along the saddhus of his time as he learned the ancient texts of Hinduism. At 11, traveling with a group of ascetics, he took a journey to Kataragama, Sri Lanka, where he met 2 yoga masters, Siddha Bhogarnathar and Maharishi Agastya. They became his gurus in the practice of Kriya Yoga. He then moved to northern India where he practiced this yoga for 18 months, through which he attained self-realization, and with it, the power to transcend time. He reappeared in 1861 offering a cup of divine water to an accountant at the British office, Lahiri Mahasaya. At that point, Babaji would have been 2000 years old, but he appeared as a youthful man in his mid-20s. Babaji explained to Lahiri that in a previous life, Babaji was Lahiri's guru. Lahiri realized all that after a tap on the forehead by Babaji. Lahiri was initiated by Babaji and instructed to initiate others into the practice of Kriya Yoga. The next appearance of Babaji was in 1894 at India's Allahabad Kumbh Mela, a gathering of yogis from near and far. There, he was sighted by Yukteswar Giri, a disciple of Lahiri Mahasaya, who later on wrote a book entitled, The Holy Science, at the behest of Babaji. In 1935, Babaji met with another disciple of Lahiri, Keshabananda in the mountains near Badrinath. At some point, Babaji met Paramahansa Yogananda who received instructions to spread Kriya Yoga to the West. It was in his best-selling book, Autobiography of a Yogi, where detailed accounts of Yogananda's meeting with Babali were chronicled, including meetings with Christ when Christ went to India (the Vatican does not mention this, and in fact, has been silent about the life of Christ from age 12 to 30). Yogananda further claims that Babaji is an avatar...divinity who interacts with humanity as flesh and blood even though he is already a non-returner - someone who doesn't need to reincarnate.

Videos

A Historical Character
In related circles, Count St. Germain is widely regarded as another immortal who lives to this day. He is not a myth. He is indeed a historical figure dating back to his friendship with King Louie XV of France and Prince Charles of what is now Germany. There are documented accounts of historical people meeting him - Cassanova, Catherine the Great of Russia, Madame Blavatsky***.

Visual and interactive accounts seem to verify this - from as early as 1743 (marking his first documented appearance) to as late as 1926 as recounted by Theosophical Society co-founder, Charles Leadbeater. He would make his mark on a particular place then vanish completely, only to reappear many years later in a different place or country in 18th-century Europe.

Bigger Than Life
Aside from living a long life, he also lived bigger than life. He lights up a room and talks in unrefined language with supreme confidence. His charisma disarmed even his detractors and his flamboyance made him the object of envy. He was a fashionista during his time and was always bedecked with his jewels. He is said to speak more than a dozen languages, he has brokered peace-talks between nations, hobnobbed with royalty and celebrated personalities. He was the envy of celebrated playboy Cassanova for the count's ways with women (although he publicly stated he was celibate). He has a photographic memory, an accomplished singer, composer, violinist, painter, swordsman, philosopher and a master alchemist (alchemy is a medieval occult science / metaphysical philosophy whose magnum opus is the creation of the Philosopher's Stone). Alchemy is the precursor of modern-day chemistry. St. Germain was fabulously wealthy and gave away diamonds and precious stones.

Alchemy
The stark difference between his and Babaji's immortality is that Count St. Germain achieved his immortality through alchemy. He seems to have perfected the Philopher's Stone (not really a stone but a substance that turns base metals [like lead] into gold) and crafted the Elixir of Life (drink of immortality, from which the Philosopher's Stone is a key ingredient).

Personal Note: St. Germain publicly said with considerable ease that he was over 300 years old and that he has perfected the Universal Medicine and that he has mastery over nature. While this is a tall claim, this ability is expressed in yoga as one of the siddhis - superhuman abilities that defy classical physics. One such siddhi, the Vasitva Siddhi develops ability to control all 5 elements of nature (fire, air, ether, earth and water) through the activation of the Muladhara chakra. When the Vishuddhi chakra is activated, the initiate becomes free of old age.

Occult Secret Societies
Most notably after his 'death', St. Germain became visible again mostly in occult secret societies namely the Free Masons and the Rosicrucian Order.

'Death'
As a matter of convenience, he was supposed to have died in 1784. But even that was highly suspect. He was sighted repeatedly across Europe after his supposed death. He even attended a Free Mason's meeting a year after his death - some lodge members testified to that. People who met with him after he 'died', noticed that he didn't seem to age.

*** According to Madame Blavatsky St. Germain is not immortal but simply living a long life, not unlike the biblical character Methuselah, who is said to have lived 969 years.

Videos

• Cebu City is the 2nd biggest city in the Philippine (next to Manila) - and it continues to build and expand. Traffic is getting bad. Decentralization is being developed with the SM Super Mall in the SRP south and the suburban towns in the north.
• Boat from the airport to the city center - even without traffic, it takes about 4 rides to reach the city. But with Cebu's increasing traffic congestion, it has become a nightmare. Instead of taking the land route, take the water route - no traffic, fresher air and cheaper. From the airport, take the yellow multi-cab straight to the river port and take the ferry (there's only one destination) to the city. Take the 02B jeep and get off at UC near Jones - you're now on the city's main artery.
• given its size and increasing congestion, Cebu really needs a mass railway system - something that is conspicuously lacking, but no one seems to complain about
• Cebu is bursting at the seams on the yoga scene. There are about 20 yoga centers in the city - from yoga studios to gyms offering yoga and hotels jumping on the bandwagon
• a trendy and safe place in Cebu where you can chillout for coffee and enjoy good eats would be at the Ayala Mall
• there are other pocket-areas for trendy hangouts - Banila Town Center, Crossroads, Escario Plaza, La Vie, etc.
• the tourist area where most of the budget hotels and restaurants are, are located within the Mango area, although it has a seedy belly feel. Kids may swarm on you pretending to be begging, but they could be picking your pocket or your backpack pockets - be careful
• many pick-pockets in the Colon area - be careful

The best and fastest way is by Ceres Bus at the North Bus Terminal, adjacent to SM City. The bus takes 4.5 hours going north until it reaches Hagnaya Port. From there, you pay the ferry company separately. The bus boards the ferry until it reaches Sante Fe Port (1.5 hours) in Bantayan Island. From Santa Fe, the bus goes to Bantayan Poblacion and then to Madridejos.

Ceres Bus - PHP 260 (to Santa Fe), 4.5 hours to Hagnaya Port + 1.5 hours by ferry.

Schedule: according to the dispatcher, trips begin at 6 pm (this arrives Hagnaya around 10:30 pm but the first ferry leaves at 1 am...that's a 2.5-hour wait at the port), leaving every hour until 1 pm the following day (I speculate that 1 pm is the last trip to avoid rush hour traffic along Consolacion). This doesn't match the ferry schedule so the bus simply waits until a ferry departs. e.g. the 6 pm trip arrives 10:30 pm and waits for the 1 am ferry. The last trip, 1 pm, arrives 5:30 pm, in time for the ferry's last trip.

Bus arrives at terminal 30 mins before departure. Luggages are P150/pc if no passenger.

Alternatively, you can get off the bus at Hagnaya Port and take the ferry independently. There are 2 ferry companies:

Super Shuttle Ferry
PHP 359 + 25 Terminal fee, 1.5 hours

Island Shipping
PHP 350 + 25 Terminal fee, 1.5 hours

Cebu City to Dumaguete by Boat

1. George and Peter Lines - Mon/Thur/Sat/Sun 10pm, (035)225.4337, 0922.557.1023
2. Oceanjet - via Tagbilaran, daily 6am, dumticketing@oceanjet.net, 0918.898.2188
3. Cokaliong - Mon/Tue/Wed/Thur/Fri/Sat 7pm, Sun 12pm, 6 hours, (035)225.3599

Cebu City to Dumaguete via Liloan (bus, boat, jeep, tricycle)

1. Cebu City South Terminal - take the southbound Ceres bus to Liloan, P200, 5 hours
2. Liloan - the bus drops you off at the Liloan Port where you board the Fastcraft to Sibulan, Negros Oriental, P62, 30 mins
3. Sibulan - at the Sibulan Port, the jeeps wait for Fastcraft passengers to take them to the public market in Dumaguete, P12, 30 mins.
4. Public Market - at the market, you can take any tricycle to your hotel, P8 for short trips

Cebu City to Tagbilaran, Bohol

1. Weesam Express - Pier 4, departs 9:00 AM, 2:00 PM, 6:30 PM, 2 hours
   one way: Economy (aircon) P500.00, Economy (non-aircon) P400.00, First Class P600.00
   round trip promo (at least 2 days advance booking): Economy (aircon) P600, Economy(non-aircon) P500, First Class P1200
   round trip promo (1 day or on the day booking): Economy (aircon) P800, Economy (non-aircon) P700, First Class P1200
2. Ocean Jet - Pier 1, departs 6-7-8-9:20-10:40-11:40AM, 1-2-4:20-6:35PM, 2 hours
   Open Air / Tourist Class P800, Business Class P1000
   +63 932 8734 885 / +63 922 8572 300
3. SuperCat (2GO) - Pier 1, departs 08:15-13:30-15:10-18:00-19:40
   P 500.00
   +63 32 233 7000
4. Lite Ferries - Pier 1, departs daily 12:30pm, 10:00pm and 1:00pm (Mon, Wed, Sat)
   Standard (Lying) Php 150, Tourist (Lying Aircon) Php 340
   +63 977.822.5483 / +63 998.999.5483 / +63 925.347.5483 / (032)255-1721 to 26 / (032)414-9001 to 03
   info@liteferries.com.ph / www.liteferry.com

Cebu City to Siquijor, via Tagbilaran

1. Lite Ferries - Pier 1, departs M/W/SAT at 1:00pm, 10 hours, economy Php 649 (through barkota.com), layover in Tagbilaran 5:45pm-8:00pm, arrives Larena Port, Siquijor at 11:00pm
   +63 977.822.5483 / +63 998.999.5483 / +63 925.347.5483 / (032)255-1721 to 26 / (032)414-9001 to 03
   info@liteferries.com / www.liteferry.com
2. Ocean Jet - Pier 1, departs daily at 1pm, 5 hours
   Open Air P1600
   +63 932 8734 885 / +63 922 8572 300

Sugbo Urban
There is only one bus plying this route - Sugbo Urban. Tourist class coach, a/c, comfortable, Sun-Fri (these dates keep changing). P420 for bus, P275 for ferry to Liloan. Leaves Cebu City (South Bus Terminal) at 8 pm (Sundays 1 am), heads south to Liloan (Santander), takes the ferry to Larena Port, Siquijor, docks around 5 am, makes a clockwise roundtrip around Siquijor Island - Larena, Enrique Villanueva, Maria, Lazi (stops at Lazi market for breakfast and leaves 6:50 am), San Juan, Siquijor (arrives 8am, P50 from Lazi to Siquijor Poblacion) and catches the 1pm ferry at Larena Port for Liloan, Cebu and resumes its land route. Arrives Cebu City 10 pm.

Sugbo Urban is the cheapest and most convenient way because when it reaches Larena Port (Siquijor), it continues its trip around the island (clockwise) along the circumferential road, passing through - Enrique Villanueva, Maria, Lazi, San Juan, Siquijor...and back to Larena. It spares you the cost of hiring a tricycle or habal-habal which charges exhorbitant fares. Besides, it's a long trip to the other side of the island to be taking by tricycle.

This is also the slowest. The bus arrives Liloan Port around 12:30 am but the ferry leaves 2:30 am (2 hours of waiting time). The ferry trip is a slow 4 hours (this should only take 1.5 hours with Montenegro or Alesson), arriving Larena around 6:30 am. This 4 hour voyage offers no comfortable sleeping - you stay upright on your seat or sleep on the floor on a cardboard. The boat waiting/voyage takes 6 hours. Altogether, the entire trip takes 11.5 hours until the bus reaches Lazi.

Cebu City to Camotes Islands

1. via Poro - from Pier One in Cebu City, take the Ocean Jet for Poro, 2 hours, daily trip - 6am and 3pm (0936.823.8762 |0956.270.6610 | 0999.889.9999).
2. via Consuelo - from Cebu City, take the northbound bus passing through Danao and get off at the Danao Port. At the Port, take a Jomalia Shipping boat for Consuelo (San Francisco, Camotes), P220/pax, a/c, 2 hours, daily trip - 5:30am, 7:00am (special trip), 8:30am, 12:00 noon (express), 2:30pm, 5:30pm and 9:00pm (express, Fri/Sat/Sun only).

Camotes Islands to Cebu City

1. Poro - Cebu City (fastest and most direct) - go to Poro and take the 8am or 5pm Ocean Jet to Pier One in Cebu City, P380/pax/aircon, 2 hours
2. Consuelo - Danao - Cebu City - go to Consuelo (San Francisco) and take the Jomalia Shipping boat to Danao, P220/pax, a/c, 2 hours, daily trip - 5:30am, 7:00am (special trip), 8:30am, 12:00 noon (express), 2:30pm, 5:30pm and 9:00pm (express, Fri/Sat/Sun only). From Danao, take the Ceres Bus to Cebu City

1. Camotes Islands - caves, beaches
2. Cebu City - rich in culture and history, 2nd largest city in the Philippines
3. Moalboal - amazing coral reef system, sardine bowl, deep drop-off for freediving
4. Oslob - Butanding (whale shark) watching
5. Bantayan Island - long stretch of fine white sand beach, Virgin Island for snorkeling
6. Malapascua Island - divers' paradise for seeing the rare Thresher Shark
7. Cantabaco Cave - Toledo
8. Barile Waterfalls - Barile
9. Whale Shark Tour - Oslob
10. Carcar - chicharon and lechon in public market