Sago Joins Cebu Pacific Backpacking Challenge

It’s 3am and I think I’m not sleeping anymore because I’d be leaving the house in an hour for my 6:35am flight to Cebu. This is the first leg of the Cebu Pacific Backpacking Challenge where Sago was invited to participate.

Cebu Pacific (CEB) has organized a five-day, four-city backpacking journey across the Philippines where five teams of two local travellers each were pit against each other with P12,000 per person, a backpack, and a dash of resourcefulness.

The five backpacker teams were named Team Sanuk, Team ROX, Team Columbia, Team High Sierra and Team Eagle Creek, named after participating Primer Group brands associated with fun, adventure and travel.

We are Team High Sierra. Sago of LetsGosago.net is partnered with video blogger/traveller Vince Golangco of WhenInManila.com.

This reminds me of an almost-year-old post entiled “I am not a Tourist, I am a Traveler”

The competition’s major objective is to show that a fun exploration of the Philippine major islands can be done without going over an allotted budget. Therefore, a major factor in the scoring system is being able to experience the most number of fun adventure at the least cost. We can taste the local cuisines, visit tourist attractions, and try local sports, among others.

Schedule

We’ll be in the following areas and dates:

July 5 (am) to July 6 (am) – Cebu
July 6 (am) to July 6 (pm) – Cagayan De Oro (CDO)
July 6 (pm) to July 8 (am) – Davao
July 8 (am) to July 9 (pm) – Iloilo

“The contest will test the participants’ sense of adventure as they visit various pre-selected locales—Cebu, Cagayan de Oro, Davao and Iloilo. Their journey will begin and end in Manila for the awarding of the winning team.”

Accommodations, transportation and meal expenses are included in our costs while making such arrangements with family or friends in the chosen areas are not allowed.

We’ll also be documenting our experiences during the trip using Canon DSLR and Powershot/Ixus cameras for the photo and video diaries. Official receipts from expenses are also required when possible as part of the actual expense report.

Prizes

The winning team with the most activities while spending the least will each receive two round-trip CEB tickets to Kota Kinabalu and 3N/4D hotel accommodations and transfers (care of Sabah Tourism Board).

Photography books and four (4) A490 Canon cameras from Canon Philippines are also up for grabs for the two winning teams with the best DSLR and Point and Shoot photos, covering the theme, “You only live one life. Seize it with Canon.”

Hopefully we could win this tiring,  but exciting adventure backpacking tour around the Philippines’ major cities down south in the Visayas and Mindanao.So please spare me for a five-day blogging hiatus. 🙂

We’ll  know the winners of the Cebu Pacific Backpacking Challenge come Friday night, July 9, 2010, when we come back here in Metro Manila at the Marriot Hotel for the awarding ceremonies. (I’m going to The Spa for a major massage on Saturday, promise!) 🙂