Exploring a fraction of Catanduanes: Batalay and the Pacific Ocean

This part of Catanduanes is about a fifteen minute motorcycle ride from the main city, Virac. The local government has worked hard to come up with a circumferential road for the whole province, which means people could now go through the whole island easily without worrying about rough roads. And really it's a big deal, as this province is about 80 to 90 percent made up of mountains. Boy, a couple of years ago, the owner jeep I was riding towards nearby towns did not have a shock absorber. I think i suffered from internal bleeding that time.

Anyways, the road towards this place is not for people who are used to having manicures and pedicures and facials. A tight cap is needed as well as a good pair of sunglasses. Insects fly right to your eyes when you travel in a motorbike. Oh and uhmmm, yeah you could wear helmets, but nobody wears that here. As a doctor, I recommend not riding a motorcycle for safety reasons... but as me, as me, go ahead and live life like it was the last day... There's much to be said about dying in an adventurous way.

We visited this fish pond and celebrated Tintin's birthday there. It was one of the best birthday parties I've ever been to. The food was simple - a sponge cake from the local bakeshop, and coke. The "gasera" was the candle, and the guests - the local fisherman and his family and their dog. Simple life. This is what i love about the province of Catanduanes - people have a sparkle of joy in their eyes, one not influenced by how much money they have.

So anyways, my ultimate survivor technically my uncle but not really, Uncle Doming, toured us around. He was the type you wanted to be with should you get lost in the middle of a jungle. Tarzan personified. ANyways, he worked the boat and took us to see the lakes of Catanduanes. A couple of moments into the ride, i noticed that the boat was going towards the open seas. Oh man, it was an incredible ride. The ocean gave us big waves and the little boat we were riding on, rode those incredible waves. THe fact that we did not have any flotation device should we get thrown overboard was stupid, but what the heck, you live only once. And besides, that Milo Swimming lessons i took right after my near drowning episode kinda helped. I must do something about this philosophy of mine.

Why go boating? Because you live only once. Because it's the real thing. And the sights you see going to Batalay and while inside the boat... it's like being inside a post card. I can't really imagine why so many people say that the Philippines is not beautiful. Just going through this experience made me want to sing "The beauty of the Philippines comes shining through". I'm a big fan of the Philippines... name it, we have it.

How to get there? From the main city, Virac, find a local person who could drive you around his motorbike. Pay about 100 pesos for gas. Then tell them "Batalay"... Of course you need to contact the local fishermen once you are there.

Cost: I'm thinking maybe around five hundred pesos to seven hundred pesos.... inclusive of everything. I went here and spent nothing because I'm a local here. Fish.. you'd be hardpressed to find an expensive fish here, if i'm not mistaken, blue marlins are sold here for 150 pesos a kilo. But that's not a blue marlin. It's a turingan. Dunno that name in english. Supposedly a good fish too. Grill it, have a soysauce, pick some siling labuyo (we bicolanos like it hot hot hot) and some calamansi by the road and presto! Great dinner.

Rate: Five ipods. Remember that Amanpulo, is a place i rated five ipods too. But they are on different categories. For mild to moderate adventure seekers who still want to make it out alive after such an experience, this would be a great start.

Catanduanes Part 1: Palawig Beach, San Andres

Disclaimer: We are pretty much partial to virgin beaches. While we do like the convenience modern amenities offer like a jacuzzi, or a nice bathroom or a by the shore bar, there is nothing that could compare to unspoiled beaches. Sure, the sea is teeming with different plants and fishes, but hey that is how it is suppose to be. Just have a beach slipper with you, one which you could buy for about fifty pesos in SM.

How to go to Catanduanes: I personally recommend RSL bus liner (785 pesos one way), it is clean and very comfortable. Ride is about 10 to 12 hours to get from Cubao to the Tabaco pier. From the pier, you take a three hour ferry ride to San Andres, Catanduanes (120 pesos). The ferry is clean, the service efficient and prompt. Advice: Spare yourself the trouble and don't ride inside the aircon part of the ferry, take bonamine an hour before the ride (if you are prone to motion sickness) and ride the ordinary part where you could feel the ocean breeze.

We went on a clear summer day, the weather was great and the ferry ride was awesome!!! The pacific ocean was awesome!!! I never knew that blue could take in so many different shades. The only thing I disliked was this group of stupid people who would throw their plastic wrappers in the ocean. I think there should be a law that throws them instead. Anyways, an hour into the ride, a few meters from us, there were dolphins jumping up and down. Talo ang mga water parks. One word - paradise.

What: Palawig Beach, San Andres Catanduanes After about a 15 hour ride, we took an hour's rest to pay respect to our relatives and also to take a bath. We then proceeded to go to the beach via a 15 minute motorcycle ride. Beach number one is palawig. There's a decent resort there, Amenia beach resort. It is not as nice as the one in puerto del Sol, but it would do. Typical cottages, the occassional stray dog... But whatever the resort lacked, the beauty of the whole island compensated for it.

Why: It was low tide and we had to trek the beach to go to the deeper parts. Tin took her snorkel to go towards the deep end. My snorkel got murdered at Amanpulo so I had to settle with my goggles. I think Speedo brand is quite okay for both snorkel and goggles. You don't have to waste your money on anti fog thingies though as you could crush malunggay leaves on your goggles and their juice is just as effective. Remember to rinse with seawater before putting them on. You could see some fishes, a couple of starfishes... but the real good part about this was that you could pick your own hole and make your own utopia.

How Much: It was a public beach so we decided to ditch the Amenia Resort and save ourselves money. We looked for some high ground, planted our bag there and then frolicked in the sun. I buried my wallet somewhere so that it would be safe. Zero pesos. Exaggeration. But maybe about fifty pesos to gas up your motorcycle.

Food: Local stores: Coke 1.5 L = 35 pesos. Junk food = 50 pesos. Fun = priceless. Remember our lesson on bare necessities? Sugar and MSG are essential.

Rinsing Off: We knocked on some house, and via a pump, just washed the sand off. We then rode the motorcycle and dried ourselves during the ride. If you want to live the good life, stop by one of the local halo halo stands which sells one for about five to ten pesos. They use powdered milk instead of evaporated milk - i like that twist.

Conclusion: I give this two ipods. Two because it's not as "untouched" as I thought it would be, but it deserves its place as a must see beach for me.

Puerto del Sol, Bolinao Pangasinan

A couple of years ago, my cousins got infected by me. No not the kind that kills you. I once took them to this exploratory mountain climb up the mountains of Bicol, 60 percent of which involved rock climbing and hopping barefoot, took them scuba diving and snorkelling (tama ba spelling?). They lived in Pangasinan and that experience prompted them to find nice adventure sites up North. I'll write more about our Hundred Islands Adventure as soon as I locate the pictures.

What and Where: Some websites, are dramatic about their description with regards to Puerto del Sol. To quote...

"the rustic appeal of a beautiful town rich in culture and steep in history...its verdant shelters breathtaking waterfalls and mystic caves...the crystal clear waters of the South China Sea is lined with golden-white sands that sparkle under the tropic sun...and its people.."

I'd say, if you want to really feel the town, don't go to puerto as it by far, not rustic. It is very modern and beautiful, but if you want to "rough it out", you could go to the White Rock Beach Resort which is basically just cottages. It would do well with your budget but then if you have the means, please go and visit Puerto del Sol.

Unlike some of the beaches in Pangasinan like San Fabian whose sand is black and is quite the angry ocean, bolinao beach is very calm, and though it is not as white as Amanpulo's, it is still very beautiful.

How to get there: Bus ride from Pasay that says "Bolinao". I however, recommend that before you go here, go spend the morning at the Hundred Islands then after having your fill of s snorkelling around the giant clams, and avoiding jelly fishes, you could then go to Bolinao by dinner time, and relax your tired muscles at their jacuzzi.

Why go there? Well, the jacuzzi is one reason. Their accomodation is great. Security is okay as every hour or so a guard roams the whole place. It's not that big, but it gives you your privacy. I like the fact that the bar is located right on the center of the pool. They also have kayaks and boats for the person who likes more than sunbathing.

Housing: I think they have three kinds, I stayed on the "bahay kubo" which is enough for a group of five or six persons. There's one big room upstairs. Clean bathroom, not likely to infect anyone who comes in.

The feel: Imagine being stuck in EDSA at 2 in the afternoon in a cramped FX with failing aircon and then suddenly someone teleports you to a shade, offers you a hammock by the ocean, sunglasses to minimize the glare of the golden white sand, gives you the best halo halo and then fans you? This is the feel I got.

Pricing: About 5 to 9 thousand pesos per room. Not bad. Food price: Go figure, they sell a can of coke for 55 pesos. But then you could always go out of Puerto del Sol and cook food outside. Remember, this is the area where the best Lukban longganisas are.

Conclusion: This is worth your vacation time. I rate it around three ipods.

Link: http://www.asiatravel.com/philippines/puertodelsol/index.html