Pristine white sand, crystal blue waters, tranquil atmosphere – these are just a few adjectives I could think of when I look back on my Calaguas experience last weekend.
Went there on an impulse when I saw the invite on facebook. I had to use up remaining vacation credits from last year so I was desperately trying to think of something to do that would not be expensive and me not ending up staying at home eating and sleeping (in that order) all the time. Hey, I’m trying to lose weight!
So I texted Kuya Onith and checked for slots, found out I could still join even if trip was on the next day (yay!). Packed on Friday afternoon hoping I would not forget anything important and was at the meeting place by 8pm. Was introduced to everyone going but could not remember their names at that time (peace guys!). Slept on the way since it was like almost a 9 hour drive (including the time we had to change tires and the time spent patching up the torn part in a vulcanizing shop we passed on the road).
Arrived in Daet, Camarines Norte around 5:50am; the rest of us had breakfast in Jollibee while Kuya Onith went to buy food and supplies.
Saw some plants while waiting for the rest of the group to come back…why not take a picture? hehe…
Travel to Vinzons, Camarines Norte (port area) took about 10 to 15mins, parked the van in a secure place and went on board the boat that will take us to Calaguas Islands.
Waves were a bit high on our way there so I took less pictures, rained at one point (I have a strong suspicion that this is the time when I had gotten sunburns and not when I was at the beach), dried up by the sun and a few minutes more, saw the cove entering Mahabang Buhangin Beach.
Saw how clear the water was while we approach the shoreline. Tested how fine the sand was as I stepped off the boat and waded to the shore. Beautiful is too tame a word to describe Calaguas. It might not be as exotic as some other places internationally known but Calaguas is a treasure in itself which the locals should be proud of.
the water…
the sand …
We started setting up camp and took pictures while waiting for lunch and took shots of empe lights after. Decided to call it quits while we were halfway through the 2nd bottle thinking that we might all be drunk enough for the drinking session that night. So I tried reading and advancing from the month long-still-on-page 5 book i bought along but took a nap instead.
the campsite…
Woke up in time for the sunset, took shots. I was contemplating whether to get pissed or not at that kayaking guy who photo bombed my sunset shoot but when I saw the result…decided to let it go (tee… hee…)
Had dinner, started one of the unforgettable drinking sessions I had…laugh trip!
Good thing I didn’t have to crawl to my tent to sleep (though I was expecting to, with the amount of liquor we consumed that night)
Woke up before sunrise and had a chance to take pictures on the beach while the rest of the campers were still sleeping.
Went back to our campsite, had breakfast and started packing up for our trip back to Vinzons…took pictures while leaving the island.
Things to Remember:
No commercial establishments in the island – buy supplies (food, water) in Daet public market or grocery stores. There’s water supply from a poso in the island that can be used for food preparation and cleaning up after a dip from the beach (P10 a bucket) but I dunno how safe it is for drinking. We bought bottled water, although I drank from it – my tummy is still okay until now 🙂
Bring tents – although there are cottages but not comfortable enough to sleep on; used mainly to prepare/cook food.
No electricity at night – bring headlamps or portable lamps, the locals bring in generators to give temporary electricity until midnight. Portable lamps/headlamps will be useful when you need to make a quick trip to the common bathroom.
One thing I noticed though, some campers were a bit careless with their trash. Caretakers should at least make sure that there are trash bins every few meters perhaps? And campers should be responsible enough not to throw their trash everywhere (that includes cigarette butts and liquor bottles)
Leave No Trace peeps 🙂
My souvenirs on this trip were sunburns, danggit, new friends and future travel buddies!
TheHangryPinay 