Calaguas: For Noob Campers

We knew Calaguas was paradise. We had pictured it in our minds, crystal clear azure waters, and pristine beach with powdery white sand. But what we failed to consider was we needed to camp out to fully enjoy this place. Living in Los Banos during our college years does not necessarily equate to knowing how to survive the wilderness, in this case an island off the coast of Camarines Norte. Although we occasionally hiked Flat Rocks, Mudspring, and Peak2 in elbi, we have never camped out nor joined any camping trips.

Photo from bayshorespringfest.webs.com

Don’t get me wrong, we can rough it out in the wild, cowboy kung cowboy.. but.. I don’t even know how to cook rice with a rice cooker, more so in an open fire! The only survival skill we know was the art of opening canned goods using a knife. This skill acquired from years of not having a can opener, and eating canned goods kapag wala pang padalang allowance.  So if you are organizing a camping trip, but have never been a girl/boy scouts, take heed of these advices:

Come prepared

In retrospect, we should have brought the following gear that could have made our life a little easier.

Ideal Camping Gear:

Bed: tent; sleeping mat; pillows; blankets

Light source: personal flash light; butane lantern or petromax

Kitchen gear: portable butane stove, pots and pans; knife; ladle; disposable plates, cups, spoon, fork; dishwashing paste with sponge; grill; seasonings and condiments

Miscellaneous: trash bag (for trash or to protect your bag during boat travel); water jug

Photo from www.123rf.com

Use your charm and ask the caretaker to start the fire

Starting a fire is not an easy feat. Save yourself the trouble and bring a portable butane stove. But if you don’t have one, make sure to bring charcoal and a lot of paper. I also learned that you need an enclosed space if you will use coals for cooking.

Learn to cook rice over open fire

We were stuck eating soggy improperly cooked rice because we were too dependent on rice cookers. So I googled how to cook rice when we came back and this is what i learned:

-        Ratio of rice to water is 1:2

-        Once the rice starts boiling, minimize the flame by removing some of the coal

-        Let stand in the fire until upper portion is cooked

You can’t go wrong with canned goods

Need I say more?

Have fun

I’m lucky to have crazy friends who are willing to put up with anything. We have been dorm mates turned roommates turned housemates turned forever friends (so cheesy..haha).

We passed our time beach bumming, chillaxing, and of course doing cool stuff like these.. 

a.     Rolling in the sand to achieve that “kutis espasol na yakap tingin”.

b.     Forming a cheer group.

c.     Perfecting the customary jump shot.

d. Kahit anu lang na weird pose.

I read a post stating that Calaguas was his happy place and I definitely agree! Calaguas is truly a paradise.  

Traveled during Summer of 2011.

Related Posts

Calaguas Island: Trip Planning

Calaguas Island: Trip Review

Puerto Galera: Trip Highlights

Puerto Galera was surprisingly fun and awesome! It’s so convenient and cheap, with less than 1000php you can already escape the chaos of the city. Add to that the plethora of activities that can keep everyone occupied especially the kids. I am definitely putting this in my favorite places, although my list can’t be trusted since I really am not that hard to please (read.. mababaw ang kaligayahan). Give me beach and a sunshiny weather, and I’m a happy beach bummer. Speaking of lists, I give you once again a list of our trip highlights:  

1. Coco Beach Resort

Froi and I are so used to staying at budget accommodations that our stay at Coco Beach Resort was such a treat. Thanks to my sister whom we forced into paying for everything..haha. It may not spell luxury, but we love its rustic and tropical ambiance. We will definitely come back to this place, sobrang bitin yung 3 days. You can read more about this resort HERE.

2. Island Hopping Tour

Our island hopping trip was another wonderful surprise. We chartered a boat to take us to Coral gardens, Haligi Beach, and White Beach.

Coral Gardens

Snorkeling in coral gardens was amazing. So far, my top 3 favorite snorkeling sites in the Philippines are:

1.     Apo Island Marine Park, Dumaguete

2.     Coral Gardens, Puerto Galera

3.     Coral Gardens, Coron

I have yet to see Apo Reef in Mindoro. Care to share your favorite snorkeling sites in the Philippines?

There are touts here who will do their best to persuade you to go snorkeling while being pulled by a small boat. They can be very persistent. If you decide to avail of this, it cost 300/pax. But try haggling, they were lowering down their rate to 100/pax just to convince us. Bring booties, fins, and your own mask and snorkel.

Haligi Beach

Haligi beach is another one of the many coves in the island. Nothing spectacular, but a good stop over nonetheless.

White Beach

 I had always shied away from White Beach thinking that it was too crowded, loud and a party place, with trash scattered everywhere, and boy was I surprised. People were flocking to this place for a reason, it was beautiful with its azure waters and white sand. If you want to escape the crowd, come here on a weekday to fully enjoy an escape from the summer heat of the city.

Related Posts

Puerto Galera: Coco Beach Island Resort

Puerto Galera: Trip Planning

Puerto Galera: Trip Planning

DATE OF TRAVEL: April 22-24, 2013

PLANNING YOUR TRIP

(A) Manila to (B) Batangas Port to (C) Muelle Pier, Puerto Galera

(A) Muelle Pier, Puerto Galera; (B) Coco Beach Resort; (C) White Beach

Before the existence of Low Cost Carriers (LCC) and affordable air travels, Puerto Galera was everyone’s go to place when they want a quick get-away near Manila. When I fell in-love with traveling, Puerto Galera was never on my travel list because I had this notion that it was a crowded party place and since I’m a certified “lola”, Mindoro sling and bad hangovers were no longer my idea of a beach experience. It was only when I started diving that I realized there is more to Puerto Galera than being dubbed as “poor man’s Boracay”.

Photo from www.philippines-dive.com

Puerto Galera is a top-notch diving destination with Verde Island holding the title as the best dive spot. Verde island is still on my dive wish list, and I am constantly imagining the schools of barracuda, giant trevally, and tuna playing in its current. Froi had logged dives in the other sites such as Canyons, Monkey Wreck, Alma Jane, and Hole in the Wall and he says he enjoyed the experience of drift diving more than the schools of pelagic fish.  

There are numerous snorkeling sites in the island as well. I would include Coral Garden in my top 3 best snorkeling sites in the Philippines, along with Apo Island Marine Park in Dumaguete, and the Coral Garden in Coron. If you are a diver, it is best to situate yourself in Sabang beach since most of the dive spots are 5-20minute away from there.

White Beach

White Beach

If you are more of the party crowd, then White Beach with its long stretch of white sand and azure waters would be your ideal location. I have conjured an image of Puerto Galera with large crowd similar to being in Divisoria hence I was pleasantly surprised that White Beach on a WEEKDAY was actually stunning. Had I known it was this beautiful, I would have come here sooner. If you prefer lounging on the beach sans the crowd, I would highly recommend staying in White Beach on a weekday.

Coco Beach Resort

If you are a “lola” like me, or traveling with your family, or are honeymooners, there are numerous resorts sprawled in the island as well. We stayed at Coco Beach Island Resort and had the best time. They have everything in this resort. They have a dive shop (Coco Divers) as well as pools and playground where kids can play around. Another resort I was eyeing, while searching for a secluded accommodation, was Buri resort and spa. But this caters more to honeymooners.

GETTING THERE

Private Charter (Coco Beach Resort)

If you will be staying at Coco Beach Resort, they offer the Coco Express, a combined shuttle van and boat from Manila to the resort’s doorstep. As of writing (April 2013) their rate is as follows:

	Rate
Manila to Coco Beach	810php/person/way
Berberabe Port (Batangas) to Coco Beach	405php/person/way

Public Transport (Private Car from Manila)

Aileen has a well written and straightforward guide in getting to Puerto Galera. We simply followed her instructions.

Manila to Batangas Port

Travel time: 2 ½ - 3 hours

1.     Take SLEX and upon reaching the end of SLEX, DO NOT TAKE the Calamba Exit. Go straight ahead until you reach the STAR tollway.

2.     Take the STAR tollway and exit at Batangas City Toll Plaza

3.     Upon exiting, you will see a roundabout and it’s approximately 5-10 minute drive from the roundabout going to the port. Take the street straight across where you will pass by Toyota Car Dealer on your left. Follow the road towards the port area, over the flyover, then take a left to reach Gate 1.

4.     Upon reaching Gate 1, take a left to Gate 2 until you reach the Park and Sail where you can park your car.

Batangas Port to Puerto Galera (Muelle Pier)

There are 3 boat operators servicing this route, but we chose the Minolo Shipping Lines because of good feedback as well as regular schedules to Muelle Pier.

Travel time: 1.15 hours

1.     Proceed to Terminal III and go to the MInolo Shipping Lines Booth. Roundtrip tickets are cheaper compared to one way fare.

2.     Proceed to pay the Environmental Fee.

3.     Proceed to pay the Terminal Fee at the terminal ticket counter.

4.     Exit at Gate 2B.

Puerto Galera (Muelle Pier) to Coco Beach Island Resort

If you took the Minolo Shipping Lines, their first drop off point is Muelle Pier before proceeding to White Beach. Once you’ve been dropped off, walk to your left to reach the jetty. From there you can hire a boat to take you to Coco Beach (250/boat/way, 15 minutes) or to other nearby island resorts. Our boatman, Mang Efren (boat name – Marites), was also our contact person for our island hopping tour. He was very nice and gave us a good rate for the tour (1800php), but unfortunately does not own a cell phone.

Breakdown Transport Cost

	Cost (PHP)	Remarks
Toll Fee	306	Includes SLEX, connecting road to STAR, STAR
Gas	1000	Roundtrip
Parking Fee	560	Rate is 155 for 24hrs, and 6php/hr for the succeeding hours. *DO NOT lose your parking ticket! Lost ticket cost an additional 230php
Boat tickets to Muelle Pier (roundtrip)	460/pax	Children <5yo = Free; Children >5yo = 400
Environmental Fee	50/pax	Children = Free
Terminal Fee (Batangas Port)	30/pax
Terminal Fee (Muelle Pier)	10/pax
Boat Muelle Pier to Coco Beach (roundtrip)	500/boat	Rate is 250/boat/way
Boat for Island hopping tour	1800/boat	Coral Garden, White Beach, etc

HOW MUCH WE SPENT

This trip was an annual get-away with our families and we were travelling with 8 adults and 2 kids in tow.

	Cost/Group	Cost/Pax	Remarks
Accommodation	~32,000		3D2N; broken down as follows: 2 Deluxe Rooms (accommodates 2pax/room) = 16K Addt’l Adult Pax (1.5K x 4pax x 2 Nights) = 12K Addtl Kids (1k x 2kids x 2 Nights) = 4k *Includes Breakfast buffet
Transport	~9500
Tour a.     Boat b.     Snorkeling Gear	1800
		250	Mask = 150; Booties = 100
Activities
a.     Banana Boat		250	Done in Coco Beach; minimum 4pax
b.     Waterski		620	Done in Coco Beach; 15minutes
Food and Drinks
a.     Lunch at Muelle Pier	3000		*I highly discourage eating at restaurants along the Muelle pier. Not only was the food overpriced, it was inedible and service was non-existent
b.     Dinner at Coco Beach (Day 1)	1800
c.     Dinner at Coco Beach (Day 2)	1600
d.     Cocktails	1450		Happy hour from 4-5pm in Coco Beach

HELPFUL LINKS

http://www.ourawesomeplanet.com/awesome/2012/03/puerto-galeras-white-beach-guide-2012-how-to-get-there.html

http://aileenapolo.blogspot.com/2011/03/my-epic-guide-to-puerto-galera.html

RELATED POSTS
Puerto Galera: Coco Beach Island Resort
Puerto Galera: Trip Highlights