CARAMOAN PARADISE: ONE HELLA VACAY!

My long waited early summer vacation finally happened last Mar 5-8, 2009. This trip was very memorable due to alot of FIRSTS in my life. Firstly, this was my first plane trip ever :P Secondly, My first time to celebrate my birthday in a total different place away from Manila Thirdly, my first time to avail my vacation leave from work and Lastly, its my first time to go on a trip with my other set of friends :P

I can say that this was a well planned trip. Ofcourse, the OC me was so busy doing all the research, looking for available plane tickets and neverending computation of our budget.

I wont keep you waiting so Ill share my experience inch by inch :)

Day 1:March 5

We went to Terminal 3 for our 9:30 flight going to Virac Airport. Our trip was kinda extraordinary since we headed to Virac instead of Naga or Pili Airport. There were no tickets available for 6pax for the All In promo of Cebu Pacific thatswhy we chose Virac Airport.

Unfortunately, we left Terminal 3 past10 am so we arrived Virac at around 11am. It was raining and I kept on praying that it would stop. Thanks God it stopped after a few showers. The view up there was breathtaking and of course I didnt stop taking pictures hehe



We approached some of the tricycle drivers for them to bring us to Codon Port where our bangkero was ready waiting for us. We paid Mang Bert P300 plus tip for the 1 hour windy and express tricycle ride. While still in the tricycle, we didnt stop taking pictures of us and the view. It was amazing everywhere.

After the ass-numbing ride, we finally reached Codon Port. A swarm of bangkeros approached us offering a boat ride going to Brgy. Paniman. We immediatley told them that we already contacted a boat for us beforehand. To make it easier for us, we asked for Mang Bert's number so he will be the one to fetch us also.

We met Kuya Randy and Kuya Roque, our mighty bangkeros who assisted and entertained us all the way. We rode the boat and got ready for another 1.5 hours bumpy boat ride. At first, the water was calm but after a few miles, the sky started to get darker and darker and then rained. The rain and waves though was not that alarming, but it didn't bother us that much. We just kept in mind that "we want adventure" then nature really gave us "adventure" immediately.

Finally, we reached Brgy. Paniman at around 2pm all hungry and tired but still energetic. We ate the served lunch like construction workers. We went to our rented house which was owned by Manong Rudy's. The room was Php500 per night but we availed the 2 rooms in the house. Technically, the whole house was was Php1,000 per night. It was way cheap than checking in at a tourist inn o hostels. Anyways, there are only numerous inns and no high-end place to stay in Caramoan.

Dj and Rizza went for a power nap. Pop, Pia and Arvin played Tong Its I guess while yours truly strolled around and take pictures of the suroundings hehe. The day was purely for recharging and saving energy for 2 days of beach bumming .

Bad thing to learn was there was no Globe telecom signal so we were really cast aways :) Another thing, Brgy. Paniman and Gota are neighbors. Paniman is a fishing village and Gota is closed for Survivor Israel shooting.


Day 2: March 6

We ate our fully loaded breakfast then hopped in to our super bangka. The weather was perfect for the full day island hopping. The sun was beaming straight to us whew hot! The first island that we went to was the Hunungan Island. It was astonishing! With such great clear waters, fine sand and plenty creatures down there. We were surprised and got scareda little that even near the shore, stingrays can be seen. We dont want to end like Crocodile Hunter :) We were delighted to see alot of creatures so we can abuse our snorkel gears that we bought only for this trip. Soon, the Villas there will be opened for tourist. These villas are owned by the governor according to the locals.

Not far from Brgy. Paniman is the Sohotan River. According to Kuya Kim of Matang Lawin, It is the counterpart of the Amazon River of America where alot of species can be found and where the most dangerous reptile can be found. Im glad we didnt encounter that animal. I saw the jumping fish specie which made me scared because I thought it was a Bubuli.

We trekked to reach Omang Cave. The path was not a joke because we had to step on the muddy paths, hold onto rocks, stems and plants. We even saw giant ants and bazillion legged centipede. After seeing various creatures along the way, we reached the cathedral sized Cave with an array of colored stalactites and stalagmites and different rock formations.



After sweating like a pig, we enjoyed the fresh buko juice for our drinks and the soft coco meat made us burped. Thanks to Kuya Randy that he didnt allow us to be dehydrated. During this time, the sun was deadly. We stayed At Sohotan for a few minutes because our skins started to sore.





Just across Hunungan island was a small island with a big rock as centerpiece known as Cagbalinag. Another superb scenery! We ate our lunch there. Thanks to our cook for an awesome Ginataang Langka and Giant Tambakol! Yum! All energized and nourished for more island hopping and sun baking. We abused once again our snorkel gears and roamed around the island to check out variety of sea creatures and to get the some shells and stones. The waters are so bluish green, crystal clear with fine sand underneath. Just don't step on the sea grasses which can tickle your footsies.


We also visited the Tinago Island but we didnt go down since the sand area was small and the waves are quite scary. Kuya Randy just showed it to us because very few visitors visit the island because of its hidden location, that'swhy its called "Tinago." During high tide, the sand is sunken so most likely at the time of our visit it may sink anytime. We're still cautious in a way.

To Lahus Island! Few minutes away from the Sohotan River, we saw this sandwhich like island where two rock formations bordered the fine stretch of white sand in the middle. The other side has strong waves while the opposite side is calm. We stayed on the wavy area to play with the waves. We did "human surfing" where we allow our bodies to be swept by the waves. We were really waiting for the stronger and higher waves for more fun and crazy acrobatics in the water.






Now to my favorite Island! Its Matukad Island, the finest sand of all! It has the finest white sand ever! Much finer than the sands of Boracay! No offense to Bora fanatics, Its just a statement according to my friends who had been to Bora. Its like cornstarch powdery in characteristic. Your feet will be submerged easily. Simply a paradise! Very Virgin as I may say! Kuya Randy, our bangkero said that we should climed the rocky mount to view the lagoon behind those sharp stones plus a majestic surprise every tourist is wishing for. It was damn hard since It was our first time to rock climb, the rocks were too sharp and steep. We have no safety gears, just our havaianas, our bare hands and alot of energy to lift our bodies. After the struggle, we saw the lagoon with green waters. According to the locals, there were 2 milkfish staying in the lagoon. One fisherman caught and killed one milkfish then after sometime, the fisherman died for no reason. From then on, they believed that the milkfishes were the lagoon guards. The milkfish left is still there and no one dares to catch that matukad milkfish fairy.


It was all worth it! The view was majestic, fantastic, breathtaking, mind shaking, heavenly, infectious etc etc. Words cant explain how beautiful the scenery is! If its possible to stay there until night time we would but for security purposes, we must leave before it gets dark. After being hypnotized with the view, its now time to go down again. We were very much careful on how to get down because only two things will happen: first, fell with cracked bones; second, be wounded hehe :)



We swam, snorkeled, sunbathed, took alot of pictures i mean alooottttttt of pictures and of course, i will not forget our crazy jump shots! Jumpshots here, there and everywhere! We didnt care! Acrobatics here and there! We were like kids gone insane :)

Half baked, We need to go back to the house because its getting dark. There's still another day for tanning! :) At the house, we slept early while Pia, Pop and Arvin had a few drinks!

Day 2 was awesome. At one point, You'll simply think over what had happened few hours ago. God is really powerful and perfect that He created nature so beautiful as that. Plus, hoping that human will continue to protect and preserve the beauty of Caramoan. I've read that Caramoan will be the next Boracay, well I can say that It can really be the next Bora! It was a good news and a bad news as well. There are a lot of pros and cons and Ill just leave it all to the readers to identify those--garbage, pollution, overcrowding, abuse of nature and failure to protect the islands.

Day 3: March 7

All geared up for another day of full packed adventure but suffered myalgia due to the rock and mountain climbing at Sohotan River and Matukad Island. We've explored the right side of Caramoan so we headed to the left side where Brgy. Tagbon was located. We were welcomed by the kids living in the barangay speaking in english. It's simply because they thought that we were foreigners haha! gotcha! We went first to the Barangay hall to write down our names for reference. The town's people and the kids said that they have two major tourist spot in the town. The first is the 100 ft Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary statue and second is the cave with shining rocks as described by the local kids. We were in dilemma where to go first but we've decided to visit the apparition first.


Before reaching the statue, we had to climb 510 steps! whew! We were too confident not to bring water thinking that "oh, it's easy!" Step by step it was getting harder and harder. Our feet getting heavier and heavier! Honestly, it was not easy compared to the grotto in Baguio! It was soooo hot! We had to stop for a few minutes to protect ourselves from the sun and to wipe off our sweat! I've been working out doing aerobics, taebo and the like for hours but I never sweat like this but at least I had the endurance to move my legs still.

As we go higher and higher in altitude, the view was getting nicer and nicer also. We were tired but full of excitement. Once we've reached the top, we rested for a few more minutes under the shade of a big tree chatting and talking about how we were able to endure the heat and the walking.
Finally, we were able to touch the gigantic statue, said the little prayer posted and enjoyed the relaxing view. We saw numerous islands with different sizes and shapes, the blue sparkling waters, blooming hibiscus and abundant mushrooms and the excellent foliage.
Energized from a moment of doze, we had to go 510 steps downward. Another struggle :)

Some of us were still game for another hour of walking inside the cave while some couldn't tolerate the leg pains and muscle cramps. Instead, we decided not to visit the cave anymore! We slowly went down the hill then look for an ice cold drink hastily. Luckily, we were able to meet the barangay captain, had a little chat and expressed our gratitude and admiration to their place.

After the dehydrating moment, we couldnt wait to submerge our bodies in the cold refreshing waters. We ate our lunch first at the house then went directly to Sabitang Laya and Bag-Ing island. As we approach the island, Kuya Randy said that we must not go down since there was a "No Trespassing" sign. It didnt stop us from going down. What we did was stayed in Bag-Ing Island connecting the Sabitang Laya Island thinking that nobody can tell us to transfer since Bag-Ing Island had a No trespassing sign. Another step on the fine white sand, clear bluish green waters and abundant sea creatures. In here, there were more sea grasses, starfishes and more colorful fishes.















After visiting the Sabitang Laya and Bag-Ing Islands, we went to this islet where one small house stood. Kuya Randy said that we can find a lagoon at the back of the islet. We had to be careful because we saw this deadly snake. It called BIRANG, once bitten, it will make you last for few hours on this earth! my gosh! We reached the lagoon, too bad the boat was destroyed already. Before, Kuya Randy said that tourists can paddle around the lagoon while watching the crabs, fishes, shrimps and other marine creatures. The waters are so crystal clear. too bad we didnt dip into the waters because of the snake. Not far from the house, still with shallow waters, sea urchins and starfishes were very much visible!

We went to another island full of smooth rocks of various sizes and shapes. These rocks were very much different with the usual rocks that we think of. Its very smooth and colorful. Its like the rocks that we can see in Spas and Zen themed places. Its good for the oldies for some therapeutic massage treatment. We gathered some rocks to be brought home. We didn't stay that long since we will go the the town for some shopping. "Alis na tyo, nakakabato sa island na to!" Funny to hear, it meant literally rocky.

To wrap up our trip, we went again to Matukad Island since we will be missing this place so much! We saw few tourists also enjoying the beautiisland. They just come and go. We stayed for a few hours having our final swim and picture taking. We had our endless jumpshots and a crazy idea of creating a website full of jumpshot pictures began.

Before the sun set, we had to go down town for some souvenir shopping. We had the craziest, most dangerous and adventure packed tricycle ride. The roads were muddy, dark (no lights at all except for the tricycle headlight), exaggeratedly rough! We had to go down from time to time if there is a crater like road disaster. It was really tiring since we had to walk to reach the flat terrain hehe. It was kinda disappointing since my friends weren't able to buy their much wanted island souveneirs. The place was really laid back and not yet fully developed. At least there was one store selling pili nuts who took advantage of selling the pili nuts for P120. They had no choice but no buy from them.

Too dark, We headed home. The boys scared us since there was no light/electricity at all and we were the only poeple passing the road. The girls kept on shouting and running! At last, we reached home perspiring and tachycardic because of the rollercoaster, rialto and bumpcar tricycle ride all in one!

At home, Manong Rudy, the drunk owner of the house visited us to chat with us. He was so quiet when he's in a normal mode but when he's drunk, he was like a showbiz reporter! We shared stories and they had few drinks. We were tired so some of us chose to sleep already for our early departure.

Day 4: March 8

It was my Birthday!!!! While I was dressing up, Pia and Pop surprised me by singing the Happy Birthday song with a cupcake and candle on top! They were also taking a video of me, I was too shy since I wan not dressed up fully hehe!

We had a 1 hour boat ride back to Codon Port then another hour of tricycle ride from Codon Port to Virac Airport. All good things come to an end but this trip was a blast!
ONE HELLA VACAY! :) CHEERS TO MORE TRAVEL ADVENTURES!