HELLO, CALAGUAS! | EXPLORING PHILIPPINES

By this point of time, I realized I have to do the things that I love to do. At this age, I really want to make the most of the years and while still young and able, I want to explore, travel, and face fears. My ultimate goal is to explore the land where I was born - the Philippines.

With it's 7,107 islands, you'll never run out of places, things, and culture to explore. I mean, I'm not sure if they are still 7,107 or more now than before but I think every adventure documentaries I have watched has always offered something new.

I have only been to the usual, accessible places such as Tagaytay, Batangas, Pangasinan, Baguio, Rizal, Laguna and Pampanga. Don't get me wrong, these places have a lot to offer and they are all beautiful. But since I literally wanted to "travel", I started to look for some more.

I am not always on a vacation by the way, and travelling isn't actually my job. But as I said, I wanna make the most of it, so I travel when I'm able. And I am making myself able for it! :)

An amazing formation of rocks in Calaguas

On December 2015, me and my best friend planned to make something adventurous together for our bonding and also as a birthday and Christmas gift for myself. To make the long story short, we've agreed to go to Calaguas.



Now, I actually have not heard Calaguas before until she introduced it to me. She has a friend that knew a travel agency that allows you to go to Calaguas without a hassle! Travel agencies are a good option for first time travelers like us, and of course to save time, effort, and money on planning out itineraries, fare, food, and other stuff.

So the travel agency we're in was Calaguas Hullabaloo. We made all the arrangements with Mr. Melvic Brinas. We were actually lucky to still have a slot for two on a December, since it's a peak season. For just Php 3,500/pax for a 2D/1N adventure, all inclusive of food and transportation, you can never complain!


Day 0

Pick up location is at DLTB Terminal Pasay, 8:30PM to Daet. We actually missed our bus because of some miscommunication from the travel agency. The email to allow us to board was only sent by 6:45PM. Good thing the coordinator has helped us get to another bus going to Daet. We got on board by 11PM.


Day 1

We arrived around 7:00AM at Daet Terminal. We had breakfast at Jollibee Daet and from there, a van has taken us to a port. It wasn't actually a port, but just a small lake leading to the sea. I think it was a private area.

  

Exhausted from the long bus ride and an hour boat ride, we started to feel excited and pumped to see the fine, white, glowing sands and stunning blue waters of the shore of the island.

As we landed our feet on the beautiful island, we were all saying WOW and ANG GANDA. We were actually lucky that we were only 13 people at that time and only shared the big, big island with also a group of only a few people from a different travel agency.

As soon as we landed, we fixed our things in the cottage and in our tent, and we took photos and indulged ourselves with the serenity of the island.

 

We had our lunch at 12NN. The lunch is superb! Probinsya vibes! We had laing, pork adobo, grilled tanigue and fruits! We had island hopping after lunch. Really without further ado, we had to savor every moment! At the island hopping, we met new people and soon we became friends with.

As soon as the sun has set, the mobile bar is being set up. There was also night life in this island! No boredom indeed!

And here's the gang of the night!

Day 2

We woke up at 5AM to watch the sun rise, had our superb breakfast, get to ride in a speed boat and see the beauty around.

And since there was typhoon Nona back then that's gonna hit the Bicol Region soon, the coordinators decided that we leave the island at 10AM. It's so sad that we had to leave early. :(

We arrived at the Bagasbas Island at exactly lunch time. Bagasbas Island is known for its big waves perfect for surfing. We actually came here to surf, as part of the itinerary. I wasn't able to surf coz I felt some stomach pains at the time (too bad!!!).

We had dinner on one of the eateries within the area. Im sorry we were not able to get the details but it was just a short walk away from the Bagasbas Sufer's Dine-Inn. Their food was good and very affordable!

With our new found friends! :)

We departed from Bagasbas at around 6:30PM and landed Manila at 4:30AM.

REMINDERS:

1. Plan your trip ahead of time. Arrange everything, be detailed.

2. Pack light as always! Bring garbage bags to protect your bags during boat rides. I promise your bags will get wet.

3. Bring power bank and flashlight. There is no electricity on the island and the generator will only be on at 6PM to 10PM.

4. Water supply comes from a deep well or "poso", just so you know. :)

5. Bring jacket, it may get cold at night and also during your travel.

6. Do not expect a house or bed or nice accommodation. The island is secluded and still not civilized so to speak.

7. No signal at the island. Speak to your friends and get to know other travelers. 

8. Bring extra money, of course. Breakfast on Day 1 and Dinner on Day 2 is not included on the Php 3,500.

9. Bring medicine, toiletries, wet tissue, towels. It's not a hotel, but there's a mini sari-sari store in the island. Expect higher price.

10. At summer, expect high number of travelers. Mr. Melvic said that they accommodate about a 100 people in one trip on summer.

Here's the contact info of Calaguas Hullabaloo :

Globe 09153944444  

Smart 09307444444  

Sun      09328809444

Email: x3m_20@yahoo.com

This has been a definitely great travel. Indeed!

I've created a video of the photos and clips from the travel! :)

Let me guys know how was your experience with Calaguas! :)