Padre Burgos, Quezon

It was another planned trip with my photography friends which we do annually. I was looking for places to go and I found these cluster of islands in Padre Burgos through several blogs I read online. The pictures were really inviting and the place was commutable so the date was set and three of us were going.

Padre Burgos is just a 5-hour bus ride from Metro Manila. We took a JAC Liner bus from Cubao at 3AM in the morning and arrived at the Lucena Grand Terminal by 5AM. We transferred to an ordinary open air bus reminiscent of that bus ride a year ago going to Mauban. The sunrise slowly bringing color to the streets of still sleeping towns and revealing coconut trees covering rolling hills in the distance.

The town itself is small. You could literally walk from anywhere and it was sort of a mistake on our part to immediately hire a tricycle upon arrival when we could've explored the town by ourselves. We bought everything we needed for the overnight stay including water, uncooked meat, squid for grilling and several canned goods. All of it cost us P200.00 each which we thought to be really cheap.

After going to the market, we went straight to where the boats were waiting for us. Boat rental costs P1,800.00 for an island hopping tour to Borawan Island, Dampalitan Island, and Puting Buhangin Cove which is the standard rate as published by the local tourism office. The boat ride was smooth as the water is calm and glassy in the morning. It was a nice treat to see groups of small fishes jumping out of the water in various directions as our boat traces its path along the water.

First stop was Borawan Island. Famous for its limestone karsts akin to those seen in Palawan and having white sand like Boracay. Personally, i felt like the place has its own charm and need not be compared to other famous places previously mentioned. I just dismissed it as a marketing gimmick to attract hordes of tourists simply by giving that name recall. We did not stay long in the island because a lot of people were already there. Word has spread out definitely and while I feel happy for the people benefiting from the influx of visitors I wish the place keeps its charm. As for me I am thinking of going back but maybe during the lean season.

 Next stop was Dampalitan Island. It has the longest beach among the three and the most relaxing during that time. A few meters from the beach, agoho trees form a thick cover perfect for pitching tents to avoid the direct heat of the sun. We stayed here until lunch time. Interesting to note that as the day approaches noon the water recedes and exposes the shallower parts of the sea. A small island consisting of a group of rocks is exposed at high noon.

Our last stop was at Puting Buhangin Cove where the famous Kwebang Lampas is located. We were really excited for this part of the trip as the cove receives the most praises based on the blogs I've read. It was indeed beautiful in its own right. However it was crowded the time we went and was poorly managed by the caretakers. Campers where allowed to pitch tents wherever they want to and garbage was everywhere. It was really crowded that time. It got so noisy at night that we had a very hard time sleeping. It would be better to stay at Dampalitan Island during peak season.

 

We explored the cove in the morning when everyone was still sleeping and I imagined how it would have been a better experience with just a few people there keeping everything quiet and peaceful. We found our way through the cave and out through the other opening facing the sea. The best part of the trip was when we swam our way staying close to the side of the cliffs  until we reached a secluded small spot away from the crowds. We spent the rest of the morning there just looking out to the open sea.

Sagada

This breathtaking scenery greets you on the viewing deck of the highest point in the Philippine Highway system. Almost instantly I was swept off my feet just like how in similar instances my unfaltering curiosity to discover places has led me to moments like this. And I wondered why I spent so much time wasting and waiting for this trip. I was happy I was finally going. I was exhilarated to be on my first time to visit Sagada.

 We were a group of 10. It was my first time traveling with these people but I didn't really mind because I'm the type who just goes with anyone for anything that would take me to an adventure. We went on the last week of January taking advantage of the Chinese New Year holiday which was perfect as the temperature in the mountains dropped to a low of 9 degrees C.

 

 The only drawback was that the annual Sagada festival is going to be held in the same weekend. We had a hard time looking for a place to stay. It came to a point where our prior booking was not acknowledged by the hotel owner because he double booked the rooms we reserved for the weekend. I had to call every hotel  in town to look for rooms to no avail. Luckily homestays/guesthouses are available so I was offered a house with just enough bed space for our group to sleep in. As expected, the town was packed with people so we had to wait for half an hour just to get into the town proper. The roads were too narrow to accommodate the volume of traffic that was there during the weekend.

 On our first day, we went trekking to visit the Bomod-Ok falls. Due to volume of tourists in the town that day, it became difficult to hire tour guides as they were considerably outnumbered by tourist groups wanting to visit the different attractions. Our trek started late in the afternoon already and we were warned it would be dark already by the time we would return on our way back. We were advised it would take up to an hour and a half to go down and up to two hours and a half to go back up.

 In the middle of the trek we passed by a normal village where we rested. Most of the locals live there going up and down the path regularly to get to work or school. It was difficult to imagine but growing up in this place could make most of us living in the cities something to think about. By nightfall, the village is enveloped in almost total darkness as there are no streetlights lighting the trail. Locals use their torches to light their way home and rest as everything succumbs to the night.

 At the end of the trail is the Bomod-Ok Falls (Big Falls). The water was too cold for me to take a dip so I retreated to a nearby rock and watched as people took turns taking pictures of the natural wonder. I was content taking it all in with the waterfall creating a thin mist all over the place which was refreshing enough to charge me for the return trek.

The next morning, still tired and a bit exhausted, we decided to do the Lumiang-Sumaguing cave connection. Our tour was already arranged the day before and we went early to avoid the number of tourists that were expected to visit the cave that day. The cave connection was a different experience from the waterfalls trek. While the trek to the waterfalls was a straightforward walk all the way and was downright tiring. The cave connection was a challenging maze which made me drop on all fours and even use my butt just to avoid the sheer drops along the way. My fear of heights kicked in moments where I was holding on for dear life and I couldn't see where the drops would lead to as it was really dark. Honestly, it was really scary and I consider it a personal achievement to have survived it.

 In the entrance to the cave, we came across the coffins where the elders are laid to rest. The bodies are laid in fetal position in belief that death would return them back to Mother Earth's womb. (Or as I remember them saying; don't quote me)

 After all the adventure, it was just relaxing to be in a place far away from the city. Minus the crowd, Sagada has its charm. The quiet nights and the chilly air that embraces you as you sleep. The long walks and the relief you get from knowing you never have to drive to go anywhere. I'd like to go back again when it's not as busy; when I can just stay as long as I want and just have the time for myself to think. I'm getting old I guess but I can quite get used to places like this.

 

 

 P.S. I miss the strawberry yogurt!

KL

On our way from the airport I was already anxious to see the iconic structure which has been all too familiar in my mind. True enough at first sight, while our train was making its way through the streets of Kuala Lumpur those two towers stand brightest, glimmering over all that shines in that night skyline. And at that moment even for an outsider and a tourist like I, I realized the importance of having such a landmark for all to see, for all to recognize, and for all to identify that indeed this is Malaysia.

I originally planned on writing a rather lengthy and angst-ridden post on my experience in traveling around Malaysia but for all intents and purposes I feel like this isn't the right medium to vent it all out. This is the first time in ages that I didn't care much about what would happen to us since I wasn't that involved in the planning so I really had much time to observe.

If there is one thing I can say about Malaysia, it is that relatively it is a much more convenient place to live in compared to the Philippines. It is much more developed in more ways than one. Over and over I thought of how it would be great to imagine the Philippines reaching the same level of progress. Sad to say only that decades ago it was safe to say that both countries were really on the same level. Now the Philippines is lagging behind its contemporaries.

On a lighter note, I very much enjoyed the food there. What with that daily fix of teh tarik or that generous serving of nasi goreng or char keoy teow which cost so cheap but really tasty I had withdrawal symptoms coping with what was being offered here in the Philippines. My experience there just made me realize that I deserve better.

But in the end I am just thankful for another [mis]adventure. For missing our pre-booked bus trip heading back to Kuala Lumpur from Melaka. For missing the last shuttle going back to the city proper later that evening. For spending a night sleepless and worried next to my sick girlfriend. For the bus breaking down for almost five hours on our return trip from Penang. For my friend who forgot his camera on that same bus. For that same friend who shouted at a taxi driver who tried to overcharge them on taxi fare. For the chance to be lost and to find my way back. For another story to tell. Terimah Kasi, KL.