A Break from the Concrete Jungle: The Calaguas Island Getaway
After our Mt. Daraitan adventure and so many failed attempts for another hike and getaway, we finally managed to make one come true. The timing couldn't be more perfect for me because I badly needed to get away, to just clear my head, and just relax because the past few months have been hellish. I needed to getaway from the big city, from the concrete jungle that has been trying to eat me alive since Day 1.
Our destination: Calaguas Island in Camarines Norte. The island is no hidden gem to tourists as it has been steadily gaining attention because of its white sands and crystal clear water. Many says it's like Boracay but with more peace and serenity since the latter has been plagued with commercial development. But I heard that there are plans in the next two years to develop the island. I just hope whatever these plans are, it includes the safekeeping of the resources and keeping the island clean.
From Manila, we traveled by land until we arrived at Paracale where we rode a boat for 2 hours all the while enjoying the luscious blue of the ocean accompanied by the steady hum of the boat engine.
When we arrived at the island, it was breathtakingly
beautiful. True to the reviews and feed backs of those who already visited the island, the water was so clean and clear and the sands were white. The place is oozing with undeniable charm sprinkled with serenity.
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| AMI Kids mandatory photo upon arrival |
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| January 2015 Batch + AMI KIds |
Aside from the swimming, Calaguas also offer hiking. It wasn't much of a climb as compared to Daraitan since it took us less than an hour to reach the peak. We climb the hill supposedly to watch the sunset but it turns out, we are facing the opposite direction. Our secondary reason for climbing was to get a signal for our mobile phones because apparently that's the only place with signal connection.
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| Which way Robert Frost? |
For the second day, we went to Balagbag Island which was just a few kilometers away from Calaguas. We got to enjoy the sunset while we were at it too!
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| A view of the sunset from the shore. |
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| I really love sunsets! |
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| Balagbag has pebbles instead of sands. |
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| We went hiking also. That makes it one mountain a day. I haven't been that active in a long while (not to mention we also went swimming to our hearts content). |
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| View from the top of the mountain. |
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| The beautiful colors of sunset greeted us upon our arrival at Balagbag island. |
For our third day adventure, we went hiking again in the hills of Calaguas. We took a different route this time though. According to tour guides, this gives a more beautiful view of the island. We decided to hike early in the morning, hoping to get a view of the sunrise this time.
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| I'm not exactly a fan of the sunrise as I pretty much prefers sunset, but I totally fell in love with the sunrise that day. |
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| After a short hike, you can rest at the hammocks. |
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| I don't usually posts photos of me but I just love how candid this shot was taken. And I look so happy too. |
At night, you can get a nice view of the starry sky while laying down on the cold sand. There's not much left to do on the evenings except perhaps stargazing, night swimming and a teeny tiny bit of party. There's a minibar at night that plays some music but the 'party' doesn't last for much long.
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| Sorry but this is my first time seeing a starfish. |
If you want to cut yourself off from the rest of the society (and by society I mean 'social media sites and other internet whatnots' since our relationships has been defined by these things lately), you might find Calaguas a haven. There are no mobile network signal in the island but as I said, you can hike a nearby mountain if you're in dire need to post to your followers and virtual friends alike your happy experience in the island. The island is on generator which means electricity is pretty limited so you better charge that powerbank of yours to make sure your camera/phones will capture your every moment in the island. Also, since the island is in its development stage, there are no hotels or resorts. We slept on tents and rented nipa huts. Some tourists even had their tents set up near the shore. Comfort rooms are also quite the commodity in the island so if you want to get rid of the sticky feeling after swimming for hours in the sea, be prepared for a long queue (especially in the evening, after dinner time). As an alternative, you can take turns pumping the water pump. Oh and don't forget to bring sunblock or sunscreen if you don't want to end up with a very obvious tan line. You might as well bring some board and card games in case you want to take a break from swimming. If you want to visit Calaguas and get the most out of it, I suggest you visit the island on weekdays as it is swamped with a lot of people and boats during weekends which makes it quite hard to enjoy the beach (though we have the boats to thank for the shade it has provided us, otherwise we will all get a bad case of sunburns).
We had a blast for 3 days at Calaguas Island. It was nice to have a little breather away from city where you have to run fast or else you might get left behind, where even looking at the night sky won't make you feel any peace because all you see are city lights instead of stars. After 3 days, we are back to civilization, back to reality. It was 3 days well spent for fun, first times and friends. And to end this lengthy post, let me quote Eden, 'the tan lines may fade but the memories will last forever.'
Photo Credits: Eden, Lena, Mars, Mitzi
