Dampalitan Beach and Pagbilao Grande Island

Before we went to Borawan, we had a view of the beach front of Tamarind Resort in Barangay Basiao, the jumping off-point to other beach destination in the area.

But since we were in Villa Anita, their beach front was our jump-off point to the other beaches.  Dampalitan is across Borawan, along the coastline of Villa Anita in Padre Burgos.   

Dampalitan Beach is still unspoiled with its white sand and crystal clear water with a back drop of the pine coconut trees.  The Bondoc Peninsula and the rest of Quezon are abundant of coconut trees.  The trees added a tropical and laid back feeling, while we explore the island. 

Dampalitan is also a camper’s site. There are cottages for rent, a common toilet and a store of the caretaker.  The caretakers immediately helped me when they found out I was stung by a jelly fish in Borawan.  I wasn’t able to swim in Dampalitan because after cleaning the portion of my legs with vinegar, my legs started to cramp.

We took a rest in the white sand beach and enjoyed the clear blue sky.

We then headed back to the beach front of Villa Anita to check out.  After which, we rode a jeep and took a tricycle.  We were supposed to go to Kuwebang Lampas and Puting Buhangin, but decided to take a different route near the jump-off point going there.  We found a serene area without the usual campers and tourists who visits the beach area.

I’m not sure what it was called, but there were rock formations, with small caves, and a rocky sand bar.  It is near the Pagbilao Power Station.  Or maybe because we were actually lost that we found a different spot.  Well, somehow it was a good thing, we were able to end our trip finding this gem along Pagbilao Grande.

Padre Burgos, Quezon: Villa Anita and Borawan

 Our 3^rd Quezon – Bicol Escapade happened in 2011.  This time we opted to go to Padre Burgos.  I went to Calauag first and stayed there overnight.  In the morning, Cam and I took a bus going to Lucena from Calauag.  I was able to take a picture of the view on the top while traversing the Bituka nang Manok road in Atimonan.  

From Lucena, we rode a minivan to Padre Burgos.  We rode a tricycle looking for a place to stay.  We weren’t successful in Tamarind Tree Resort but found the Villa Anita Butterfly Garden and Resort, aling the Padre Burgos – Andangan National Road.  It was already past 1PM when we arrived in the resort.

The resort has a huge garden and fish pond. There’s a restaurant inside but just across the resort was a Pavillion for a large number of visitors.  There were portions that were under construction especially the bigger swimming pool.  The cottages were Nipa Huts with aircon.   The staff told us of the beach front area of the resort which was a 10 minute ride from the resort. 

We were accompanied by the driver of the resort and drove us to the Villa Anita beach front.

It was low tide that morning and we enjoyed taking pictures and walking around the rocky beach.  There was a floating “balsa” in the area.  And we stayed there and waited for the sunset.

The following morning we were fetched by the boatman in the beach front of the resort to start our island tour.  The ride was about 15 minutes going to Borawan, just across the beach front of Villa Anita.

Borawan came from the combination of the words Boracay and Palawan and located at Pagbilao Chica Island.  It is along the coastline of the Tayabas Bay. There are rock formations along the way.

Borawan is a place for campers.  As of writing, there's a resort already and that the place is being maintained properly.  When we visited the place, there were campers, a caretaker with their small store for your needs.  Because it was the Labor day weekend that time, tourists flocked the island, so we went to the other side in a quieter place, where we had the towering rocks all by ourselves.

But honestly beware of the secluded place without the nets, I was stung by a jelly fish here.  If you could zoom the picture below, you'll see how big the jelly fish that I encountered, and it was painful and the black scar lasted a year.

But all in all, Borawan is a good place to go, it just depends on your expectation. 

But for me, every new place is worth to travel.

Caramoan: A lush of green mountains and perfect sunrise

The Caramoan peninsula is located in the eastern portion of Camarines Sur in front of Catanduanes.  It is the home of so many islands and islets and scenic view of towering cliffs and a lush green mountains and a perfect sunrise.

Going to Caramoan had been a challenge, and 2 days wasn’t enough to explore the islands.  We went there during those times the Survivor series were being shot in the different islands.  Most islands were being used for the productions, tourist and locals were restricted on some island like the Gota Beach.

We left Calauag, Quezon in the morning where I stayed overnight in Cam’s house.  It was the 2nd time of our Summer Escapade in Quezon – Bicol area.

We travel for 4 hours by bus from Calauag to Naga City.  From the terminal in Naga City, we rode a van to take us to Sabang Port.  We took a boat for almost two hours going to the port of Caramoan Guijalo and traversed the mountain range and the Lagonoy Gulf.

Upon reaching the port, we rode a motorcycle where we asked the driver to take us to a resort but he told us it because it was summer, the resorts were fully booked, so he suggested and bought us to the town where we stayed with the locals and rented a room for an overnight stay. 

It was a long journey, so we went out at night and found a restaurant along the Paniman beach and had our dinner.  We went to and talked to the owner about Caramoan.  After which we stayed outside enjoying the beach until it was almost midnight.

The following morning we were referred to a boat man and toured us in the island.  We were welcome by the perfect sunrise of Caramoan.  The first stopped was Minalahos island.

Just a few kilometres away from Gota Beach, where the crew and staff of Survivor were.  Then we went to  Hunongan Cove.  So we weren't able to explore all due to the time constraint but we promised to go back to Caramoan for a longer stay.   

Gumaca, Quezon - the start of my Quezon - Bicol Escapades with Cam

There was a time when I stopped exploring due to personal problems since I started in December of 2000.  For two years, 2005 – 2007, I would only go to a scheduled trip like company outing, but never a planned trip that I usually do.   In summer of 2007, when everything started going back to normal, I decided to go to Gumaca to visit my best friend Cam, who was residing in this town with his brother.

Most travellers wouldn’t stop here because most of the buses going to Bicol have a stopover in Lucena or Atimonan, and the next stopover would be in Calauag or Tagkawayan.  The major attraction of Gumaca is the Gumaca Cathedral of the Cathedral of San Diego de Alcala, one of the oldest and biggest church in the province of Quezon. (I wasn’t able to get a photo).

Gumaca lies in the middle of Quezon Province along the coastline of Lopez Bay.  We went to a nearby public beach, in which we decided to have a late afternoon talk.  And my trip in Gumaca was the start of our summer getaway in which we focused in Quezon Province and Bicol Region.  As Cam and I where both from this province, Calauag and Lucban. 

For the next posts, it would be our Quezon and Bicol escapades.

Smile Magazine Destination Guides

Coming from a workshops of Writer's Block Philippines, I was able to create manuscript.  I was able to submit articles to different magazines.  Some where published, others, I'm still waiting for the pitch to be approved.  My first write-ups was published in Smile Magazine of the Cebu Pacific Airlines, the last pages of the magazine under the Destination Guides.  I already have two, one for my Phuket Trip, published last October 2014, and the Taiwan Trip, published this February 2016.  Thank you to my mentor, Ms. Nikka.  If you want to submit a destination guides, let me know.  You'll never know, you're friends, colleagues or acquaintance might see you thru the pages of the magazine.  Just like some of my friends who were able to read my write ups and were eager to send me a picture of the the article.

Iloilo: Historical and Religious Sites

The Spanish conquest has been evident in the Western Visayas.  The Spanish influenced in Iloilo are depicted by centuries-old churches.  Here are some of the historical and religious sites:

1.  Miag-ao Church or Sto. Tomas de Villanueva Parish Church

The baroque architecture was built during 1787 to 1797 and became a fortress during the Moro pirates attacked.  The church was preserved as it was named  UNESCO World Heritage Site.

2.  Tigbauan Church or Saint John of Sahagun Church

A unique church because of its Latin American churriquesque architecture that had been built in the 16th century by Augustinian friars.  Inside the church is a grotto containing the chapel of Sto. Nino.

3. Guimbal Church or St. Nicholas de Tolentino Parish

The Spanish-colonial style church was built using corals and adobe.  It was also known as the iconic Iloilo's Yellow Stone Landmark because of the yellow colored limestone blocks and coral powder used. The four-storey high belfry serves as a watch tower against Moro pirates during the Spanish era.


4. Santo Nino de Arevalo Parish Church

The church possess the third oldest Sto Nino figurines in the Philippines brought by the Augustinian friars duting 1581. The church stood in one of the places that was first to be named in Spanish as La Villa Rica de Arevalo and is now known by the locals as Villa de Arevalo.

5. Molo Church  or St. Anne's Parish

A Gothic-Renaissance inspired church exudes beauty which was built by Dominicans in 1831.  A feminist church due to the presence of sixteen statues along the aisles are feminine saints.  The massive two belfries consists of 30 different sizes of bells.  

6. Jaro Cathedral or National Shrine of Our Lady of Candles

The cathedral is declared the National Shrine of Our Lady of Candles and also the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Jaro.   Housed inside the church is the stone image of the miraculous Our Lady of Candles.

Separated from the church is the belfry across the national highway and situated in the Jaro Plaza.

First time in the Philippines? Where to go?

Recently, some Filipino friends abroad had been asking me to recommend places in the Philippines for their foreign friends who’s visiting our country for the first time.

Most of the time, I recommend Boracay and Cebu.

Why Boracay? Well, you haven’t really been to the Philippines, if Boracay is not included in the itinerary.  Still voted as the best beach in the world, Boracay is known for its pristine white sands, clear blue waters and a view of the magnificent sunset.  There are different water activities to engage with like island hopping, parasailing, banana boat ride, kayaking, cliff diving, snorkeling, diving, stand up paddling, helmet diving, boating and sailing.  The island also offers great massage in the beach, henna tattoos, ATV riding, and a great sense of nightlife and partying. A wide variety of food of different cuisines are found in Boracay.  What I love the most are the buffet dinner that serves fresh seafood like lobsters and shrimps.   A walk from Station 3 to Station 1 is also a must, to see the coarse sand to finer sand and the great view of the Mama Mary in Willy’s Rock.  I also love Puka Beach because of its pink and coral sands.  Resorts of different class can be easily found along the beach fronts.  Other apartment, Airbnb, backpacker lodges, villas are also available.  There are private and secluded beach around.  I suggest to book a flight and accommodation earlier since it gets crowded easily in Boracay.  And I’m not sure if the off-peak season still applies.  As for myself, I’d been there for the nth time and would still come back anytime.

Why Cebu?  This is my favorite province, if you read my blog, I’d been featuring different locations here, and still there’s a lot to explore.  I’d been to Cebu City, Mandaue City, Lapu-lapu City, Talisay, Bantayan Island, Camotes Island, Malapascua Island, San Remigio,  Daanbantayan, Carmen, Oslob and Samboan.  For starters, tour the city first, from the famous Sinulog Festival every January, a visit to the oldest church of Basilica Minore del Sto Nino, Magellan’s Cross, Fort San Pedro and Taoist Temple.The different islands and towns promote numerous activities.  But it depends on what you want, like diving, island tours, trekking and canyoneering falls, mountain climbing, watching whale sharks, viewing the heritage sites.  Name it Cebu has it.  It just depends on what you want to see and what to do.  The best place for Lechon, seafoods, the famous Larsian food stall and the Lantaw restaurant with a view of the city.  My favorite destination is Bantayan, my first love, but overall Cebu is worth your time, money and memories.

There’s still a lot of places to recommend, just visit my blog to know more of the Philippines.