Calatagan, Batangas: From hiking plan that ended at a beach.

One fine Friday afternoon of January, medyo inatake ako ng sumpong ko ng dahil sa boredom kaya anong nangyari? Well, I decided to go to Metro Manila to spend my weekend there. (Parang ang lapit lang ng Metro Manila from CamSur.hahah) So, I rode a bus from our house to Naga City and then from Naga City, I rode another bus to Metro Manila. It was a butt-numbing ride kasi 10 hours akong nagbyahe from Naga City to Metro Manila and because I want to travel cheap on that Friday evening, I rode a non-airconditioned bus.

Actually, pupunta naman talaga ako ng Metro Manila on that month kasi on the last week of January, me and my friends are scheduled to go to Sagada, Mountain Province. Medyo napaaga lang ang pagpunta ko ng Metro Manila kasi nabored na ko sa bahay. It was Saturday morning when I arrived in Metro Manila and because it was a weekend, I wanted to go somewhere para maglakwatsa. I then texted all my friends in Metro Manila pero karamihan sa kanila ay mga busy. A few replied to my text messages and they’d asked kung saan daw pupunta, at ang sabi ko ay maghiking kami sa Mt. Batulao on Sunday, however, nung Saturday evening, bigla na lang nagsend ng text messages yung mga kaibigan ko na hindi na daw sila sasama dahil sa mga kung ano anong dahilan. Well, I said to myself na I guess I’ll be doing a solo hiking on a Sunday.

Nakaset na ang plano ko for a solo hiking but then, another friend texted me and said to me that she and her friends are planning for a Sunday getaway but they don’t want to go hiking, what they want is to go to a beach. So I said to them that we can hike and go to a beach, but she said her friends just want to go to a beach. So she invited me to join them and since I really wanted to travel on that weekend kaya sinabi ko sa kanya na sasama na lang ako sa kanila. She then asked me kung saan ang magandang na beach na pwede namin na mapuntahan na malapit lang sa Metro Manila. Sa Batangas lang ang alam ko na may mga magagandang beach but I don’t have an idea kung saan mismo sa Batangas. So I googled for Batangas beaches and also using Google Maps, and then I saw a white sand beach in Calatagan. So I suggested to my friend na sa Calatagan na lang kami pumunta. I mentioned to her na tingnan nya muna yung website ng Stilts Resort sa Calatagan at natuwa naman sya kaya sabi nya doon na lang daw kami pupunta. So we set the time of departure for Sunday at sabi ko sa kanya let’s meet na lang tomorrow.

So Sunday came, me and my friend, and her friends too, met at Market Market in Taguig City. Nagdala sila ng sasakyan kaya di na namin kailangan pa na magcommute by bus. We left Taguig City at around 7am pero sinundo pa namin yung ilang kaibigan namin sa Cavite. It was a long drive because we need to stop for several times as we are not familiar sa route papuntang Calatagan. We arrived at Calatagan town at around 11am and we still need to travel for 20 minutes from Calatagan town proper to reach Stilts Resort. Medyo malayo ang resort but it was really worth it naman na puntahan. The resort is beautiful. It has a cream colored sand, and a wide beach front. Malawak ang resort at hindi na nga kami nagbalak na ikutin ang resort kasi whole day lang naman kami magistay dun. The day rate for a whole day stay is 350 pesos and the open air cottages rental fee ranges from 800 to 1500 pesos. They also have several rooms available for an overnight stay at the resort.

After looking for a cottage, at nakapili na kami ng cottage, we then ordered a lunch and while waiting for our lunch na maluto, nagphoto ops muna kami.hehehe! Sinimulan na namin ang pagiging camera trigger happy mode.hehehe! And then after eating our lunch, we then decided to walk at magstroll sa beach, and had a dip sa dalawang swimming pool nila. Mababaw ang tubig sa dagat ng Stilts Resort and you really need to walk for a few hundred feet from the shoreline just to reach a waist-deep water. The beach is suitable for kids since the water is not that deep. Kaya nga we decided na sa pool muna maligo kasi inantay pa namin na maghightide para makaligo sa dagat pero konti lang ang itinaas ng tubig nung naghigh tide kaya nung naligo na kami sa dagat, nagtyaga na lang kami sa knee-deep water. Okay na yun di ba? Ang importante makapagtampisaw pa rin sa dagat.hahaha! adik lang sa pagligo sa tubig dagat.hahaha! And another thing, if you want to watch or view a beautiful sunset habang nasa beach, then this is the place to go kasi nakaharap sya sa South China Sea (West Philippine Sea). Sobrang ganda ng sunset dito na we actually spend almost an hour para lang panuorin ang magandang sunset, and not to mention ang magspend ng ilang minuto para picturan ang magandang sunset.hehehe!

Anyway, after namin mapagod sa pagligo sa dagat we then decided na umalis na sa resort since gagabihin na kaming masyado kasi dadaan pa kami ng Tagaytay City. We left Stilts Resort at around 7am and then we travelled to Tagaytay City. At dahil hindi naman talaga namin plano na pumunta ng Tagaytay, mga beach attire ang mga dala dala namin kaya nung dumating kami ng Tagaytay, nilalamig na kami. It was really cold on that evening na pumunta kami ng Tagaytay na ayaw na nga namin lumabas ng sasakyan. Habang kumakain nga kami sa Gerry’s Grill medjo nanginginig na kami sa lamig.hahaha! Pumunta din kami ng Starbucks para makapagkape at nagtake out na lang kami pero the weird thing about us, nagtake out kami ng kape para inumin lang ito sa loob ng sasakyan habang nakapark lang sa harap ng Starbucks.hahaha! After that crazy trip, umuwi na kami ng Metro Manila. We arrived in Metro Manila at around 12 midnight or 1am na ata.

Our Sunday getaway was really fun. Sobrang nagenjoy kami sa mga pinaggagawa namin for that whole day. It was really an adventure and an exciting roadtrip. It was really fun to spend a roadtrip and a weekend with friends. And I was really thankful kasi halos sagot lahat ng gastos nung friend ng friend ko.hehehe! My planned hiking or my planned solo hiking ended up going to a beach and I was really thankful na nangyari yun kasi nakapunta na naman ako sa isang lugar na hindi ko pa napuntahan and at the same time nagenjoy ako kasama ang mga kaibigan ko. At yan po ang tinatawag na biglaang lakad na wala sa plano.heheheh!

If you want to go to Stilts Resort Calatagan, you can ride a bus bound for Nasugbu or Calatagan. The bus terminal is located at Pasay City, near the MRT Taft Station, at the back of Mcdonalds. And then after arriving at Calatagan town proper, rent a tricycle to Stilts Resort. It is a 20 to 30 minutes ride from Calatagan town proper.

Road Map: http://stiltscalataganbeachresort.net/?page_id=396

Here’s the website of the resort: http://stiltscalataganbeachresort.net/

Note: Hindi po ako binayaran ng resort para ipromote sila. Maganda lang talaga ang resort kaya gusto ko din ishare sa iba na naghahanap din ng mapupuntahan na magandang beach na malapit lang sa Metro Manila, lalong lalo na it’s summer time na. So what are you waiting for? Magtampisaw na sa beach!

Karangahan Falls: A not-so-familiar waterfalls in Legazpi City.

There are a lot of beautiful places to visit in Legazpi City, however, there is one waterfalls that is often not included in the list of tourist destination in the city. The waterfalls is called as Karangahan Falls and it is located in Barangay Banquerohan, Legazpi City. It is about 30 to 45 minutes jeepney ride from the city center, plus a 15 minute trek going to the waterfalls. From my estimate, Karangahan Falls is about 25 to 30 feet in  height.

Whenever tourists go to Legazpi City, most of them just visit the famous Ligñon Hill Nature Park or Embarcadero or the famous Cagsawa Ruins in nearby Daraga City. Few tourists know Karangahan Falls, and in fact it is not even included in the tourism website of Legazpi City. Konti lang talaga ang pumupunta ng Karangahan Falls, but for adventure-seekers, maganda din puntahan ang lugar na to lalo na kapag madaming tubig na umaagos sa waterfalls.

Karangahan Falls, Brgy. Banquerohan, Legazpi City

Now, how do you go to Karangahan Falls? Medjo mahirap hanapin ang waterfalls na to, there are no road signs going to that waterfalls and if you’re going to ask the Legazpi City locals, most of them doesn’t even know that this waterfalls exist in their city.

Here’s the direction on how to reach Karangahan Falls:

First, if you’re coming from Manila, ride a bus bound for Legazpi City. It is about a 10 to 12 hours bus ride. If you don’t want to ride a bus, then you can ride a plane bound for Legazpi City. It is about an hour plane ride from Manila to Legazpi City. If you’re travelling by bus, get off at Bañag in Daraga City and ride a jeepney bound for Legazpi City via Daraga City. Dadaan sa city proper ng Daraga City ang jeepney via Rizal Street and then get off at Saint Gregory the Great Cathedral. It is about 10 to 15 minutes travel from Bañag and the fare is 10 pesos. And then from the cathedral, just walk to the jeepney stop near the church. It is just a 5 minutes walk. The jeepney stop is where the jeepneys bound for San Francisco, Manito and Banquerohan waits for more passengers. And then you can either ride the jeepney bound for San Francisco or Banquerohan or Manito because all of them will be passing the same road going to Karangahan Falls.

From the jeepney stop near the St. Gregory the Great Cathedral, it is about 30 to 45 minutes ride to the jump-off point to Karangahan Falls. The jeepney fare is 25 pesos. There are no signages or landmarks going to Karangahan Falls from the main road so you really need to tell the driver or conductor that you’re going to Karangahan Falls. The nearest landmark that you should remember in order for you to know that you’re already near Karangahan Falls is Banquerohan National High School, and then after another 5 minutes jeepney travel, you’ll be passing by Don Bosco Agro-Mechanical School. Kapag nakita mo na ang Don Bosco Agro-Mechanical School, mga 5 minutes travel na lang makikita mo na ang isang rough road sa left side ng main road. From that rough road or jump-off point, maglakad ka na going to Karangahan Falls.

Karangahan Falls, Brgy. Banquerohan, Legazpi City

Now, going there from the main road is a little bit tricky since there is no way you’re going to know that there is a waterfalls there. Wala man lang sign. You really need to ask the locals to guide you. Medjo malapit na din sya from the main road. From the main road, lakarin mo na ang rough road going to Karangahan Falls, after I guess 5 minutes walk, may makikita ka na small trail sa right side mo, follow that trail na dadaan sa isang coconut plantation, and then after that makikita mo na ang Karangahan Falls, but you still need to walk down the hill trail for about 5 minutes to reach Karangahan Falls.

Here’s the direction on how to reach Karangahan Falls if you’ll be travelling via plane from Manila:

From Legazpi Airport, ride a tricycle and tell the driver to bring you to Legazpi Grand Central Terminal. The travel time is 5 to 10 minutes. From Grand Central Terminal, look for the jeepney that is bound for Banquerohan, San Francisco or Manito.  From the Grand Central Terminal, it is about 30 to 45 minutes ride to the jump-off point to Karangahan Falls.

So there, now you know how to reach Karangahan Falls. Medjo mahirap nga lang syang hanapin but if you like the feeling of getting lost or you’re an adventure-seeker, then I think magienjoy kayo sa paghahanap sa waterfalls na to.hehehe! By the way, medjo magkakalayo ang mga bahay papunta sa Karangahan Falls so you need to ask the locals or magtanong kayo sa unang bahay na makikita nyo from the main road. I hope magenjoy din kayo sa paghanap ng waterfalls na ito kagaya ng pagenjoy kong hanapin ang Karangahan Falls.hehehe! Have an adventure-filled vacation in Legazpi City! Byes!

Subic Beach, Matnog, Sorsogon: The Cheapest Ways to Get There.

Marso na! Summer is here! I’m pretty sure you already have plans for the 2013 Summer season, and let me add to your list a beautiful destination located in the province of Sorsogon. It is a semi-pink colored sand beach at Calintaan Island, in the town of Matnog. The beach is called Subic Beach. It is currently being promoted by the provincial government as another tourist destination in Sorsogon. The province of Sorsogon is well-known for Butanding in Donsol town and Mt. Bulusan in Irosin town, but there are really a lot of beautiful places in Sorsogon and one of them is Subic Beach.

Subic Beach, Matnog, Sorsogon

Since Subic Beach is already known to many tourist, and since this destination is already drawing a lot of tourist especially during long weekends, the boat rental fee have already soared from cheap to a little bit expensive compared to the boat rental fee 3 to 5 years ago. But don’t worry, you can still enjoy this beautiful beach without spending a lot. Maraming paraan para hindi mabutas ang inyong mga bulsa.hehehe! Ika nga, kung gugustuhin, maraming paraan.

I’ve been to this beach for two times already. Last December pumunta kami ng Subic kasama ko mga kaibigan ko pero yung unang beses kong pagpunta sa Subic Beach, solo lang akong pumunta sa isla, at sa mga kalapit na isla ng Subic Beach. I rented a big boat for 1,000 pesos ata and that boat could accommodate up to 50 passengers. But now, it would be impossible if you can rent a boat for that amount. Medyo mahal na ang bangka sa Matnog. It would cost you around 1,500 to 3,000 pesos to rent a boat in Matnog. Pero kagaya nga ng sabi ko, you don’t need to worry kasi marami naman paraan para makapunta ng Subic Beach without spending a lot of money.

location map of Subic Beach, Matnog

location map of Subic Beach, Matnog

Let me now guide you on how to reach Subic Beach the cheapest way around. If you’re coming from Manila, just ride a non-airconditioned bus bound for Matnog, Sorsogon. The Matnog town is the jumpoff point to the Visayas area. A ferry ride connects the mainland of Luzon to Northern Samar and the rest of Visayas and Mindanao. The non-airconditioned bus fare from Manila to Matnog ranges from 400 to 600 pesos. It is a 12 to 15 hours bus travel so iexpect nyo na mamamanhid ang mga puwet nyo at magiging matigas ang mga buhok nyo dahil sa byahe, alikabok at hangin.hahaha!

Upon arriving at Matnog town proper, you can proceed to the public market and look for the barangay hall near the public market. From there, makikita nyo na ang pantalan. You can ask for passenger boats that are bound for Bon-ot. It is a barangay near the Calintaan Island. Ask them if they are going to drop by Barangay Calintaan. The fare ranges from 20 pesos to 30 pesos. You can also ask the locals for the passenger boats that are bound directly to Barangay Calintaan, which is about 15 to 25 minutes walk going to Subic Beach. The boat fare is 15 to 25 pesos. The travel time from Matnog town proper to Subic Beach is 30 to 45 minutes. Subic Beach is located in Barangay Calintaan which is located in Calintaan Island. To go back to Matnog town proper, you can just ask the boatmen for the boat schedule of the return trip to the town. Usually ang mga residence ng Barangay Calintaan ay may mga sariling bangka and pwede ka naman makisabay sa kanila pabalik ng town. But for the passenger boat schedule, usually they only have one to two trips per day, one during the morning and one during the afternoon.

Matnog port

Ang usual na ginagawa ng mga tourist na gustong pumunta ng Subic Beach ay magrent ng bangka sa may pantalan near the public market. The boats that you’ll be renting for Subic or for island hopping are being managed/coordinated by Barangay Camcaman so you’ll need to go to the Camcaman barangay hall to negotiate for a boat. The barangay hall is located just beside the public market. Please remember that the Matnog port/pier is different from the pantalan. The Matnog port/pier is the bigger port na may mga barko na papuntang Allen, Northern Samar. Ang pantalan naman ay nasa katabi lang ng Matnog Public Market. Sa pantalan naman doon dumadaong ang mga bangka going to the coastal barangays of Matnog and to the island of Capul, San Antonio and to San Vicente town, which are all part of Northern Samar province.

the sand of Subic Beach, a white sand with crushed red corals

Another cheap way to reach Subic Beach is to go to the nearest barangay near the Calintaan Island. From the Matnog town center, you can rent a tricycle to Barangay Poropandan. It is about a 20 to 30 minutes tricycle ride. From that barangay, makikita mo na ang Calintaan Island or Barangay Calintaan. Just rent a boat at Barangay Poropandan, which can cost from 300 to 400 pesos. From that barangay, it will only take about 10 to 15 minutes boat ride to reach Subic Beach.

If you don’t want to rent a tricycle, then just look for the tricycle terminal where passenger tricycle ply the route of Barangay Poropandan. It is near the public market. The fare is 20 to 30 pesos. You can also look for the jeepney plying the Barangay Poropandan route. The jeepney terminal is located near the town church. The fare range from 20 to 30 pesos. From Barangay Poropandan, just rent a boat to Subic Beach, which will cost around 300 to 400 pesos and it is just a 10 to 15 minutes boat ride. The jeepney travel time from Matnog town proper to Barangay Poropandan is 20 to 30 minutes.

Subic Beach, Calintaan Island, Matnog

Subic Beach, Matnog, Sorsogon

So there, naishare ko na sainyo ang mga paraan para marating nyo ang Subic Beach. But for me, mas maganda kung madami kayong pupunta ng Matnog para maenjoy nyo talaga ang lugar at madami kayong maghahati hati para sa boat rental fee. Mas maganda kasi kung mapuntahan nyo pa din yung apat na isla sa Matnog. The advantage of renting a boat from Matnog town proper ay mas madami kayo na pwedeng mapuntahan kagaya ng Tikling Island, which is only about 15 to 20 minutes boat ride and also you can visit Juag Marine Sanctuary, which is about 20 to 30 minutes boat ride from Matnog town proper or 10 to 15 minutes boat ride from Subic Beach.

So ayan, alam nyo na kung paano pumunta ng Subic Beach ng hindi masyado nabubutas ang bulsa at wallet nyo.hehehe! Enjoy your beach vacation sa Subic Beach, Matnog!!!