Peñafrancia Festival 2014

Every September, the Peñafrancia Festival is being celebrated in Naga City, Camarines Sur. So here's the schedule for the 2014 Peñafrancia Festival.

Major Events Schedule

September 11, 2014

7pm - Miss Bicolandia 2014

Venue: Jesse M. Robredo Coliseum

September 11-21, 2014

All day - Bishop Gainza Trade Fair

Venue: Elias Angeles Street. In front of Veterans Bank

September 13, 2014

7am - Regional Band-Majorette-Fancy Drill Competition

Venue: Plaza Quezon

8am - Marian Youth Congress

Venue: Jesse M. Robredo Coliseum

September 14, 2014

5am - 4th Naga City Highland Triathlon

Venue: Metro Naga Sports Complex

3pm - 2nd Regional Cheer and Dance Competition

Venue: Jesse M. Robredo Coliseum

September 17, 2014

7am - Regional BSP-GSP Parade and DXM Competition

September 17-21, 2014

All day - Bicol Travel and Food Expo

Venue: Avenue Hotel Parking Area (Avenue Tent)

September 18, 2014

7am - Civic Parade and Float Competition

Venue: Plaza Quezon

3pm - Peñafrancia Voyadores Festival 2014

Venue: Plaza Quezon

September 19, 2014

6am - Aldaw nin Katalingkasan sa Espanya

Venue: Plaza de Nueva Caceres

7am - Regional Military Parade

Venue: Plaza Quezon

September 20, 2014

6am - Regatta sa Salog

Venue: Reina del Bicol Landing (Dahogan ni Ina)

12pm - Fluvial Procession

Venue: Reina del Bicol Landing (Dahogan ni Ina)

September 21, 2014

All day - Solemnity of Our Lady of Peñafrancia

September 22, 2014

5pm - 2nd Peñafrancia Short Film Festival Awards Night

Venue: Universidad de Sta. Isabel Auditorium

Source: Naga Smiles to the World Facebook page

Quinamanokan Island: There’s no chicken here!

The town of Vinzons in the province of Camarines Norte is famously known for the white sand beach of Calaguas. However, there is a small island located just 15 minutes boat ride from the mainland. It is called the Quinamanokan Island, an undeveloped island with a beige-colored to golden brown sand beach.

Quinamanokan Island

A few months ago, me and my friends was looking for a nearest island to spend our weekend and since we never been to Quinamanokan and it is the nearest from the mainland, we then decided to visit the island. Nagsimula kaming magbyahe from Naga City. We rode a public utility van bound for Daet and then from Daet we rented a tricycle to Barangay Sula. We paid 150 for the tricycle. From the barangay, we rented a boat to Quinamanokan. We agreed for a price of 1,500 pesos for 4 people. The boat travel took us almost an hour because there were huge waves that were hitting our small boat. Usually if the sea is calm, it will only take about 15 minutes to travel from the barangay shore to the island, and it will also cost less dahil hindi na iikot ng medjo malayo ang bangka para umiwas sa mga malalakas na alon.

The Sandbar, the beach facing the mainland Luzon

We arrived at the island around 3pm and we immediately prepared our dinner since there is no electricity in the island. Wala din pala source of fresh water sa isla at buti na lang umulan nung gabi kaya nakapagbanlaw kami ng fresh water. There are also lots of coconuts kaya may pwede din mainom na tubig.

We brought with us 2 tents but we didn’t use our tents because we prefer to sleep at the only hut in the island. The hut also serves as an overnight shelter for fishermen and for the Bantay Kalikasan. By the way, Quinamanokan island is also a marine sanctuary kaya laging may Bantay Kalikasan people na nakabantay dun 24 hours. When we had our overnight stay at the island, madami din kami kasabay na mangingisda na nakisilong sa kubo kaya madami kaming nagsiksikan sa kubo kasi maulan din nung gabi. But what really made our stay in the island exciting were the firelies that dances all night. It was a night of fun kasi naligo kami sa ulan kahit madilim at nanuod din ng mga lumilipad na mga firefly.

the side of the island facing the Pacific Ocean

the side of the island facing the Pacific Ocean

The rain did stop late at night and naging cloudless din ang sky kaya nakita din namin yung mga bituin at buwan at nakakita din kami ng mga shooting stars. We spend the rest of the evening laughing, wishing upon the stars at nagbilang ng mga shooting stars. It was also a great night because it was also a post birthday celebration for me and a pre-birthday celebration for one of friend.

We woke up early morning to prepare for our departure back to Daet. Around 8am kasi aalis yung night shift na mga Bantay Kalikasan kaya sasabay na kami sa bangka nila pabalik ng Vinzons and then from Vinzons, sasakay na kami papuntang Daet. Now, the reason kung bakit sa Bantay Kalikasan na kami sasabay instead of riding our own rented boat ay dahil yung bangka na nirent namin ay naputulan ng boat propeller habang bumabyahe kami papuntang Quinamanokan kaya after nila kami maihatid sa isla, umalis na din sila pabalik ng mainland para maipaayos ang bangka and they’d just referred us na lang sa mga Bantay Kalikasan para sa bangkang sasakyan namin pabalik ng Vinzons. Hindi naman kami magbabayad ng extra kaya okay lang naman para sa amin.

Before we left the island, I and one my friend decided to walk around the island. Inikot namin ang buong isla and I think it took us about an hour para maikot ang island. The best part of the beach is the one that faces the mainland, kasi yung sa side na nakaharap sa Pacific ay medjo mabato na at maalon pero may mga beach pa naman at same pa din ang kulay ng sand which is beige to golden brown. I tried to check the sanctuary pero masyadong maalon kaya medjo malabo din ang tubig at di ko makita ang ilalim and you will actually need to swim for a 100 meters from the shore para makita ang coral reefs. So after namin magikot at lumangoy ng konti, we then left the island and travelled to Vinzons, and this time we took a different route which is longer because we have to travel via the river in Vinzons. Pagdating namin ng Vinzons, sumakay na kami ng jeep to Daet and then from Daet we then boarded a van bound for Naga City. Ayan lang naman ang kwento ko tungkol sa Quinamanokan, boring noh?hahaha! pinagtyagaan mo naman..hahaha!

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!!!

Mayon ATV Adventure and Matnog trip: My 2012 Year-ender.

It has been more than two months since my last post. Grabe, ang tagal ko na palang nawala at mukhang tinubuan na ng mga lumot ang blog ko.hahaha! Anyway, I’ve been doing a lot of things for the last few months and kunwari busy busyhan din ako so I wasn’t able to post anything here, and also I’ve encountered a few depressing moments sa buhay ko kaya ayun, tinamad magkwento at magsulat ng kung ano ano.hehehe!

So how are you guys? How’s the weather there? Is there anything else I can help you with? Pang call center na mga tanong lang.hahaha! So heto na nga, magkukwento na ko ng adventure ko. I want to share this adventure story in Mayon and Matnog.

 

the river trail

Last December, me and my friends did a very awesome adventure (opo, ganyan na katagal na nangyari ang adventure na ‘to, December pa. hahaha!) Our adventure was an ATV adventure at Mayon’s lava trail in Legazpi City. A friend of mine invited me to try this ATV ride and then I also invited some of my friends in Manila. We met at Legazpi Grand Central Terminal. Me, our tour guide and one of my friend was at the terminal as early as 8am, and we waited for 3 of our friends to arrive and we ended up waiting for them for almost 3 hours. Our initial plan was to start our ATV ride early in the morning so that we will not be very much exposed to the heat of the sun, however, due to the late arrivals of some of my friends that were coming from Manila, we ended up starting our ATV ride at around 11am. Luckily, it was somewhat a cloudy day kaya hindi naman kami masyadong nasunog sa araw at nagmukhang roasted beef.hahaha!

After my 3 friends arrived from Manila, we ate our brunch at an eatery in Grand Central Terminal. After our brunch, we then proceeded to the ATV ride drop off point, which is also where the ATV tour operator site is located. The rate for the ATV ride is 1,500 pesos per person which is good for almost 3 hour ride. It also includes the transfer from the Legazpi Grand Central Terminal to the drop off point or the ATV site. The tour operator can also pick you up at any location within Legazpi City and  then bring you to the ATV site.

you'll end up wet, muddy and sandy and happy

At the ATV briefing area, our guides informed us about the basics of ATV ride. They also informed us about the rules and what to expect in the adventure. After we paid the fee of 1,500 pesos per head, we then waited for a few minutes and then we finally rode the ATV. The Mayon's ATV adventure is different compared to the ATV ride in other location in the Philippines. The ATV ride in Mayon is actually somewhat a little bit extreme or let me say really off-road-ish. The trail is a river trail and a lava trail so most of the time you’ll end up wet, muddy and dusty.  You’ll cross a river, some large stones, a dusty road, a bumpy trail, a mud pool, a sandy trail, a coconut grove, a pine tree-lined trail, a community, et cetera. There are a lot of different sceneries that you’ll pass by while doing the ATV ride. It is really an adventure. It is an adrenaline ride. The ride ends up at the 2006 lava wall, and you can hike the rocky wall and you’ll be rewarded with the magnificent view of Mayon Volcano, downtown Legazpi and the Albay Gulf. Unluckily, we weren’t able to view the magnificent beauty of Mayon since it was a cloudy day and Mayon was hiding behind the clouds. There is also a zipline at the lava wall so if you don’t want to walk again back to the end point of the ATV trail, you can just ride the zipline, and of course there’s a fee for that zipline, I think it was 300 pesos for the zipline ride.

time out muna. nakakapagod magdrive

We just spend around 1 hour at the lava wall because it was already late in the afternoon and we were already hungry after riding the ATV for almost 2 hours. We then decided to go back to the drop off point and we then rode the ATV for another one hour. We use a different trail to go back to the drop off point and it was a short trail and part of the trail was already a paved road. Pagdating namin sa drop off point, nagbihis na kami at nagpahatid na kami sa tour operator papunta sa First Colonial Grill in Daraga City para makakain na kami at matry ng ibang kaibigan ko ang sili ice cream. At Colonial Grill, we ordered our meal and several flavour of ice creams but the sili ice cream wasn’t available at that time because the waiter informed us na tunaw pa daw yung ice cream. Masyado kaming mapilit kaya kahit tunaw pa yung ice cream sinabi namin na magoorder pa rin kami kahit one scoop lang in order for us to taste the sili ice cream but it was a bad move, hindi pala masarap ang sili ice cream kapag tunaw dahil masyado mong malalasahan ang anghang ng sili. Ayun, hindi nga namin naubos yung one scoop kahit 5 pa kaming tumikim.hehehe!

lava wall

view of Legazpi City and the Albay Gulf

After having our early dinner at First Colonial Grill, we then hurriedly travelled to Grand Central Teminal in Legazpi to catch a bus going to Sorsogon City. We were going to spend the night at Rizal Beach located in Gubat, Sorsogon, which is about 3 hours travel by bus from Legazpi City. We arrived at around 8pm at Sorsogon City and we rode a jeepney bound for Gubat town. From Gubat town proper, we then rented a tricycle to bring us to Rizal Beach Resort. We were so tired from the long travel and from the ATV ride that we just decided to drink a few bottles of beer and then off we went to sleep.

Bailey's ice cream, malunggay, tinutong na bigas and lemon flavor

On the second day of our adventure, we were greeted by a cloudy sky and I was somewhat saddened by the sight of the Rizal Beach. Sobrang iba na ang itsura ng Rizal Beach compared to ten years ago. Kinain na ng dagat ang beach. Wala na yung dating ganda ng Rizal Beach. So hindi na kami nagtagal sa resort kaya we just decided na pumunta na lang sa ibang lugar. We were discussing amongst ourselves on where to go next. We really don’t have a fixed itinerary and that’s why we have a flexible schedule. We can go to any place that we want to go. Pinagpipilian namin ang magwaterfalls hopping, cold spring hopping and going to a beach. And after a careful and thorough reviews and some intellectual debate (parang mga judges lang sa contest.hahaha!) we then decided na pumunta na lang sa Subic Beach na located sa Calintaan Island.

subic beach at Calintaan Island, Matnog

After checking out from the hotel, we then rode a jeepney bound for Sorsogon City and then from Sorsogon City, we then rode a jeepney bound for Matnog. It took us about 1.5 hours before we reach the town of Matnog. After eating our lunch, we then searched for a boat that we could rent going to Calintaan Island. However, the rate was too expensive kaya ang ginawa namin, we just look for a tricycle going to Barangay Poropandan, which is the nearest barangay to Calintaan Island. We rented a tricycle for 150 pesos for a one way trip and the travel time from the town proper to Barangay Poropandan was 30 minutes. From Poropandan, the Calintaan Island is just a 15 minutes boat trip. We rented a boat for 350 pesos for a round trip boat ride. We just stayed in Subic beach at Calintaan Island for 2 hours and after exhausting ourselves from swimming, we then decided to call it a day. Bumalik na kami sa Poropandan and while in the boat, my friend texted the tricycle driver to wait for us at Poropandan. From Poropandan, we then travelled back to Matnog town proper and then we rode a bus to Daraga City. From Daraga City, we rode another bus bound for Naga City. Our travel adventure ended there. Nakauwi na kami sa kanya kanyang bahay at magsisimula na naman na magipon para sa sunod na gala.hehehe!

All in all, it was really an awesome adventure, especially the ATV adventure at Mayon’s lava trail in Legazpi City. Even though it was expensive (I consider 1,500 ATV rental fee as expensive lalo na kuripot ako.hehe!) the ATV ride was really worth it. Sobrang worth it kahit mahal kasi nagenjoy talaga kami. Gusto ko nga ulit ulitin ang pag ATV ride sa Legazpi kung sakaling may manlilibre saken.hehehe! Eh ang kaso, wala naman ata gustong manlibre. But anyway, you guys should try visiting Legazpi City and try the Mayon’s ATV adventure, and then after the ATV ride, visit the pink sand beach of Subic located at Calintaan Island in Matnog town, Sorsogon Province. Masasabi ko na in the Bicol Region, you will never run out of adventure. By the way, here’s the link to the ATV operator in Legazpi City.. http://mayonatvtour.com/  Sya nga pala, hindi po nila ako binayaran para ipromote sila. Kusang loob po ang pagpromote ko sa kanila dahil okay naman ang service nila. Yun lang po. Hehehe! That’s it pansit! Byes!

Tres Marias aka Calabanig aka Poro in Libmanan, Camarines Sur

Travel! Ahhhhhhhh! There was a long weekend a few weeks ago and every time there’s a long weekend, I always make sure to grab the opportunity to travel somewhere. So where was my destination last undas? Well, sa malapit na lugar lang naman. For the past months, most of my travels are within Bicol Region only. Madalas nga sa CamSur na lang ako naglalakwatsa.  Right now, I don’t have the luxury of time to go to places outside of the Bicol Region, kasi medjo madami dami din ang aking mga pinagkakaablahan sa buhay, mga bagay na pwedeng pagkakitaan.hehehe!

The view of the 3 islands

Anyway, so one fine morning a few weeks ago, me and my friends travelled to Libmanan to explore the 3 islands located in Ragay Gulf. The place in Libmanan that we’ve visited have several names. The locals called it as Tres Marias, Calabanig and Poro. They call it as Tres Marias because of the three islands located there. They also called it as Poro because it is at the northeastern tip of Camarines Sur province and it is one of the most far-plunged places in Libmanan town. I’ve been wanting to visit the place but due to time constraints and weather and financial constraints na din, hindi ko agad sya mapuntahan.

the river flowing to the sea

Last month, me and one of my friends attempted to visit the place but since there was a typhoon in the northern part of the Philippines, the sea was kinda rough so we weren’t able to proceed to the island. However, last long weekend after undas, since there was a beautiful weather, we were then able to visit the islands. It was a Saturday morning and our day started out so early. Medjo malayo kasi ang bahay ko sa place so I woke up early in the morning, which is at around 5am. Nagmeet kami ng friend ko sa van terminal sa Iriga City and then we boarded a van bound for Naga City. We arrived at Naga City at around 7:30am and then we waited for my 2 other friends who would join us in the adventure. My 2 other friends arrived at around 8am and then we proceeded to the jeepney terminal near the LCC Mall in Barangay Sabang, Naga City. We boarded a jeepney bound for Sipocot. We arrived at Sipocot town at 10am and then we decided to take an early lunch kasi wala kaming dalang mga lutuan. Ang dala dala ko lang ay dalawang tent for our accommodation. Kung pwede nga lang na kumain na din kami ng dinner and breakfast ay gagawin na namin para isahan na lang ang pagkain.hahaha!

ang bangka

Anyway, after we had our lunch, we then bought some bread para maging breakfast namin kinabukasan. After buying bread, we proceeded to the jeepney terminal bound for Barangay Caima. When we arrived at the terminal, the jeepney only had just about 5 passengers and it would take an hour bago mapuno ang jeep kasi konti ang pasahero during weekend. So we decided to look for a habal habal or motorcycle na pwede namin marent going to Caima. We were able to negotiate for 350 pesos for 2 motorcycles and that’s for one way trip only. The usual rate is 100 per person and since we were four, and the motorcycle can only accommodate up to two persons, we then hired two motorcycle. Nakadiscount din ng 50 pesos at okay na din yun na natipid namin na 50 pesos kasi pwede na din yun pambili ng alak at yelo.hahaha!

So we rode the motorcycle and travelled to Caima. It was a one hour ride. Some portions of the road are paved and some are not, and some are, well, you won’t even consider it as roads but you’d rather call it as a trail. May part nga na wala talagang road at sa palayan kami dumaan. Sobra kasing sira sira yung daan especially those part na nasa malapit na ng Caima. After we arrived at Caima, we looked for a boat and just our luck, wala kaming mahanap na marerentahan na bangka. There were boats docked at the small port but the captains or boat operators are nowhere to be found. According to the locals, karamihan daw kasi ng mga may-ari ng bangka ay nagaani sa palayan nuong araw na yun. And the locals also told us that the boat owners will come back later in the afternoon. At dahil wala naman kaming magagawa dahil walang bangka, we just decided to wait until someone or any boat operators returns from the rice harvest. Kaya ayun, we waited and waited and waited and waited. At para naman hindi kami mabored while waiting, we bought a few ice, a brandy and a soft drinks at naginuman na lang kami sa may malapit na tindahan. Nagmukha nga kaming mga tambay sa kanto na tanghaling tapat ay nagiinuman lang malapit sa waiting shed. Some locals were even amused when they saw us drinking and they were somewhat curious kung sino kami. Some asked us a few questions and nakipagkwentuhan din.

One weird thing about the Barangay Caima is that the people in the barangay speaks tagalog. Even though they are still in Camarines Sur province, most of the people there came from Quezon province and Batangas and that’s the reason they really don’t speak the Bikol language. As far as I know, it is the only barangay in Camarines Sur where the people speaks tagalog instead of Bikol language. By the way, the barangay is just a mere 3 hours boat ride going to the nearby Bondoc Peninsula of the Quezon Province.

the first island

So going back to my story tungkol sa inuman at sa paghihintay namin ng mga boat operator na bumalik galing sa pagaani ng palay, we waited for at least 3 hours before someone arrived and decided to let us rent his boat for an island hopping trip. We rented the boat for a price of 1,350 pesos and it was kinda expensive but we have no other choice. There are no other boats that we could rent. So ayun na, we then boarded the boat and the boat slowly snaked through the river going out to the sea. We travelled for about 45 minutes before we reached the first island. Actually, magkakalapit lang naman ang tatlong isla. On the first island, there were 3 cast away cats who greeted us. Iniwan ata sila ng amo nila. Kawawa nga sila and I don’t know kung paano sila nakakasurvive sa isla. Maybe they know how to catch fish and birds and other animals, but they looked domesticated pa naman.hehehe! We just strolled in the island for a few minutes and then after that we then proceeded to the third island. Yung second island is a rocky island or it’s rather a rock formation lang na sumulpot sa dagat so we didn’t bother na lumapit pa sa isla. From the first island, mga 5 minutes lang ang distance going to the second island and just about 10 minutes going to the third island.

three castaway cats welcoming us in the first island

One of the three island-dwelling cats

The two large islands doesn’t have a fine white sand beaches but what they have is a coral beach. Mga nawashed out na mga dead corals and meron din pala na few pockets of light brown coarse sand. The two islands were big islands but there are no resorts, a community, a caretaker or a source of fresh water. The islands don’t even have its own name. They just call the three islands as Calabanig or Tres Marias. We stayed at the third island because it has a much longer stretch of coral beach. We weren’t able to enjoy the underwater sceneries or kahit nga lumangoy ng malayo-layo because there were a lot of sea urchins. Ayaw namin umuwi ng mainland na may mga nakatusok sa paa.hahaha! So after we pitched our tents, we decided to swim for a few minutes. Dun lang kami nagswim sa mababaw na walang sea urchin at wala din ngang mga corals. The coral reef is a bit farther from the beach. Kailangan mo munang daanan ang makapal at kumpol kumpol na sea urchin bago ka makapunta sa coral garden. Its too bad we weren’t able to enjoy the magnificent underwater world. Nakita lang namin ang coral garden when we were in the boat.

the second island

the second and the third island

the third island. it is an unnamed island

So after namin magswim, kumain na din kami ng dinner and then nagkwentuhan and we also waited for the moon rise. Ang ganda ng moon rise kasi maganda din ang panahon. We enjoyed the stars and the moon and madami dami din ang nakita kong mga shooting stars kaso I wasn’t able to make even a single wish. Badtrip! Nagugulat at naeexcite kasi ako kapag nakikita ko ang shooting stars kaya ayun, by the time na magwiwish na ko wala na ang shooting stars.hahaha! I slept at around 3am dahil sa sobrang pagstar watching ko at pakikipagkwentuhan sa friend ko.

The next day, I woke up at past 7am already. Hindi na nga ako naligo sa dagat during the morning. Kumain na lang ako ng tinapay for breakfast. By the way, since there were no source of fresh water in the island, hindi na rin kami nakapagbanlaw after namin magswim nuong gabi. Actually natuyo na lang ang damit ko dahil sa hangin. Nakaipon ako ng asin sa balat.hahaha!

third island. an unnamed island

third island. an unnamed island

After we had our breakfast, iniligpit na din namin ang mga tent and then we rode the boat going to Barangay Tagbak, Ragay town. We weren’t able to go back to Caima because it was low tide and the boat could not maneuver and docked at the small port in that barangay. The trip from Tres Marias to Tagbak is 45 minutes. Actually, we should have rented a boat in Tagbak instead of Caima kaso hindi ko pa alam nuon yung Tagbak that’s why sa Caima kami pumunta. According to some locals, there are 3 ways to go to Tres Marias. One is via Barangay Bahao, Libmanan which is about 2.5 hours jeepney ride from Naga City but it is just a 15 minutes boat ride to Tres Marias from Bahao. The other option is via Barangay Caima, which is 2 hours ride from Naga City plus 45 minutes boat ride to Tres Marias. The other option is via Barangay Tagbak of Ragay town, which is 2 hours ride from Naga City and then another 45 minutes boat ride from Tagbak Port to Tres Marias. I think the route via Tagbak is much better since there are a lot of boats there which you could rent for an island hopping trip to Tres Marias.

Anyway, after a 45 minutes boat ride, we arrived at Tagbak port and then boarded a tricycle going to the Quirino Highway. It was a 30 minutes ride and we paid the driver 100 pesos for the trip. And then at the Quirino Highway, we then rode a bus bound for Legazpi City and after 1.5 hours, we arrived at Naga City. Me and my friends then transferred to another bus bound for Iriga City and after an hour and a half ride, we finally arrived at Iriga City.

third island. an unnamed island

So far medjo nakakapagod din yung trip na yun at madami din mga kapalpakan. But isn’t it more fun and exciting kung may mga unexpected things na nangyayari sa pagtravel, right? Para sa akin mas enjoy yung travel na you’re enjoying the journey to your destination and at the same time you also enjoyed staying at the destination. Enjoy yung travel na sa pagpunta palang sa destination nyo ay nagienjoy ka na tapos pagdating mo sa pupuntahan nyong lugar ay magienjoy ka pa. And the best thing about that travel was that the friends na kasama ko sa travel na yun ay mga klase ng tao na mga masayahin at marunong harapin ang mga hamon sa pagtravel, mga taong marunong mag-adapt sa ibat ibang situation. Sila din ang klase ng mga taong masayang kakwentuhan at travel companion. So hanggang sa muli. I think this blog entry is kinda long and I’m pretty sure you’re kinda sleepy now after reaching this part of the story. Sooooooooooo, hey!!! Wake up!!! Hahahaha! That’s it pusit!

The Cave-like formations in Enkanto Falls. Libmanan, Camarines Sur

If you’re a clastrophopic person but you still want to experience spelunking less the walls and the roof of a cave, then exploring the Enkanto Falls is the nearest experience to spelunking. Enkanto Falls is a multi-tiered waterfalls located in Barangay Bikal, Libmanan town.

enkanto falls

A few weeks ago, my friend and I explored the beauty of Enkanto Falls. I’ve heard about this waterfalls from one of my friends and the name itself have intrigued me. Kakaiba kasi ang pangalan ng waterfalls, parang weird at may something extraordinary. The word “enkanto” means enchanted or pwedeng ang ibig sabihin nito ay may mga kakaibang kakabalaghan.

Our trip to Enkanto Falls started in Naga City. I woke up early in the morning to go to Naga City. Upon arriving at the Naga City Bus Terminal, my friend and I proceeded to the Van Terminal, however, there is still no van bound for Sipocot or Ragay town. We then proceeded to the jeep terminal near the LCC Mall to catch a jeep bound for Ragay. Even though the waterfalls is located in the town of Libmanan, specifically in Barangay Bikal, we need to ride a jeepney bound for Ragay town or Sipocot town because if we ride the jeepney bound for Libmanan, it will not pass Barangay Bikal.

So after 1 hour of jeepney ride, we finally arrived at Barangay Bikal. We paid 35 pesos for the 1 hour trip. We were dropped off at the barangay chapel of Bikal, however, when we asked a local where the Enkanto Falls is, we were informed that we were a bit far from the jump off point going to the waterfalls. We walked for about 15 minutes to the jump off point going to the waterfalls. If you’re coming from Naga City, the jump off point to the waterfalls is right after the bridge, which is after you pass the barangay chapel. There is no signboard going to the waterfalls and all you need to do is asked the locals. The waterfalls is just about a 15 to 20 minutes walk from the highway. You’ll be passing some farmland and some houses.

a fresh water crab

We reached the waterfalls after a 15 to 20 minutes walk. I was somewhat disappointed upon seeing the waterfalls. Sobrang konti kasi yung tubig na dumadaloy sa falls and I was expecting na medjo malakas ang agos ng tubig because it rained so hard the night before we went to the waterfalls. Medjo maputik nga din yung dinaanan namin. However, medjo swerte din pala kami na hindi masyadong maagos ang tubig sa falls because we were able to explore the several waterfalls in Enkanto. The Enkanto Falls is a multi-tiered falls. From the main falls, you can hike at the side of falls and you can go to the several tiers. I think we were able to visit 4 tiers of the falls. The hike going to the other waterfalls is like spelunking a cave without a roof and a wall. The waterfalls has a cave-like formations and I guess this is due to the fact that the waterfalls is near the Kulapnitan Cave. Hindi ko lang sure kung may connection nga talaga ang pagiging malapit ng waterfalls sa cave kaya nagkaroon din ng parang mga cave formations ang waterfalls.hehehe!

Anyway, after exploring the waterfalls for more than an hour, my friend and I decided to go to the 3 islands in Libmanan, which is called as Tres Marias. We rode a jeepney to Sipocot town, which is just a 15 minutes ride and we paid 10 pesos for that. And then from Sipocot we rented a motorcycle to Barangay Caima in Libmanan and this is the jump off point to Tres Marias. There is a jeepney plying the route Sipocot to Caima but we chose to rent a motorcycle para mas mabilis kami makarating sa Caima. It was about an hour ride going to Caima. We reached the farthest passable road in Caima at kailangan pa namin maglakad going to the beach to rent a boat. Yung binabaan namin ay 15 minutes walk pa ang layo sa dagat kasi masyado ng maputik yung kalsada at hindi na pwedeng madaanan ng motorsiklo.

a wood mushroom, i think.

We were greeted by some locals in Barangay Caima and we were even invited to eat kasi may birthday party nung araw na yun dun sa bahay na malapit sa binabaan namin. We were somewhat disappointed when the barangay officials at the birthday party informed us that hindi daw kami makakapunta ng isla kasi maalon. We still informed them that we want to go but they discouraged us since it would be so risky travelling the sea with huge waves. And we also found out na may bagyo din pala nun somewhere in the northeastern part of the Philippines. Ang pagkakamali namin is we didn’t bother to check the weather report before going to Libmanan. So dahil hindi na kami makakapunta sa isla, kumain na lang kami dun sa birthday party. Even though we were just strangers in the area, we were welcomed as a friend and as a part of the community. So parang pumunta lang kami ng Caima at bumyahe ng 1 hour para lang makikain sa birthday party.hahaha! We met some of the other former barangay officials in Caima at nakipagkwentuhan na din. They informed us na bumalik na lang kami kung wala ng bagyo para hindi maalon and we should go there early in the morning para daw calm ang dagat. We then gave thanks sa mga nakausap namin na mga barangay officials and we then travelled back to Sipocot. From Sipocot, we then rode a train back to Naga City.

Our trip to Libmanan was an exciting adventure. I am sure that I’m going back to Caima and visit the Tres Marias islands. Libmanan may not be a known tourist destination in Camarines Sur province but the town has a lot of things to offer.  The town has a beautiful river, waterfalls, caves, islands and hot spring. Going to Libmanan town’s beautiful destinations maybe a little bit of a challenge but if you’re that kind of a traveller who loves adventure and off the beaten track destinations, then I would suggest that you visit Libmanan town in Camarines Sur. That’s it pusit! ‘til the next story!!