Caramoan
is more or less 10 hours away from Quezon City- eight hours by land and then
two hours by sea. Still, the long bus ride and the undeniable pain in my butt
from seating for hours were worth it. After arriving to Naga Terminal, we headed to
the port which was almost an hour away from the terminal. There we have to
travel by see to the island where we would stay. Once on the boat, you can see
the mini islands and rock formations dotting the ocean. It was my first time
seeing a scene so fascinating. I was truly amazed. Even though it nine in the
morning, the heat was mild. It is not scorching like the one we feel here in
Manila. The weather was nice, the wind refreshing. The sea was also calm so I
was not disturbed by the thought of being sea sick. Everything was perfect
during the boat ride except when the waves started to rise a little bit higher
and the water splashed in our faces and drenched our clothes. Even though we
were soaking wet, we did not mind because our attention was fixed on the
scenery before us. We can see white sand beaches in some of the islands and we
were all very excited to feel the powdery sand in our hands.
After two hours, we arrived at
Paniman bay. The smell of sea is very strong, we crunched our noses. The port
was simple. I was disturbed by all those men appearing to get our luggage,
though. They were all scurrying to get us out of the boat then running inside
to get our bags. I thought they were like the kiosk vendors in FC, very eager
to go after customers. Unfortunately, some of the bags were just dumped on the
ground after they were brought. We then rode towards our lodge. Some rode the
jeepney, some a van and others, including me, rode this cool looking tricycle.
It was much bigger than those we see here in Manila and can seat up to eight
passengers! I thought, they really did maximize the trike. Along the way, rice
fields can be seen. There was also a river which I guess is where the paddies’
supply of water comes from. The road was kind of steep which is somehow scary and
dangerous especially if you are riding an 8-passenger tricycle. I felt as if we
were going to fall in the cliffs by the side of the road every time there were
sharp curves. At last, we reached our destination. It was a lodge by the side
of the beach. The place was not that big but was able to house us.
The food they prepared in the
lodge all throughout our stay, I noticed, were delicacies famous in their place
like the Bicol express which is a lot different from the one we eat in Manila.
There was also scallop which I’ve just tasted once in CASAA.
After lunch, we were all ready
for the island hopping. There was a briefing before we rode the boat once again. Our guide told us about some facts about the island. One of them is
about the international show, Survivor held in the island more than once. I
guess this is one of the reasons why the island was famous. On our first day,
we were able to visit three islands. The first one for me was the most
beautiful. The sand was really fine it takes a lot of effort to remove it once
it sticks to your body. It was also white; my legs looked like espasol with it. Earlier, our guide told
us that they had a visitor before who told them that the sand in Caramoan was
finer than in Boracay. There was also this lake at the other side of the island
famous for its legendary Bangus. Visitors fall in line and climb the steep
rocks to get a glimpse of the enchanted fish. After quite some time, we headed
to the next island. This second one is also beautiful but not as much as the
first one. The sand is not as fine. We took pictured and rest at spot away from
other visitors. I noticed that the visitors in the second island were families.
Unlike in the first one where there were group of middle-aged friends and also
foreigners. We then had our merienda and afterwards headed for our last stop
for that day. Frankly speaking, in the third island, my friends and I were
already starting to get bored. There were little differences between the three
islands. Actually, the only difference I’ve noticed was the shape of the island
and the sand. Aside from that, they were pretty much the same. There was also
nothing to do in the island. We just took pictures and sat in the shallow part
of the water waiting for our guides to call it a day. We then headed back to
the resort, ate our dinner and settled for the night.
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