The Caramoan Experience: day 2

The next morning, we woke up early because we were supposed to visit a cave. It was named Umang Cave because of the hermit crabs that live inside it. We climbed this steep path to reach our destination. The inside of the cave was not that big and we were not allowed to go to most parts of it so most students were only crowding the entrance. I liked the rock formations inside, though. They let us climb easily in the higher parts of the cave until our guide told us to climb no more. Our next destination then was this island very far from the resort. The travel though was worth it. The water in the ocean was so clear you can see the corals under. If not for the way our navigator drives the boat, I’ll way that the trip was perfect. The island has this long stretch of white sand. The water is also shallow allowing us to go a little farther to the sea. The waves here were much gentler than in the other islands. We just lay there on the water and wait for lunchtime to come. Aside from our group, I noticed only two other group of friends in the island. We were able to keep the place to ourselves. After lunch we headed to the fifth island. The place was called Manlawi Island and it was the biggest sandbar in the Philippines. The vast stretch of sand here is a lot wider than in the previous island. My friends and I were resting in the water about a hundred feet away from the main island but the water is still as low as our ankles! It was really beautiful. We were on our stomach, lying on the sand. The heat became a little too much so we looked for a place to stay. Unfortunately, the only places that will keep you from the sun were the cottages placed in the water. And what’s worse is that there is a fee collected in order to use the huts and we didn’t have money with us. We then decided to stay near our boat. It’s rude to say but the vendors in the area are kind of irritating. They keep persuading us to buy the shells that they were selling. The shells and clams, I’ll admit were beautiful and cheap but since we did not bring money, we can’t do anything more than admire them. Our last stop was this island called Sabitang Laya, a pyramid shaped island with two kilometers of white sand. We just stayed for about thirty minutes in there. Again, there was not much to do so I was glad when our guides called for us to go back to our boats.

Once back in the lodge, my friend and I went to look for souvenirs in three different stores. We were able to choose and buy cheap but nice stuffs like t-shirts, bracelets, pouches and key chains. One of my friends also bought sweets. After having a shower and eating dinner, we went strolling outside the lodge. The streets were dark but not scary since there were residents staying outside their houses. The locals are friendly and hospitable. When we greet them, they greet us back. We also went star gazing. Since the area was dark, it was easy for us to see the stars above. It was perfect.