June 13-14, 2015...right after the Philippine Independence day...
These dates were blocked off for my office cluster's outing, ironically without the boss (The reason? A long story that I will not share here but will mostly probably make us chuckle when we look back on this someday.)
Disclaimer: I do not usually join outings. I only joined this cluster outing because the organizing committee promised that there will be "no activity" to stress out oldies like us (my co-managers and I)...LOL
Day 1 (Saturday): We left Makati at about 5:30 AM and traveled to Quezon in a rented van for 3-4 hours until we reached the Mauban Port. Then, it was marketing time at the 'palengke' before 21 of us took the boat ride to the Cagbalete Island.
Surprise, surprise (and I didn't see this in any Cagbalate-related posts found through Google), we had to walk for what seemed like a kilometer from where the banca can 'dock' to our cottage, because it was 'low tide' when we arrived (about 11:00 AM).
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| They never told you this, I bet: Still all smiles...Almost there, guys... (That's me in the background, in a mustard yellow blouse, together with Ilene and Ms. May.) Photo credits: Marc Magaling |
Just in case this happens to you, you know now what to expect and prepare. The coral bed will be slippery although the water will be shallow to walk. Travel light and wear skid-proof footwear. Thank God, I was wearing my Sperry topsiders at that time. It was a good "baptism" of seawater for my only pair. I was told that soaking these in sea water is the perfect way to break them in.
Please click 'Read more' for the rest of my Cagbalete story.
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| Finally! The long trek to the island (Can you spot moi in the farther left?) Photo credits: Marc Magaling |
There are several activities that one can do while in Cagbalete. Kayaking, horseback riding, videoke, snorkeling, island hopping, beach volleyball and massage. In my case, only the last one interested me :)
I traveled with my calligraphy supplies. Just as I planned, I spent an idyllic afternoon...by the shoreline...sprawled over my Lagu sand-repelling beach blanker/towel/mat...in my orange floral swimwear, blue cover-up (c/o bestie Shisia) and ever-loyal Gelattto slippers...with the beach waves randomly drizzling my face...to practice (albeit briefly) some bits of calligraphy.
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| Beach bum, my version: Another stolen shot I belatedly found among the cluster pictures :) Photo credits: Marc Magaling |
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| Perfect chill-out: Beach and calligraphy |
The resorts at the island run on generators from 6:00 PM to 6:00 AM only. There are cottages which can be good for 15 people, with bathrooms, running water and ceiling/electric fans. Don't expect anything posh, though. Facilities and accommodation cover only the bare essentials. If you plan to cook, bring your own cookware if you can. The resort owner rent out their own cookware in the kitchen but you would have to share and wait if these are used by other visitors. There's a dining area where your group can congregate and eat. There's instant food or prepared meals, if you can't be bothered to cook your own food :D
There were handfuls of visitors at Cagbalete when we were there. It's not as isolated or remote as one might imagine. Perhaps, the place is getting more popular, too.
The sands are almost-white. In our side of the island, swimming time was short as "low tide" seemed to happen more frequently than other parts of the island. Miles of seabed were completely dry when nighttime came.
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| With Ms. May, our EA and April My shirt script: 'Early mornings, messy hair, coffee' pretty much sums up 'me' in the first two hours after waking up Photo credits: grabbed from April Anne Corpuz' Facebook timeline/tags, taken by Max Imperial |
You can also rent your own tent and sleep close to the earth ;) which was what my co-managers and I did.
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| Sigh: Some peace and quiet Photo credits: Marc Magaling |
Must-have essentials while in Cagbalete: sunscreen (a given), insect repellent (band or lotion), toiletries and hygiene kit, towels, medicine, first aid kit, charger and powerbank (due to the limited generator time).
Day 2 (Sunday): I woke up really early and watched the sunrise for as long as I could. Someone took a stolen shot of me, hahaha :)
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| Stolen solitude: Early morning prayer to thank God for the many sunrises that I've had in my life Photo credits: Allison Yu |
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| Selfie snap: The mandatory cluster picture before leaving Villa Cleofas (where we stayed). Photo credits: Marc Magaling |
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| Hamming it up: Relieved that we did not have to walk under the heat To get back to the port, we preferred taking the carabao ride to the other side of the island rather than risking another long trek through the low-tide waters. Photo credits: Marc Magaling |
On our way back to Makati, our rented van picked us up at the Mauban port. We had our lunch at Kamayan sa Palaisdaan in Tayabas, Quezon. I loved the "kakanins" that we found on the way to the dining area. This kept us full while we waited for our orders to be cooked. We bought some yema cake (a.k.a. rodillas) for pasalubong. Yum yum yum!
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| Hungry warriors! Photo credits: Francis Mar Estolonio |
I am glad and grateful that I took this two-day reprieve from the busy life, 'cause right after this, I was jet-setting through airports again. :)
Ciao dears!
Lots of love XOXO
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