Day 1, Friday (June 6, 2008)
When my officemate Carissa invited me for a possible wakeboarding her classmate mentioned to her, I was ecstatic and instantly said "Yes, go ako dyan!" The thought of wakeboarding triggered the adventurer in me. Expectedly, I did some research on where to go in CamSur (short for Camarines Sur). It was my first time in Bicol and I was really thrilled. A day before we planned to leave Manila, I made reservations on one of the bus lines at Araneta Center Bus Terminal. But since we were not able to pay at 12:00 noon (which was the deadline), I left the office early to buy our tickets. As soon as I reached Cubao, all of the bus lines I went on were fully booked. I was beginning to be pessimistic about the trip when I heard there was an extra trip coming. So I hurriedly bought 3 tickets at Gold Lines on a 9:30PM trip. Carissa and Rochelle arrived at around 9pm and were glad to hear about the "nearly cancelled" trip. On board Gold Lines, we left Cubao at around 10PM.
Day 2, Saturday (June 7, 2008)
After bracing heavy traffic and an exhausting 11.5-hour trip, we reached Naga at around 9:30AM. We met Carissa's classmate Dennis and 2 of his friends -- Melvin & Chris. We then headed to CSSAC which was where the MFPI Luzon Summit participants camped out after climbing Mt. Isarog. We met Mam Joyce & some MFPI senior officers who were camping out inside CSSAC campus. Initially, we we were supposed to join the "Falls Tour" (part of MFPI Luzon Summit Itinerary) which already started earlier that morning. Joining halfway on the tour was impractical so we decided to just take on the other option which was to do wakeboarding instead. After having reached a decision to just make our own ITI, we asked Mam Joyce and some MFPI members on where to go around CamSur (I also showed the printed copy of places to go in CamSur). After leaving CSSAC at around 10AM , we headed to CamSur Watersports Complex which was a 30-minute trip via Bus and tricycle plying inside the Provincial Capitol Complex. After the initial glimpse of the famed CamSur Watersports Complex, I was literally drawn to the majestic Mt. Isarog towering over the amazing location. It was picture perfect ---- the wakeboarding structure over the man-made lake, the spa houses & the towering Mt. Isarog ---- all made a perfect vista for photographers. After munching on their Bicol Espesyal Pizza (which tastes more like Laing), ginataang pusit and local cuisine Bicol express, we registered and got a 3:30PM schedule. Carissa, Dennis, Melvin and I plunged in first for the 3:30PM schedule. All of us except for Dennis (who had his initial wakeboarding experience earlier this year) were first given instruction & mini-training on the proper way of wakeboarding. As first timers, we need to do the knee-boarding before the actual wakeboarding where you have to stand on the board. As I was kneeling and strapping the belt over my thighs, I felt a bit nervous on my first attempt. Holding the rope handle & waiting for the green light, I muttered a carefree "Bahala na..." The first pull was sudden and fast. I almost lost hold of the grip. Then as instructed earlier in the training, I leaned forward to maintain balance and as I saw the 2 orange buoys (floating round markers), I made a quick lean on the right side. After passing on the buoys, I didn't expect the sudden pull that eventually had me lost control of the rope handle. The guy manning the area where I fell shouted at me, "Ma'am, tingin po sa likod." Then a wakeboarder was coming towards me so I burried my head on the water to avoid him. As soon as he passed over me, the guy swam towards me and helped me get off the water. I then learned I had my helmet incorrectly positioned. Afterwards, I jumped on the shuttle (this would drive back the wakeboarders back to the starting point) and headed towards the starting point. On the succeeding turn, I completed one round but as I attempted for the second round, the rope was so loose I fell off the board on my own. I attempted 3 more rounds but could only finish one round then fall off again. Only after we have finished have I learned the right strategy. After our turn, it was Chris and Rochelle's turn to have a shot at wakeboarding. After all of us have our share of wakeboarding, the boys availed of the free pool rent. Just before dawn, we left CWC at 6:00PM. Dennis suggested we go to his friend Sir Jojo who owned the outdoor shop in the city to ask for suggestions on where to go the next day. At that time, we have no real and concrete itinerary yet. It was a classic case of "we go where our feet lead us." We all agreed and headed to Kaddlagan Outdoor Shop. We came at the right time as Sir Jojo was closing his shop & was surprised to see Dennis. As Sir Jojo narrated his own island adventures in the Caramoan Peninsula and gave suggestions to Dennis, we managed to buy some native & unique pieces on his store. We then headed to look for our accomodation for the night which according to 2 mountaineers whom I met while we registered at CWC and Sir Jojo himself, we went on to find Sampaguita Inn. After leaving our stuffs, we left the inn to have our dinner. We then discussed & finalized our activities for the next day.
Day 3 - Sunday (June 8, 2008)
At around 5:00AM, we left the inn and headed for Terminal 1 where vans going to Sabang were stationed. Terminal 1 was less than a hundred meter away from Terminal 2 where all buses are found. I suddenly remembered to take on the dizzy tablets I bought earlier on the trip. Quite funny that despite having travelled to a lot of places, I still have these annoying motion and sea sickness. Roughly 30 minutes of waiting, the van left the terminal at around 5:30AM. Passing through rice paddies and the majestic Mt. Isarog, we reached Sabang port at exactly 7:00AM. We then hopped on to the next available boat going to Guijalo port. As the boats engine started to roar, the group settled for the best positions trying to get better views of the islands. Owing to good weather & calm seas, we reached Guijalo port at 9:30AM, a brisk 2-hour scenic tour of the surrounding islands. Mang Islaw, who Dennis contacted the day before, was already waiting for us. On board the tricycle, we then headed to the market for some stuffs only to realize later that we left some of the goods we bought for the island hopping on the boat we took from Sabang to Guijalo. I rode on the backride (as usual -- my favorite place) and later transferred on the rear side. The place was rustic and simple which I really loved. At around 11:30AM, we reached the house of Mang Islaw at Barangay Paniman. His neighbor's house was our humble abode for the rest of our stay at the place. We were happy to know that the house was also rented by some crews of French Survivor when they were shooting around Caramoan Peninsula. The newly finished kubo was there to welcome us and quite interesting to know we were the first visitors to use it.
After taking lunch, we left Paniman Bay at 1:00PM. Heading towards the Caramoan Peninsula, we first reached Tayak Island which at first glance reminded me of the beach front on the Underground River at Puerto Princesa. The island had a hidden lagoon which was quite unique and unusual. One of our boatmen mentioned about their plans of setting up a mini-boat around the lagoon for a future tour of the area. After a quick stay, we then went on to Lahus (or Bitchara) Island. It was such a magnificent sight to behold!!!! Imagine a two-sided island where you can literally walk within minutes from one end to another end ("tagusan kumbaga"). The sands were powdery white -- this one is a fave of mine. Though fishes were not as abundant as compared to Palawan beaches, we were delighted to see a couple of colourful fishes swimming around small reefs. Utilizing my Olympus waterproof camera, we all took individual shots under water. Though wanting to stick around longer, we cut short our stay and headed towards the next one. Our ITI included passing by Gota Beach (which was the location of French Survivor) but we were dismayed when we were unable to because the boat cannot pass by the narrow passageway ---- it was low tide. [It is recommended to tour around the island in the morning where tides are high]. Next stop was Manukad Island where the sand was even finer as any beach I have been to. Dennis, who have been in the island before, convinced us to have a look at a small lagoon seen on top of rock cliffs. [I then realized what he meant when I saw one of the pictures in the internet where you have to climb the cliffs and see the island itself on top --- it was breathtakingly beautiful!!!] Donning on swimwear, it was sort of risky to climb on to those sharp and vertical rock cliffs. We just decided to swim around and stay for roughly 30 minutes. Leaving Manukad Island, we then headed to Sabitang Laya (or Bitang Laya). While going to the island, one of our boatmen spotted dolphins swimming around. We were surprised to see them and we tried to take a video but they were too quick to disapper. Reaching the island and spanning across the long stretch of the beach, unique sand formations & some human-like rock formations were some interesting sights to behold. It was as remote as that of Anawangin (a year ago, that is). We also found a group of campers on the rear end of the island. Having only few more hours before dawn, we then decided to go back but our boatmen Randy and Manuel suggested we go to Omang Cave. At 5:30PM, we reached a semi-hidden mangrove towards the cave. Since it was low tide, we have to walk around 50 meters on muddy trails before reaching the foot of the cave. After reaching the base, it would be a 10-15 minute trek to reach the cave. It was unique on its own way. The sight was akin to some scenic locations on a teleserye --- quite a good location for action-fantasy movies and tv shows. As we were told, the cave was a symbolic proof of our rich ancestors --- with some expensive porcelain and kitchen wares found before on the location. There were 2 openings on the left and right end where the latter was an entry point to a community near Gota Beach. Leaving the cave before sundown, we reached Paniman Bay at roughly 6:00PM. After the dinner and a little conversation with our boatmen, we ended Day 3 with a well - deserved rest.
Day 4 - Monday (June 9, 2008)
At 9:30AM, after saying goodbye to the hospitable families who adopted us (Mang Islaw and his wife & 2 caretakers of the house we rented), we left Barangay Paniman with a happy heart and vowed to come back again. It was truly a nice experience having stayed there for a day. After an hour of semi-rough road, we reached Guijalo port and waited for the boat going to Sabang. At 11:00AM, we started boarding the fully-loaded ferry boat going to Sabang port. After sailing through a bright, sunny day on a calmy sea, the boat docked on a new port --- different from where we took off the day before. There were swarms of big-muscled port men shouting to the passengers. At first, I thought they were there to act as "kargador" to our baggages. I then noticed there was no makeshift stair usually laid out after the boat has docked on the port. I never believed my eyes when I realized we have to be literally carried by these kargador on their shoulders. I thought it was really funny --- especially after I saw Dennis being carried by one of them. It was a really funny experience!!!!!! Such an amusing scene only seen in the Philippines! When it was my turn to be carried, it was a mixture of excitement, fun & slight fear of falling that have me giggle and shout all at the same time. One heck of an experience! Truly amazing! Truly Filipino!
After the enjoyable docking experience, we boarded the van going to Naga at 1:15PM & reached the city at 2:15PM. When we reached the Bus Terminal, we then hurriedly bought our pasalubong and took the 3:00pm trip of Raymond Lines. After an enjoyable 3-day first time trip to Bicol, I had an amazing & truly enjoyable trip I never had for months. The Bicol Experience was indeed memorable despite the 9-hour trip back to Manila. Thanks to my new found friends Chris, Melvin and Dennis --- and of course to the equally & surprisingly adventurous officemates Carissa and Rochelle.
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