Before I start writing about Puerto Galera, I would first like to introduce my companions on this trip. We have been to ten provinces in the Philippines already prior to this trip. I will most likely write about more trips with them in the future so I might as well introduce them to you. They are my good friends in college: Clemenz, DJ, Erika, P.Ross, and Joey (from left to right in photo).
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| Sometimes I go with them as an iPad photo. Not weird at all. Haha. |
I think it is important that you enjoy the company you take with you in every trip (which, in solo trips happen to be the company of yourself). The gift of good company makes the trip more enjoyable and memorable. Conversely, traveling together strengthens your bond as a group.
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| (c) Lopez |
On the Way There
I had to fly to Manila all the way from Cebu to have this trip. I paid Php 2,571 for no check-in luggage, round trip TigerAir ticket. Read about how I managed to only bring a carry-on luggage for this trip here. Did you know that TigerAir has merged with Cebu Pacific? Now you know. I would rather not write about the implications of that merger here.
From Manila, we rode a bus to Batangas Pier for Php 133. It was cheaper because we availed of the student discount upon showing our school I.D. How cool is it that they still honor my post-graduate I.D. in medical school? Haha. We then rode a bangka from Batangas to Muelle Port for a fare of Php 230 and terminal fee of Php 30. Here's a tip: pay very close attention to the calling of passengers, since they only shout out loud that your bangka is ready for boarding (nope, no speakers and paging system there). Upon arrival to Muelle Port, an environmental fee of Php 50 has to be paid.
Also, please, for the love of your wallet, bring your own drinking water. In case you remember this at the pier, buy your drinking water at the 7/11 store near Batangas Pier. Do not buy at the shops selling pasalubong because their prices are thrice the usual.
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| Stay awake especially when your bangka is about to dock. The view is breathtaking. (c) Desabille |
Where We Stayed
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| (c) hostelworld.com |
Being the cheapskate backpackers that we were, we checked in at Paddy's Bar in Sinandingan, Puerto Galera for Php 200/night. Each room had double deck beds, cabinets for our stuff, and an electric fan. The place also had a decent common bathroom and toilet.
Sabang, which is where most bars, dive shops, and other forms of entertainment are located, is readily accessible from Paddy's Bar. One had to ride a jeepney or a habal-habal (motorcycle) for Php 20 to go there.
Tamaraw Falls
We rode a tricycle to reach Tamaraw Falls (fare of Php 200, package deal Muelle-Tamaraw Falls-Sabang). Tamaraw Falls got its name from the endangered animals called tamaraw that once lived near the waterfalls. However, at present, the waterfalls is located right next to a highway, and I'm not quite sure how to feel about its placement. I felt like it was not strategically planned, making the waterfalls more vulnerable than it already is yet it is now more accessible for tourists like us. Although swimming right under the falling water is prohibited, tourists can swim in the cold waters of its catch basin for an environmental fee of Php 30. Additional fees had to be paid for the cottages but we chose not to use them.
Virgin Beach
We went to Virgin Beach as a side trip on our way to Sabang from Tamaraw Falls. There, we saw a view of the vast sea with an uninterrupted horizon. The shore had pebbles and sand while the seawater was clear. We enjoyed the view, the sea breeze, and the photo-ops all for free.
Island Hopping
I have to mention at this point that it is quite important to make friends with someone who lives in the island. In our case, we met Juwar, an employee of Paddy's Bar. He helped us get deals that would have been more expensive for us had we done the haggling all by ourselves, such as the island hopping package that we enjoyed. We only paid Php 2,500 for an island hopping package of caving, snorkeling, fish feeding, and island hopping worth Php 6,000. What a deal, right? This benefit is of course on top of the good feeling of knowing that you made a new friend.
Our first activity was caving. It wasn't hardcore caving, since we just had to enter a small cave with seawater inside then later on exit in another passage. You have to wear slippers because the rocks there are spiky. It took us around 15 to 20 minutes to pass the whole 'cave'.
Tamaraw Falls
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| (c) Desabille |
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| The tamaraw, the falls, and the danger... I meant here's the endangered Tamaraw Falls |
Virgin Beach
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| (c) Desabille |
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| (c) Lopez |
Island Hopping
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| Turista mode: ON (c) Lopez |
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| In case you want to contact them the next time you're in Puerto Galera (c) Sison |
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| Ah, this shot looks so effortless when it was a struggle to have kuya boatman adjust the camera settings! (c) Lopez |
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| Background music: "I'm coming out, I want the world to know, gotta let it show" (c) Lopez |
After that, we went snorkeling and fish feeding. I would be bold enough to write here that 75% of Puerto Galera's beauty lies underwater. We saw many schools of fish of different colors, corals, and the giant clam. Another Kuya Boatman even had the guts (and diving skills) to touch the giant clam for us to see it close defensively upon contact. It was awesome!
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| Sight-seeing while the bangka drags them, so hold on tight! (c) Agullana |
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| We had to save some bread for our own lunch! Here, fishy fishy :3 (c) Lopez |
We also had the chance to see some of the beaches of Puerto Galera from afar. The notable thing is that almost all of them were white sand beaches.
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| It always feels like Friday with this bunch. (c) Cayton |
Night Life
Sabang and White Beach come to life with its night activities for the locals and tourists alike. There were high-end and low-end bars, as well as floating bars. If bars are not your thing but you still want to drink alcohol, you can purchase drinks from a convenience store and drink at the beach itself.
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| The floating bar looks like this in broad daylight. (c) Cayton |
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| Orange sunset at the White Beach (c) Cayton |
We headed to White Beach on our second night in the island, riding a tricycle (fare of Php 200, round trip). After dinner, we went to Liki Tiki Floating Bar. The floating bar ambiance was O.K. and the place was good. However, it was a bad idea to go there at 8 P.M. for two reasons: (1) it was too early, thus the place was almost empty, and (2) we were not hammered enough yet, but we couldn't get drunk there since the drinks were pricey. So we headed back to White Beach where we continued drinking.
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| There were dancing, singing, acting, even fire! (c) Cayton |
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| (c) Cayton |
White Beach at night was a spectacle of sorts; it's a matter of taste if one would like it or not. There were different performances from one bar to the next. The problem was that the bars were located adjacent to each other so they had to put their speakers on full blast the whole night in order to compete against each other. It felt like watching five different television channels simultaneously. There was fire dancing, though, which I liked. We found our way to a karaoke bar called El Kapitan at the rightmost end of the beach instead. The drinks at El Kapitan were reasonably-priced, Red Horse Stallion for Php 50 for example. You can sing your favorite karaoke masterpiece at Php 5. Oh, by the way, you should buy your pasalubong in White Beach since the stores there offer a variety of options at cheap prices.
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| Mindoro Sling: Yet another example that looks can be deceiving (c) pataygutom.com |
The highlight of our White Beach nightlife was the Mindoro Sling. One tower of Mindoro Sling with one 10-inch pizza cost Php 700. The Mindoro Sling was made of rum with Sprite and juice. Do not be deceived by its orange-colored innocence and fruity taste that would remind you of your elementary days when your baon to school was Fun Chum juice in tetra pack. Have too much and boom! You would get drunk right before you know it, so pace yourself well and hydrate a lot while drinking the Mindoro Sling.
Taste-for-yourself Pleasures
- Sea Urchin: this may be common in gourmet seafood restaurants at the price of gold but in Puerto Galera, fresh sea urchins are sold at Php 50 per piece. We bought one near the cave in our island hopping. Fresh sea urchin has this unique sweet sea-salty taste.
- Chocolate Banana Shake at Teo's: Teo's is a 24-hour open restaurant in Sabang that caters to different kinds of budgets - the stingy ones and the extravagant ones. They have good food and you should try the chocolate banana shake priced at Php 125 to go along with it.
Click here for the breakdown of my expenses throughout this trip.
A trip this good deserves not just one long blog post but two! Here, check out my friend P.Ross' blog post about it: Gala ba Kamo? Sa Puerto Galera na 'Yan!
A trip this good deserves not just one long blog post but two! Here, check out my friend P.Ross' blog post about it: Gala ba Kamo? Sa Puerto Galera na 'Yan!
Until the next adventure,
Dena
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| The seat beside me is not the only thing that's not taken in this photo (IYKWIM. I'm kidding! Haha) (c) Cayton |
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