Why You Should Explore the Secret Paradise of Caramoan, Camarines Sur, Philippines

Coming to Caramoan is like discovering a hidden treasure. Caramoan is composed of numerous small islands that used to be unheard of until a popular reality TV series, the Survivor, chose the islands to be its setting. Understandably so, the islands are a picture of serenity amidst the chaos in the city. They are a welcome respite to the everyday stresses of urban dwellers. Hidden for such a long time are the varying hues of blue-and-green seas, corals, lush mountain vegetation, the fishes and the sands. The sands in the islands are, for me, their biggest treasures. Come and visit some of these islands and see for yourself why tourists are tantalized by these hidden treasures.

               The trip from Sabang Port, Camarines Sur, starts with a ferry ride to Guijalo Port, Caramoan. This takes a little more than an hour. The best time is to leave from 6 am and arrive at around 7:15 am.

               The tour of the islands is the best part of any Caramoan adventure. However, one can also enjoy other amazing tourist destinations like the Caramoan National Park, the Centro, and the beaches where one can indulge in swimming, diving, snorkeling and spelunking, among other water sports activities. The best part for me in my journey to Caramoan was island hopping, swimming and just drinking in the view of the different islands where nature was at its best.  

Minalahos Island (above).

               The first stop for us, AGM family and friends, was Minalahos Island. The small beach enclosed with imposing rock formations was the perfect place to take lunch. Having visited more famous white sand beaches in the Philippines, I was not impressed with the grayish and compact sand in this island. We had this souvenir picture (below) taken before partaking of our packed lunch.

AGM family and friends.

Lunch was the Philippines’ famous adobo and freshly caught steamed crabs (below)  provided by our tour operator c/o Joseph Valencia.

Steamed crabs for lunch.

Next stop was Matukad Island. A mystical island, the attraction of Matukad Island was the lagoon situated on top of the rugged cliff. My brother-in-law, Vidal was brave enough to climb the cliff and take this picture (below). The myth goes that whoever takes a picture of the fish in the lake dies, as the family who ate one of the two fishes caught in the lake died. Of course, some tourists were able to take a picture of the remaining fish and remain alive as of today.

Matukad Island.

              Not only was the mysticism of this island irresistible, the white sand impressed me. It was fine as powder, comparable to the white sand in Boracay, another famous tourist attraction in the Philippines. A tour of Caramoan will not be complete if you’re not able to take a shot of this view (below) from atop the cliff. This picture below pretty much sums up the alluring essence of Caramoan: the blue-green water, white powdery sand, limestone rock formation, and the lush mountain vegetation. 

Top View of Matukad Island.

For a perfect walk on the beach, one should not miss taking a souvenir photo in this island. I just noticed the sand turning pink here (below).

Matukad Island Beach.

The shallow clean water beckoned as the sun was searing hot. So I took the opportunity to bathe in the sea to cool myself. The water looked so clean with the white sand underneath. I could have stayed on, except that there were a few more islands to conquer.

Swimming in the clear waters off Matukad Island.

Next stop, Lahos Island. I’d rather remember this as ‘lagusan’, Pilipino term for tunnel or passage way. Two big limestone rock formations separate the yellow-white, fine sand. One side of the island faces the Caramoan mainland; while the other side of the island is the Pacific Ocean, facing Marinduque, another gateway to Caramoan. 

Lahos Island (above).

Taking deep breaths of the cool, fresh air, drinking in the view, and walking barefoot on the soft as silk yellow-white-almost-pinkish sand of this island were a perfect breather from all of life’s hustles. Notice that I was not sure of the sand’s color (yellow, white or pink?). Maybe you could decide for yourself when you visit Caramoan.

Lahos Island Beach.

We took time swimming on the Pacific Ocean side. The large coral stones provided shade from the dangerous glare of the sun. At the same time, non-adventurous swimmers, like us, enjoyed wallowing in the knee-deep water (below).

After swimming, a souvenir shot was in order (below).

And a jump shot by the boys (below).

 Further along, we made a stop to fully appreciate the hidden treasures of the sea. Snorkeling must be taken advantage of. But my husband, Leo, ‘born-and-raised-on-the-sea’, dove without snorkels. As you can see from the picture below, the water was shallow, so it’s not scary at all, even for neophyte divers.

Leo, diving without snorkels.

On the picture below are what one sees in the water, live corals, where ‘Nemo’ feeds and breeds.

Corals with 'Nemo'.

The others rested on the boat while we slowly inched our way up (below).

The last stop was a hidden cove (below), wherein, we waited for the low tide to see its full splendor, or else miss the beach entirely.

The cove had this cave (below), where, it was easy to imagine hiding from the ferocious tropical typhoons that visit the Philippines often. Since it was summer, hiding from the hot glare of the sun was a more acceptable reason. Once again, I was amazed by the different texture and color of the sand in this island, yellowish and coarse. I wonder why these islands were made different from each other: maybe showing off the Philippines’ beauty in diversity?

On the way back, a picture of a lone fisherman (below) plying the Caramoan waters, greeted us; maybe, going home after a bountiful catch for the day.

We stayed overnight at the River View Inn courtesy of a package tour prepared and handled by their guide, Joseph Valencia, who has become a friend to us. We went back home to Donsol, Sorsogon the way we came. From River View Inn we were brought to the pier by the resort van; then we rode the boat to Sabang pier. Then, we rode our private vehicles which we parked near the port in Sabang. After about four hours, we reached Donsol, Sorsogon.

How to go there:

From Manila: Ride a bus or plane going to Naga City. The best time is to leave Manila around 9 pm (by bus). Around 6 am, ride a van going to Sabang Port. Then take a ferry going to Caramoan Guijalo Port. If you made a reservation, staff of your resort will fetch you and take you to your resort. A few minutes of rest and you should be ready to embark on your amazing Caramoan adventure.

For inquiries regarding your package tour you may contact AGM Beachfront Resort; email: agmresort@gmail.com; tel.no.: +63-9212660180; URL: www.agmresort.com

Fun-filled Start to a High School Reunion @ Big 30 Pizza and Pasta

     We had our ‘official’ high school reunion in January 2013. However, our classmate, Sonny was not able to make it on time. Upon little prodding, he acceded to host another reunion because he missed us so much. This meant he sponsored the batch t-shirt, the trip to Tagaytay and the food during this excursion. We agreed to meet in Tagaytay from Sta.Cruz, Laguna but our tummies beckoned. So we decided to stop-over Paseo de Sta.Rosa for a little snack at Big 30 Pizza and Pasta. 

Big 30 Pizza and Pasta in Paseo de Sta.Rosa, Laguna.

     Little did we know that our other classmates from Manila, also, decided to stop-over Sta.Rosa.  What happened next was a riotous affair in Sta.Rosa.

L-Sonny, the excursion sponsor; R-Above and below: High school classmates

 in a riot after meeting each other for such a long time.

     Finally, after about 45 minutes, our order of pizza arrived. It was the 30-inch All Meat Pizza (₱1,608) with ground beef/pork, meat chunks, bacon, ham, frankfurter sausage, special cheddar cheese and mozzarella cheese. It was huge at first sight. I wondered if we could all finish this because we were more than 15.

Big 30 All Meat Pizza.

     Before the eating, there was the goofing around. These two (below) have always been fun to be with, even when we were teenagers.

L-R: Junie and Jo Ann eating the pizza with no hands.

     The pizza did not disappoint. It had all the meaty goodness of pizza, flavorful and tasty. The crust was thin and a little bit soft-and-crunchy, cooked just right. Believe it or not, we were not able to finish the pizza and there was still enough for take-out.

Mouths are full. My classmates are busy gorging on their pizza and talking at the same time.

     For our drinks, we ordered 1 Tower of Lemon Iced tea (₱198) and 2 Towers of Pineapple Juice (₱198 each). If the flavors are too strong for you, you can mix both to come up with lemon-pineapple- tea. While the drinks were good for 8 people, we were not able to finish them all. 

L: My classmates, while keeping up with the latest updates over their juices and teas; R: Mixed lemon tea and pineapple juice.

     The servings were large at Big 30. Make sure that you are very hungry when coming over or you could take out the left overs with the boxes that they provide. But you have to bring your containers if you want to take out left over drinks. This pizza adventure at Big 30 Pizza and Pasta was just the start of a long fun-filled day for us. It was a fitting start to more adventures and surprises for all of us.

These are the happy faces of high school class Section Narra’77, Pedro Guevarra Memorial High School during our excursion.

     Big 30 Pizza and Pasta has this address: Paseo 2, Unit 3B,4B,5B, Greenfield City, Paseo de Sta. Rosa, Sta. Rosa City, Laguna.