What a blessing to kick off our 6th year in Camarines Sur! Another one for the books! This time, with TOMAS and FRIENDS. Haha.
Bally, Jeanette and I arrived in Mactan Cebu Airport 3ish am for our departure to Manila at 4:20am. Our flight to Naga was scheduled at 9:30am. I had ZERO SLEEP from PM duty. No bed? No problem! Save cash and sleep at the airport. Right, Bal? :)
Kate, Daut's long lost cousin who lives in Naga City was waiting for us in the airport. At last! We arrived 1ish pm. We rode a shuttle to Camsur Watersports Complex (CWC) for free! Thanks to Kate's PR POWER. Haha. There were a lot of people (mostly "cool" foreigners) in line for the wake boarding. We had lunch while watching the PROS do it. I really wanted to try wakeboarding but at the same time was too afraid to put myself to shame. There were no slots available though so we moved on to Lago del Rey.
The aquapark is situated inside the CWC. We had a blast around the giant inflatable structures. My favorite would have to be the iceberg. Felt like a player in "Wipeout". It's not as easy as it looks. We had to exert effort in swimming, climbing, jumping through the obstacles and pulling ourselves to the top of the iceberg!
We invited Kate to come with us to paradise. The more, the many-er! After we had dinner in SM Naga, we hired a taxi to Sabang beach resort, an hour+ away from Naga. The creepy security guard welcomed us and showed us our cottage. The sound of ocean waves treated us to a good night's sleep.
Sabang Beach Resort is within walking distance to the port. At the break of dawn, we were oh so ready to sail to paradise. The boat left at 6am and the weather was quite unpredictable with rainshowers.
We arrived in Caramoan after 2 hours and it was raining hard. Our transportation service (multicab) picked us up and brought us to La Playa Camp and Picnic Grounds. It was a 30-40 minute journey on a rocky, muddy, winding road. We checked in and started our island hopping amidst the gloomy weather. We prayed real hard for Mr. Sun to show up!
HALLELUIA!!! The rain finally stopped and the sun has come out in full force. Happy! Happy! Tanning under the scorching heat. Instantly, I fell in love with Caramoan Islands. My jaw dropped when we reached our first destination. Please forgive me. I forgot some of the names. But trust me, it's paradise.
Our boatman, Kuya Roger left us in another island because they had to go back to the resort and get another boat. But hey, I don't mind getting stuck in here. Feeling survivor, we ate our sumptuous lunch and enjoyed the breath taking island. You can find the exclusive Gota Island just across our area. We were restricted to go there for some reasons. tsk
Just when I thought I've seen the best, I see Matukad Island. Awhhhhhhhh....I was completely mesmerized!!! It was absolutely BEAUTIFUL like WOAHHHHHHHHHH...
And then there's Lahos, Sabitang Laya and Baging Island.
It's so hard to pick a favorite! Each island offers a distinct enigmatic feel created by its natural rock formations, captivating white sand and crystal clear water. But nothing can be so perfect than experiencing all of these with good ol' friends...
...and of course, some quiet moment together with my Daut! Heee *lubdub*
Our last stop was Tabgon Grotto. Kuya Paul, the tour guide welcomed us from the docking area. He told us many stories about the grotto and Caramoan. I'm so proud of myself to be able to climb 553 steps to the shrine of Mama Mary. Nevermind the sweat, shaking knees and tachycardia. The overall scenery from up above was again, AWESOME!
"I thank you God for this most amazing day, for the leaping greenly spirits of trees, and for the blue
dream of sky and for everything which is natural, which is infinite, which is yes. "
We visited around 7 islands all in all. And we could not ask for more! We had enough ooooohhhhhsss and aaaaahhhhsssss already! So we headed back to camp and little did I know, Daut arranged a candlelight dinner for two beneath the Caramoan stars, under the rhythm of the waves. :)
*CHEEZY ALERT* Daut is the master of Surprises. This time, he prepared sky lanterns for me. Surprise! So did I! Haha. Apparently, great minds think alike! Haha. We had a total of 9 lanterns! Time to send our wishes to the night sky..
This one's for you and me living out our dreams. And now all I wanna see is a sky of lanterns! :D Props to Jeanette's cre8tive sky lanterns! Patok na negosyo ah! Haha.
It's time to bid paradise goodbye. On our way to Guijalo Port, we stopped by St. Michael Church. I love visiting old churches. This was built during the 15th Century.
And we made it just in time for the first trip to Sabang at 7am. I hate to end my love affair with the gorgeous islands. I will forever be smitten by your unspoiled, idyllic and breathtaking beauty my dear Caramoan. Truly, it is one of the Philippines' best kept secret. And I hope it remains that way.
Added bonus to the trip was the majestic view of Mt. Mayon. The last time I saw her, she was covered by a haze of clouds. But this time, she showed her FULL DROP DEAD GORGEOUS BEAUTY! Even the boatman can't stop staring at her.
One last hirit before going home. A quick detour to deer farm. It is located at Sta. Cruz, Ocampo, Camarines Sur. Meet Udong and the rest of the Australian deers.
DIOS MABALOS!!! CHEERS TO SIX YEARS!!! :)))))))))))))))
Notes:
-CWC Rates http://www.camsurwatersportscomplex.com/rates_prices
-Lago del Rey Rates http://lago-delrey.com/
-Taxi From CWC to SM Naga = P350
-Taxi from SM Naga to Sabang = P900 (1 hour+)
-Sabang Beach Resort = P600/cottage
-Boat from Sabang Port to Guijalo Port = P120 (2 hours)
-Guijalo Port to La Playa Picnic Grounds Pick up service = P300 (one way 30-40 mins)
-La Playa Picnic Grounds = P1,200/room (max 3 persons) - Highly recommended since it's the jumpoff point for island hopping plus they serve really good, affordable meals! :)
-Island Hopping = P1,500 (additional P500 for far islands)
-Taxi from Sabang Port to Naga Airport enroute deer farm = P1,100 *If you're on a budget, you can ride a jeepney (P90) or van (120)
-Total Budget = P4k-5k (SULIIIIIIIIIT!!!!)
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