In Picture: Sepoc Island, Batangas

Easter Island statues are not just heads

I've always been fascinated by things ancient. Put a little mystery on what is ancient and you have me browsing like mad.

One of the things I'd always been fascinated with is the statues in Easter Island. Not only are they gigantic, they're creepy and eerily beautiful. The statues were once believed to be just heads but a recent excavation yielded that the statues have bodies too. How cool is that!

 Photos By EISP/EISP

The Teacher

You never forget a good teacher.

Seconds

"Each one containing countless options, possibilities and decisions which only one can emerge.
Each with the ability to create life and erase another."

Calaguas: Unhidden

When I was little, we lived about 45 minutes away from the beach. This beach we frequent especially during summer has dark, coarse sand. It didn’t matter back then. What mattered was that we can frolic in the water for as long as we can (which is often about 8 hours non-stop).

Every summer, going to the beach has been something that my brother and I look forward to. The beach is synonymous with escape.

 As I grew up, the thought of going to the beach conjured this image of freedom – an image of escape. When I say I want to go to the beach, what I really meant is going to a place of escape even for a short while so that I can stop thinking about the worries and troubles of life and just be young, be a child again frolicking under the sun for as long as I can.

The beach of my childhood is an unfrequented place. There are but a few families living in the area. There had been summers that the only people on that beach were our family and our companions. We had the beach all to ourselves.

A lot had change within two decades. It has become harder and harder to find a beach where perverts and exhibitionists don’t frequent. At present, going to the beach is nothing different than going to a bar in the middle of a busy city like Makati. It’s not only about the noise, but people had found ways to transport their technologies with them in the farthest and the most beautiful of beaches turning those places into their own whore camps. So those few of us who wanted escape from the noise of the city have to scour for places yet untouched by economics, politics and trouble-seeking youth.

It is with this yearning to find a peaceful beach that we found Calaguas. A ten-hour bus ride from Manila and about two-hour boat ride from Paracale, Camarines Norte had taken us to this beautiful stretch of white sand meeting one of the most amazing crystal-clear waters.

Unlike Boracay, Puerto Galera and other overrated beaches, Calaguas’ silent beauty is astounding. The fact that it is yet to be raped and abused by investors made it even more charming. There are no noisy bars; there are no despicable hotels with blinding light s, just plain white sand, blue and greenish water, some coconuts and tents.

It wouldn’t take long for Calaguas to suffer what had happened to Boracay. As confided by one of the homeowners in the island, a lot of the beach areas are being disputed because some are pushing for their developments which included putting up hotels, resorts and bars.

Others would not see anything wrong with it but I do. You see, the people of Calaguas are one of the friendliest and warmest people I’ve met for a long time. They have a certain naivety and they trust easily. I think it is the typical charm of a provincial place hidden from the rest of the world.

The advent of development would bring a lot of new things to them. It would open their eyes to selfishness and greed. It would open doors to a better life, yes, but because they are a vulnerable people, their natural warmth and kindness and the beauty of the island that they love so much would eventually fade replaced by the saddening fact that wherever development goes, there follow trouble, destruction and corruption.

Just like what happened to the beach of my childhood.

So for now, my go to place is Calaguas. It is a wonderful place housing very wonderful people. It is my place of escape, a place where I can run away far from the noise of the city.

Soon enough I would have to look for a new one until one day, I would have to share the same beach with the perverts and the exhibitionists, the noisy and the loud, the thrill-seekers and the troublesome and eventually, become one of them. Because, someone’s got to give, right?

In Picture: Calaguas

I'd like the picture to do the talking.

But in summary:

Finest sand.

Crystal-clear water.

Warmest and friendliest of people.

How we got there:

A lot of agencies offer group tours. 

(Wouldn't hurt to do some research.)

Ours happened to be arranged by some company friends.

Since we are about 45 in the group, we rented our own Superlines bus.

The bus ride took about 10hours to reach Paracale, Camarines Norte.

From Paracale, our friends rented boats (about Php750.00 each.)

How much did it cost:

Per person, we spent about Php2,500 each.

It's a two-day, one-night trip.

We brought our own camping gears (tents, burners etc.)

But some part of the beach, the beach owners would already set-up tents for you.

Tips:

1. Make sure to visit the small barrio on the other side of the island.

    The walk would do your heart some good.

2. Buy some fish (ask anyone from the small barrio and they will help you out).

    Ask someone to prepare it for you (for a small fee.)

3. Bring some candies to the island's kids. They love chocolates the most.

4. Coconut cost Php30.00. That's a little costly but have one anyway.

5. Do some hiking. 

    I heard that the view from one of the mountain peaks is worth the effort.

Five (5) Random Things About Ilocos Norte

I had been planning a road trip for a long time. I wanted to get on a random bus, get to a random destination and enjoy the random things that the said random place has to offer.

I've done exactly that. The destination: Pagudpud in Ilocos Norte.

I came home much wiser when I left.

Lessons learned:

1. If you're planning a trip in the Philippines, make sure it's not the Holy Week.

Yes, that should have been the first thing to check, (I'm a freaking local!) but the lure of a long vacation and going to a romantic place was too much to give up. Just because the rest of the Philippines is celebrating, why should my fun suffer? But I paid dearly for my impulsiveness.

The regular trip of 12 hours is already long enough. My company and I have to wait 12 hours just to get our tickets (I need to emphasize that the 12 hours was spent just waiting for the tickets) because all the buses had been reserved. The trip according to the blogs we read, people we asked and guides we perused, should only take 12 hours but ours took 15.

(I should be thankful we arrived safely in our destination though.)

2. In some provinces, drivers don't travel on Good Friday.

Had we been a few more minutes late, we might have gotten stuck in Laoag, which is two hours away from our intended destination.

As mentioned, our driver was overly cautious. He has to stop at everything alien on the road which has contributed to our 15-hour trip.

When we arrived in Laoag, the last bus for the evening has already left. We have to ride a pedicab and run after the bus just because no bus will service the area on Good Friday. 

3. Just because you asked someone a question doesn't mean they have to answer it.

I'm not sure if we came at the wrong time or we were just unlucky but we seem to end asking the rudest of the Ilocanos. From the bus driver (paging BMW bus), to the conductor, to the waitresses on the hotel, they don't seem to care if you ask them a question and you're looking forward to an answer.

The place we stayed was amazing. Had the people been warmer, it would have been a wonderful vacation.

If you're in Pagudpud, it would be better if you ask other guests or read about destinations in advance. It's not that some natives can't understand what you're saying but from our experience, they plainly choose not to entertain questions.

4. Saud, Blue Lagoon, Kapurpurawan, Pannzian, Bangui Wind Mill. (Repeat 5x.)

If you miss one, you have to get back and redo the whole trip. Pagudpud is not all about the mentioned five places but they are the key places that you shouldn’t miss.

If you have extra time, the Lighthouse, sand dunes, the Cagayan-Ilocos border, Kabigan Falls (and other smaller falls) would be good places to visit but make sure to spend ample amount of time on the mentioned five.

5. Vigan! Vigan! Vigan!

Much has been said and others would tell you that Vigan is overrated. But this is all what you have to remember – it’s a freaking world heritage site and for that alone, it’s worth your time!