The rainy season is so on, I know, and this post may be a little bit untimely. Still, I resort to writing about this now because my love for beaches is never bound by weather conditions. So, let me share my experiences during the summer that was.
“Lord, I want to travel this year. By that, I mean I want to have more than one destination this summer. I don’t know how I can afford those trips, but I know You will provide. Amen.” This is my prayer at the beginning of the year, and yes, it was answered. And boy, travel I did. I was able to go to 5 different beaches in a span of 3 months. Hence, this post.
BEACH 1: Dampalitan Island and Puting Buhangin Island (Padre Burgos, Quezon)
It was a busy afternoon in February when I got a text message from my guy. It said, “Hey love, you wanna go to the beach this weekend?” Elated, I typed, “Of course!” like clockwork. Thus, summer 2012 officially started.
Later that night, I learned that this trip was for a friend’s birthday celebration. He thought that it would be a great way to celebrate our 23rd month since the trip fell on that date. Moreover, he said that we would only need to shell out about 1,500 bucks, which was a real bargain for a weekend escape to the beach. When I asked him where, he said that it’s an island in Quezon Province. By the help of Google and travel blogs, we learned about the place and became more and more excited.
Finally the day came and we were southbound to Quezon. It was a 3-hour bus ride from Alabang to Lucena. From Lucena, a van took us to the town of Padre Burgos. The drive was about 30 minutes. From Padre Burgos, we took a boat to Dampalitan Island. The boat ride took about 15-20 minutes.
Dampalitan Island, as I expected, was peaceful. There were no hotels, no establishments, no bars and no electricity; a perfect place for camping.
Immediately, we set our tents and camping gear up, cooked and had lunch, and enjoyed the rest of the day basking in the sun, sea and sand. Just pure relaxation and bumming around the shore.
The next morning, we headed to Puting Buhangin Island. It took us a 45-minute boat ride to get there. It kind of took some time to get to the island, but it was really worth it. The water, as compared to Dampalitan, was way cooler and clearer. It made me want to jump right out the boat while we were docking.
An addition to the beauty of this place is the cave or Kwebang Lampas as the locals call it. Tourists can actually go through this cave to go to the other side of the island, which unfortunately I wasn’t able to experience.
But the beach, in itself, was a sight to experience and behold. It’s just sad that overnight camping is not advisable in this island because it doesn’t have its own water source unlike Dampalitan.
Overall, this overnight trip to Quezon was fun and fulfilling. It was a great place for a weekend escape, a birthday celebration and our monthly ritual as a couple. And yes, it was a great jumpstart for my summer of 2012. I went home with fond memories, great photos and of course, TAN LINES!
BEACH 2: Dungaree Beach (Subic Freeport)
April marks the Lenten season for most Filipinos, but for me, it means so much more. It is the month of our anniversary. To celebrate, we decided to spend it with his family in Olongapo. We stayed there for 5 days which was also the duration of the Holy Week. Of course, our itinerary wasn’t complete without a trip to the beach.
We decided to spend one whole day at Dungaree Beach, situated inside Subic Freeport. It is a small beach, but it’s pretty nice. Nipa huts are all over the vicinity, but I’m not sure if overnight camping is allowed, or if they offer lodging for tourists who want to spend the night. A net is on the shore which makes the place perfect for beach volleyball.
Dungaree beach is perfect for family outings. It’s a small place so it’s not so hard to keep an eye on the kids. Also, it can be reached by land, which makes the travel safer for children.
Beach 3: Canyon Cove (Nasugbu, Batangas)
One perk of being an employee is getting to attend an annual team building. I see this as an advantage because it gives everyone a chance to travel for free because this kind of event is usually done out of town.
CBN, the previous company I worked in, held its team building event at Canyon Cove, Batangas. This place, I think, was really built for company or organizational trips. They have nice amenities such as function rooms, bedroom suites and swimming pools. Being used to camping by the beach, this was a change for me. In a good kind of way, though.
To my dismay, the beach was not as fabulous as the other amenities. The sand was not as fine and the water’s not as clear. Although, I think that people don’t go here for the beach, really. Being on the shore was relaxing, though. Listening to the waves while sunbathing can be fun too. Still, I spent more time on the pool. Lol.
BEACH 4: Potipot Island (Candelaria, Zambales)
Apart from Anawangin and Nagsasa Cove, Potipot is one of islands that the province of Zambales is proud of. Potipot is a small island situated in the town of Candelaria. I have been opting to go to this beach from the moment a friend told me about it. I’ve spent a considerable amount of time gushing over its pictures and reviews on the internet.
It was around the last week of April when my cousin suggested that we go to a little family trip together. He said he wanted to experience camping on the beach and asked me which beach is perfect for exactly that. I suggested Potipot. I guess I have a fair knowledge about the place and it’s good that none of us has been to this destination. He okay-ed, and it’s a done deal.
We left Manila at 11:00PM on a Friday night. We took the last trip of Victory Liner to Iba, Zambales. We arrived at Iba at around 4:00AM the next morning and we transferred to a bus going to Candelaria. We reached Candelaria at around 5:30 AM. From there we met with the bangkero (boatman) who will take us to Potipot. From the dock, the island can already be seen, which explains why the boat ride took only 5 minutes.
A view of Potipot Island from the dock
The moment I set foot on the sand of Potipot, I knew immediately that I fell in love with this place. The sand is white and really fine. There are trees all over that makes the atmosphere breezy and cool. And the water; it was so calm and clear. Just perfect.
We spent the day swimming, lounging on the shore and just enjoying the island in all its perfection. We even built this.
Potipot is a fairly small island. It can be easily explored. So the following morning, we gathered our cameras and sunblock and set about walking around the island. We found a lot of pretty interesting formations around the beach. The more footsteps we make, the more we get amazed by its beauty.
Potipot is definitely one of the places that I would visit again. Staying overnight was not enough for me to fully enjoy its beauty. Enough said. This place is awesome.
BEACH 5: Sabang Beach and Ditumabo Falls (Baler, Aurora)
Baler is popular for its waves and for being one of the surfing destinations in the Philippines. Baler was also my last hurrah for summer 2012.
We said goodbye to Manila on a Thursday night at around 8:00 PM. At 4:00 AM the following day, we said hello to Sabang Beach. Listening to the waves crashing while waiting for the sun to rise was just blissful. The sand of Sabang beach was fine but dark, yet people drive all the way to Baler for the waves, not the sand.
Most of us spent the rest of the day surfing, playing with the waves and taking pictures while walking along the shore. Leaving our mobile phones in our bag, we just savored the moment of being away from the hustle and bustle of the city life.
Later that night, after we had dinner and cleaned up, we went back to the shore to light some sky lanterns while enjoying a few drinks.
Aside from Sabang beach, two other places were also on our itinerary– The 100-year-old Balete Tree and Ditumabo Falls. We set out early the following morning. Our first stop– the century-old Balete tree.
Awestruck, yes, I was, upon seeing it. According to the locals, people can actually go inside this century-old tree. Some of us went inside, some even climbed to the top (yes, I have crazy friends, but I love them. Lol.). As I was going around the tree and exploring it from the outside, I can’t help but wonder that this thing right in front of me was also right in front of history unfolding over the hundred years it existed. And I’m glad that I was able to see this historical tree in the flesh. It’s just amazing and I swear I had goosebumps, but in a good way I guess.
What excited and scared me most about this trip was the fact that we had to trek to reach another tourist spot in Baler — Ditumabo Falls. From the 100-year-old Balete Tree, we drove for about 20-30 minutes more. The drive was a bit challenging since the road was pretty rough as we near the starting point for the trekking route. Anxiety started filling me up, yet I was giddy with excitement. I know I have a mountaineer for a boyfriend, but I’m telling you that I don’t have a bit of an inkling to the world of spelunking, climbing, much more with trekking. I even bought Sandugo sandals specifically for this trip. Anyway, I still went through with it. And I must admit, it was fun. Challenging, but fun. I reached the majestic falls in one piece, thanks to my friends and thank God.
Tourists were swarming around the falls when we got there. Regardless, we were still able to enjoy the cold water gushing from it. I just wished that I kept my sandals on as I tread through its waters, because my feet felt sore because of the rocks underneath. But other than that, we had a fun time splashing around.
I’m not tired, I’m just being a drama queen. Lol.
Yey! I survived my first trek ever!
Though it’s humid and hot, summer will always be my favorite season. Living in a tropical country makes it all the more better. More than the places and destinations I have visited, the memories made my trips extra special. I may not have stayed in these destinations as much as I wanted to, but I have memories and keepsakes that I was able to bring home with me.
(For details, travel costs, itinerary and what-nots, feel free to shoot me a question at jana.sebastian@yahoo.com.)
Of Colors and Words 
