I Left My Heart in Calaguas

This awful picture doesn't give justice to how white and powdery the sand is.

I have long lusted over stories of Calaguas from friends who have been there. Their stories sound like cliches from a tourism pamphlet and told of a long stretch of powdery white sand, crystal clear waters, a paradise. Having been there myself, I couldn't agree agree less.

We left Cubao via a rented bus at around 10:00 PM and reached Paracale, Camarines Norte at around 6:00 AM the following morning. We had breakfast and bought provisions for our 24-hour stay in a nearby wet market. A local arranged our boat ride, and while we were waiting, the rain fell. I wasn't surprised though - the forecast for the day was an overcast sky. Fortunately, the rain stopped. We crossed our fingers and hoped that the weather will be much better when we reach the island.

The two-hour boat ride that followed was butt-aching and nauseating. I've never been on a small fishing boat for that long and the waves were persistent. All of my discomfort, however, all dissipated the moment we finally reached the island. The water was clear and too inviting that I jumped off even before the boat has docked.

There was nothing like walking on the powdery white sand, swimming in water that is even clearer than that of the swimming pool in Marikina where I usually practice. We were having such a good time that we ate most of our meals late.

Before dawn, we set out on a short hike atop a small hill, hoping to get a wider view of the shoreline. Unfortunately, trees and tall cogon grasses blocked what could have been a dramatic view.  It turns out that we went to the wrong hill.

Our short hike across a hill took us to this forest of cogon grasses. According to stories, there's a hill on the island that has a good viewing deck where the whole stretch of the shoreline can be seen.

Sunset

Here's the view we got. Not bad!

Of course, an overnight beach trip will not be complete with a drink-till-you-drop booze session. I didn't want to have hangover the following morning so I can continue exploring the island as early as possible, so I quit halfway through and waited till I could no longer fight the urge to sleep. I dozed off at 1:30 AM, and woke up oddly refreshed five hours later.

I have originally intended to walk around the island. It turns out that this is not possible without having to swim, as the visible shoreline ends with tall, volcanic rock formations. I'd probably do this when we return to Calaguas (next year maybe), when hopefully, I'd have better swimming skills.

The island is surrounded by a coral reef, which can be reached by a short swim from the shore. It was my first time to snorkel and I brought every gear I had, including life vests. The waves were strong that I slightly bumped my head against a rock. And if that wasn't painful enough, I tried to cling on a rock that was line with razor sharp dead sea shells and stepped on the corals below, bruising my hands and feet in the process. It was a bad, miscalculated move, as I should have stayed away from the rocks in the first place. 

The corals weren't much of a sight to behold - they were in fact too uniform and dull compared to what I have seen in videos. However, it was my first time to go snorkeling, and I more than enjoyed just seeing the corals with my own eyes. I've also spotted a few schools of fishes, crabs and jellyfish.

Corals! Pic from Rainier John Tolentino's Facebook album

Pic from Elmer Reyes' Facebook album.

Postcript

Calaguas, which used to be known only to a handful of backpackers, is now a famous tourist destination. Given the island's beauty, it was inevitable that the secret about the island would be spilled eventually. 

It now appears that the of the island is bringing it closer to commercialization, much to the dismay of travelers like myself who wouldn't want the island to turn into the disaster that Boracay has become. A number of tour operators have set out their own rows of cottages and for-rent tents - all of which were nonexistent just a year ago, according to a friend. I will leave it to others to judge if the presence of tour operators and resorts in the island are a bane or a harmless compromise, but there's no denying that the charm of Calaguas that Boracay doesn't have is its being a true backpacker's haven. There's none of the frenetic atmosphere of other beaches that had bars, crowds of party goers and poi dancers. There's just the water, the sand and the sun to admire, and conversation with friends and musings about life to burn time with.

It is the 16th of April as I am writing this, and I am missing Calaguas already. A whole day is just not enough to explore the island. I am looking forward to seeing Calaguas next year, as pristine as it was when we left.

Post-postscript

For a time my Facebook was abuzz with news of a "mini bar" and parties on the island (read this blog for instance). A tour operator who was responsible for the "mini bar" posted this (rather lame) defense.