The Long and Winding Road – Matnog, the unexpected paradise

Matnog, Sorsogon (Photo courtesy of Ynah.^_^)

Seriously I was just curious about Juag Lagoon Marine Sanctuary in Matnog. I was not thinking about anything else. I shrug off the possibility of visiting Subic beach because I did not know that place well and I have not read a blog detailing an island hoping tour around the area. (Or siguro masyado lang akong nag-iisip nung nagresearch ako.)

At the back it says "You are now leaving the island of Luzon" Isang roro na lang Samar na! :)

Upon arriving at Matnog, we were greeted by kuya Alex's daughter. She assisted us in registering 

at Matnog tourism office located beside the municipal office. (Btw, Kuya Alex is the owner of Juag Lagoon Marine Sanctuary.)

After registering she accompanied us to the parking area near their house where we settled for some time and washed up. Please note that Juag lagoon is a marine sanctuary and sun blocks are not allowed.

Tikling Island

Our first stop was at Tikling Island. We were like kids excited for some candies and lollipops when we arrived. They were asking, “Can we swim here?” The usual answer was “Of course!”

Our boats (Photo from Ynah)

Doing our "ngee pose" Jay tsk tsk (Photo from Paul)

Starting the island hopping... (Photo from Ynah)

Gusto ko na rin ng camera ni Ynah! Thanks for this picture Ynah!

We enjoyed the island for 30 minutes or so. We were just there for half  a day so we compressed the IT. Given another day in Sorsogon, I would love to spend the night at Tikling island and watch the sky go from blue to brilliant orange to gray until the diamonds are up in the sky. :)

Subic Beach

The usual itinerary said our second stop would have been Juag Lagoon. However the area was packed with tourists when we arrived there. So instead of wasting our time waiting for the area to clear up, we opted to visit the famous Subic beach. J

In between our banca ride there were lots of times when we just looked down. We were screaming “Hala, ang linaw ng tubig. Ang lalim nakakatakot.”

Photo from Paul

Photo from Paul

We were looking at Subic beach when our boatman asked if we would like to go to Subic liit or Subic daku. I asked what the difference between the two was and he pointed that Subic liit is the deserted one and Subic daku is the big one. We saw that there were a number of boats docked at Subic daku so we opted to stay at Subic liit. J

Hi Ynah. Featured! :) (Photo from Ynah)

I am not a good swimmer but I can float. That alone made me brave enough to jump and swim! I so love Subic beach! J

And by the way, while we were swimming Paul took this photo of the lovely place using his Nexus phone.

Subic liit beach. Photo by Paul.

 The Caves

There are caves near Subic beach where the tourists can go inside. But take note that this adventure is "at your own risk." Swimming with strong current and waves inside the cave is dangerous.

Being adventurous that we are, we decided to give it a go.

Looks calm but don't be deceived.

 We went inside the big one and were surprised by what we saw. I'll leave this experience to the adventurous.

This area is great for snokeling activity.

After an adventure of a lifetime.:)

The Long and Winding Road – Face to Face with a Whale Shark

The whale shark encounter is actually a gamble. Whale sharks are wild animals (meaning they are not kept in cages for the tourists to see) so it’s really the work of faith and luck to witness the grandeur of one of the largest mammals on earth.

And because it was a gamble, the team would really want to maximize their bets. It’s no joke paying 700Php++  per person out of nothing so we ‘kinda’ played safe.

The government of Donsol continuously protects the whale sharks by imposing rules regarding the whale shark encounter. One of the rules is securing that there will only be 30 boats on the waters at the same time. So this leads them to having 2 batches every day. We placed our bets by registering for the second batch. The logic behind was if there will be a sighting for the first batch then the second batch will have a higher probability of seeing it also.

Before boarding the boat, the tourists need to undergo a 15-minute orientation/presentation of the rules and regulations. This also gives us an idea of what to expect and what to do during the encounter.

We started to sail at 11AM. We were divided into 2 groups because the policy says that a maximum of 6 persons [per boat] can interact with the whale shark at any given time. We were excited (me afraid) to meet the gentle giant. We sailed for almost 2 hours but the gentle giant was still out of sight. We were beginning to get frustrated because we cannot afford to stay for another day in Donsol. We need to move to Matnog the next day (and that is a strict IT. :P) So our companions started praying. Oops! Pati ako nakisali.

Well prayers do really help! After a few more minutes the spotter from another banca saw the whale shark and alerted our BOI. Our bangkero (being the expert that he is) positioned our boat on the most likely path of the fish. Our BOI instructed us to sit on the edge and jump. When he said “Look down!” we all submerged ourselves and the moment of glory came rushing though our veins.

The first thing we saw was its enormous mouth. It was directly underneath us. I was delirious at the same time excited [more of afraid.] We stayed there for a couple of minutes and watch the creature swim past us. I thought we will be slapped by its tail because it seemed so close. I was actually frantic when I saw the tail.

We don’t have pictures of the Butanding encounter. But the image and the grandeur of the whale shark will always be in our minds - forever.

Group Picture after the encounter. Happy kids! :)

The Long and Winding Road – Getting to Donsol and Firefly Watching

It was almost 4Pm when we started our journey to Donsol. Nobody in the group reached that far yet so we just relied on google maps hoping that it shows the right path. I noticed that most of the time it was just us on the road. I felt somewhat isolated. I knew that the air outside is fresh. That the fields are bountiful and the coconut trees give abundant harvest. That makes me excited to stare at the night sky!

Prior to coming to Donsol, I booked 3 rooms at Aguluz Homestay. I was hesitant at first because I didn’t know what to expect but I thought that’s what adventure makes it an adventure. Moreover, it was suggested by a friend who is from the region so that was an added point. The house was as we saw on their FB page. I was hoping to meet Tita Marilyn but the caretaker told me that she was in Legaspi that time. The caretaker immediately led us to our spacious and beautiful rooms. It feels like home away from home. J

On our first night; with tired bodies, aching muscles and sleepy heads we managed to squeeze in the firefly river cruise. We were fetched by our boatman at around 8:30PM. I thought it was a little bit late for the activity but the boatman told me not to worry because fireflies are plentiful even after midnight. From Aguluz homestay, we walked a few hundred meters to reach the river. We boarded a boat that brought us to the mangroves.

The river was calm; the stars were shining brightly in the velvet sky; the air was smooth and soothing enough to make our eyelids fall. (Pagod na pagod lang ang peg from 15 hours of traveling!) It was the perfect condition for firefly watching and dozing off. (Ha ha!)

I was not expecting anything because out of my extensive research abilities, I did not see any video/picture describing the tour. A few minutes after we boarded the boat we saw a tree glittering from the rest. I thought it was a Christmas tree (on May). The boat went closer and I realized there were hundreds and hundreds of fireflies dancing and swaying. (I mean the tree looks like dancing and swaying because of the tiny sparkling fireflies.) We were like, “Oh em gee!” Disclaimer: I know how a firefly looks like but seeing so many of them on the same tree makes me want to believe in fairies and shout “Pixie dust!”

I think we saw 4 trees glimmering like Christmas trees during the whole tour. It was an amazing experience. What really caught our attention was when our boatman went to one of the trees to get some fireflies and handed them over to us. Tuwang-tuwa lang sa fireflies. J

Sorry, no snapshots or videos. This tour is for our eyes only! J

By the way, here are some pictures taken at Aguluz Homestay.

Search for best male poser (and the extras)

FOOD!

PS: This is 2/5 of a series post [The Long and Winding Road]

Credits to Paul for the pictures. :)

The Long and Winding Road – Kawa-Kawa Hill Sunflower Farm and Mayon Volcano

For me the hardest part of traveling is pulling myself out of my bed, preparing for the trip and calculating how much I would be spending (again). But when I see the excitement of my friends I would always tell myself, “It’s okay Millette. You’ll never have time for this when you get older.”

After a butt-numbing (sleep-depriving) ride to Legaspi, we finally arrived at Kawa-kawa Hill hoping to glance at a wonderful view of the sunflower farm. It was 2PM and was so (as in) hot. Everybody was aching and most of us were not so willing to get out of the vehicle. Let’s add the fact that the sunflowers were not so appealing anymore. But then again IT ko to kaya kailangan kong panindigan. Braving the scorching heat of the sun, we went out and ‘explored’ the farm. How I wished we visited earlier when the sunflowers were in full bloom!

Anyhow, my friend Ynah took these stunning photos of the sunflower farm.

Kawa-kawa Hill Sunflower Plantation (Photo from Ynah)

Do these photos look boring to you?

Sunflowers (Photo from Ynah)

Photo from Ynah

So much for Jay saying "What a boring IT. What a boring sight." Excuse me Jay! :P

After a few minutes of (ang sakit lang sa balat) moments, we proceeded to our next stop. It was the famous Cagsawa Ruins best known for the picturesque Mayon Volcano.

I was tired and exhausted and would really want to rest so I let my friends do the selfies and picture takings while I eat some chili ice cream. To be honest, the ice cream was just so so. It just had this chili flavor. Two (small) scoops made me 25Php poorer. Would I recommend it to friends? Yes, just to be familiar with the taste. But after that, indulge thy self into a more refreshing fruit shake. (Chili flavor of course!)

It was 3PM and the majestic volcano was still shy to show itself. It was mostly covered with clouds. We waited a little longer to witness its crowning glory. 

Mayon Volcano covered with clouds

Not long after we saw the totality of the mountain. It was indeed a perfect cone! (So what's the legend behind this mountain again? ^_^)

Mayon Volcano

PS: This is 1/5 of a series post [The Long and Winding Road]

Credits to Ynah for the pictures! :)