The Bicol Adventure: Mahabang Buhangin @ Calaguas Island Camarines Norte – DAY 1 (May 21)

Day 0 (May 20)

As expected, it was an Amazing Race trip to Calaguas. May 20, Friday night, Uze and I meet at GT Tower Makati at around 6 PM. We came straight from work. From GT Tower we took a bus going to LRT Taft. I thought that PhilTranco Bus Terminal is just near LRT Taft just like JAC Liner, JAM and BBL, but I was wrong and never crossed my mind that PhiliTranco is the one right beside MRT EDSA. Should have taken MRT Ayala instead if I only knew! Andi, a co-pexers, were already at Philtranco. The first trip already left at 7PM which is the Panganiban Route (the one we were supposed to take). The second trip is at 8 PM the one heading to Daet (our second option), and it was almost 8PM that night and we were still looking for the terminal. It’s as if Uze and I was a contestant in the Amazing Race and we’re rushing just to make it on the 8 PM trip. We got there 5 mins before 8 PM, but unfortunately there’s no more slots for us. Aside from the one near the entrance and we’re not that desperate to sit on that part of the bus for the next 8 hrs. We came from work! Duh! We was like “What?! Are you out of your mind? You want us to sit there for the next 8 hours? How we were able to sleep then?”. And we haven’t had dinner yet! I wasn’t aware that you have to book yourself in advance to have your seats reserved because most of the passengers reserved their seats. If I only knew then I should have booked a ticket in advance. Thanks God, the other 2 passengers didn’t make it at 8 PM, so we we’re able to get their seats. God is really good! Hehe. Oca and Billy was already in Paracale, they travelled last Thursday night to set everything before me and Uze get there.

The trip going to Daet is P580. It was an 8 hour travel from Pasay. Stop Over is at Turbina Calamba and somewhere in Quezon. I was telling Uze that I will kill the Engineer who designs the road going to Bicol. There was a road they call “Bituka ng Manok” (Chicken Intestine) and it’s really like as if you where inside a Chicken’s intestine. The bus is swiveling. At 11 PM that night I started feeling that I need to “poop”. I didn’t have my dinner and yet I’m feeling that way. I was in pain the whole trip. I was farting every 10 mins inside my stomach. 1 AM when we arrive to our second stop over in Quezon. I was decided to “poop” there but upon checking the restroom, it was dirty and there’s really no way that I can release my inner demons there. I was telling Uze, the Judgment Day has started for me. Hahaha. (The May 21 thingy?) I don’t know what to do that time, I know I need to release it but where? So I asked for a Diatabs at the store but what they have is Imodium which by the way is very pricy, it cost 25 pesos for a single tablet. I bought two tablets, so basically my dinner is 2 Imodium and how’s that for a dinner? Hoping that it will ease the pain and relieves what I’m feeling, but it did not. If only it’s Diatabs.

Day 1

We arrived at Talobatib at past 4 AM, Oca told us to drop there instead of Daet and take a tricycle going to Batobalani. At around 5 AM we arrived at Batobalani still holding back the urge of releasing a massive anger from my behind. Then Oca and Billy came to pick us up. It was a 5 minute walk from Batobalani to Billy’s Grandma’s house. It was my first time to see Billy, he is a former student of Oca in PUP and became friends of ours. He's also an I.T. Fresh graduate actually. When we get to their place, I go straight to the restroom to poop, but it just didn’t go out. Damn It! I guess the effect of Imodium has just started. I was forcing myself to release it but it didn’t work. So I gave up and took a bath instead and have my breakfast after.

Oca and Billy prepared the food that we will be eating for the whole day. Oca is a good cook. He’s the cook of the Tropa. We have pancit, grilled chicken and grilled pork and fresh watermelon.

It was almost 7 AM when we left Billy’s Grandma’s house, we took a tricycle going to Paracale Port where our boatman is waiting for us (Kuya Roberto a.k.a. Jestoni). We were supposed to leave at 6 AM from the port but it was already 7:30 AM when we left since we got there late. It was a 1 and a half hour travel by the sea from Paracale Port to Mahabang Buhangin in Tinaga Island (one of the islands of Calaguas). 9 AM, we arrived at Mahabang Buhangin, I finally set my feet to its powdery white sand and the view, it was stunning. The place is just breathtaking. The water is crystal clear. It’s really a paradise! Good thing that it was not raining that day and we were able to enjoy the place. My Canon Powershot D10s first underwater experience was here.

There are caretakers in the island just like in Anawangin, there’s an entrance fee also. We paid 70 pesos per head and for the kubo its 100 pesos, in total we paid P450. Actually, it was 75 per head and 150 for the kubo but Manang is really nice to give us a discount and besides we’ll only be staying there for a couple of hours.

It was around 2 PM when we left the beautiful beach of Mahabang Buhangin. From there we headed to Pulang Daga Beach Resort in Paracale, Oca and Billy went there the day before and says it the place was nice though it doesn’t beat Calaguas but when we get there, I thought the place is a disaster. Hahaha. But from the pictures we’ve taken it’s not.

Our Lady of Candelaria

From Pulang Daga, we hire a tricycle to take us to Paracale Church named as Our Lady of Candelaria. Our Lady of Candelaria Church is one of the three churches that are celebrating its 400th years in Camarines Norte. It was first built using bamboos and nipa in 1611. I really love old churches. It has this rustic feeling.

After seeing the 400 year old church we went back home to take a shower and left Billy’s Grandma’s house at 5 PM to go to our next destination which is Naga to check Bantayog ni Rizal then from there we take a van going to Legazpi to see Mt. Mayon and Cagsawa Church.