Caramoan Islands: A Trip to the Home of the Survivors | Home Other Sections Breaking News
(FEATURE) Caramoan Islands: A Trip to the Home of the Survivors | Home Other Sections Breaking News.
MANILA, Philippines – It was 1:45 p.m. when my girlfriend and I reached the Port of Sabang last weekend. I am tired from the nearly 18 hours road trip from Manila to this eastern seaboard of Camarines Sur.
On top of it, I am exhausted from the trip that seemingly used all modes of transportation (from bus to minibus, jeepney, tricycles, and 'habal-habal'); frustrated as the last ferry of the day has just departed when we arrived; and pestered with the porters who attempted to exploit even from a local tourists like us.
As disappointment reached its peak, I was already considering of canceling the trip, while thinking "is this place really worth a visit?"
I stretched my eyes to the waves of the sea, for beyond the horizons and the breeze that attempted to recharge my weariness is our final destination: Caramoan Islands.
Port of Sabang in San Jose town is the final jump off point to Caramoan. Obviously, it’s too late to turn back. After all, I told myself, the world's famous Survivor Series won’t be picking this area "if there are no goods in it".
As we were obviously first-timers in the area, the porters offered a charter ferry, a 16-horsepower pump boat, to the Port Guijalo in Caramoan town, but for a price of P3,000.
I obviously knew that it was too much, but after an hour of negotiations and for showing them my credentials that I'm a traveling journalist from a national network, the price went down to P1,200.
But it is still too much as the actual fare for the public ferry going to Guijalo is just P120. Considering that it was a "special trip”, I gave in and we settled to P1,000.
From the usual 90-minute sea travel, it took us more than two hours to reach Guijalo as the waves were from moderate to rough that day. It was already past 4 p.m. when we finally set our feet on the shores of Caramoan.
We took the final stretch of our travel through a 30-minute "habal-habal" ride to Paniman village, the jump off point to the famous islands of Camarines Sur.
On our way to Paniman, my girlfriend and I stopped at the town's parish church, St. Michael The Archangel Parish, where we took the first set of our photos.(Thanks to Canon Philippines for allowing us to test the power of its latest DSLR baby, Canon EOS 1100D.)
It was already dusk when we arrived at Paniman. As this escapade was simply a side trip, we failed to book in advance and the hurting consequences was that every place was already fully booked when we arrived, another problem that drained our excitement and enthusiasm for the trip.
It was already dark and we were still walking along the beach, scouting for a place to stay.
My first encounter to the Caramoan hospitality came when a man in his 50s approached us and said: "Sir, magandang gabi po, naghahanap po ba kayo ng matutuluyan? Meron po sa pinsan ko po kaso hindi resort, sa bahay lang po pero okay naman po ang room, may aircon naman po."
Contrary to the treacherous porters that we met at Sabang, the man had kindness in his words especially when he said: "Kayo na lang po ang bahala magkano ibigay n’yo, kasi wala na talagang bakante sa mga resorts dito."
It’s only later that I knew that the man, Mr. Adonis Rodriguez, owns a resort, which is being use as a venue for the several “Survivor” seasons.
He facilitated our dinner at his sister's restaurant, Angie's, a famous diner at Paniman not only for its best foods but also for its affordable price and friendly crew.
The taste of Bicolano delicacies graced our dinner – there were the famous Bicol's Express, "laing", fried Lapu-lapu, and spicy crabs. Slowly, I regained my composure, as I and my girlfriend sat side-by-side with the producers and crew of Survivor TV Series.
The soft Reggae that goes with the breeze of the sea completed the romanticity of our candle light dinner.
After our dinner, I invited Mang Adonis, who was sitting in a nearby nipa hut, for a few bottles of beer, thanking him for recommending the accommodation that turn out to be superb than staying in a resort.
I told him of my frustrations that nearly made me decide to cancel the trip when we reached Sabang. I also told him that I am yet to see what Caramoan has to offer. If this trip won't meet our expectations, the best thing it did was finding a friend like him and his sister Angie.
Wanting to appease the weary heart of disappointed travelers, Mang Adonis offered us that he himself would be our guide in our island hopping adventure the following day.
What ticked my ears was when he offered us a sneak peak in the area where the props for this year's Survivor Series are being created, an area that were restricted to most, if not all, visitors.
From zero, my excitement momentum bounced back to 100 percent. Being a journalist, I knew that the "Survivor" tour would be priceless. At 11 p.m., we finally took our rest after more than 24 hours of travel.
Me and my girlfriend, a photo enthusiast herself, woke up around 5:00 a.m., not wanting to miss the sunrise for another set of photo shoot. "These are precious takes," I told my companion model and girlfriend Blessie Inah Cruz.
We started our island hopping activity at 6:00 a.m.
"Ito yung pinaka-best na oras for island hopping kasi tayo talaga yung nauuna sa mga islands bago pa man makarating ang ibang turista," Mang Adonis told me, while commending me for picking "Summer" as visiting time because the sea is calm, the waters are clear and the beaches are clean.
From Paniman, we sailed off to the famous Gota Village, where most of the scenes of famous Survivor Series were taken. While it was closed for public, we managed to have a sneak peak on the props of the show, which will go on air starting May.
I rarely noticed Gota beach because my attention was fully concentrated at the area where the next set of Suvivor contestants from three nations will slug it out for another US$1 million prize.
Honongan Cove was our next destination. This beach is own by Mang Adonis, although he lamented that the provincial government will soon be utilizing it for tourism purposes.
"Wala tayong magawa, sir. Kailangan ng gobyerno para sa tourism eh, so wala kaming magawa kundi ibigay," he told me.
A casual visitor in Honogan would only be allowed along the shorelines. If one is lucky enough, beyond the high rocks of this pebbled beach line is an undisturbed lake where most of the props of Survivor Series were made.
At first, it seems there's no one in the area except us, but minutes of walk to the shrubs and the rocks, dozens of Filipino carpenters were working with their foreign counterparts for the Survivor's multi-million dollar production.
"No wander that these foreigners won't let go of this place," I said referring to the amazing view of the lake, while thanking our host for the sneak view in the area.
From Honongan, we sailed off to Lajos Island, where we took our first dip in Caramoan's crystal clear seawaters.
Pressed between two huge rock formations, Lajos Island's white beach also boosted it underwater and undisturbed coral reefs, so enticing that, through our host's hospitality, me and my girlfriend snorkeled around the island to discover its amazing underwater treasures.
Of course underwater adventure would not have been complete withoutPhilstar.com's underwater camera, which is the sole witness to the adventure that we had in the waters surrounding Lajos.
From Lajos, we sailed to the nearby Matukad Island. Little that I knew that island hopping, swimming, diving, and snorkeling are not the only activities that await a traveler to this unexploited paradise of Camarines Sur.
Rock climbing is what Matukad is known for. Not only did we make the first footprints of the day in Matukad, we were also the first to conduct a rock-climbing activity that day.
What filled the thrill was for one to climb without any safety harness at nearly vertical cliffs. On top of the towering cliffs is the majestic view of the other islands that repeatedly awed visitors from all classes of life.
To climb these rock formations is the only way to view the majestic Matukad Lake. Locals have it that any visitor in the lake should act with utmost respect as the lake is the "dwellings of the spirits" that took care of this paradise in the country's eastern seas.
"May mga tao na gusto nilang hulihin ang dalawang malaking isda na nandyan, pero lahat na gumawa nun ay namamatay kung hindi man ay namamatayan ng kamag-anak," said Mang Adonis.
A visit to the lake would not be complete without taking a dip, so I decided to take mine only on the reminders of my host "to express utmost respect" on the unseen residents of the lake.
From Matukad, we continued our hopping to Sabitan Laya Island, Tabgon Beach, and Bikal Port Beach, among others, all boasted unparallel shorelines, incomparable to other leading destinations in the country.
"No wonder why these foreigners and the Survivor Series have been 'addicted' to this place, this is paradise in itself," I repeatedly told my Mang Adonis, referring to the beauty of nature that nestled in his hometown.
We concluded our activity of the day with hours of diving sessions in the waters fronting Gota Village with, of course, the assurance of my host that the area is free of sharks that time of the day.
There we continue to explore the beauty of the Caramoan Islands, beyond its pristine white beaches, crystal clear waters, and majestic rock formations, there lies more splendors under its waters.
Before the end of the day, I told Mang Adonis that it’s time for us to head back to Paniman to catch the last vessel for Sabang on our way back to Manila.
"Pero hindi pa tayo tapos Sir, marami pa po tayong dapat puntahan," he insisted, while asking me if Caramoan Islands has met our expectations.
I told him it goes beyond and above our expectations, making such the reasons why we will definitely be coming back to the Islands to explore more of its beauty and to feel the touch of nature when it is still at its best.
---------
For anyone who plans a trip to Caramoan Islands, consider the following:
1. Be at the Port of Sabang before noon, as the last ferry of the day leaves at noon. Beyond noon, prepare cash for a special boat ride to Guijalo.
2. While there are resorts in other areas, find accommodations in Paniman as it is the jump off point to the island hopping adventure. Booking outside Paniman means that you would have to endure "habal-habal" ride every now and then when you decide for an island adventure.
3. Bring cash as there are no ATMs in the area.
4. Don't worry if the travel was very tiresome. It’s definitely worth it.
5. I have the impression that the people in Paniman are a good people, so expect to find friends among the locals.
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MANILA, Philippines – It was 1:45 p.m. when my girlfriend and I reached the Port of Sabang last weekend. I am tired from the nearly 18 hours road trip from Manila to this eastern seaboard of Camarines Sur.On top of it, I am exhausted from the trip that seemingly used all modes of transportation (from bus to minibus, jeepney, tricycles, and 'habal-habal'); frustrated as the last ferry of the day has just departed when we arrived; and pestered with the porters who attempted to exploit even from a local tourists like us.
As disappointment reached its peak, I was already considering of canceling the trip, while thinking "is this place really worth a visit?"
I stretched my eyes to the waves of the sea, for beyond the horizons and the breeze that attempted to recharge my weariness is our final destination: Caramoan Islands.
Port of Sabang in San Jose town is the final jump off point to Caramoan. Obviously, it’s too late to turn back. After all, I told myself, the world's famous Survivor Series won’t be picking this area "if there are no goods in it".
As we were obviously first-timers in the area, the porters offered a charter ferry, a 16-horsepower pump boat, to the Port Guijalo in Caramoan town, but for a price of P3,000.
I obviously knew that it was too much, but after an hour of negotiations and for showing them my credentials that I'm a traveling journalist from a national network, the price went down to P1,200.
But it is still too much as the actual fare for the public ferry going to Guijalo is just P120. Considering that it was a "special trip”, I gave in and we settled to P1,000.
From the usual 90-minute sea travel, it took us more than two hours to reach Guijalo as the waves were from moderate to rough that day. It was already past 4 p.m. when we finally set our feet on the shores of Caramoan.We took the final stretch of our travel through a 30-minute "habal-habal" ride to Paniman village, the jump off point to the famous islands of Camarines Sur.
On our way to Paniman, my girlfriend and I stopped at the town's parish church, St. Michael The Archangel Parish, where we took the first set of our photos.(Thanks to Canon Philippines for allowing us to test the power of its latest DSLR baby, Canon EOS 1100D.)
It was already dusk when we arrived at Paniman. As this escapade was simply a side trip, we failed to book in advance and the hurting consequences was that every place was already fully booked when we arrived, another problem that drained our excitement and enthusiasm for the trip.
It was already dark and we were still walking along the beach, scouting for a place to stay.
My first encounter to the Caramoan hospitality came when a man in his 50s approached us and said: "Sir, magandang gabi po, naghahanap po ba kayo ng matutuluyan? Meron po sa pinsan ko po kaso hindi resort, sa bahay lang po pero okay naman po ang room, may aircon naman po."
Contrary to the treacherous porters that we met at Sabang, the man had kindness in his words especially when he said: "Kayo na lang po ang bahala magkano ibigay n’yo, kasi wala na talagang bakante sa mga resorts dito."
It’s only later that I knew that the man, Mr. Adonis Rodriguez, owns a resort, which is being use as a venue for the several “Survivor” seasons.
He facilitated our dinner at his sister's restaurant, Angie's, a famous diner at Paniman not only for its best foods but also for its affordable price and friendly crew.
The taste of Bicolano delicacies graced our dinner – there were the famous Bicol's Express, "laing", fried Lapu-lapu, and spicy crabs. Slowly, I regained my composure, as I and my girlfriend sat side-by-side with the producers and crew of Survivor TV Series.
The soft Reggae that goes with the breeze of the sea completed the romanticity of our candle light dinner.
After our dinner, I invited Mang Adonis, who was sitting in a nearby nipa hut, for a few bottles of beer, thanking him for recommending the accommodation that turn out to be superb than staying in a resort.
I told him of my frustrations that nearly made me decide to cancel the trip when we reached Sabang. I also told him that I am yet to see what Caramoan has to offer. If this trip won't meet our expectations, the best thing it did was finding a friend like him and his sister Angie.
Wanting to appease the weary heart of disappointed travelers, Mang Adonis offered us that he himself would be our guide in our island hopping adventure the following day.
What ticked my ears was when he offered us a sneak peak in the area where the props for this year's Survivor Series are being created, an area that were restricted to most, if not all, visitors.
From zero, my excitement momentum bounced back to 100 percent. Being a journalist, I knew that the "Survivor" tour would be priceless. At 11 p.m., we finally took our rest after more than 24 hours of travel.
Me and my girlfriend, a photo enthusiast herself, woke up around 5:00 a.m., not wanting to miss the sunrise for another set of photo shoot. "These are precious takes," I told my companion model and girlfriend Blessie Inah Cruz.
We started our island hopping activity at 6:00 a.m.
"Ito yung pinaka-best na oras for island hopping kasi tayo talaga yung nauuna sa mga islands bago pa man makarating ang ibang turista," Mang Adonis told me, while commending me for picking "Summer" as visiting time because the sea is calm, the waters are clear and the beaches are clean.
From Paniman, we sailed off to the famous Gota Village, where most of the scenes of famous Survivor Series were taken. While it was closed for public, we managed to have a sneak peak on the props of the show, which will go on air starting May.
I rarely noticed Gota beach because my attention was fully concentrated at the area where the next set of Suvivor contestants from three nations will slug it out for another US$1 million prize.
Honongan Cove was our next destination. This beach is own by Mang Adonis, although he lamented that the provincial government will soon be utilizing it for tourism purposes.
"Wala tayong magawa, sir. Kailangan ng gobyerno para sa tourism eh, so wala kaming magawa kundi ibigay," he told me.
A casual visitor in Honogan would only be allowed along the shorelines. If one is lucky enough, beyond the high rocks of this pebbled beach line is an undisturbed lake where most of the props of Survivor Series were made.
At first, it seems there's no one in the area except us, but minutes of walk to the shrubs and the rocks, dozens of Filipino carpenters were working with their foreign counterparts for the Survivor's multi-million dollar production.
"No wander that these foreigners won't let go of this place," I said referring to the amazing view of the lake, while thanking our host for the sneak view in the area.
From Honongan, we sailed off to Lajos Island, where we took our first dip in Caramoan's crystal clear seawaters.
Pressed between two huge rock formations, Lajos Island's white beach also boosted it underwater and undisturbed coral reefs, so enticing that, through our host's hospitality, me and my girlfriend snorkeled around the island to discover its amazing underwater treasures.
Of course underwater adventure would not have been complete withoutPhilstar.com's underwater camera, which is the sole witness to the adventure that we had in the waters surrounding Lajos.From Lajos, we sailed to the nearby Matukad Island. Little that I knew that island hopping, swimming, diving, and snorkeling are not the only activities that await a traveler to this unexploited paradise of Camarines Sur.
Rock climbing is what Matukad is known for. Not only did we make the first footprints of the day in Matukad, we were also the first to conduct a rock-climbing activity that day.
What filled the thrill was for one to climb without any safety harness at nearly vertical cliffs. On top of the towering cliffs is the majestic view of the other islands that repeatedly awed visitors from all classes of life.
To climb these rock formations is the only way to view the majestic Matukad Lake. Locals have it that any visitor in the lake should act with utmost respect as the lake is the "dwellings of the spirits" that took care of this paradise in the country's eastern seas.
"May mga tao na gusto nilang hulihin ang dalawang malaking isda na nandyan, pero lahat na gumawa nun ay namamatay kung hindi man ay namamatayan ng kamag-anak," said Mang Adonis.
A visit to the lake would not be complete without taking a dip, so I decided to take mine only on the reminders of my host "to express utmost respect" on the unseen residents of the lake.
From Matukad, we continued our hopping to Sabitan Laya Island, Tabgon Beach, and Bikal Port Beach, among others, all boasted unparallel shorelines, incomparable to other leading destinations in the country.
"No wonder why these foreigners and the Survivor Series have been 'addicted' to this place, this is paradise in itself," I repeatedly told my Mang Adonis, referring to the beauty of nature that nestled in his hometown.
We concluded our activity of the day with hours of diving sessions in the waters fronting Gota Village with, of course, the assurance of my host that the area is free of sharks that time of the day.
There we continue to explore the beauty of the Caramoan Islands, beyond its pristine white beaches, crystal clear waters, and majestic rock formations, there lies more splendors under its waters.
Before the end of the day, I told Mang Adonis that it’s time for us to head back to Paniman to catch the last vessel for Sabang on our way back to Manila.
"Pero hindi pa tayo tapos Sir, marami pa po tayong dapat puntahan," he insisted, while asking me if Caramoan Islands has met our expectations.
I told him it goes beyond and above our expectations, making such the reasons why we will definitely be coming back to the Islands to explore more of its beauty and to feel the touch of nature when it is still at its best.
---------
For anyone who plans a trip to Caramoan Islands, consider the following:
1. Be at the Port of Sabang before noon, as the last ferry of the day leaves at noon. Beyond noon, prepare cash for a special boat ride to Guijalo.
2. While there are resorts in other areas, find accommodations in Paniman as it is the jump off point to the island hopping adventure. Booking outside Paniman means that you would have to endure "habal-habal" ride every now and then when you decide for an island adventure.
3. Bring cash as there are no ATMs in the area.
4. Don't worry if the travel was very tiresome. It’s definitely worth it.
5. I have the impression that the people in Paniman are a good people, so expect to find friends among the locals.
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