Travel Alone: Calaguas Island, My Kind of Paradise

The beauty of Calaguas Island.

A few years back, I resigned from my job in the pizza industry to join a bakeshop. I squeezed in a getaway while I was accomplishing all the requirements from my previous job and the new one. I saw this group in a social networking site that organizes invitational budget trips. I browse through their page and saw their Calaguas Island trip that shoots to my schedule and budget.

FIRST TIME

I travel alone once a year. I don't know if this one is considered as a solo trip. I joined this group of almost 30 people without knowing any single soul, even the organizers. So, I packed my backpack and went to the meeting place at Quezon Avenue. It was almost a 9-hour ride in a private van all the way to Paracale, Camarines Norte. We had breakfast along the way. It was raining when we took a boat that will take us to the island. It was a memorable ride. The 2-hour boat-ride became 3 hours with all the big waves we encountered. A number of participants were seasick. I wasn't dizzy the whole time. I had vertigo in the past that's why I take medicine every time I go out of town. We reached the island at lunch time. Mahabang Buhangin (long beach), the name of the beach, is amazing. It is secluded, has no electricity, tent is the only accommodation, tranquil, and a very beautiful place. Perfect! I fell in love with the place that instant. It was worth the boat-ride.

Morning at Mahabang Buhangin.

I took a nap outside my tent after lunch. The rain has stopped that afternoon. I took a dip in the clear blue water.  I can feel the white fine sand on my feet as I stroll along the shoreline. The sunset was perfect. I can't help myself but to thank God for witnessing this moment.

That evening, we had a sumptuous dinner made by the organizers. We had bonfire and roasted marshmallows afterwards. The socials were nice and I met my co-participants over different topics of conversation. A number of them became my friends after. 

Beach-bumming the following morning. The sun became hot in the afternoon that applying of sunscreen must be done every now and then to avoid too much sunburn. I was so sad to leave the island. This time, the boat-ride to Paracale was smooth.

Beach-bumming.

Climb the hill and see the beauty of the shoreline from above.

THE RETURN

After 2 years, I came back at the island with the same travel group but with different participants. A lot of things has changed. There's electricity now from a tent resort. There's a famous resort group that built high-end cottages in another part of the beach. The tranquility I've once experienced was gone, and all I could hear was a loud music coming from the tent resort. I call it tent resort because they are consisted of a number of red tents strategically placed in cluster. They have their own volleyball court by the beach which are exclusive for their guests only.

As usual, the sunset was perfect and the feel of the sand on my feet was still fine and smooth. The water on the beach was clear and bluish. The boat-ride from Paracale and back was smooth. The weather was perfectly sunny and bright. Perfect for snorkeling and beach-bumming.

Master the art of doing nothing.

Explore the trees, plants, and flowers in the island.

Things to do while in the island:

     - Beach-bumming
     - Snorkeling
     - Climb the nearby hill
     - Scuba diving
     - Skimboarding

The rocky part of the beach.

Enjoy the boat-ride.

Making picture-perfect memories at the beach.