by Cityzen | Andrei Martin Diamante
posted on Saturday June 30, 2007
While Camarines Sur recently became popular because of a watersports center, my friends and I decided to explore a different part of the region, the Caramoan peninsula. Going to Caramoan is quite tiresome, since one needs to take a long bus ride or a plane trip to Naga City, a shuttle to the town of Sabang, and almost two hours' boat ride to the final stop.
Because Caramoan is not (yet) a commercialized travel spot, there is no single resort in the area. There are, however, a couple of pension houses and a few homestays in the town center or the Sentro. Good thing I was able to reserve slots in the place of Tita Felly (BC Hometel) before we left Manila, since most homestays in the area were already jam-packed. Prices of homestays start at 150 pesos per head per night, depending on the facilities (e.g. aircon) and haggling skills.
The first highlight of the trip was the most accessible beach from the Sentro, Gota Beach, where I got to experience the strongest and most consistent waves in my entire beach life. The shores were in fact facing the Pacific Ocean and had amazing rock formations from both sides, with a few caves in certain areas. A companion even said that the beach was so much better than the ones in Phuket, which was a pleasantly surprising remark.
Another spot worth visiting is the white patch of land called the Lajos (or Lahos) Island. From afar, the island looks like a flat white sheet, with two almost identical rocks on both sides. The Hunongan Cove is also a great beach if you want privacy among companions. Its sands are ideal for camping and frisbee, but whose waters are unfortunately surrounded by schools of jellyfish.
Then there's the Gotang Malaki, a bigger cove beside Gota beach, where some of us decided to spend the night with our tents. A huge orange moon appeared brightly between two giant rock formations during midnight, and dozens of seagulls greeted our camp in the morning, speeding their way from the rocks to the clear blue waters of the beach.
Sabitan Laiya is one of the most popular spots in Caramoan because of the long stretch of white sand and large rock formations. The entire stretch actually looked like Boracay, sans D'Mall and the partying crowd.
About an hour away from Sabitan Laiya is Tayak Island, an island with an eerie lagoon in the middle. Urban legends of humans taken in and lost forever abound when it comes to the lagoon, a vast but still body of water completely surrounded by very tall boulders. While resting on the shores of the island, we were lucky enough to sight an eagle gliding back and forth the mountains.
Our last stop was Matukad Island, with sharp and layered rock formations similar to those in Lajos. At sundown, we decided to finish a few songs of Louis Armstrong before leaving the island, and exactly after the last melody of the song "What a Wonderful World," a school of flying fish went jumping in the waters in front of us as if on cue.
Whether as a tourist or a backpacker, new destinations--especially with great company and lesser crowds--can really give a sense of energy and utmost fulfillment. A satisfied soul can realize that travel is more than the photographs, or the great food, or the number of hours under the sun. It's really about experiencing heaven on earth, and celebrating life as it happens. And for us, Caramoan was simply the perfect place to do just that.
Images also by Andrei Martin Diamante
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