The Year I've become a traveller

2014 TRAVELS

List of places I've been for the past year

2014 is a memorable one mainly because of the following:

1. I started this blog TARA GUMALA. 

2. I started travelling and organized DIY travels. 

3. I got a life insurance. 

4. I traveled with my family.

5. I got a chance to do a volunteer work before the year ends. 

Hoooraaaaahhhh!

Okay, I do not know how to start this, I'm in a dilemma whether to present it chronologically or based on my favorite spots. :) I guess, to avoid any biases, I will just have to go with the chronologically order. 

1. Baler, Aurora

2. Calaguas Island, Camarines Norte

3. Albay, Bicol

4. Subic Beach, Sorsogon

5. Rock Formation, Biri, Northern Samar

6. Apo Reef, Sablayan, Occidental Mindoro

7. Puerto Princesa, Palawan

8. El Nido, Palawan

9. Boracay Island, Aklan

10. Davao City + Samal Island

11. Mt. Pulag National Park, Benguet

12. Sitio Yangka, Capas, Tarlac

Puro local lang travel ko for 2014, how about in 2015? :)

Wow, it was like I travelled every month. Amazing! Thank you Lord for this year of travel, for keeping me safe always.


Cheers to more years of travels! Cheers to endless wanderlust! Cheers, TARA GUMALA! :)


Thank you for travelling with me, looking forward to our future travels.

Ano, TARA GUMALA?


CIAO. 
--
GABRIELA

Travel Guide to Calaguas!

How can 3,000 Php be sufficient to a legendary weekend getaway in Calaguas Island?

Some may be skeptical with it but this is totally true! It was indeed a "SULIT NA SULIT" budget trip because it was hassle free from land travel to boat travel to the tent we had to the food they served!

Hmm. Still raising your eye brow? HAHA. How did we managed it? It's so simple. So we have been searching for a package that is not expensive but still has quality. Me and +Claire Mansit were reading blogs about their DIY trip to Calaguas, and we assessed that we need to get a package since we have some not-so-oldies with us. A something suitable for young ones and 40 years old above. Hehe.

We had a tough choice between the tour packages in the internet but in the end we chose http://www.calaguasislands.com because it came from an official in Municipality of Vinzons, Mr. Noli Pajarin, and we had a smooth communication with him. He patiently answered all our queries and settlements. Immediately after Claire talked to him, he sent a quotation for our trip which really impressed us and there are times that he will be the one to call us up. (0920) 661-1018. here is his number.

With Sir Noli Pajarin

Our package is worth 1,900 per pax inclusive of Food, Tent, Boat, Island Hopping, Entrance Fee and Environmental Fee. It was a great deal because we do not have to go to the market, bring it to the island and cook food. The 8- hour land travel plus 2-hour boat ride was really exhausting, we opted to reserve our energy to enjoy the pristine beach of Calaguas. 

We chose DLTB as our transit bus to Daet, Camarines Norte. I called Philtranco but their Premium Bus costs 650 Php and the station is in Pasay. DLTB also has a Premium Bus worth 650 Php while the regular bus costs 513 Php and the pick up station is in Cubao along EDSA. It was Sunday before our trip when I booked our tickets and got surprised when the regular bus that leaves at 7:00 pm is already fully booked! We opted to reserve tickets to the Premium Bus which leaves Manila at 9:00 pm. 

My view for 8 hours.

Note: Never ride the premium bus if you gets irritated with foul smell. Since Premium Bus has a comfort room, you can smell the strong odor of mixed concentrated urine combined with a perfume! How pungent that smell was! GOODNESS!!! My head ached during the whole trip.  -_- Bummer. Good thing the seats are spacious enough and you can recline it. 

Good thing everything was settled, a jeep was waiting for us to transport us to the port of Vinzons where our boat and Sir Noli were waiting. Did not expect that kind of crowd! There were buses, vans, private vehicles, tricycles and jeeps. Aaaah! 

See how many boats were there. 

Since it was getting late, we were warned that we will go faster but we will definitely get wet. It only took us 1 and a half hour boat ride going to Calaguas but we were all soaking wet! Being adventurous has a price! haha. 

When we looked for comfort rooms, to our dismay, it has payment. For every bucket of water we have to pay 10 pesos! What the?! I mean, it is a bit expensive especially when I saw how near the deep well is. Good thing they are locals. 

There are also Sari-Sari Stores in the area but yea it is really pricey, so bringing your own snack is cheaper. This is what we brought. 

We did not made any unnecessary expenses except for fresh water because all our needs are included in the package. The food that they are serving is delicious and you can taste that it is fresh. I enjoyed it because there are 3 different kinds of viands served every meal plus fresh fruits! What more can you ask for? Plus they set up a bonfire for us! Aha. Bonfire in the beach!

How much did we spend?? Here is the breakdown of how much I really spent in Calaguas. 

So there you have it. This is what we call "Bonggang Pasok sa Budget Trip". We had a little luxury with our food and booze that is why we had to add 150 Php. I know you can make this cheaper! If you want to know more, feel free to do so just leave a comment and I will answer it. 

It's more fun in the Philippines!

Ano, TARA GUMALA?

CIAO.

--

GABRIELA

Oman Is An Island meets Tara Gumala

My trip to Calaguas was a memorable one because of its pristine beach and the people I am with. 

We always have our first. For me, it was my first time to ride a boat for 2 hours with no stop, have a night road trip and travel with one of the famous travel bloggers in the country, none other than *drumroll please* Oman is an Island of www.lawstude.net!
 

 Let's talk about him! Oman or as we all call him Atty. Oman, is one of the well - known travel bloggers in the country. He is a Certified Public Accountant and a Lawyer! Lawccountant in the house!! HAHA. He's so versatile, witty and very funny in his own way. I am so glad I met him, imagine I have a friend who is a lawyer, accountant and a blogger all in one! It is like coffee, 3-in-1!

I was not expecting that he will join our trip because he's been there. I was really excited when he gave me his down payment, he is serious about it, he's coming with us! Yey!

It was a nice, knowledgeable and fun experience with him. He gave me a lot of insights about traveling and photography. He visited Calaguas around 2010 when the place is literally unspoiled. He told us that it was just a plain stretch of white sand and there were wild vines in the area plus only few people were there. There were a lot of changes in the place but they were able to maintain the serenity of the place. There is no electricity, and the water is still from deep well.

I've always wanted to be a pro in photography but I do not have the patience and talent to adjust the setting from time to time. I was amazed how fast Atty. Oman shift from one setting to another setting manually! He was like, adjust adjust then click, picture perfect! He also woke up early just to take pictures, now that is what you call dedication. How I wish I have that. haha.

O, did I mention that he is a great cook? He brought his portable gas range plus some light weight pan and pots. It was all in a small pouch. For the record it is the most portable and smallest "lutuan" I have ever seen that is really functional! 

Yummy sopas made by Oman Is An Island

So that was my experience with Oman is an Island. Thanks to him I learned a lot of things about traveling, photography and sometimes legal matters for free! Hope we could travel more together in the future.

 

Oman is an Island meets Tara Gumala!

How about you? Have you been with him? Share it with me!



Ano, Tara Gumala! 



CIAO.
--
GABRIELA

Exploring Calaguas

CALAGUAS THRU TARA GUMALA'S EYES!

Calaguas Islands is a two hour boat ride from Vinzons, Camarines Norte. It is facing the Pacific Ocean so the waves and current are strong. Her beauty is so alluring! The 9 hour bus trip plus 2 hour boat ride was worth it! Her white sand and bluish water is breathtaking and far more beautiful than Boracay.

I've been reading blogs on what is the easiest way to go there if we do a DIY trip. Thanks to Sir Noli Pajarin of www.calaguasislands.com for making our trip more convenient and hassle free. You can contact him with this number (0920) 661-1018. 

He is very accommodating and he makes sure that you are enjoying the trip. He even gave us discount! Plus, he works with the Municipality and his ideals are amazing. Sir Noli is the Municipal Accountant and wanted to make a breakthrough by promoting and centralizing the tourism of Calaguas and help the locals.

We availed the package which cost 1,900 Php per person, this is the cheapest because with what I saw in other travel agents, they are asking 2,500 - 3, 500 Php per person. Our deal includes boat transfers, food, tent and island hopping. We all enjoyed our food and we don't have to line up like what others do and they serve fresh seafood and very abundant fruits! Yummy!


We also explored the Balagbag islet, which is only accessible during low tide. The rock formation is a must see and the waves that is coming straight from Pacific Ocean is like in the movies. The way how the waves hit the stones is picturesque!

The coral reef in Calaguas is a bit disappointing because the corals are dead though there are fishes but it is not appealing to see. Wish the Municipality could to something with this.



Being away from the main land, Calaguas Islands do not have electricity. Good thing there is a deep well which is the main source fresh water. There are three kinds of accommodation in the island. First, Camping with Tent. Second, sleep in hammock. Third, Cabanas of Waling Waling Resort. Well, the first and second options are perfect for budget travellers while the last option is perfect for 40 years old and above. HAHA!

 Calaguas Island can be touristy and crowded during summer. There are lots of people from different kinds of tour packages and every tour has different and "innovative" approach to attract clients. Some put up a mobile bar (no offense but I think it sucks) and some tourists gets tipsy which we all know where it leads. Maybe in few years time, this will be like Boracay, if not properly taken care. It will be crowded, developed and spoiled. From afar, you can already see that the place is crowded because of different kinds of tents on the beach.

To sum it up, Calaguas is still pristine though it can really be crowded. I enjoyed the beach, food and camping! I recommend this place for a perfect weekend getaway. The long travel is worth it.  I swear!

 
Ano, TARA GUMALA! 


CIAO.
--
GABRIELA