Sweet Escape to Cagbalete Island

Quezon province had been known to have secret white beaches and hidden coves though many of which are still waiting to be discovered. One of Quezon's pride is the charming Cagbalete Island off the coast of Mauban.

Lovely.

One hot summer night we came up with a plan to visit Cagbalete thanks to a colleague that recently visited the island and took lovely photos. I knew that this was a perfect weekend getaway for budget travelers. I also was also excited to sample on the fresh treats from the sea.

Morning scene

Coconut trees

Fire tree sitting outside the town plaza

There were 3 resorts in the area and we opted for the popular Villa Cleofas. We made reservations for the bamboo hut. Everything went well and we were given confirmation.

The two public boats ferry both locals and tourists to and from Cagbalete. After registering our names,we took our seats and waited for the other passengers to aboard.

Chillin' like a BOSS

Not so happy, Clyde? HAHA!

All kinds of goodies were being brought to the boat.A big block of ice, sacks of rice and junk food and toiletries, 3 huge dogs, a big plastic filled with fish, several cases of beer and soda etc. There was an old lady that carried 3 big bags of bread. The boat was full to the brim (if there's such thing). Locals sat on the makeshift bamboo seats outside the boat to make room for everyone.

He looks at it as if he's seeing it for the first time.

From the docking area in Cagbalete, to reach the other side of the island where the resorts are,one has to choose between a.) hire a boat or b.) take the 1km trek to the resort area with a guide/porter. We chose the latter. We walked through narrow pathways, concrete roads,a forest that has dried up,along grassy plains all under the unforgiving heat of the sun.

1 km trek to Villa Cleofas

I was thinking more of a walk along the shore but the guide said that's how they used to do it, not until this shortcut  to lessen the travel time.

Villa Cleofas was the farthest among all three resorts. It was already low tide when we arrived and we were glad to have taken the second option because of the tide, those who took the boat had to walk approximately 150 meters to get to the shore.

How low can you go? ;)

Adobong Pusit

Everything was perfect except when one of the attendants asked us to go to the reception area to fix something. Apparently, they got their reservations screwed up and also reserved the hut to another family. They were asking us to transfer to one of the concrete rooms for an additional fee. Transferring to another room was okay, but to pay for more?

We didn't want to spoil our vacation (and it was my first time to be traveling with hubby's brothers) so we paid the extra, shook it off and started our walk to Bonsai Island. The water was unbelievably warm at that time that most of the visitors opted to lounge at the shore.

Sleep all day

MUST.LOSE.WEIGHT

Bonsai Island

Starfish in Bonsai Island

Is this a sea urchin?

  In no time, the resort started to fill with laughter and friendly banter that radiated from the campers  that arrived late in the afternoon. The chaotic scene came to a hush and was replaced by clicks coming from cameras of all shapes and sizes, wanting to somehow capture the mesmerizing sunset scene, though highlighted amidst the darkness of the horizon, slowly faded into the light.

 

Captured.