Calaguas 2025

Fast forward 2025. I have to admit, I have honestly forgot about this blog. 3 years without a blog post.  Did I  get busy? Well yes and no. Just lazy. Anyway., ived been through a lot of riding the bike lately thats why. I will post some of them soon. And of course, my yearly Calaguas tour. The Island is like the same as ever but better.  What do I mean by better? There are less people. The Island is now in population control. Regulated by the tourism department to preserve its natural beauty. Few years back it was getting ugly due to pollution, over population of guests and the un controlled number of resort operators. Now, Calaguas Island became stricter, Only major resorts are allowed to operate. And the rules became stricter. Hence, the beach is again, worth visiting.

Like before, I still pitch my tent under the tree. As I write this blog, I still remember the fond memories of Calaguas. The time I met Abby. How good it was just chillin by the beach. Drinking while having some bbq. Anyways., it was always good. Always be. Even in memories. Now, i have to make new ones. New memories to cherish. And Calaguas is always a nice place to start.  I really love this Island. For me , the best beach in this country. Been here 22 times. 

 

I met new friends thanks to my good ol friend Kuya Dhenver. Met Kuya Dewen and his wife Ate Owen. Engr Ronald also tagged along with us! Fresh from Siargao. He really wanted to come with us along with his family. Nikki was also there who just came from US. Mariko and Greg also joined us. Its a fun bunch. Many thanks to our tour org  Josh for making this happen.

 

there goes Nikki enjoying her tan. 

What better things to do in the Island? To drink. Good thing Josh provided us a huge tent where we can pitch our tent. Gave us shade and protected  us from rain. Nice!

As always, food was great. My favorite bicolano dish, Sinantolan was served. Also the buttered seafood platter is always a favorite. This is actually my favorite part in the trip, eating. They serve really good food out there. 

   

Many thanks to Calaguas Paradise Resort once again for having us. One of the best here in Calaguas Island. If you are not into camping, there are a lot of villas to choose from. They offer good food and their common bathrooms are clean. If you happen to visit Calaguas, i do recommend this place.

 

No doubt, Calaguas is still my favorite beach so far. Yes Palawan beaches is really beautiful. But generally going to Calaguas is definitely on top of the list. Why? because the place is basically spectacular but will not hurt your wallet. This is just me. An ordinary citizen who earns enough. Going to places like Palawan, Siargao, Siquijor is quite expensive due to the surge of ticket prices and hotel accomodations. In Calaguas, i just spent 6,000 pesos all in for 3 days and 2 nights. With this kind of place, its definitely a bargain.

Here's a video I made from that trip.  Thank you once again. Promise. I wont be lazy this time.

 

The Siargao Magic

Areal shot of cloud 9 taken at 600 feet around 6 in the morning

At first I thought it was all hype. All of them said that its one of the best place to go. You can see it on vlogs. Instagram posts. Facebook. Celebrities flock. Some even moved in for good. I thought it was all hype! And I was wrong. Siargao is truly one of the best attractions, Philippines has to offer. I was hooked by Siargao's Magic! 

Never had a chance to surf. Imagine I went to Siargao and didnt surf? Stupid me.

This is the famous Cloud 9. Its the popular surf spot where surfers from beginners to pro athletes go. Young, old. As long as surfing is in your blood, this is the place. This is the sanctuary. I have my drone with me that time and I really wanted to take a photo of the place from top. I flew for about 600 feet and took a shot. It was really breath taking. I never saw Cloud 9 anything like it. You can see the waves crashing as surfers go crazy attacking it. I never had a chance to surf though due to the tight sked we had. But i did tried something better! 

Im just so happy i rode a bike again. Now Im having thoughts to buy a motorcycle

I rode a motor bike! Its been a while since I rode one. The last time was when I was still in Highschool and Im just riding mountain bikes ever since. I was really anxious and I had that fear I may crash. Then that quote hit my head saying " Everything that you ever wanted is on the other side of fear ". So there. Right at that moment I was cruising! 

Bike has no registration. 1st ticket in Siargao. Ride impounded

We travelled almost 50 kms all over Siargao with our bikes! One of the most unforgettable moment was we were riding early evening and its dark. You can see coconut trees on your left and coconut trees on your right. And theres this one straight road ahead and theres the moon shining at its fullest and its brightest in top of the road. Too bad i never had a chance to take a photo. Its all in my head now.  

The calm after the storm. Wer just so happy our trip was smooth even after the storm.

  When we arrived in Siargao, it was raining. There was actually a typhoon and our departure flight from Clark actually got cancelled. We actually lost one day of vacation. Well, theres nothing you can do for things you cant control. And its better to be safe than sorry. Good thing my brother, Kuya Bam and his wife Ate Ley opened their doors for us and let us stayed at their home for the night. Early next day, we went on our trip to Siargao.

The rocks are so sharp its hard to move around. 

We went to the famous Mangpupungko Rock Pools! Its like 30Kms away from the main city of General Luna. It was a long ride. It was fun though. I havent cruised that far using a motor bike. We arrived at the place and there was time restrictions when to enter and went to get out. 

This place is jampacked with people! 

The pools are only swimmable during low tide. If the tides hit, its gonna be nasty. Coz the rocks, corals there are razor sharp. I swam a little. But my main concern is again to take photo of the place. Its really beautiful from the top. Im just glad i have a drone to capture this images. Im so happy. Weather was really nice as well. Bright and sunny. 

This place is best probably for a pre wedding venue

We went to this place called Corregidor Island in Dapa, Surigao del Norte. Its really amazing coz you can see the rolling hills! Its a beautiful place. It has grass not that tall. You can see cows grazing. Its kinda like Batanes actually... 

Thats nico and ara sweet-sweetan sa damuhan

Theres a little trek though I don't mind. Its good exercise actually. I really like the slight breeze... what I dont like is when the sun is out, there is no shade so good luck getting your skin burned. Its all worth it though.

Im not sure if this island goes underwater during lowtide. Probably. Sobrang init dito.

We also went to this place called the Naked Island. You dont have to get naked to go there unless u want to... haha. The island has no trees whatsoever so goodluck getting toasted. You can swim there. You can also snorkel around if you want to. Its one of those destinations if you pay for island hopping. This photo is actually unedited. It came straight out of the drone.

I really wanted to swim during this times kaso sobrang init! Kumain na lang ako. Haha

Then we went to Daku Island to get some lunch. The island is a long stretch of white sand beach! Its really beautiful. Theres cottages there to hang out. The locals serve lunch there. They prepare it there as well. 

This is too much effort! We were staring at Kuya Tata kung kelan ba sya matatapos.  Haha

I would like to take this opportunity to give thanks and promote  "The Best Siargao Tour Guide " led by Kuya Tata who organised our island hopping trip and also prepared this amazing lunch for us. Search them at facebook. 

A photo with Kuya Tata. He's the guy to bump into if you want to go around the island.

Just look for Kuya Tata thebestsiargaotourguide on IG. Amazing isnt it. We had fish, BBQs, shrimps, kebabs and fruits for dessert. So good! Diet ruined. Haha. 

Guyam Island! An island with the best Mango Graham shakes! Tattoed in my head

This is Guyam Island! We stayed for here for a while and had snacks. Tried one of the best Mango Graham shake I ever had. Swam a little. And yes took photos of the island. 

Im dreaming of this right now. 

The shake is so good. Really refreshing. According to "ate", this is their best seller. So i tried it and true enough it speaks for itself. For hundred pesos (around $2) for a glass, its really good. You have to try it once you visit the island. 

At first I wanted a shot with no people in it but it wouldnt be that interesting. 

We also went to Maasin River! The famous river where you swing around a coconut tree  like tarzan onto the river. I saw kids doing 360 dives up there! Its really amazing. You can actually ride a raft here and paddle your way and explore the river. Due to lack of time and its getting dark, we skipped that part and moved on to the next spot...

I forgot to mention that this place has a lot of beautiful ladies.

Sugba Lagoon is one of the most visited place in Siargao. There, you can jump of a 15 foot high plank, paddle the kayak, go snorkling.. 

I envy people who can float at their backs. Hindi ako marunong eh. 

Since its a lagoon and the place is surrounded with small islands, the water is very calm. We have to cut short our time there because its getting dark and the place is about to close. We really had fun there.. 

I forgot the name of this island. Will edit as soon as I remember. :P

If ever im going back to siargao, im gonna buy another gwapitos shirt and go surf.

I really miss this place. If I ever I have a chance to go back, i'd definitely would. What I like about Siargao is the people. Everyone is smiling. Everyone is chill. It has a pretty laid back environment. I also love the food. Its very diverse. The place is packed with foreigners a lot of the locals serve different kinds of food. I also like Siargao being traffic free unlike here in Manila. Its really fun riding a bike there. One of those things that I really enjoy. 

Here in Manila, 1 liter of Red Horse is already priced at 200 pesos. Its absurd. 

Best part doing in Siargao is drinking at the beach. Listening to the sound of the waves as you finish that bottle. Staring at the sea. Burying your feet into the sand. Lying down at the sand. Looking at a gazillion stars. Watching it fall. Simple things that you dont do in the city. 

Everytime I look at my own pic I laugh.

I really love travelling. If I have a ton of money in the world you wont see me in one place for a really long time. Id probably go travel around the world. See different cultures. Eat different kinds of dishes. I never wished of anything else actually. I just wanna go around. I promised to myself after the quarantine, I'd go travelling. As of now, out of the 82 provinces in the Philippines, ived been to 40 of them. Thats almost half. Im hopeful to have more projects in the future. Projects that would set my foot to different places. 

Yessss the travel group. More lakwatsas to all of us after quarantine! 

Shout out to my friends who were with there with me. From right thats Dan, Nico, Ara, PV , me.. then Mark and Meg. Thanks guys! Lets do this again! Where next??? We really had a blast out there in Siargao. I cant wait to go back. They say that its better to wander when you are able. 

When we go old, we might lose that chance.  Thank you for reading. Its quite long. hehe

Zambalove

When somebody asks you " Do you have any plans this weekend? " My eyes usually brights up and I immediately ask why. Are we going somewhere? Usually the answer is yes! As an ultimate kaladkarin, I just have to pack my clothes, my gear and all my bags and leave. Im going to embark on a trip to one of my favorite places in Luzon, Zambales. Where everything is chill, fun and wet. Welcome to Liw- Liwa! A weekend trip that is hard to forget! Join me in my journey! 

Zambales sand is not white but its fairly fine. What i love with Liw-Liwa's beach is that the sea shore is very wide.  Free of coconut trees that usually causes debris. It means you can do a lot of things like pitch a tent, play frisbee, or do team building activities or maybe just lay a beach mat, bring out the cooler and drink all day! 

Drinking  ice cold beer at the beach is one of my favorite things to do in life. Its almost like a bliss when you bury your feet into the sand as it massages you while you sip and listen to the sound of the waves. Its like a barrage of emotions rushing into your head! You just wanna close your eyes and savor the moment. 

Wanna get wet and stoked? Go surf! Liwa's waves are really nice. Wether you're an expert or a beginner, pretty sure you will have fun riding it. I think for less than 500 pesos, you can already rent out the board and get the surfing lessons. Board rental is 250. If you wish to have an instructor with you, 450.

The kuyas out there are really nice and friendly. Pretty sure you will learn surfing asap. We even went to their workshop and we saw them refurbishing a beat down surf board. Its pretty gruelling stuff but perfection needs patience and great craftsmanship. It's nice hanging out with them. 

We stayed at Le Quvoh Beachfront Resort. I love it there. Its super chill. They have this suite room for only 5,000 pesos where four of you can fit in. You can actually get an extra bed where you can fit up to six. Its really nice. It has its own bathroom. You have a balcony. Its aircon. Pretty decent for 5k. 

Its a great place to hangout. Have deep conversations... haha. I dunno. Mingle. Have a glass of wine. Or drink booze by the balcony as you stare at the beach. Life is good. 

That is actually Black Label on a wine glass. Im just out there chillin. I think I was starting to get wasted early. Like wer drinking as early as 1pm. We had.., black label, some Jack... we had beer, and yes i also brought some wine. By the way that wine glass is actually made of acrylic. Bought it at Crates and Barrel specifically for times like these. I used it a lot of times but never brought it to the beach. This is actually her debut beach trip. =)

If you're on a budget, you can actually pitch a tent for a small fee of 250 pesos. You just have to pay an extra 100 pesos each for the entrance. Theres a common bathroom. Theres also a cooking area. You can bring food if you wish. Let me whisper this to your ears come close, theres no corkage... Hell yeah! I saw a large group there. They had like 10-12 tents! It was crazy! They pitched just beside the beach.  They were all having drinks...partying like crazy. They'r having the time of their lives. 

I saw this FJ Cruiser having fun at the beach! Cruising with friends as they circle around the shore! I even saw this ford ranger around while the girls on their bikinis at the back! Oh yeah. hehe. I dont wanna be the driver of that pickup, i just wanna be the dude at the back of the truck along with the girls...wet and crazy! haha :P Jk lang.  Im a good boy. 

Watching the sunset is something I really love doing. Its proof that no matter how rough the day went by, it will end beautifully somehow. Liw-Liwa's beach has one of the perfect vantage points if you want to see the sunset. Its mesmerising. Bro can I get a tissue, i feel like crying... joke! 

I met a couple of people there at Liwa. They were sitting by the shore looking at their friend as he was busy surfing. I noticed the girl, is using a Fuji camera. I was thinking, it would be hard for her to take pictures using the kit lens. I was kind enough to offer my telephoto so she can take pics of her friend. We had a long chat about photography. About manila traffic... and a lot of stuff. It was pretty nice convo. She was a physical therapist. (I'd love to have therapy that time though). She was like a regular at Liw-Liwa. So regular that she actually  knows the locals out there! She knew the surf instructors. She knew ate who sells keychains and souvenirs. It was amazing! Sad thing about that moment was, I never asked for her name. Nor her number. Nor her facebook account. Nothing.  We just talked like we knew each other without knowing our names. How stupid could I be? 

Im almost at the end of this blog. Its really nice blogging again. I dunno, last couple of years was rough for me and its like i dont give an F to the world anymore... why blog about it. I realised that, the world is full of changes. You may be down but you can always go up. Its like a wheel ran over some dog shit.  As the wheel roll, shit eventually goes off. So as in life, just keep on rollin' off the shit out of you. Just dont stop and move forward. Its pretty disgusting analogy thou...

Im leaving you with this short video that I made. Forgive me since im still studiying making videos though. Im not good flying a drone for now... These four clips actually took a lot of re-takes. Well, its ok to make mistakes. Thats life. You can always try again. Just make sure you have a lot of batteries  or you'll fish out your drone at the sea. 

Anyways, I would like to thank my friends Mark and Jinnie for inviting me. It was crazy of you guys to make it last minute. Also to Le Quvoh Beachfront Resort over at Liw-Liwa Zambales. Specially to Ate Mhy and Kuya Ferds. Thank you so much. We will be back soon. And most specially, to our Lord almighty who continues to shower us  with blessings, talents and beauty all around us. Thank you for always keeping us safe at our travels. Salamat Zambales. Salamat sa Dagat at Alat. Till next time!