towering coconut treesIndeed, a tropical vacation in Cagbalete Island was rejuvenating. In the afternoon and early morning, I've walked the long shoreline of sandy beach and found a gem of a beach house! It can be easily missed because of tall dense trees that almost covered the facade of the house. The beach house is owned by a retired couple...and because I was nosy, I was given a grand tour. The house was mainly made of wood and bamboo, furnished in heavy wood furniture. The bathrooms and kitchen are modern---there was even a bath tub in the upstairs bathroom. There were 3 bedrooms on the ground floor and a loft for the masters bedroom. They also have their own power generator. A few meters from the main house is a pavilion with huge molave and kamagong dining furniture. I wondered how they transferred those furniture from Baguio to the island. Oh, the house can be rented, too, according to the owner. And I have their contact details.
Lavina's Aguho PlayaThe remoteness of this island is a blessing. There were no bikini open, no loud house music, and no videoke parties. We feasted on fresh sea foods, enjoyed the laid back lifestyle and passed the time by doing nothing. What a heaven!
This is our tent that we rented for 300 pesos (roughly $6.00) a night. There were two mattresses and pillows inside. Everything was cool and dandy---I even fell asleep early (which is not normal for me) until around 1:30 am when I woke up to the rain drops on my face! Yes, it was a rain storm and it really poured. Our mattresses soaked, pillows drenched, even our bags were wet! The rain water flowed into our tent, strong winds outside, it was very cold as we grappled with a flashlight and tried to salvage our bags. Who would think of bringing a rain coat in the middle of summer? It was actually hilarious! Mother Nature has ways of reminding us to be always prepared.My friend S abandoned ship and took refuge in a small chapel with a monoblock lounge chair. The couple in the neighboring tent ran to the dining area together with the rest of the campers. Guests in the cottages continued to dream and some didn't even know we had a rain storm. While I, the girl scout, stayed inside the tent, slept on one side to avoid getting soaked from the mattress and slept through it. And I don't know how and why, but the wetness didn't bother me...nothing could ruin my vacation! I woke up happy and refreshed. S slept the whole day and complained of a headache (yes, we packed a packet of paracetamol).
sun-bathing standing up
a young surfer
a cute beach bunny
the soloist
our anchorman
the cowboy on his early morning ride
Quite an adventure you had, really wet!
ReplyDeletewhat a fun camping trip. i love the sunbathing photo, very cool.
ReplyDeleteFresh afternoon catch! Staying in the tent looks much fun, minus the rain. You're right, who would have thought of bringing a raincoat. =)
ReplyDeletewe almost had the same expereince. from a sunny afternoon turned into a typhoon-like night. we actually transferred from tent to cottage accommodation because of that.
ReplyDeleteWow. How lovely to spend time on a beach! It's like reality TV show, Survivor. :)
ReplyDeleteMaganda ka palang kasama sa camping trip dahil trooper ka talaga. I wonder why the tent got wet inside. It usually get moist inside but not soaking wet. Siguro your tent was pitched along the path of heavy run-off and water got in that way. Anyway, the important thing is you still had fun.
ReplyDeletehi, bertN! medyo slope ang lugar ng tent namin kaya pinasok ng tubig. and there were no grooves around the tent either kaya walang napuntahan ang tubig kundi sa loob. too late when i noticed it...it was a sunny day kasi at di ko talaga naisip na uulan ng ganon kalakas.:D
ReplyDeletekorek...basta enjoy pa rin.:D
hello, dong! gustuhin man namin lumipat sa cottage, wala na rin. fully booked na e. there were more or less 20 tents that night.:D
ReplyDeletehi there, saw this blog while researching Cagbalete. we're planning to visit cagbalete this coming May1-2. I called Villa Cleofas but all their rooms, cottages and tents are fully booked. I learned from someone that there is this Sto.Nino Resort, do you happen to pass by there? Thank you!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing these and your tropical adventure. You're a trooper for sleeping in the wet like that. :-)
ReplyDeletehi, Anonymous! Sto. Nino Resort is about 300 meters from Villa Cleofas. and you're in luck, i actually have their contact details. look for Fely at 042-7841036 or 0921-7275398. if you could email your email address, i can even send you photos of Sto. Nino Resort.:D
ReplyDelete