Aspirin: 06/05/2005 - 06/12/2005

6.06.2005

Boracay

Romblon Island

La Luz in San Juan Batangas

BigSkyMind, Laguna-Pansol, and just Hanging out.

6.05.2005

because the rainy days are almost here, this is...

...What I did during the summer.

The rainy season is almost here and I still want to go to the beach. If I didn't have bigger dreams and aspirations, I would have left it all and settled on some isolated beach somewhere (okay, maybe not) And because I enjoyed the Philippines this year, I'm (I mean we hon) planning to see more of the motherland next year when I have more time (and moolah.)

Number one one my list (by order of visit) is:

La Luz Resort in San Juan Batangas

Although the sand is nowhere near fine, the place very good. Cabanas and deck chairs along the shoreline provide for good hangouts, and the place has an 'ends of the world feel' (well, at least that's how I feel about the place.) And every night after dinner, a bonfire is set on the beach for those who feel like spending the evening drinking or doing whatever. The only downside is that it's pretty expensive. The room is Php 1800 (good for 6 pax) and up, and then there's an Php 800 food package per head. The food package covers lunch upon arrival, afternoon snack, dinner and breakfast the following day before checkout. What's cool about the food package is that it's buffet all the way. For those of you who like to snorkel, just a few meters from the shore there are some live corals and fish. I've seen clown fish, blue tang's, and the sort. I've been to La Luz twice, and I still like it. It's pretty accessible, much like Subic. I'd consider La Luz as a sort of weekend getaway.

For more info, check them out at laluzresort.com

Next is this resort in Laguna (Villa-something in Pansol.)

This place is good if there are a lot of you and most don't like saltwater and sand and jellyfish. And this is a pretty good place to get drunk because you have the whole place to yourself. There were two rooms that were 'airconditioned' and a pool. Plus a grill for the guest's use.

I'm a pool-whore so any place with a good, clean pool is fine for me.

Number three is Romblon Island.

Romblon is the marble capital of the Philippines, along the road side you can see marble quarries and workshops. There are houses there that have facades that are made of marble. Marble statues abound, and from what I could only assume, marble is cheap there.

I really like this place because it hasn't been 'discovered yet.' There are virgin beaches all around the island, and the sand is pretty fine, almost Boracay-like. The water is really clean and clear, and according to some people we met there, there are some pretty good dive spots around the island. Although transport to the island is limited to sea travel only (an eleven-hour boat ride from the Batangas pier) it's definitely worth it once you're there. There are few resorts, but the rates are really good. Especially when compared to Boracay and Palawan. There are entrances to beaches that only cost Php 15, just to give you an idea. It's mostly nature tripping. We even got to trek up to this ancient, working lighthouse, which is pretty cool. Some of the landscape and seascape kinda reminded me of Far Cry. Next year, we're going back to explore and experience more of Romblon.

Number four was my brothers' first photo exhibit at BigSkyMind.

Held at BigSkyMind in E. Rodriguez, things kicked off at around 9:30. Most of the people were pretty young, band people, artiste-types, groupie-types, artistas (well, I think I saw two,) some rock scene people, and some friends I bumped into. I had two (I think) Reds so I could say I was floating a bit. Which was also why I decided to leave early, you can check out the more detailed story here.

Lastly, number five is Boracay.

First off, let me rattle off the things I do not like about Bora.

There are numerous cigarette butts in the sand. Everything you want to do entitles a monetary equivalent. There are almost no snorkeling sites. It is highly commercialized. The news reports about the mini-smokey mountain (read: dumpsite) are true. And the time frame we had wasn't enough.

Now for all the hype I have heard about Boracay, I can say that some of it is true. Especially about the sand. Sand here is very fine, almost powder-like. Especially at Puca Beach. The around-the-island tour was good enough except for the time limit. I got to snorkel at an off-shore site and swam with some curious fishes, although I would have liked a bit more of variety. The landscape is good (again, like Far Cry). I can't really say I fully experienced the whole Boracay experience, as we had gone during the working week instead of the weekend. I doubt I would have enjoyed the 'party-party' as I primarily go to the beach for the sand, sea, and fishes. I have mixed feelings as to whether or not I want to go back, maybe the next time I'm there on a weekend I'll know.

So... that wraps up the summer I guess... I'm planning on going to La Union to learn how to surf, but haven't really fixed the time sched. And I want to go back to Palawan and snorkel some more (so far, Palawan and Romblon are on the top of my list) hopefully next year.

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