Scribblings

April 29 - 30, 2012. A trip to Cagbalete Island in Mauban, Quezon.

It was a tiring trip to get there, roughly 6 hours public transpo ride from Kamias, Q.C. all the way to the island. You can take a bus ride from Jac Liner in Kamias going to Lucena. There are trips going straight to Mauban but the earliest leaves at 5:00am. We took the Lucena bus since we need to be at the Mauban port before 10:00am because the boat going to Cagbalete leaves at 10:30am. The bus from Kamias left at 4:00am and by 7:30am we were already in the Lucena Grand Terminal. The JAC liner bus was freezing cold that I have to take my sarong out and use it as blanket :)

At the Lucena Grand Terminal, we head straight to the bus going to Mauban. There are no aircon buses going to Mauban so expect to have a bad-hair-day when you get to the town after 2 hours of non aircon bus ride. The Lucena to Mauban trip was pretty fun, the fact that it is a non aircon bus means you get to feel the fresh air plus the driver, being a bit reckless, makes you feel like you’re in a roller coaster ride. He drives so fast in the zigzagged area of the road. At 10:00am we were already in the Mauban port.

There are only two trips a day from Mauban port to Cagbalete Island and vice versa. From Mauban port to the island, the boat leaves at 10:30am and 4:00pm. From Cagabalete to Mauban it’s 7:30am and 1:00pm. If you miss the “pasaherohan” trips, you can charter boats from the port to the island or from the island to Mauban port but this will be very costly since the boat ride is an hour or so depending on the waves.

For the locals, the one way fare is just 40 pesos. But for tourists, it’s 180 pesos for a roundtrip boat ticket. So the tourists get to pay environmental fees and other government fees and the fund is supposed to be used for the improvement of the port. If you get to see the port, it badly needs improvement because the port is as small as a one way street with a single lane for tricycles and other vehicles. 

The boat left before 10:30am because it is already full. By noon time we are already at the island. When you get the island, the “pasaherohan” boat stops near the shore but not too near. Passengers will have to transfer on a smaller boat to get to the shore. There are some locals with their own boat offering a boat ride headed straight to the resort your choice for an amount you can bargain. We were offered a package deal of 250 pesos for the 4 of us headed to Pansacola resort. We declined the offer and preferred to walk and do some sight seeings in the island. It was a 15 minute walk under the sun and one would not get lost because there were trails that you just have to follow. The residents were also kind enough to tell you which way even if you’re not asking because they obviously know if you’re a tourist in the area. With a small island like that, I think they know all the people living in the island.

When we finally reached the resort, we head straight to the canteen where the owner was. There are no reception area in this resort. Only the canteen that serves as the kitchen and receiving area. We were guided to the tree house which was just across the canteen. We rested for a while and after a few minutes they served us our lunch. For 1000 pesos per head for 3 meals and 2 meriendas, it was super worth it. For lunch we had the Squid, grilled pork, tuna with fern “pako” and fresh mangoes. Fresh buko and turon for merienda. The dinner was totally a feast. Crispy pata, chicken tinola, grilled fish and pineapple. For breakfast, fried rice, tuyo, sunny-side-up egg and adobo. The last merienda was pancit and maruya. 

Cagbalete was blessed with white sand and clean clear water.

The water is shallow on Pansacola Resort. It was going low tide when we arrived. The water is only until your ankle even if you are already 200 meters away from shore.

That’s us sitting far from the shore with shallow water.

Since we can’t swim with the shallow water, we just fooled around making all stunts of jump shots. 

I forgot to mention that the resort does not have electricity during days but a generator works from 6pm to 6am. So charge all phones and cameras at night.

They also offer full body massage for an hour for just 250 pesos. 

A boatman offered us island hopping for 100 pesos per person. He brought us to the other side of the island where you can swim and check the mangroves. Be warned, the boat will be anchored far from the shore, with the water chest deep. So if you decide to bring a camera, make sure it’s water proof or you have the water proof case on it or else you’ll have to leave the camera on the boat with the bangkero. 

The water is unbelievably pristine on this part of the island. As if you are in a pool with white tiles.

You can check My View of the island hopping experience at http://www.dermandar.com/p/cXVyNQ/my-view-at-cagbalete-island

The island hopping is the part where you get most of your tan so better be ready with your sunblock if you don’t want to get toasted under the sun. After two hours of the island hopping experience we head back to the resort to pack up and leave.

We left the island at around 1:00pm and we arrived at Tayabas, Quezon at 3:30pm. We stopped by at my cousin’s relatives and we were invited to eat. After eating we bought some pasalubong like the Budin and espasol. Off to Lucena we go to catch the bus for Cubao/Kamias. No JAC liner at the terminal and we have no choice but to take the Lucena lines aircon bus. It was a bit less spacious compared to the Jac Liner bus. We were all exhausted from our beach-itch experience so we all took a nap on the bus. The bus was really uncomfy because of the space that you can’t even recline your chair. We arrived in Kamias at around 9:00pm. Took a cab home and slept. I felt like I missed my bed so much after that long tiring bus ride.

I never thought that a place like Cagbalete Island existed in Quezon. Only after this trip that I realized, you don’t have to search far to find the best places in the Philippines. #itsmorefuninthephilippines

The chicken store in Pearl Drive that shares its stall with the Caveman and Yeti frozen dessert.

Crucy, Ivy, Merry and I are first-timers here. No idea as to what type of chicken they serve, we curiously read its menu from the outside of the store. Since there’s no one at the store other than the store attendant, she opened the door and invited us in. We did not immediately gave in to her invitation, instead we stood curiously still outside the stall continuously reading the big menu. After realizing that the attendant was waiting for us at the door for minutes now, we decided to give it a try.

With choices of chicken, chicken and chicken, we all ordered chicken. No wonder it’s called chicken park! Kidding aside, they have options like chicken wings, drumsticks, chicken chop and chicken combo. Each priced at P99. P110 if ordered with rice.

Chicken combo is the combination of one drumstick and two wings. Chicken chop is the breaded chicken fillet, breast part with lots of pepper on it. They say it’s their best seller.

What makes this store different from other chicken joints is the choices of sauces. They have the Spicy sesame, sweet sesame, honey garlic and ginger soy.

Crucy ordered the chicken chop with honey garlic sauce. Ivy, always the spicy-food-lover, tried the chicken chop in spicy sesame. Merry got the chicken combo in spicy sesame. I, being a not-so-much-of-a-chicken-breast-fan ordered the chicken combo in ginger soy.

Thumbs up for the honey garlic sauce and ginger soy! I may be biased but between the two, I’d score higher for the ginger soy. The ginger is just enough to give a twist on the soy which is mixed with a bit of sugar. The honey garlic sauce speaks for itself. Honey sweet, seasoned with a bit of soy and garlic. To spicy food lovers, the spicy sesame is a must try. It’s too spicy for me, I guess. Even Ivy and Merry, who are certified spicy food lovers, nearly gave up and almost did not finish their meal.

All in all, the chicken is good and the sauce makes it better. Good value for money. One serving can be shared by two, just add extra rice for the second person.

By the way, no photos on this entry. I was just too hungry to bother taking pictures of it.