A Slice of Paradise - Calaguas Island

I decided to visit the Bicol region and this time I brought a friend from Europe. My original plan was to visit Donsol to swim with the whalesharks, however I fell in love with Calaguas Island in Camarines Norte, and so we decided to just stay here for the rest of my holiday.

It would be nice to travel with someone sometimes, especially if you share some similar views. Though at times it’s a little difficult to travel in your own country with a foreigner, particularly if the person is a first-timer in Asia, oftentimes I found myself explaining all the differences, and when I get fed up, I get a bit defensive. I tried to understand but all the grumbles get into me sometimes. And the violent reaction is switched on once again. But somehow I was able to minimize the violent mood swings until the end.

We took the 7 hour bus ride from Manila to Daet and arrived in our destination way too early. We tried to find the jeepney going to Vinzon’s place or to the Pandawan fish port, where we could take the passenger’s boat to Brgy. Banocboc. I guess the people were trying to trick us with the schedule of the boat so we could choose to rent one for P7000, which is way too expensive for us. It’s more than what we could afford. The people at the port told us that the boat will leave at 1:00 pm. So we left and decided to hang out in Bagasbas beach at the crack of dawn.

We watched the sun as it slowly exposed itself from the small waves of Bagasbas beach. We fell asleep to that surreal moment. Then I woke up and looked at my phone, the tricycle driver who took us to this beach sent a message about the boat schedule. The passenger’s boat was leaving at 9am.

We arrived in Brgy. Banocboc after 1 hour, and the views on the way are amazing. And from this small village we took another 30 minute boat ride to the small island they called “Mahabang Buhangin”.

I was completely stunned when I saw the long stretch of powdery white sand. It was so bright and as white as snow, glowing under the November sun. The sand was smooth and flat, no signs of footprints anywhere, no people around that time. The emerald water is truly inviting, cold and clear, and underneath is the soft sand that melts in your feet. This is heaven.

Calaguas is a dreamy place, probably the best island I have visited to date, a hidden piece of paradise probably reserved for 2 people who just want to get lost in time. There are some cottages you can rent if you do not have a tent, or one can probably just sleep outside and watch the night get lit with thousands of flickering stars.

The next day, we rented this small wooden boat with a small hole at the bottom and paddled to another island across, there are some good spots for snorkeling around here. We climbed up the hill in this empty island to get a full view of Calaguas, and watched the waves slowly crashing to these big rocks below us.

And to end the day, we watched the rosy sunset flood over the sea. Everything about this place is beautiful and mysterious . . . .

You can walk through the grassy farm towards the small village if you need anything. There are some small sari-sari stores where you can buy some canned foods or rice. The caretaker in the beach can also cook something for you. And one night, we saw this one tree glowing with fireflies. We went under it and watched in awe. It was a very magical moment.

The place was magical and seemed all unreal. I couldn't express the beauty of it in mere words. Perhaps I could have written more about it, should I have been alone. But now it seems that it hurts to remember all the good memories, happiness was shared and the place became special. I don’t know if I should regret bringing someone into this kind of setting, because I know that it will make all the difference. It was a fleeting moment. It was beautiful.

It was my own paradise . . . .