A Rainy Summer Night in Calaguas

A second attempt this year to see the paradise beach in Daet, Camarines Norte.

Unlike my last year's visit in Calaguas, this year's trip was traveled by bus. But it's the same DIY trip.

I hate traveling for long hours, specially when there's another option. But this Comfortec by Benz Elite made me so willing.


Penafrancia's Comfortec by Benz Elite


One thing I need to mention is that - you need to purchase your tickets in advance. And that means going to the ever busy bus station in Cubao.

A seat in this Comfortec costs P980 each, per way. Expensive I know! The airfare is actually cheaper. But my friend Chris, who lives in NYC and flew for 22 hours to reach Manila, has a flying disorder. So weird, right? ^_^

I didn't regret taking the bus anyway. Among the bus and plane travels I made in the past, this is the most convenient and comfortable so far.

26-seater bus, with restroom

seats are so spacious and comfortable

few shots wont hurt ^_^

It's the first time I slept for about 8 hours straight, while traveling. Ansarap ng tulog ko grabe! I so love this Comfortec Bus.


At 5:00am, we took another bus to Daet. Fare is P120. Travel time is 2 hours.
In Daet, we took a van to Paracale. Fare is P50. Travel time is 1 hour.
And finally in Paracale, I met Mang Nelson again. He's our boatman last year. He charged us P2,300 then. I asked him if he could give me a discount. He said of course. He charged me P1,000 only! Wow! Travel time from Paracale to Calaguas is 2 hours.

for the record, the boat has life jackets. and it can fit 10 persons at max.

P1,000 for a private boat from Paracale to Calaguas - awesome discounted price!

looking for a boatman in Calaguas?
try Mang Nelson. he owns many sailing and fishing boats.
contact number: 0920.3179315


It was a sunny afternoon when we arrived. And since it's a Monday, only 5 people, aside from us were there.

hello again, gorgeous beach.


Entrance fee is P75 each. There's also a P50 fee to be collected by the barangay (daw). I asked Mang Nelson if we really needed to pay that, he said NO. So we didnt pay for it. Haha

The cottage rental is P150. Again, we didn't bring a tent because we dont have one. We planned to sleep in the sand again. In case you still dont know, there are no resorts / guesthouses, homestays in Calaguas.

I dont remember seeing these last year..

Mang Nelson also shared that the caretaker Mang Bert is nowhere to be found now after selling parts of this island which is not his.


We settled in the cottage nearest to the water pump and the sari-sari store.

i wish we had jellyace too ^_^


Oh by the way, this made us very curious..

sino may alam ng sagot: bakit ang haba ng tubo na ginamit sa poso nila?


Moving on..
I dont know but I think I the beach is more gorgeous the first time I saw it. Hindi ako masyado na-wow this time. (yesss, taas ng expectations. hehe)

but it's still lovely of course.

uso daw ang "tan" sa NYC

low tide in the afternoon


We spent the whole afternoon in the shore. Feeling mapuputi lang. ^_^

look there's a rainbow!


Before the night came, we ate our dinner and prepared our sarongs. We're ready to sleep in the sand. Too bad, just after 2 hours, the rain poured hard.

rainy summer night in the island, and we dont have a tent!

We rushed to the open cottage. But it didnt help much. The rain didnt stop too. It actually poured harder. We found ourselves sleeping on each side of the small bench. I was so cold and scared. I felt every drop of the rain on me. Ang ginaw!

Lesson learned: You cant get lucky everyday. I have enjoyed sleeping in the bare sand of this island last year, but it's not the case this time. It's always better to bring a tent (pag wala, dapat mag-effort manghiram at magbitbit. Else humanda kang matulog ng basa ang katawan.)



After many hours, the rain stopped at last. Thanks be to God! I was calling His name that time, kasi ilang oras na akong ginaw na ginaw at basang-basa na ko. And I thought I wouldnt be able to survive it.


this is the actual bench where I slept.


The next morning, we were informed by the boatman that there might be a typhoon. We immediately left the island. Good thing, the waves were still very calm that time.

It was still an unforgettable beach bumming experience after all.


Thanks Chris for this bday treat. Next uwi mo ng Pinas, eto gusto kong regalo...

kahit 2nd hand, ok lang naman sakin. hindi ako choosy! ^_^


next: SG-Bali series

48 responses:

Chyng said...

naghahabol ng backlogs..

Pinoy Adventurista said...

wow! ang mura ng boat... contact-kin ko yan pag punta ko ng Calaguas... Thanks sa tips! :)

Mel said...

I've always wanted to go to Calaguas but had no idea where to start planning. Thanks for the detailed itinerary, Chyng! :)Great photos, btw.

Pack up and Drift said...

na amaze din ako sa calguas when I first saw it's beauty. ang ganda talaga..

escape said...

i also miss sleeping on the beach without shelter.

the P1000 bangka trip is really really cheap. parang gusto na tuloy pumunta ulit.

also good for deciding to go there on a Monday. iyong iyo ang beach.

Myx said...

Love the 4th to the last photo! Parang hindi totoo hehe :P

Parang gusto ko tuloy mag-bus trip bigla. Single pa ba si friend? Chos lang =))

Oman said...

who needs effin bali when we have calaguas :)

joei ♥ said...

About surfing, oo nga. Me too, sana swertehin! I want to go to Baler next :)

Wow. You guys went to Calaguas, too. Kaya lang sayang I was sick at that time kaya di ko naenjoy.

Anyway, I followed your blog (because I want to meet more Pinoy bloggers who travel). Hope you'll follow mine also :)

Definitely, Maybe

Anonymous said...

I wanna go there someday.

Sabi ng friend ko na si jena, ikaw daw kinontak nia nung nag calagusa sila :)

nakabookmark na tong post mo for future reference :D

citybuoy said...

Ang ganda ng bus. Nakakaloka.

Grace said...

I'm glad that we're starting to have nice buses sa Pinas. Good breakdown of how to get to Calaguas. Totally want to go there when I'm back.

Lakad Pilipinas said...

Isang matinding adventure na naman =P

Di ko pa nasubukan matulog sa beach ng walang tent, di malamok? =P

John Marx Velasco said...

Wanna go back to Calaguas, too!

bloggingpuyat said...

ang gaganda talaga ng mga photos mo..

Anonymous said...

mukhang mas maganda sya nung unang punta ko. i don't know hehehe. taas din kasi ng expectations ko hehehe.

Bino

Anonymous said...

TENT noted! :P

sana may extension ang summer para magbeach bum dyan.. :) antay ko ung new PNR mag operate.. para derederecho ang byahe.. hehe

khantotantra said...

ang ganda lalo na yung nakakuha ka ng shot ng sunrise. simply amazing (woops, baka ma-plagarize ako lols).

anlaki ng natipid nio sa bangka. super! as in. hehehe.

Jaderated said...

grabe panalo ang bus. kahit medyo pricey ittry ko yan. nakatulog na din ako sa sand before. pero dahil sa kalasingan, pak!

Michi said...

mahal ng bus P980 pero mukhang comfortable naman. galing mu makipaghaggle ha, almost 60% discount, form P2300 naging P1k na lang. =)

Photo Cache said...

tama ka jan - we don't get lucky every time. pero at least adventure yan, buti di ka na flu.

ang ganda ganda naman ng beach. inggit tuloy ako.

dito kasi puro brrrr ang lamig ng tubig kahit summer.

eMPi said...

oo nga no. ngayon ko lang na-realized yan. bakit nga ba mahaba ang tubo.... ganyan din ang poso ng lolo ko sa probinsya mahaba ang tubo. hehe

wanderingcommuter said...

bigla akong napacheck ng mga schedules ng trips ng bus na ito... bakit ang ganda-ganda niya! taga-bicol ako pero ngayon ko lang ito nakita!!!

adventurousfeet said...

ang ganda ng mga pics! at ang mura kay mang nelson! unfortunately nung tinext ko siya recently, sinabi niya lang sakin na maghanap nalang daw ako sa paracle madami daw doon. :(

akasha said...

natawa naman ako dun sa poso! at nag effort pa sila na lagyan ng stand sa gitna yung tubo! lol!

superboink said...

oi chyng, alam ko bakit mahaba yung tubo, it's because para gumaan yung pagbomba ng poso...ay ewan..

pupunta ko dyan di ko lam kelan..

at ang tent, magkano pala dyan saten?pwede bang raincoat na lang dalhin para mas magaan..hehehe

oi ingat..gusto ko na makita ang sg-bali trip mo

anna banana said...

kaya mahaba yung tubo kasi malakas yung pressure ng tubig galing sa poso, so natatapon or tumatalsik pag bumabagsak yung tubig direct sa drum. so kailangan ng tubo, para humina yung bagsak ng tubig, walang masayang. chos!

Anonymous said...

you know chyng, you are one of my inspirations why i want to travel. pag nagpupunta ako dito naiinspire ako magtravel talaga! i hope your love for adventure rubs off on me!

Grace de Castro said...

i hope calaguas and carmoan do not become too commercialized. maganda yung may konting adventure pa din. plus, hindi sila maexploit. :)

hi chyng!

Nicole Santiago said...

haha! natawa ako sa advisory mo!

Kura said...

huhuhu!nakaka dalawa ka na sa calaguas ako wala pa. uber great deal ha. Parang mas kumportable pa sa airplane yung bus. gusto ko din try yan. Is it advisable to go to calaguas ng November ot December?

Nga pala girl, si kuya RJ ang kukunin naming driver sa bohol. =)thanks for sharing! nauna na yung mga officemates ko, d ko pa alam ang comment nila sa friend mong si Rj.

pusangkalye said...

sa wakas nakapag comment nako--kahapon crazy browser ko. hong daming rích friends ha. kelan mo ba ko papakilala sa mga yan? hahaha

Calaguas 2nd time around. so di pala totoo na malalakas ang waves pag mga ganitong time of the year? sana makahirit ako Calaguas bagio mag end ang 2010 awts. pag frustrated at walng nabook na promo to BKK before the end of the year sasakay ako ng comfort bus na yan and I will get lost in Calaguas.hahaha

Meedge said...

as usual, sobrang ganda ng shots!:)

lakwatserong tatay said...

wahhhh....kaw na talaga chyng...inggit na ko sau....
hindi pa ko nakakapunta sa lugar na yan...
at pareho tau super backlog din ako...^_^...

tina said...

Hahaha! kulet ng advisory :)

Nway, I miss Calaguas too, gusto din pumunta ng kami lang ang nasa beach :)

Unknown said...

ganda! sana papayag din si mang nelson sa ganun na rate ng boat.babalikan lang ba nila kayo in the morning?may iba ba na nagstay overnight?tungkol sa mahabang tubo i think ayaw nila na may maghugas o maligo malapit sa source ng tubig kaya nila inilayo

Chasing Philippines said...

wow!ang mura nung bangka chyng... muka ngang dumami yung cottage ha.

Theonoski said...

don't you just love calaguas?

Kai of My Purple Spoon said...

Sobrang ganda ng lugar! Virgin na virgin pa yung beach. I wish to visit Calaguas soon! :)

Edcel said...

Calaguas, dito talaga ako nasold out sa Calaguas! babalikan ko toh chyng! :D
-soloflightEd

Meedge said...

kit lens lang ba gamit mo, chyng?

lady firehawk said...

super daming magagandang place tlaga sa Pinas... thru your blogs, dami ko nakitang place na pwedeng puntahan.. budget lang ang kailangan.. hihi.^o^.

thanks for sharing your experiences Chyng... take care and have a safe trip always :))

The Nomadic Pinoy said...

hope you'll get to see your other friend from NYC :) I wouldn't mind doing that long bus trip, especially kung ganyan ka-komportable, may leg rest pa, e di parang business class!

Anonymous said...

ang ganda...next year I will make sure na pupunta kami dyan. Maulan na kasi...sayang.

Anonymous said...

ang ganda...next year I will make sure na pupunta kami dyan. Maulan na kasi...sayang.

Ian | GoingRoamingWandering said...

The is magnificent... pero yung 3rd before last picture... ang ganda ng morning dawn sunrise, superb - 5 star!

charlesryan31 said...

I love Calaguas.
I remembered all the thrill and peril of traveling by boat against the wild waves of the sea.
We were a group of 11 people mostly Analog employees from Cavite together with some friends of friends from Manila area. The month is November and the weather is not in favor of a calm journey for us to the island. We were very aggressive at that time and willing to take what ever risk the sea may present us.
After we reach the island, I think we all said to ourselves that we should not have pursue our plan of getting here. Hehehehe..
We knew we just skipped death at those moments of danger. The most dangerous of all is when a large wave is coming towards us and inclining our boat for about 50 degrees and a subsequent loud bang & creak sound made when the front part of the boat returned to the water. I really thought at that time that the boat was split in half.. :) .. But thanks God, He still did not want us to be harmed.
Our fears were temporarily relieved when we saw the beauty of the island and the beach "Mahabang Buhangin" i think as they name it.
Anyways, just sharing my experience in that unforgettable Calaguas travel.
Piece of advice, don't travel there during rainy season like what we did. If your boat capsize, I think you will be found in Hawaii.. :) just kiddin. But this is possible for when you look at the map. It's an open sea out there. So be careful.

Anonymous said...

Hi Chyng , I just received a confirmation from Mang Nelson, shempre kunyare friends tayo db??at ikaw ang nagrecommend. 3k boat ride for 3 days 2 nights! Not baaaaad! Thank you for this post! Yey! :))

Anonymous said...

I've just been to Calaguas last week..Kuya Nelson lost his cellphone..His new cell # is 09095259821

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