Puerto Galera, Mindoro
Trip Start
Mar 29, 2008
1
3
9
Trip End
Apr 08, 2008
Puerto Galera,
Philippines
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Kuulumisien paivittaminen jai taas vahan taka-alalle lomailun ohessa. Ja niin kai sen kuuluukin ;)
Puerto Galeraan lahdettiin Tagaytayn pikkukaupungista aamulla. Bussiseikkailujen jalkeen paadyttiin melko mutkattomasti rannikolle Batangasiin ja meian minivan-kuski heitti pienta summaa vastaan meiat satamaan. Sielta meiat turistit bongattiin hetkessa ja kilpailu mika veneyritys otetaan alko. Lippuluukkuja oli kymmenittain ja me haluttiin vaan se seuraava vene. Matkalipun lisaks jouduttin maksamaan kaiken maailman ymparistomaksuja jne. mut silti ei ne ollu kalliita. Loppujen lopuks meian vene ahdetaan tayteen ja me odotetaan ainakin 1,5h jos tulee lisaa porukkaa ja siin vaiheessa aletaan olee jo aika poikki koko paivan matkustelusta ilman kunnon ruokaa ja hengahdystaukoa. Lopulta lahetaan siis pari tuntia myohassa ja saavutaan suoraan White Beachille auringonlaskun aikaan. Matkalla nahtiin delfiineja (tai ma en nahny mut muut..)
Vasyneena otetaan ensimmainen huonetarjous vastaan ja se onkin ihan rannalla Balangga's Place-nimisessa paikassa
sunset seekers
. Huone oli tosi perus ja makso 1000pesoa yo. Tosin saatiin se vaan pariks yoks kun viikonloppu oli jo buukattu tayteen mut me aateltiin et se riittais. White Beach oli kova meno paikka. Illalla ihmiset viela ui meressa ja hengaili biksuissa rannalla, lansimaalaisia oli ihan muutamia mut taa on ihan selvasti paikallisten suosima lomapaikka. Ranta oli taynna ravintoloita ja baareja mut meno ei todellakaan ollu lansimaalaisten tyylista ja siks se paikka oli tosi kiva. Ranta on hieno ja merikin kirkasta eli tykattiin kovasti paikasta. Ne pari paivaa menikin rannalla ja illalla istuttiin muutama tunti parilla oluella, lunkkia ;) Meian check-out aamuna sato kaatamalla ja me haluttiin jaada maisemiin viel pariks yoks. Me paatettiin ettia muusta hotellista huonetta, kuinka vaikeeta se voi olla loytaa vapaa huone?! Mut se oli vaikeeta, kaikki rantahotlat oli ihan ylibuukattu ja hinnat oli jarjettomia, kyseltiin muutamasta vahan kauempaakin mut sama juttu. Lopulta taysin uitettuina koirina ja masentuneena tilanteesta meian piti menna pakkaamaan ja jatkaa matkaa. Hatasuunnitelma oli kokeilla Sabangia mita LP-kirja lynkkaa rajusti... ei kuulostanu hirveen houkuttavalta.
Kun me kaveltiin ettimaan tricyclea Sabangia kohti meille suorastaan sateli tarjouksia huoneista! Mut liian myohaan, asenne oli jo muuvattu siihen suuntaan et nyt lahetaan pois
Sabang Beach, view from our terrace
. Tricycle vei meiat Puerto Galeraan (hyvaan hintaan kuskille tietty..) ja sielta otettiin jeepney Sabangille. Jeepneyt on ehdottomasti halvempia niin kauan kun muita matkustajia on kanssa kyydissa. Sabangilla satuttiin taas tormaamaan paikalliseen joka ties hyvan hotellin ja vei meiat Steps&Garden nimiseen resorttiin. Paikalla on ruotsalainen omistaja ja se sattukin olemaan tosi kiva, ei ihan keskella kylaa vaan maen reunalla mista oli hienot nakymat merelle ja kavi pieni tuulenvire. Saatiin siisti bungalowi 1000pesolla ja oltiin siihen tosi tyytyvaisia. Sabangissa ei oo rantaa ollenkaan, tai on mut ei sellanen turistiranta. Sabang tunnetaan ennemminkin paikkana mihin keski-ikaset lansimaalaiset miehet tulee ettimaan naisia.. ja siel on myos paljon baareja. Mut se oli ihan kiva paikka siita huolimatta, meita harmitti vaan ettei ehitty jarjestaa mitaan snorklausretkea. Seuraavana paivana kaytiin viereisilla rannoilla, Big La Laguna Beach (ei hyva) ja Small La Laguna Beach, missa vietettiin loppupaiva. Raffi tykkas snorklata siella mut ma keskityin auringonottoon. Ja bongasin myos ensimmaisen mustekalan siella! Tosin se oli suht pieni mut silti ;)
Kahen yon jalkeen jatkettiin matkaa Roxasiin mista piti paasta Boracay:n lomasaarelle. Sabangista otettiin jeepney Calapaniin ja siella meian piti vaihtaaminivaniin joka jatko suoraan Roxasiin
Our bungalow terrace, Steps&Garden resort
. Roxasiin saavuttiin sen verran myohaan et vietettiin yks yo siella. Mika hissu kaupunki. Jo ysin jalkeen koko kaupungin valot oli pimeena ja kaikki paikat kiinni. Me tyydyttiin kattomaan telkkaria meian huoneessa Lyf-hotellissa. Huone oli vaan 600pesoa ja maistettiin siella ekan kerran halo-halo jalkkaria. Vahan samanlainen tuttavuus kun Sporessa syoty jaahile hassakka. :) Roxasista ei sen enempaa kerrottavaa. Nora
English:
Hey yaaa,
Updates are lagging way way behind but here we go again. After all it's holiday and it finally feels like one. ;) We took off at Tagaytay to reach Puerto Galera, Mindoro. After all the hassling with buses we arrived in Batangas and the minivan driver took us to ferryport for a small fee. There we immediately received company and they tried to get us on their boat. We simply wanted the next boat to White beach, end of story. So we went to one of the many ticketbooths and bought us tickets to next boat. It was suppose to leave soon but the waiting soon took over two hours before they were satisfied with the number of people on board, We think it had already exceeded the capacity long time ago. ;) It was exhausting, not having enough sleep, nutirition or peace for that matter but after two hours we were at White Beach at the time of sunset
Small La Laguna Beach, Sabang
. We accepted the first offer and took a room on a hotel called Balangga's Place just on the beach. It was very basic and cost 1000pesos per night. However, they could only offer two nights as the weekedn was fully booked already. but we were okay with it at that point. White Beach was blast, people were still swimming after sunset and hung around in bikinis. There were very few Westerns but mainly it was the local holiday makers that ruled the place! The beach side was full of restos and bars and it was nice, so was the beach itself and the sea!
The couple of days went by sunbathing and having few beers in the evenings. The morning of our check out it was pouring rain. We really wanted to stay few more nights and how hard could it be to find a room?! It was, we searched and searched but hotels were fully booked and priced were crazy in some places. Finally we gave up, soaking wet and beaten. It was time to move on. The plan B was to go to Sabang, the very place LP recommends the least.
While we looked for a tricycle we kept having offers for rooms! Where were they when we needed them?! Too late, minds made up and we took a tricycle to Puerto Galera, switched to jeepney in there and went to Sabang
Small La Laguna Beach, low tide
. The tricycle chauffor surely ripped us off but that's not new. Jeepneys are definately more reliable in that matter. In Sabang there was a local guy who took us to a nice resort owned by a Swedish guy. Steps&Garden was located in the hill and they had very nice bungalows. We got ours for 1000pesos per night, with fan. The view was extraordinary! There is no beach in Sabang, I mean one to sunbathe on. It is known more as a place where middle-aged men come in seacrh of local women.. and it was full of bars. But it was actually nice place anyhow. Too bad we didnt have the time and energy to organise any snorkkeling trip. The next day we went to Small La Laguna beach nearby to swim. It's where I saw my first octopus too! Small but still.;)
After two nights we left for Roxas, the port to Boracay. From Sabang we too a jeepney to Calapan and there a minivan to Roxas. Since we arrived in Roxas quite in the evening we stayed in Lyf-hotel in the centre for one night. The room was only 600pesos, the cheapest so far. And the food was very fine, we tried halo-halo too, the local dessert. The town itself was disappointment, after nine it seemed everything was closed and we remained in the room watching telly.
Nora
