Thursday, October 27, 2016

Spontaneous Trip Across The Verde Island Passage

I skipped one from the list because it was a bit personal so instead of posting that, here's the next one that I was able to tick off of my 2016 bucket list :)
  • (Boracay) Any beach!
So by April of 2016, one my very close college friend, Yuvi, who is currently staying in US decided to head back here in the Philippines. Because of that, we (Yuvi, Hazel, and I) planned out an overnight that will be one of our unforgettable getaways. Actually, this was all so very spontaneous because we just talked about this the night before we traveled (we're badass like that LOL).

After what seemed to be an endless discussion as to where we were planning to go, we finally agreed on heading south across the narrow strait that was The Verde Passage to Puerto Galera.

White Beach, Puerto Galera (photo grabbed from here)


Puerto Galera is divided into different beaches. The party’s always on at White Beach; its restaurants and bars do a good trade. But if you’re looking for something more laid-back, head to a private resort in Sabang or Muelle (the main port) beach.

To get there, we researched the easiest route we can take the night before. This was only done by Hazel and me; Yuvi was fast asleep the whole night while we, on the other hand, didn't even get to take a nap HAHA.

A few hours later, when we noticed the sun was already peeking out, we decided to start our journey. 

We rode an FX to Buendia, Taft where bus terminals have a daily trip to Batangas Port.

Lola Hazel is soooo tired :))


Immediately after alighting the bus, we hurried to the port partly to purchase our tickets and partly because both of them needed to relieve their bladders :))

Once we entered the lobby, we were bombarded with offers to different hotels. Thankfully though, they were all very affordable. We decided, on a whim, to book one room in a relatively cheap and nice looking hotel. Along with that, we also bought sun screen.

Not long after, we were called out to the departure area since our boat had already arrived.



It was roughly 45 minutes to 1 hour of boat ride and it was pretty funny 'cause both Yuvi and Hazel were praying that we won't topple over :))

Boat ride to Puerto Galera!

 Arrival at White Beach, Puerto Galera!!!


After being received by the management of the whole White Beach, we were escorted to our hotel which was on the other end of the long stretch of beach.

We basically simply roamed around the beach first to check out the numerous stores that were set up. We also ate our lunch on this one carinderia where the food is both tasty and plenty. Downside is there were so many flies that we had to pause from eating every now and then to fend them off.

We waited for night to come (since Yuvi doesn't want to get tanned) before we headed out again to swim and also to enjoy the famous White Beach night life.



After roaming around and sitting along the shore, a group of teenagers started a fire dance show which were both amazing and scary!

They offered taking pictures for the tourists for free and you only have to donate some money if you want to.



For dinner, we decided to try Puerto Galera's famous pizzeria; Svend's Pizzeria.


When all the noise and party died down, we decided to try their Mindoro Sling! Mindoro's famous cocktail mix which consist of vodka and rum :)


We finally headed back to our room at around 1 AM because even though White Beach is known for its crazy night life, it usually ends quite early.

When you arrive in White Beach, you're required to buy your return ticket immediately and because of that, we had to wake up early to experience what White Beach has to offer (our return to Batangas Port is scheduled at 12 noon).

The unusually quiet White Beach at 5AM 

 Various floating boats around the beach which you can use for a fee

 We befriended some locals who had a henna tattoo business; they were the ones who designed our tattoos the night before

MATCHING TOPS!

By 11, we packed up our things and proceeded to the port to present our tickets. We still had plenty of time so of course like any ManileƱo, we had our kodak moments! :))



Great job by our local friends! :>



By quarter to 12, we were called out to board our boat.

BLUE!!!
The ride back to Batangas Port appeared to be longer since our captain needed to be extra careful due to the large waves. Thankfully though, we arrived at Batangas Port safely ;)


Right outside Batangas Port, there are already buses bound to different parts of Manila so getting back is pretty easy.

BTW, I also made a short video of our little adventure to Puerto Galera :)



If you're planning to go Puerto Galera, you can just go ahead even on a whim! Getting there is very easy and affordable. But you really have to shell out a few more peso if you want to try the different water sports they offer. To get there, you can simply follow this guide:
  • Head to Buendia, Taft
  • Choose whatever bus line you want that offers a trip to Batangas Port
  • Once on Batangas Port, purchase your ticket to whichever part of Puerto Galera you're heading
And, tada! You're there :)

No comments:

Post a Comment