Paguriran Island: The rise of giant corals...

Paguriran is composed of islets made of corals. It will be reached by land around 45minutes from Sorsogon City going to Bacon District and driving further to it's last barangay Sawangga. Paguriran Island takes pride to it's unique structure and location, it's white sand beach and blue lagoon at the heart of the island.

 

Surrounding the island is a seabed of corals and schools of different fish/marine species...

And from afar, you will have a glance of majestic Mayon of Albay...

 

 

I once saw a photo of Paguriran from a friend wayback 2004... I could almost compare it to Leonardo de Caprio's "The Beach" movie because of it's lagoon. On 2006, Phill and me with friends finally decided to go there and check it out... From then on I fell inlove with it. I take pride of taking my friends from Legazpi there up until now.

So here's how to get there...

If you are coming from NCR or other regions from the North:
1. You can take an hour flight to Legazpi City or a 10hour travel by land via Bus or roadtrip.
2. Take an hour drive to Sorsogon City. There are Van terminals to the city.
3. From Sorsogon City, you will need to travel another 30 to 45minutes to Barangay Sawangga. Either rent a Van or a tricycle or take a jeepney ride that has a route to Sawangga.
4. There are two resorts now to choose from and they are just adjacent to each other... :)

What to bring:
1. booties... or thick/padded slippers or sandals (the island is made out of corals and that makes the stones sharp enough to cut you without proper care)
2. goggles (they have rich corals and variance of fishes to see down under)
3. sunblock :)
4. life vests or any kind (some areas surrounding the island varies it's depth and the tides rapidly goes high and low)

Beware of sea snakes... they are abundant and are lurking under the stones... but then again, taking extra precaution will lead you to one best escapade you ever had. :)

Today's haven for trippers, backpackers, photographers and adventurers... But... had to remind you... take responsibility on keeping Paguriran Island as Mother Nature's gift... Don't take bottles or anything sharp to trash on the island. In fact you are not allowed to throw your trash there... so bring your garbage with you before leaving. Other than that, enjoy!

"The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page."
  - Saint Augustine

Coron: an Escape to Reality

A very long planned trip to Coron has finally taken place last July 27 to 29th of 2010. Before, I see photos of it's enchanting beauty and has always dreamed that someday soon. I will walk, swim, trek and unravel it's inner beauty... :) And today, I will be sharing my memorable travel to Coron.

Photo taken by Rina Yulo

Bulusan Roadtrip - 05.22.2010

I was going over my photo archives, it was May 22, 2010 when we went to Bulusan Lake with the same Kuatro Tiempo tropa.

Lake Bulusan lies at the heart of Bulusan Volcano and is enclosed by Bulusan Volcano National Park. The national park acts more like a care taker of the lake in the same way, it's tourism development. Mr. Philip Bartilet is currently the President and is a I.T. Instructor turned environmentalist. At the moment Bulusan Lake is covered with 2.6km tropical rainforest around it. It does have a path, for those who wants to trek the trail.

How to get there? There are two ways to access it. One may be from Maharlika Highway passing by the towns of Casiguran, Juban and Irosin. Or going straight to Gubat, (where we stopped by and ate some ice cream!) 

 

then to Barcelona, where we stopped for quick shots of the old church. St. Joseph's Church or better yet known as Barcelona Church is one of the oldest churches. It was said that the stone walls of the church including its bell tower are original and are made of coral rocks without the use of cement or steel bars. But then again the church was renovated last 2003 which gave it's modern touch. 

moving on from Barcelona, we passed by San Bernardino Strait where one can have a magnificent view of Pacific Ocean. 

 

then passing by the Dancalan Beach to some bumpy and curvy roads to Bulusan. Finally! The park asks for P10.00 entrance fee last year. There are bench, kayaks, cottages along the sides of the lake. They also offer body massage while you enjoy the nature's peacefulness and sights of hawks and other birds flying around the blue skies.

 

Kayaking costs P100.00 for every 30minutes or charm Manong to give you a little extra. *wink* They also have a balsa which can accommodate more or less 10 people for P500.00 pesos. 

  

Bulusan Lake has greenish murky water because of rocks and mud underneath. Its depth was said to have 635meters on it's deepest center. Locals and some tourist would go fishing here too. Along the sides of the rocks are shrimps. We enjoyed fish feeding here too, attracting fishes to go up the surface for food. 

  

So, when we got nothing else to do we tried to trek the trail leading to a pathway around the lake. 2.6km trek around it wasn't so easy it was actually creepy but I did love the scenery, the cold air, wild flowers and giant "baging". The pathway trail can be seen halfway only since the on the other half, the trail has been destroyed by the wild forest surrounding it.

the locals are allowed to fish at the lake

right at the middle of the trek is a grotto

If you want a more adventurous trek and climb, you may take the new trail Bulusan Lake National Park have discovered. You may contact them if you for guides and people to carry and prepare your food. I was told that the first camp site was superbly cold and at nature's peace. And clouds rumbling the area will be experienced as well as zero visibility as the fog and clouds cover the camp site. Beware also that you will be left all wet after. :) The area also have another lake that unfortunately dries out during summer leaving quick sand or "komonoy". So for safety, ask assistance to the national park's office. 

For more nature trips, you can push through the highway and pass by Masacrot Cold Spring, some known garden, falls and Hot Spring at Irosin. 

:) you see? Sorsogon is given a complete set of gift by Mother Nature.

Took a plunge at Orok

Orok Cold Spring Resort is the Inlagadian Watershed and was once privately owned. But since 2006, Orok was bought-out by Casiguran Water District and was developed more. The resort was served as a tribute to the people of Casiguran and so it was said that Casiguran community gets their water supply for FREE from Casiguran Water District.

A dream once, and took a chance to conquer Orok!

The night before May 22, 2011, I started cooking liver-gizzard steak, gulay na kamias express and linukay for the summer escapade with the tropang Kuatro Tiempo. It was midnight when everything was ready and it was time to go home, take a shower and rest the excitement.

At 5:30 early morning, the alarm started and snoozed it away 'til around 6. After feeding our tummies for breakfast, the sun started to say hello and it was time to take off... We were fetched by Kalborito along with his salted pork for "ihaw-ihaw" and cooked rice wrapped on banana leaves. Down to the City we took the foods prepared last night, last minute fueling and picking-up Boy T who's bringing food junkies too.

At 7:50am we started to ride the highway from Sorsogon City to Casiguran, where Orok is located. Traveling at around 45-50mins. at a distance of 29.65km, we arrived at a so unexpected paradise. The road to Orok was OK for motorcycle riders, or even SUVs, Jeepneys or Van. It was concrete from the main road but the path becomes one way as we go further. Meaning, it's either one concrete road to one side and the other side remained undone. Well anyway, at least you can reach paradise without trekking or climbing.

And there it is, we were welcomed by the rushing cold waters of the spring. Ice cold mineral water is also available for everyone, so no need to bring your purified water, it's Free here! Entrance fees for adults are at P10.00 and P5.00 for kids, while you can rent Nipa Cottages at P50.00. I think it's the cheapest ever! There are "ihawan stations" for those who would like to grill and kids are goin' around selling "pako" or young ferns that we sliced for ensalada. FYI: The kids sells them at P5.00 a bundle. "Pako" is a fern abundant to the area, you can either cook it with gata or eat it raw.

So, this is the P50.00 hut, not bad... :) The resort runs out of it during holidays, Saturdays, and Sundays specially during summer time. So, I suggest you come here the earlier the better. Lucky for us, we got this one 'coz we came earlier. Since we went there Sunday, the resort was jammed-packed with locals, tourists and adventurers like us! :P There were people coming at anytime of the day, early morning, lunch time, after lunch, and even at past 5 when everyone else are leaving there are still people coming in.

So, anyway... what to do here? Well, I personally enjoyed plunging in the ice cold water. I literally stayed there for hours and ended up with numb palms and fingers. I also enjoyed the water spa. Kalborito and Bulatihon loved it too...

See the two large pipes? The water pressure is just right to give my back a nice massage, to which I needed so bad. The depth of the water is from 3feet to 6 feet, so some loves fund diving/jumping on it. But you can only do this on the top pool.

While down here, you can't do that since hidden under the strong current are small to large rocks.

 For some, who loves photography, this is certainly another haven for you.

Downsides of visiting this place, I think will none for me. Hehehe! But, I think it isn't safe to stay 'till night there... that's what they said anyway. Ah, yeah... one more thing, if you don't like chillin' water, this isn't the best place for you. Best to visit this place during the hottest days on summer...

So, come and enjoy the cold, crisp and crystal clear spring water of Orok. And don't forget to clean as you go to save another gift from nature! ciao!

About the Title

Kutitob... a local name for the smallest yet the strongest insect I've known. Kutitob is how Sorsoganons call an ant. Ants are the tiniest and we, as humans are also considered one of the tiniest on  the vast lands and oceans of earth. But considering how tiny Kutitobs are, they are one of the strongest, one of the most moved to journey lands and water for survival, for colony, for loyalty and love for a Queen Kutitob. Humans share the same instincts. But we are given more...

In honor of Kutitobs on earth, I will be sharing a lot of "kagat" of life... "Hurop-Hurop" on some interests, "Pangaturogan" for changes, "Dalagan" for more actions, "Lukso" for excitements and "Ngarakngak" to give thanks.


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Kutitob's Dictionary...

Kutitob - a local name for ant as a dialect in Sorsogon City and nearby areas.
Sorsoganons - refers to the locals of Sorsogon City.
Kagat - bite
Hurop-hurop - giving thoughts about something
Pangaturogan - dream/s
Dalagan - run
Lukso - jump
Ngarakngak - laugh