It was that time of the year again
when my college friends and I celebrate our anniversary of passing the CPA
Board Exam. And though it wasn't summer in October, but a long weekend with just
the right weather in store for us, we deem it again a perfect time to escape
from the hustle and bustle of the metro. So off we went to a place oh-so-famous
in our Hekasi books but not so popularly drawn now by tourists, a place largely
contributing to the 7,107 islands of the Philippines- The Hundred Islands of
Alaminos, Pangasinan.
Hundred Islands is fairly accessible
as there is an hourly trip from either Victory or Five Star Bus in Cubao or
Pasay to Alaminos. Fare costs around Php403 when riding from Pasay. Roughly a
5-hour trip, we reached Alaminos at around 8 in the morning. We went to eat
some breakfast first at Angie’s Bulalo, Tapsi and Panciteria. They have some
affordable and delicious food with a hearty silog dish at around Php50. The bus
terminal is also walking distance from the public market. We went to buy some camping
food and supplies first at the market. From the market, there are many tricycle
cabs who will offer their services to Lucap Wharf. Standard fare is at
P20/head.
When arriving at Lucap Wharf, make
sure to register at their Tourism office. This is really helpful as it enables
government to monitor the people going in and out of the island. They will also
get your contact number including your guardian's so they know who to contact
in case of emergencies. There are also standard prices for boat rentals and
even renting tables and chairs when you reach the island. For an overnight stay
in the island, you will need to pay for a camping fee and boat rental that will
cost around P1,800 for a tour of the three major islands- Governor, Quezon and
Children's Island. In our case, we had an agreement with our boat operator to
add Php400 to tour other islands as well.
We rented a large tent for Php1,000
inclusive of 3 gallons of fresh water and 2 gallons of drinking water, 1 cooler
and kaldero. We really haggled for this since we were informed that that there
was no fresh water when you reach the island. We also rented snorkeling gears
at Php250/head.
ü Water (both drinking and fresh water)
ü Food
ü Tent
ü Boat
First off was Governor's Island. This Island is famous for its PBB
House. This is where Kim Chiu, Gerald Anderson, Mike and Claire of the first
edition awaited the results of the competition.
There is also viewing deck in this island where you need to trek a
hundred or more steep, rocky and a bit challenging and exhausting steps to
reach the peek and get the best view of the Hundred Islands. Admittedly, all
the sweat was worth it. Another of God's artwork was set before us. A feast
both for our eyes and soul. And not even the sun's scorching rays could keep us
from taking pictures.
This one’s for the memories. And although we did have a number of
pictures taken, I must say that not even the lens of the camera was able to capture
its beauty.
Next up were a number of islands:
1. Turtle and Crocodile Islands. These two islands are against each
other's backs. As stories have it, the turtle and crocodile had some
misunderstanding and refuse to face each other.
2. Monkey Island. Monkeys inhabit this island but are only visible
in the afternoon.
3. Bat Island. From the boat, we can see a number of fruit bats
hanging from the tree branches.
4. Cathedral Island. This is a beautiful island whose rock
opening/formation is comparable an outline of a church.
5. Romulo Island
6. Lopez Island
Second drop was in Quezon Island. Majority of the tourists stay in
this island as it is partly developed. There’s a large cottage built in the
island housing a number of tables and chairs for rent. Island goers typically
have their lunch here as there is also cooking area and a few vendors selling
cold drinks and chips. Arriving in the island by noontime, we prepared our lunch
and already grilled the meat for our dinner. We had to prepare in advance
knowing there wouldn’t be any electricity by night time and would be difficult
to cook by then.
After our hearty lunch, we headed to Marcos Island, an island
famous for its extremely adventurous cave diving at Imelda Cave. Dropping off
from the island, you will need to climb your way to its cave/tunnel-like
opening. From there, adventure seekers dive their way down to the seawater. It’s
a long and dangerous way down but the water looks pristine and cold. Being one
with fear of heights, I was the last one to jump off the 70-feet cave. It was
one hell of a ride, but once I was down there in the water, I never felt so
alive and “gay” as what my friends say (couldn’t count how many OMGs I uttered
there). Once you’re down there, you will need to swim your way back to your
boat. The current can be strong but good thing we had our life jackets on.
Our next stop was on an open sea where we had snorkeling. They say
there are numerous species of corals and fishes in the area but unfortunately
we were only able to catch a few corals and only two varieties of fish swimming
in the area. It was a disappointment for us and even for some of the foreigners
diving in the place.
We headed back to Quezon Island as it was getting late and we needed
to set up our tent. The evening in the island was beautiful. As there was no
electricity, the place was dark and it was a starry night, a perfect time to
lie down and just gaze at the stars. There were countless stars up there and
the sky felt so close. It was heavenly. And as we kept our eyes open, one, two,
three shooting stars appeared before us. It was again magical.
As morning came, we again headed off to two more islands, Children’s
Island and Cuenco Island. Children’s Island was named as such since water in
this island is shallow and is suitable for children.
In Cuenco Island, we went inside a cave that was historically
known to have some gold hidden under by Japanese soldiers during World War. It
was told that tourists before was able to bring home gold from the place. We had
our pictures taken but we were warned that maybe we’d have some creepy Japanese
soldiers stand in our photos.
Believe it or not, we did. I don’t know if this is real or was
photoshopped by my friend who denies it. In any case, its creepy.
That was our last stop before we headed back to the wharf.
Our overnight stay in the company of eight friends, a hundred islands
and thousand of stars is something worth keeping down memory lane. That in our
hearts we say that this Philippine attraction is not just something we’ve read
in our books, but where a hundred and more memories were made by a crazy group
of friends who think they’re all casted in the teen drama, Dawson’s Creek.
