Vitamin Sea Travels: First Ship Ride to Puerto Galera and Vacation at the White Beach

After Boracay declared its six-month shutdown, local and foreign tourists are searching for substitutes for summer getaway. If they are searching for Vitamin Sea, most of them are going to Puerto Galera, one of the summer destinations accessible to Manila.

The pristine, blue waters of Puerto Galera.

From Manila, you may take a bus ride going to Batangas Port in Batangas City. From there, you may ride a ferry going to Puerto Galera. Actually, the feeling of riding in a ferry is exciting yet thrilling because of the waves, but you may enjoy the view of islands, the neighboring towns of Batangas and the Verde Passage, the body of water that you will pass from the port. After the two hours water travel, we made it to our destination. Puerto Galera was founded by the Augustinians in 1574 with Minolo as the earliest cabizera, a former provincial capital and a bustling trade port. The town's name Puerto Galera came from Spanish word meaning "port of galleon."

The ferry going to Puerto Galera from Batangas City.

The view of the ships from Batangas Port.

The view of Tingloy, an island municipality which is part of Batangas.

Puerto Galera is the northernmost town in Oriental Mindoro. It is a popular tourist destination in the province which is known for its white sand beach resorts, blue waters and rich marine biodiversity. In 1974,  the UNESCO Man and Biosphere Program selected Puerto Galera as a nature research center and its reefs were declared marine sanctuary around that time as well. In 2005, the town was also named as the Most Beautiful Bay by Paris-based Most Beautiful Bays in the World Club. The town is focused on tourism as a major economic activity where there are several local and foreign tourists visited the place for a vacation or escapade. You may enjoy swimming, island hopping, fish feeding, snorkeling, and doing outdoor activities. You may also savor the night life there in bars and enjoy watching the fire dancers in a sizzling dance number.

3D 2N at the White Beach

Sand castle in Puerto Galera which is very similar to Boracay.

The tourists are enjoying their stay on the White Beach by walking on the seashore and swimming.

The cool and blue waters of Puerto Galera.

A crowded afternoon at the White Beach. 

The fire dancers are ready to make this evening hot and sizzling.

Beach and Island Hopping in Puerto Galera

The natural beauty of Puerto Galera.

The view of Minolo Bay.

The island and beach hopping activity is the most memorable part of this journey. There are many events happened during that time such as riding in a boat dealing with swirling waves, snorkeling in order to see the colorful marine creatures such as fish and coral reefs, trekking to the Underwater Cave, and fish feeding. The natives of Puerto Galera are taking care of their nature and beaches because tourism is the main source of their income. They are maintaining the cleanliness of the beaches and tourists are not allowed to take home some souvenirs such as shells and stones from the sea shore. Even though Puerto Galera is a place where there are many visitors who come to this town, the locals here are assuring that they are maintaining the natural beauty and preserving the resources in the place. Soon, it is a place that tourists should come back and maintain its natural beauty. 

Date of Travel: May 12 - 14, 2018

Vitamin Sea Travels: Summer Escapade at Laiya

Batangas is famous for its summer destinations especially if you are living in Metro Manila, it takes a few hours away to visit the vacation spots in the said province. Therefore, Batangas is very popular for stunning, verdant mountains if you want to experience mountain climbing, but it is more popular for its beaches and resorts due to its location which is surrounded by bodies of water. There are towns known for its resorts and beaches located in the coastal towns of Nasugbu, Lian, Calatagan, Balayan, Lemery, Lobo and the island municipality of Tingloy. Don't also forget to visit San Juan, Batangas, the home of the famous Laiya Beach. 

Lush vegetation and coconut trees surrounded the coast of Laiya.

A relaxing view of the beach from the cottage and ideal place for walking.

The landscapes of Laiya Beach showing its pure beauty due to its turquoise waters, white sand and limestone rock formations.

San Juan, Batangas is the easternmost town in the province known for its historical sites such as the Baroque church and the Pinagbayanan excavation, an archaeological site in the town. The municipality is also facing the Tayabas Bay. In fact, the town is very popular because of its powdery white-sand beaches, crystal-clear blue waters, and sedimentary rock formations hit by the strong waves. It is also one of the famous tourist destinations in Batangas and it is also a setting for some movies and television series.

We had a chance to visit a developing beach resort in Laiya where we are the only people who occupied the beach on that day. We enjoyed a lot in swimming, discovered sea creatures near the coast such as jelly fish, star fish, small crabs and sea cucumber and enjoyed the company in a typical excursion. Therefore during my spare time, I was able to take pictures of the seascape and interesting sights in the beach.

The Coast when the Sun is High...

The coast featured not only powdery white sand but also limestones and pebbles teemed in the shore.
It is also interesting to see fragmented corals and shells in the sand as well with small crabs running along the shore. 

The resort that we stayed in is rich in lush vegetation and tall coconut trees. 
There are only five cottages there and a rest room where you can take a bath before going to the sea.

The powdery white sand matched with its turquoise waters with a single log in a shore.

The Rock Formations

The huge and rough limestones in the beach.

The Waves Hitting the Rocks in the Shore

Just an experiment on how the waves hit the rocks through a collage.

Clarity of the Blue Sea 

The clear waters in the shore 

The swirling waves hitting the sandy shore.

It is interesting to see transparent water very close from the vast, blue sea.

The fascinating blue water from the rocks with a view of another beach and green mountain.

The Coast in Low Tide and Before Sunset

The spectacular view of the sea from the coast during the afternoon.

Low tide is evident during this time where the rocks which are underwater earlier are now seen.

Laiya Beach during low tide. It is exciting to see sea creatures in this rocky shores such as star fish,
sea weeds and even sea cucumbers.

There are many beautiful sights in this place. On the other hand, tourists should also take care of this place because there are pieces of trash such as plastic bottles and plastic bags are found in the shoreline or inserted within the rocks. It is also one of the reasons why the town set P20.00 Ecological Fee in order to take care of the nature. Therefore, we need to become responsible enough in taking care of our beaches or else, the government will declare a shut down just what happened to Boracay to maintain the cleanliness and improve the place. So, we need to start taking care of our beaches and maintain the pristine beauty of it just like in San Juan, Batangas. 

The travel experience in Laiya is an amazing journey. I noticed that I experienced to take the Vitamin Sea after 8 to 9 years (the last time was in Palawan way back 2011). Going to the beaches is not only having fun and recreation with family and friends, but also we need to take care of our nature and maintain the natural beauty of it. 

How to Get There?

From Manila, you may ride a bus going to San Juan, Batangas. You may enjoy a 3-4 hours travel passing South Luzon Expressway and STAR Tollway and you may take either Lipa or Ibaan Exit, passing the towns of Lipa, Ibaan and Rosario. From the municipal hall, you may also ride a Laiya-Hugom jeepney. Remember, the last jeepney departing to Laiya leaves at 5:00 PM. There are also tricycles that are willing to take you to Laiya. Also, you may ride a bus going to Lipa. From there, you may ride a jeepney or van to San Juan. 

Date of Travel: April 16, 2018

Heritage Nostalgia at the Museum of the Filipino People

American actor, Brad Pitt once said "It's a lovely experience walking around a museum by yourself." I always have the habit of traveling alone, especially visiting historical sites and museums. It is my childhood dream to visit museums especially during educational tours when I was still schooling. It was a very rare opportunity to visit these places especially if I have to allot a schedule despite of hectic working days.  

The Museum of the Filipino People which was the former building of Department of Finance. 

During the celebration of Heritage Month last May 2017, I was able to visit the National Art Gallery to see the popular art works of Filipino artists from different historical periods in our country. This time, I decided to visit The Museum of the Filipino People. It is located in Agrifina Circle, next to the main National Museum, which is the National Art Gallery and the building was the former headquarters of Department of Finance.

An Ayangan house from the ancient town of Henengan, now known as Mayaoyao.

Since there is a free admission in the National Museum, I had the opportunity to visit and explore the museum. When I entered the museum, I visited the model of Ifugao house known as Ayangan. It was taken from the town of Mayaoyao, Ifugao. The abodes of the Ifugao are reflected based on their regional geography and sub-groups. The heavily thatched roof serves as protection against the rain and the cold weather of the region.

Religious images made of ivory.

Elephant tusks were used as an ivory 

Ivories were taken from sperm whale and wild pigs.

After that, I entered at the Garing: The Philippines at the Crossroads of Ivory Trade. Garing is a Tagalog word for ivory. This gallery contains different collections of tusks from elephants, whales and boars which considered as good source of ivory. In fact, the Philippines is one of the centers of ivory trade in the past and recently, the trade was prohibited in order to preserve the elephants.

The model of the San Diego.

An astrolabe used during the 16th century.

Cannons and cannon balls were used in maritime battles during the Age of Exploration.

An anchor.

The portrait of Spanish chronicler Antonio de Morga and his famous works about the Philippines.

Astronomical ring dial recovered from the San Diego Galleon Wreck.

After that, I went to the other galleries in the second level - The San Diego Exhibit and the 500 Years of Maritime Trade Before the Arrival of Western Colonizers. It is amazing to see the different artifacts such as collection of jars, clay pots, porcelains, cannons, sunken ship models and navigational devices. The galleries at the second level put me back in time during the pre-colonial times where ancient Filipinos are doing the barter with Asian traders and the adventurous maritime expeditions of the European colonizers in order to achieve their power to become an empire. I also imagined the several days of sea travel to explore new lands as well with the chronicler's journals written in black ink, ancient maps, compass and astrolabe used in navigation before the existence of travel blogs, GPS and Google maps.

Different clay jars from the Philippines and other Asian countries. 

Chinese porcelain plates.

Chinese porcelain kitchen set

Porcelain kitchenware from the ruins of a shipwreck.

Old clay jars and metal instruments from the remains of the shipwreck.

On the third level of the museum, I also had the chance to discover the indigenous Filipino culture through Kaban ng Lahi: Archaeological Treasures and Lumad Mindanao. I've had the chance to see the Manunggul Jar, a burial jar used by the ancient Filipinos which was excavated in Palawan during the 1960's.

The Manunggal Jar

I also visited the section called Lumad Mindanao. It features the different artifacts and materials such as indigenous musical instruments, colorful tribal costumes and household materials from the tribes living in Mindanao. There are also sections for Rice Farming in the Philippines, History of Writing and Weaving in the Philippines.

Therefore, I've had a chance to come back again in this museum and to explore more of the Philippine culture. Discovering the anthropological and archaeological roots of our country is very interesting in order to explore the traces of our Asian identity as a Filipino.

*This post is intended for the National Heritage Month to promote museums and discover our cultural heritage.

Date of Travel: December 17, 2016