Personal Encounters: Puerto Galera, Philippine Summer Destination!

My graveyard work shift ended at 11 am that Saturday morning. I had no sleep for the night but my caffeine induced adrenalin was all hyped! It was one beautiful summer morning and I was ready for an adventure!

It was an Oriental Mindoro kind of weekend!

The beaches of Oriental Mindoro are now recognized as one of the country's leading eco-tourism destinations. The most prominent of which is Puerto Galera, located at the southwestern end of the Isla Verde Passage. UNESCO declared Puerto Galera as a biosphere reserve under its Man and the Biosphere Programme in the 1970s. The Verde Island Passage is at the apex of the so-called Coral Triangle (The Philippines, Indonesia, and Malaysia), which earned the distinction of being the "global center of marine biodiversity" (Source: Wikipedia).

Enjoyable one-hour boat ride!

The White Beach in Puerto Galera was my first beach destination for the Summer of 2014. Two of the many reasons for the choice is its proximity and accessibility from the capital city. From my work place in Ortigas Pasig, I went to meet my travel buddy and BFF at Robinson's Galleria. We took our lunch and had a short ride to the bus station bound for Batangas Port. Then, we enjoyed a soothing windy boat ride to the island. When we hit the dock we were transported together with some foreign tourists on a minivan straight to White Beach, Puerto Galera. We were there in less than 3 hours, just in time for sunset! We first looked for a place to stay and actually not surprised that the accommodations were very affordable. We already made prior research and knew how much to expect. We checked in at the Dreamwave Hotel for only P2,000/night! Nothing luxurious or fancy but it was clean and secured plus the staff were courteous and helpful to our needs. Check out their facilities HERE.

After freshening up, we immediately hit the beach to take a dip and capture the sunset! We both work night shifts so we had not a wink of a sleep yet but we were too excited to take a rest, so off we went to embrace the sand, sea and the sun! The weather and the beach were just too beautiful to sleep on!

Day 1: The sand, sea and sun were too beautiful to sleep on.

Day 2: At Sun down

After a quick refreshing dip in the sea, we were famished! The long shoreline strip abound with restaurants. Most offer Filipino cuisine to showcase the country's specialty to foreign tourists. We ordered a big bowl of bulalo and inihaw na liempo and plapla (Beef Shank Stew with vegetables and whole corn, grilled pork belly and Plapla fish). No alcoholic drink for the night as we plan to get up early, this time to catch the rising sun! Working at night and sleeping by day makes one treasure more these phenomena that are sometimes taken for granted... Sunrise and Sunset!

I heard a rooster crowed at the break of dawn but it was actually BFFs alarm, 30 minutes earlier than agreed upon grrrr! Therefore, up by 4:30 a.m., I was! The hotel was locked up by the front door and we were directed to another exit point. It was still dark outside... the morning chill was delicious... the sea was calm, almost eerie. We passed through closed establishments craving for one thing... Coffeeee!!! Good thing we found a 24-hour food joint that also served Arroz Caldo (Congee), just perfect for the morning chill! It was actually a prelude to breakfast as we have yet to consume the complimentary brekky offered by the hotel hehe.

Day 2: Caffeine fix at the break of dawn! Gimme some Black Brew!

Restaurants and Bars abound on the shoreline of White Beach, Puerto Galera!

As the sun peeks in the sky... early birds start to roam. Local vendors with no regular stalls have a lot of exciting things to offer and they all have permits from the municipality complete with IDs which they carry to prove that their goods are authentic as claimed such as the shark's tooth necklaces and onyx bracelets we bought. The vendor further claimed that his goods were gathered from the sea and hand made by natives from nearby islands. He added it was also believed to bring good luck like amulets... hmnnn... sold then! LOL!

Sun's up and we have shark tooth 'round our necks!

Good Morning, Puerto Galera!

Hello, Sunshine!

We enjoyed strolling by the beach back to the hotel for yet another hearty breakfast and more dose of coffee. We came across other sellers who were eager to have their first sale for the day which made it harder to say no. I think my best buy were the friendship bonds I took home as keepsakes to friends... They loved it! :)

Free taste of honey dipped bukayo (coconut praline dipped in honey)

I love these Friendship Bonds!

Then it was time for some pampering... a soothing massage on the sand! The masseuse, Aling Laura said all of them in green uniforms were trained and issued permits by the municipal government. They were formerly referred to as "hilot" (Traditional Filipino masseuse). Aling Laura further averred that there were a few old women practicing the "ancient art" in the island and they were the first batch trained by the government but the younger ones also saw the opportunity thereby making the competition much rigid. They only charge P350 an hour and not allowed to lower the price. I wanted her to earn so, instead of getting another masseuse I waited patiently for an hour for her to finish her session with no other than the BFF before I get my massage. Truly, patience is a virtue... hehe.

Massage on the sand by the beach!

I always wanted to have a tattoo but too scared out of wits to get one done because my pain tolerance is... almost nil! So a henna tattoo would be a nice alternative! I had a big one "inked" across my waist with flowers and butterflies! It looked good although there were no colors available other than black. BFF also had a butterfly painted on her right posterior shoulder.

We were both giggling while taking pictures after the "inking," feeling like "rockstars" haha!

Rock My World! Yeah! :)

We basked and tanned in the sun the whole afternoon although there were a lot of activities available such as kayaking and island hopping. We took a nap and had an early dinner in one of the restaurants along the strip. Then, it was time for a taste of some Mindoro night life! Around 10 P.M. we went strolling along the beach to check out the gigs! Almost all bars had talented and beautiful stand up comedy performers but the real stars of the night were the fire dancers! I was thrilled to dance with one of them! Err actually, I just stood still, closed my eyes and screamed while the fire dancer did his routine, hehe.

"That Girl was on Fiiire!" LOL!

"One of the Girls!" --- with Beautiful Stand Up Comedy Performers!

The moon and the stars shined brightly that night as the summer sea breeze blew soft tingling kisses to the skin and the waves made beautiful rhythmic sounds... perfect! The lights and sounds emanating from the bars and the laughter of happy people added color to this one memorable Mindoro Night Life!

A Taste of Mindoro Night Life!

Our last day was spent shopping for souvenirs and pasalubong (keepsakes for loved ones and friends). By the way, if you will visit Puerto Galera, bring on enough cash because credit cards are no good on the island. We had a hard time looking for an ATM in the town proper that would dispense cash! The tricycle driver that took us around town charged P150 for the trip.

We enjoyed shopping at the small stalls that offered a lot of beautiful stuff from clothes, swim wear, sarong (printed cloth/garment) to other souvenir items like key chains and slippers. Most are printed with the place's name, Puerto Galera! The prices were very affordable but haggling was not a practice because the vendors said their association follow strict rules on pricing... hmnnn... cartel? Just kidding, the prices were really fair. :)