Mental Gymnastics

Off the Beaten Path

Somewhere off the beaten path are treasures waiting to be found.

While colleagues and friends strutted to resorts and resthouses, I was escapading into a rustic environment, off the northern tip of Luzon.

Two weeks ago, i've been juggling between several scripting languages while combating a flu when the Palaui invite came to my rescue. I availed of my leaves rightaway and hopped into a bus to Camalaniugan, Tuguegarao together with more than a dozen eager adventurers that I've barely met.

14-hours later, we arrived in Camalaniugan where we then arranged for a jeepney ride to the northeastern tip of Luzon, the port of San Vicente. This is where we met up with Mang Nanding and Gigi, who were to be our guides and boatmen for the next three days.



Our first destination was Crocodile Island, a jagged stone island that's a mere 15 minutes away from the port. Sunset was amazing, and little did we know that it's going to be the last that we'll see of the sun. Later that evening, the wind began to pick up. Soon it became a constant companion for the rest our trip.

It was cloudy the next day and the horizon exibited big strips of waves (which kept me thinking about surfing). The winds were still strong but that didn't stop us from carrying on with our itinerary. We took the boat to Angib, with its long sandy beaches. We set up camp amidst the bushes and trees near the beach. And that night we feasted on Puttanesca, cheese and red wine. Such an unlikely menu for a rustic environment.

The next day, we explored the vastness of the island. What was seawater the day before was now an endless stretch of fine sand. It was even possible to tread in-between islands through fields of seaweeds. The sights were amazing hence our pictorials never seem to end.



Later that day, we broke camp and waited until high tide to go the last leg of our journey. Once again we've braved through some choppy waters, until finally we reached a mangrove forest which is our entry point to Cape Engaño.

The beach was a big welcome from our rough boat ride, with its picnic tables and trees. This is where we setup camp, which is just a few meters away from a military outpost. We were even met by some local kids who were selling orchids.

We got up early the next day, catching a pandesal vendor who helped supply our breaksfast. Later we began our hour and a half hike towards the peak of Cape Engaño which is on the other side of the island. We didn't have our backpacks with us so our pacing was pretty fast.

We went pass a long stretch of beach before going into the woods, up the muddy path, then through a picturesque, grassy slopes surrounded by green mountains matched with carabaos and a nipa hut. Such a lovely view made me stop and relate the place with the opening scene in the Sound of Music. After a few minutes of rest, while waiting for the others to catch up, we went through the woods again, this time elevating higher up the mountain, up to the breathtaking view of Dos Hermanas, two rock formations framed in between the cliffs of Cape Engaño. Down below are the strong currents of the China Sea constantly battering the rocks.



From the cliff we could already see the lighthouse up on the peak. After several moments of fascination, and another round of pictorials, we continued ascending to the other side of the mountain, where the abandoned steps toward the lighthouse are evident. Up the steps, one can see a tranquil cove, with its long stretch of sand. We continued moving up until we reached the lighthouse.

It’s been said that this abandoned lighthouse was built during the Spanish era and that restless spirits abound the place especially after WWII. The place was indeed eerie but the laughter and excitement of our group eventually washed all the creepiness away. We took advantage of the magnificent view and the antiquity of the architecture by adding them up in our photo collection. After taking enough photos, we went down to the beach and took our time to swim, snorkel and rest.

We headed back to camp, cutting our travel period to about 30 minutes by taking the boat. After breaking camp, we went straight back to San Vicente to wash up and then catch the 3pm bus ride to Manila. Some of us stayed a day longer to visit the famed Callao Caves as well as Calvary Hills in Tuguegarao. But for those of us scurrying to go home, we were able to reach the bus terminal at 2:40pm, grabbing a quick lunch at a nearby canteen after. Upon hopping into the bus, I began to doze off and dream of the waters and the islands, of the picturesque scenes and the magnificent views.

My body's still recovering from the constant swaying of the sea which I've grown used to for the past week. And I can't seem to get rid of the motion of waves in my head as I struggle to go face the realities of Monday.

Photos above are courtesy of Gio: (Palaui 1-4)http://community.webshots.com/user/van9335


Other write-ups/photos on Palaui:
http://www.geocities.com/TheTropics/Shores/4033/art51.html
http://www.photonski.com/melovillareal/palaui

posted by kquill @ 3:19 PM