LIFE'S A BEACH
Lifestyle Asia contributor Dorothy Tan hops from shore to shore to celebrate her 30th birthday
As the cliché Moes, the beach is the “Best Escape Anyone Can Have”—and I couldn’t agree more! The beach is my sanctuary. Time slows down. The sound of the waves crashing into the shore becomes a lullaby, the warmth of the sun combined with the cooling effect of crystal clear waters replenishes my energy, and the sky bursting with colors during sunrise and sunset inspires me to continue chasing my dreams. This is my therapy from all the stresses of busy city life.
On my 30th birthday, I wanted to do something memorable—something that I can proudly tell stories about. Being a thalassophile, I thought, “Why not visit 30 beaches?” Our country is an archipelago with 7000+ islands. Hence, going to 30 beaches doesn't seem too difficult. So I did it! It took me 14 days (not consecutive) to explore four coastal towns of the Philippines.
INTO THE BLUE
I kicked off the year with a trip to Islas de Gigantes in Carles, Iloilo. My friends and I spent an entire day exploring four islands—Bantigue Island, Cabugao Gamay Island, Tangke Saltwater Lagoon and Little Boracay. Bantigue Island is famous for its mesmerizing long sandbar that changes shape according to tides and waves. While enjoying the view, we helped ourselves to steamed scallops and oysters which our guide bought fresh from the villagers on the island.
Cabugao Gamay Island is arguably the most photographed island in Islas de Gigantes. When you google Islas de Gigantes, most of the images that would come up are of this island. You don’t need a drone to replicate seemingly-aerial shots. There is a set of stairs on the rocky side of the island that leads to this vantage point.
Tangke Saltwater LaMoon is a small natural saltwater pool hidden behind cliffs. At the entrance, there is a floating raft where boats can temporarily anchor.
With strong currents, the floating raft really tested our balance. Then, we had to make a short climb on the rocks to get to the tank, from which the lagoon is named after. Though the water below was inviting, we decided to proceed to the next island instead.
Little Boracay, as the name suggests, is a miniature Boracay with its powdery white sand sans the commercialization. We were lucky we had the whole island to ourselves.
The following day, we made our way to the real Boracay. From Carles, we traveled for about 5 hours.
I was excited about this leg of the trip. I was looking forward to seeing a clean Boracay. After getting disappointed seeing algae and trash during my last visit 7 or 8 years ago, I haven’t been back to the island since. Now back to its former glory, Boracay is truly stunning! The clean shores of the world-famous island proved why it is consistently listed as one of the best beaches in the world. And who wouldn’t fall in love with the Boracay sunset?
THE PHILIPPINES’ LAST FRONTIER
Fast forward to March when I hopped on a plane bound for Puerto Princesa, Palawan. I traveled further southwest to a remote municipality called Balabac. Balabac is in the southernmost tip of Palawan. This place is the perfect example of the saying ‘difficult roads often lead to beautiful destinations’. The 7-hour travel by land and the hourlong boat ride was so worth it. This is
where I was able to see rich underwater life, with clear, Gatorade-blue waters, long sandbars I cannot fit in the frame of my camera, too many natural infinity pools that I lost count of, soft powdery white sand that feels as if I was stepping on cotton, and bioluminescent plankton that I only used to see in science books and internet pages. Balabac is truly an unspoiled paradise! Words and pictures cannot justify its beauty.
As we went island hopping for four full days, we got to explore 14 islands. All are beautiful! But if I were to pick my favorites, it would be those untouched by urbanization, so expect everything to be basic. Many of the accommodations are in the Poblacion area (where the locals live). Some offer airconditioned rooms. As for my group, we chose Balabac Island Safari for an authentic island living experience. The setup was a camp in Canibungan Island, a barely inhabited island. The camp, though, has all the basic necessities.
Canimiran Island, locally called Patunggong (which means slightly tilted), is an exquisite island with its pinkish fine sand. We were welcomed in Patawan Island by Brownie, its sole canine denizen. According to our guide, Brownie’s owner abandoned him on the island a year ago. He has considered the island his home since then, living through the kindness of travelers who feed and take care of him on their visit.
Canibungan Island was our home base in Balabac. We would start our day watching the sunrise while drinking a cup of coffee. This would be followed with us excitedly hopping on the boat to visit its neighboring islands. And to end each day, we'd run to the other side of the island to catch the beautiful sunset. A different set of adventures awaited us during the evenings. The sky would be lit up by millions of stars and the shoreline would glow with bioluminescent planktons. We were lucky to find the Milky Way arm!
Candaraman Island has everything you are looking for in an island. A rich coral gardens, a sand bar full of starfishes and a long shoreline with fine white sand.
Angela Sandbar brings back lots of fond memories. A cute couple from camp got engaged on this island! And as witnesses to this very romantic moment, we had our photo taken sunbathing in a heart-shaped formation.
Punta Sebaring has a long and vast shoreline and what I consider as the best type of sand—cotton-soft powdery white sand. Be cautious of sand fleas, though. Make sure to bring your trusted insect repellant.
We also went to Comiran Island or what others call “the pink island.” Per our guide, the sand gets its rose color from crushed dead red corals that are washed ashore and eventually blend naturally with the sand.
There is an island whose name I cannot disclose for certain reasons. This is my favorite island. With fine white sand and a long encircling sand bar in the middle of the sea, it is a natural infinity pool I'd gladly return to.
BACK FOR MORE
Two months later, I once again found myself in Palawan. My agenda this time was to discover the quiet fishing village of Port Barton in the town of San Vicente. Located midway the province capital, Puerto Princesa and the more famous beach paradise, El Nido, San Vicente is often overlooked by touris Recently, travelers have been starting to notice its potential. When a commercial airline started offering direct flights, my curiosity was piqued, and I instinctively booked a ticket to visit this emerging tourist destination before it gets crowded.
From San Vicente airport, my friends and I rode a multi-cab to the port where our boat was waiting for us. The boat ride to Port Barton was a relaxing one hour.
The water was so calm it felt like we were driving on an open highway.
Like in other island destinations, my itinerary mostly consisted of island hopping. In San Vicente, I added 11 islands in my list, completing the 30 beaches. Some of my favorites are Maxima Island, Exotic Island, Albaguen Island, Inaladelan Island, and the Long Beach.
I'd like to think of Maxima and Exotic islands as conjoined twin islands. The two are connected by a shallow channel that you can cross during low tide. Albaguen Island used to house the Blue Cove Resort known as a local lunch spot. According to our guide, the resort is currently closed due to a change of management. Inaladelan island (formerly called German Island) is a 12-hectare private island where sea turtles are commonly spotted. During our trip, we were able to see two. One was way deep in the ocean sleeping. We found the other one 2-3 meters deep busy eating, unaware of the humans following its every move.
San Vicente’s Long Beach completed my goal of 30 beaches. It is the longest white Oand beach in the Philippines. The best way to explore the 14-kilometer shoreline is through a motorbike. Alternatively, you can hike Erawan Beach and get a 360-degree view of this magnificent scenery. As for us, we chose the most relaxed way—from the comforts of Club Agutaya.
Of course, I wouldn’t stop at 30. My endless pursuit of picturesque beaches continues. There are more islands to explore. I am thankful that many of the world’s best are in this archipelago. I always feel proud when I describe our beaches to foreigners. Coconut trees, powdery white sand, clear turquoise water, and rich and diverse marine life. The Philippines is nothing short of a charming tropical paradise. And I am lucky to call this my home.