Where to go before summer is gone

T here are a few weeks of s ummer left so these are my suggestions of where to go:

SORSOGON CITY

Through the generosity of EDC (Energy Development Corporation), we have been able to help five communities living in beautiful pristine sites. Go on the Buhatan River Cruise, where we have comfortable floating barges — wide seats, comfortable pillows, and removable roofs to allow you to enjoy a starlit sky or a full moon. On the way, you may even catch the Sorsogon Eagle. Bancas of people will come selling native delicacies — and you can get fresh mussels from a live farm. At the end is a floating restaurant complete with rooms for spending the night, or enjoying a spa treatment. The highlight is a sumptuous dinner. On the way back, there is the spectacle of fireflies amid a softly strumming guitar, a treat in itself.

PINK SANDS OF MATNOG

Go island hopping and cap it with lunch in Matnog. Enjoy pristine waters, eat on the beach, play with the fishermen, then go explore the caves and see hectares and hectares of corals. Oh, yes, taste the best seaweed (lato) you will ever eat.

GUBAT SURF CAMP

This used to be run by out-of-school youth. The good news is they are no longer out of school and the community is making money! That my staff was able to get up on the surfboard on the first day is testimony to their teaching skill. From the seven surfboards EDC donated, they now have 14. They had 500 visitors the last month we visited them. Everyone I brought loved the warm hospitality of the people there such that we decided to make it a full-day experience, culminating in folk music in the evening.

SANDBAR AND SEAWEED FARMING IN PILAR

Eating seaweed fresh from the sea is an experience on its own. Eating lunch literally in the sea is another treat in itself.

View this link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X69O8Pc8VFk&feature= youtu.be to get a feel of the splendor of Sorsogon.

MANGO GROVE AT BANCAL RIVER IN IBA

I have brought my family here. The ratings are high. Fairmont donated the mattresses, the blankets, and the bedsheets. Every room has an experience of nature. The bed-and-breakfast place is just by the river which has hot springs. The biggest come-on is the experience of farm to table. Everything is organically grown. The animals are free range. I had lunch on both days near different river sites and the experience of dining surrounded by trees facing a river is quite awesome. I loved having dinner and seeing the full moon with our feet in warm river water while savoring really good food! This project helps the communities who were hit by the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo. They sell vegetables and indoor plants.

View this link to see beautiful Iba: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AaZ0jPv6e8s&feature=youtu.be

LEYTE

With the Yolanda funds, we put up

three projects in Leyte: a skim boarding site, a surf camp, and a river project at Dao — all having its unique majesty… And each supporting communities. SAMAR

Arriving in Tacloban, you can take a boat straight to Samar instead of the long road trip. Enjoy the view of San Juanico Bridge. Enjoy the breakfast at our Basey Pre-Departure Area. LA CUCINA DE MARABUT This is a two-hectare organic farm with a restaurant amid hectares of rice fields. The experience is farm-to-table amid nature.

WESPAL GROVE

This is an eco-lodge which is the base of what I feel is one of the wonders of the world — the Sohoton Caves. I have never seen rock formations like these. It’s like another world. The cave is literally alive. Even the journey there through the Sohoton River is an experience. The lushness of nature exuding a certain kind of quiet… Feeding the soul. We have kayaks so that one can have a more profound experience of nature.

STA. RITA

This is a floating restaurant in a mangrove — overlooking the San Juanico Bridge. Good food — and again fresh seaweed from the sea.

View this link to get an idea of Samar and Leyte sites: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lAEGEK2fvM&feature=youtu.be.

All the projects here help the attached communities. All of the sites are an experience of the majesty of nature and the heart and warmth of our people. I urge you to schedule a trip to each of these sites. We have packages which can cater to both the well-heeled crowd and the backpacking crowd.

Please contact Pirkko Alcantara of G Eco Tours at 415-2272 local 3779 or 09175235522 or email at gecotoursph@gmail.com. You may also visit our Facebook page: https:// www.facebook.com/gecotoursph/.

Spend summer experiencing the majesty of the Philippines — helping our people and nourishing your spirit … See you!

Surf’s up: Gina Lopez says her staff surfs like a pro, testimony to the teaching skills of the youth in Gubat Surf Camp. Photos by BUTZ EGUIA

Wonder of the world: Exploring the Sohoton Cave in Samar is like being in a different world.

Footnote: Dyan Castillejo and Susan Afan get a foot massage by the quiet river in Dulag, Leyte.

It’s a raft: The author Gina Lopez enjoys the view from a cozy raft with Dyan Castillejo and colleagues in Leyte.

From farm to bottle: Basil leaves from La Cucina de Marabut are the main ingredients of G Stuff’s pesto.

Think pink: The pink sand of Matnog is due to the crushed pink corals.

Stay tuned: Interior of ABS-CBn Eco-Village guest house in Iba, Zambales

Fresh treats: Lunch prepared by the community in Sabang Daguitan, Dulag, Leyte