Day2 at Caramoan

by Ruru Pilapil

August 30, 2009. Sunday, our second day at Caramoan. Our activities for the day will include another set of island hopping adventure, going to the Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary- Mother of Peace Grotto, and exploring Culapnit Cave.

First, Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary- Mother of Peace Grotto.

"The Marian image (image of Our Lady) is the biggest in the Philippines. The image is lighted at night to guide the fishermen back to the shore of Tagbon. From afar, the image resembles the out-stretched arms of Jesus in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil."

Source: http://en.wikipilipinas.org/index.php?title=Our_Lady_of_the_Most_Holy_Rosary,_Mother_of_Peace_Grotto

Our Lady of the Most holy Rosary

This is the most tiring climb I have ever done. Strong heat of the sun, big gaps in between steps. Whew! 524 steps is not a joke. We almost gave up, and close to asking Kuya Makoy (our bancero and tour guide for that day) to bring us to the closest hospital coz we can't hardly breathe and our legs are just so tired to make the next step. But with Kuya Makoy's encouraging words, we finally made it, WE MADE IT! Rawr! Haha.

The view from the top is spectacular, pero 'di pa din nito naalis ang pagod ko. Haha. *bratt mode* ;-)

View from the Top

Second, Culapnit Cave.

"Culapnit Cave - Found in Sitio Bariw, it contains innumerable stalactites, pilars and various rock formations. This cave offers perfect spelunking adventure for thrill seekers. This is not your ordinary, typical cave. The name of the cave is derived from the local term "kulapnit" which means "bat". Thousands of bats are housed in this cave, presenting a very extraordinary spectacle. Their presence provides a very good source of guano supply and phosphate."

Source: http://caramoan-paradise.blogspot.com/2008/01/faq.html

Culapnit Cave

We had a long walk going to Culapnit Cave, but I can say that it was all worth it. The cave is amazing, rock formations are beautiful, stalactites shines like crystals, and it's a great experience to be able to explore this mysterious cave. We also saw lots and lots of bats inside the cave, they're harmless, FYI.

Third stop, Bag-Ing Island.

Nanlalagkit, nanlilimahid. That's what we are after all the spelunking inside the Culapnit Cave, itching to hit the beach again. Yey!

Bag-Ing Island

We were all alone in this island and we can do whatever we want to do. All jump shots are shot here, cheering pose, Miggy's sand angel and all. For more pics you can visit my site: http://ruru08.multiply.com/photos/album/127

Next, Lahuy Island.

Lau's Jump Shot

Lahuy Island

This is the most beautiful island that I have ever seen! Amazing. You can see small fishes under the clear water, long stretch of endless white beach, pucca shells and many more. Small fishes even attacked us while we're relaxing under the warm water, it's fun though. Wah! :-D

This is Life! Haha.

Next, Manlawi Island.

Manlawi Island - Survivor

Nothing special in this island, except that we saw this obstacle course from Survivor (don't know which country). We stayed there only for 10 minutes because the island does not allow visitors for that moment. Sneaky us, thanks Kuya Makoy. Haha. :-D

I cannot remember the name of the last island that we visited, maybe because I'm so tired na during that time. Sorry. :-P

After all the island hopping, we immediately went back to Caramoan, it's already 5:30pm when we arrived at Bikal Port, just in time for dinner at Tawog, Caramoan. As usual, we had dinner at Caramoan Bed and Dine. And since it's our last night at Caramoan, we all decided to declare the night as "The Basagan Night".

Basagan Night

Everybody's present. Beer, vodka, cigars all over. It was a fun and memorable night. Everybody got drunk, for goodness sake, including me, which is very unusual. Haha. The drunkness gave us enough courage to lie on the road, which by the way I have no idea why we did. Haha. Pero sa pagkakaalala ko, ako ata ang nakaisip non. Wahahahaha. Some drunk locals even joined us. *scary* Galing daw sila sa "kasayahan". What the?

Our last day at Caramoan is a day I will never forget. Pure Fun. Happiness. :-D

We slept at around 3 to 4 in the morning. And we have to wake up early to catch the 9am 2-hour boat ride at Sabang Port going to Bikal Port. Goodbye for now, Caramoan. We all had a great time! :-)

CWC, here we come! ;-)