Another Beach Episode. Sampaguita, Bauan, Batangas

Alright, so I posted on Facebook thru my recently-acquired Twitter account that I'll be posting something on my blog if I were sober yesterday. I wasn't able to post anything, but it wasn't because I was drunk, but I was dead-tired. Don't know how I got that way, but I just laid back for a power nap and the next thing I knew when I came awake it was 10:45 PM.

I hope you like this one.

My buddies decided to tag along with another friend's family outing yesterday, and since we were pining for a bit of beach and sun action, well, the opportunity just presented itself. Now, unlike our previous outings (Re: Batangas Summer post), we decided to head out to one of the more secluded, yet really better-than-your-average beaches here in our place in the province. We went to Sampaguita, where the water is cooler, the sand is cleaner, and the road to get there is more exciting (three dangerous curves ahead, while riding downhill from a climb up a mountain where only one car can fit). Too bad my camera was in my bag so I was not able to take a photo on how the way going there looks like, but needless to say, if getting there by road, one must be driving a vehicle like some sort of SUV or truck (which we rode on - one of those big-ass trucks used for hauling softdrinks much like the same one we rode on re: Good Friday Hike post).

I have been here years ago. Just before graduating from high school. I can notice that nothing much has changed, except for the fact that the troublesome sea urchin population dwindled, much to my feet's relief. I got stuck by one of the buggers the last time I came here, and the pain was tolerable and what annoyed me more was the fact that it itched like anything. A few drops of vodka would've been welcome at the time (or is that for jellyfish stings only?). I settled for some calamansi juice applied sparingly on the affected area with - by the advice of a classmate - vinegar. Don't know if the calamansi or the vinegar did it, but nevertheless, the pain disappeared after less than an hour. Back to present.

The writer, gawking again, this time
with friends so that he won't feel left out.

 Some of the pictures I took were around 7AM so there's more shade and the sun hasn't yet peaked. Our hut was spacious enough and the owners of the resort let us use more than the two tables we rented. You can notice how clear the waters are and despite the presence of rocks, the sand feels great around your toes. It is relatively shallow up to 25 or so meters, probably more than that, and beyond 40 meters out into sea will it really get deep with rocks you can step on. Just watch out for sea urchins. They hurt. More photos include our view from the hut on both sides, and later from a neat place we noticed.




 Not too many people around, and some were arriving by boat from nearby Mabini, which is the secondary route if you don't want to get here by mountain. It's not a crowded beach so there is ample room for everyone to swim and frolic in the sand. Some were playing frisbee. By that time I wished I brought along my football so we can play a game of beach football. We were expecting tourists like Koreans, but maybe they are all in the Mabini side, where it's known for its increasingly growing reputation for water sports and dive spots.

See how clear the water is? I just couldn't get enough of it. Usually, the beaches we go to have darker sands and even darker water. You can also notice very little garbage littering the sand. You can't really see it here in the photos but compared to other beaches here in Batangas, this is the cleanest I have ever been in.

One of the best photos I took. That's my buddy over there, testing how to pose for a killer pic. For the sake of decency, I won't be posting here our other shots. We sexy and we know it. 'Nuff said.

Then we noticed some sort of ruined remains of a port jutting from the waters some distance away from our place. We figured it would be a cool place to check out and my buddy and I waded onto it. We had little trouble getting there, since our only concern was the occasional sea urchin, and it was really fun making our way there. We took a bunch of photos here and after more than half an hour having fun here, we notice that the other people on the beach started wading after us. Maybe they were just waiting for someone to make it across the rocks without disappearing under the waters or rolling in pain before they tried it out.

No sea urchins here. Good.

 Sorry for the crappy layout, I haven't had this much difficulty with posting an entry with photos before, but I just wanted you guys to see as much as I feel that will make you appreciate the simplicity and serenity of this place so I just chose a select few photos. Unless you want to see us turn one of the kids who tagged along with us into a sand-mermaid with a huge, er, tail. Anyways, there's also some fishermen who rent their boats out to tourists and for a hundred bucks per head, you can snorkel and dive around the hidden coral reefs and shoals about 20 minutes away from the beach. Based on what I heard, the dive spot is great and if I return here, maybe I'll check it out and might borrow an underwater camera.

Below are more photos I took for the remainder of our day spent there, and as you can notice, the sun's already up, and while just as intense as anywhere during the summer at noontime, the heat can still be beaten by a quick dip in the water with a constant cooling breeze. That and plenty of water.

Ironically, like I said, we didn't get drunk this time (Again. Last year's outing no one bothered to bring alcohol). But maybe if we'd get inebriated this time, we won't be able to really appreciate this beach and not enjoy it fully. In the last pic the sun is starting to go down, and we were already packing our things and getting ready to go home.

I can say I really, really feel better doing one of these "semi-travel blogs", since I really like to travel and get to new places. Maybe I can do a few more of these in the future and maybe do some reviews on other things, not just places but more. So far I had a blast, and as early as now, my summer would've been complete, if only my better half was there with me.

Enjoy the remainder of the summer, ciao.

Mmm... Vodka.