I am the Sexy Nomad: Puerto Galera Series Part I

Thursday, May 01, 2008

Puerto Galera Series Part I

Warning: All pictures were just scanned from old pictures. Digital cameras weren’t available then. Even if they were, we could not have afforded one…

This was taken at the 2nd floor balcony of Villa Natividad

It’s the first week of the last month of summer. For those who haven’t enjoyed their summer vacation yet, let me share with you one of the places that used to be on top of my list as the best beach vacation spot in the country (of course, this was before I was able to visit the rest of the islands from Luzon to Mindanao, and despite everything that has happened and even if I said before that I’ve had enough of it after the many stays I had there, BORACAY is still on top of my list).

Decided to go island hopping…

Anyway, I’m talking about Puerto Galera. That piece of paradise in Mindoro that used to be called the little Boracay of the Visayas. Peter and I first visited the place back in 2001. Yes, we were young, poor, carefree and fornicating then! Hahaha! We weren’t married yet but we were already living together (well, most of the time, that is, since he still used to go home to Bulacan to take care of Mama (Peter’s mom, may she rest in peace). Our first visit there actually happened accidentally. I remember, I was hanging out with my Etelecare teammates that night when all of a sudden, our team leader thought of spending the weekend at Puerto Galera. This got me excited of course. It’s been so long since I’ve seen the beach (since 1995 to be exact, before I graduated from High School at Lourdes, Cagayan de Oro). On the other hand, we couldn’t help but also worry about three things:

1. We only had Php1000 each which was supposed to be our allowance before I get my next pay.

2. Mama might not allow Peter. She’s strict that way.

3. We had 2 hours to go back to my apartment in UP Bliss and pack our stuff.

This huge piece of rock formation at the right side of white island (if you’re facing the sea) is no longer there…

But like I told you, we were so carefree then! Peter was able to convince Mama to let him go and our other teammates assured us that if ever we run out of cash, we can rely on them since they’re all rich kids anyway. And in just a couple of hours, I found ourselves boarding the 4am ALPS bus at Ali Mall going to Batangas pier (It used to cost Php120 before but now it’s around Php 180). And by 7:30am, we were already boarding the boat to White Beach Puerto Galera (P120 +Php10 terminal fee before. Now, it’s around Php220 in all). The moment I smelled the salty water, tears just welled from my eyes and I felt so at peace… so happy. It brought back the little happy childhood and adolesecent memories I have when I used to frequent the beach from Cagayan de Oro to Camiguin together with my grandparents. It was at that moment when I felt wanderlust grow inside me. And since then, I never stopped traveling….

Basking under the noon sun… it wasn’t as hot in 2001 as it is now…

Anyway, that short weekend vacation had one of my life’s firsts… I’m not sure I should tell you but… oh well, my life’s an open book anyway!

Yes, Peter used to be “thin”…

That was the first time I tried taking jutes, valium and beer one after the other. What can I do, I was young and wild. Our group was seated around a table by the beach, intoxicating ourselves with beer. Then one of the guys started passing around a piece of valium then a stick of maryjane. We all took our shot and before you know it, one of my bestfriends started chasing a stray dog and she went rolling by the beach while continuously laughing. As for me, I started dancing on top of my chair and after a while I just dropped dead. I couldn’t move at all and so Peter and another guy friend started dragging me back to the room. In my mind I was screaming “Noooo! I don’t wanna sleep yet! I wanna dance some more!!!” But no one heard me and I felt myself being dumped on the bed. The next thing I know, it was already morning with a terrible hang over.

Peter taught me how to pose…

Despite all the craziness, we just loved the island so much that Peter and I promised to come back soon. Indeed, we did! And we were with another couple Irene and Vicente. That was the time we discovered Villa Natividad. It’s a concrete 2-floor building with rows of aircondition and fan rooms to choose from. The caretaker, Juliet (0917-482-0505), has always been so nice to us and she’d always give us discounts for our room.Like if an aircon room costs Php1000, she’d give it to us for Php800. I gues it was Peter’s charm. He’s wonderful that way. Hehehe.