Another Windsurfing Trip to Caliraya

Usually, when we go windsurfing at Caliraya Lake, we'd find a bunch of windsurfers and kiteboarders / kitesurfers milling about and camping in Surf Kamp with their trailer campers and cars. Most of them are the same people I've worked with during the 2008 FunBoard Cup in Boracay although I rarely interact with them when I go there. I'm the loner type if you must know and I rarely interact with people unless they talk to me first. 

We had the lake all to ourselves! 

So anyway, this particular weekend that we went to Surf Kamp, my husband and I were surprised to see that no one was around. The caretaker of the property actually told us that  the windsurfers are now camping somewhere else. This new campsite doesn't have a name, but it's just right across Surf Camp's Lakeside. Going by car, we'd have to exit Surf Camp and turn left. We followed the road until we saw another narrow road on our left where there is a big house with red roof. There's a small parking area there but we'd still have to ride a barge to cross the lake until we reach this new campsite allegedly owned by Michael Palacios according to the person we came across with while parking in the second location. The wind and kitesurfers now go here since they're like an exclusive club and they like to come together every weekend.

Caliraya Windsurfing, Japanese Garden, Isdaan Trip

What happens during a Caliraya Windsurfing Trip?

Driving from Alabang to Caliraya Laguna takes about 4 hours so we usually head out early on a Saturday or Sunday morning to avoid traffic, hoping to reach Surf Camp between 10-11 am.

For directions on how to go to Surf Kamp in Caliraya, please go to this link:
How to get to Surf Kamp

Entrance per person in Surf Kamp is Php75.00. Once inside the premises, you can check the place first, take some photo ops, and see if there's enough wind power in the air to help you windsurf later on. Well at least, that's what we usually do. We scout the area, see if there are already windsurfers and kite surfers enjoying the lake, or camping around, plus we test the water temperature. Usually, the lake water is quite freezing in the morning so instead of renting a windsurfing board out right, we schedule afternoon lessons instead with Noni (my instructor) and come back after lunch. You can contact him at this number: 09194999634

Windsurfing @ Surf Kamp, Lake Caliraya

Being on the surface of the water has always been very appealing for me. This is why I prefer snorkeling more than diving, why I swim with my head up all the time, why I did wakeboarding a couple of times, and why I got hooked into surfing.

Windsurfing at Lake Caliraya Surf Kamp

The following is a post I drafted while we were staying in Casa San Pablo last Feb. 14, 2010. Can I just say that so far, this has been the best Valentine weekend celebration of my entire life?! ^_^

For those who want to read this Valentine travelogue from the beginning, please clickthe link below:

Valentine 2010

~~~oOo~~~

While figuring out where next to go, we saw this cottage-like dining place. We remembered this was the same food stop we've been to some 4 years ago, when we first did our Laguna road trip with Ate Rose. The place was already much bigger but it has the same scenic view of the lake at the back. I wondered if the food is still the same --- scrumptious, affordable and comes in large servings. It is!

Lake Caliraya Surf Kamp, Japanese Garden and Lagos del Sol

The following is a post I drafted while we were staying in Casa San Pablo last Feb. 14, 2010. Can I just say that so far, this has been the best Valentine weekend celebration of my entire life?! ^_^

For those who want to read this Valentine travelogue from the beginning, please clickthe link below:

Valentine 2010

~~~oOo~~~

It's amazing how when you've done something you never really thought you could do, you open yourself up to more creative ventures you never even bothered to think about before. This phenomenon may have something to do with being able to accept yourself, your strengths, your weaknesses, and acknowledging the fact that you can be limitless, albeit imperfect, if you really want to be.

Take for instance what happened to me this Valentine weekend. I did plan to take up windsurfing lessons. I first fell in love with this water sport, no matter how superficial it was at first, when I marshalled the Neil Pryde Fun Board Cup in Boracay last January of 2008. Being a marshall at that time, for one whole week, I witnessed a lot of action in the windsurfing and kite boarding divisions. They all looked fun and I thought if these people can do it, maybe I could too! But weeks turned to months, and months turned to two years, and still, I didn't have the courage nor the time to go windsurfing. Then finally, on our Valentine weekend this year, I thought it's about time that I give it a try.

Caliraya Surf Kamp

Entrance is Php75 for day trippers and Php150 each for overnight campers. You can rent a tent for about Php300 or bring your own.

We went to Caliraya Lake in Laguna in the early morning of Feb. 13, 2010. It was freaking cold... I wasn't wearing any bra (like I usually do) and so my nips were really crying for attention. It was even colder than that time when we went to Baguio for my birthday 3 years ago, and with the wind blowing so strong plus the occasional drizzle, I started getting anxious. Could I really do this? Am I really up for it? Do I really, really want this? And so like my doubting psyche would sometimes do to me, I started noticing the other unpleasant things about this whole trip. The venue was at Caliraya Surf Kamp where the famous lake is located. It was pure nature. There were no cottages, no proper toilets and bathrooms, the soil was made of silt, full of moss and other seemingly yucky and slippery substances. It would surely be uncomfortable and I didn't have to undergo this kind of hassle.