The other day, I gave you a sneak peek into this wonderful paradise we’ve visited over the weekend — Cagbalete Island in Mauban, Quezon. On this post, I am going to share with you how we were able to go there on a tight budget but with memories and experiences full of sunkissed glorious moments. It all began about a month or two ago when my girlfriends and I planned for an island getaway. Koryn was the one who recommended the place since she has already been there with her family over the summer. She was telling us how nice, serene and “virgin” the place was. It’s not intended for vain travelers as we would need to just simply commune with nature and let go of all the luxuries we’re used to in all the other beach resorts we’ve visited before (like nice toilets and shower rooms). We all said “game!’ and the planning began. There were supposed to be around 7 of us. But as the intended date of departure from the city (Nov. 14-15, 2009) was nearing, attendance boiled down to four (Peter, Koryn, Danes and moi). Since we originally budgeted P2000 per person, we presumed that our budget would go up to P2500 or even P3000 per head. Well, we couldn’t back out anymore. We’ve waited for this moment and we were raring to go! We coordinated via email and the final budget and itinerary was as follows (emailed by Koryn, intended for five people):
Hi guys! Eto na! Eto na! 
Here’s our budget breakdown for the trip:
| ITEM | AMOUNT | AMOUNT / HEAD |
| Gas | 4,000 | 800 |
| Ferry (to island) | 40 | |
| Rented boat (from island to town) | 1,500 | 300 |
| Hut (with no bathroom) | 1,500 | 300 |
| Set meal (breakfast, lunch, dinner, 2 snacks | 0 | 700 |
| Drinks, alcohol, etc. | 500 | 100 |
| 2240 |
