Island Escapade 2013: Puerto Galera

      Since I was a kid, travelling and going to new places has allured me. Thus I was labeled 'makati ang paa'. But come to think of it, who doesn't like travelling right? The appeal of exploring unfamiliar lands, meeting different kinds of people and immersing in diverse cultures and environment is so strong that I swore to myself that at least once a year, I will be able to cross out one place off my Vacation Places List. And now that I have Steffy to tag along with me, I bet, my adventures will be more fun and exciting!

     First off the list is Puerto Galera, better known to some as the Poor Man's Boracay. And indeed, it is way much cheaper to go to Galera than Bora. The sand may not be as white and as fine as Bora's but it will do. Actually, it's my second time to go to Galera. The first time I went there was with my then boyfriend (and now fiancee) Edmund. We were on a tighter budget and we just spent one night there. But this time, we came more prepared. We went back with a vengeance. Given that we were already travelling with our little munchkin, we have to be more organized and we have to have more cash in hand.

     And so it was planned. The target date is April 27-29. I searched the net for deals or packages that will fit our budget. I came across the website of Sea Jewel Beach Resort and saw that they have OMG (Oh My Galera) Packages. The Couple Package costs PhP 2,890 per person and is good for two nights accommodation. It includes roundtrip boat transfers from Batangas Pier to White Beach and vice-versa (c/o Minolo Shipping Line), terminal fee, environmental fee, breakfasts and Puerto Galera Exit fee. BINGO! It's perfect! Luckily, they still have a couple of rooms available when I inquired and transacting with their reservation officers (Joan and Ava) through text and email was a breeze. They are more than willing to answer my thousand and one inquiries. We paid the 50% downpayment by depositing to their BDO Account and we got a confirmation email from them as soon as they received the payment.

     The big day came. Edmund and I decided beforehand that Steffy and I would just ride a cab from Marikina and meet him at Jam Transit Terminal, Kamuning around 7am. Once we boarded, Steffy returned to her deep slumber which I rudely interrupted earlier to prepare her for the trip.

     It was a smooth and relatively traffic-free land travel because it's an early Saturday morning. Add up to that, the bus we rode in has WiFi. It helped in shutting off the boredom. In no time (estimated 2 hours), we touched down at Batangas Pier.

♥Word of advice, if you're not traveling with any kids and you can manage to carry your own luggage, don't accept any assistance from anyone, especially if they are much too eager to help you. Once they got hold of your luggage, they will be assisting you all the way until the entrance of the Pier waiting area (they are not allowed inside). It would seem rude to turn them down at this point and you have no choice but to give them some tip. Talk about getting caught off guard.♥

     

     Anyway, once we're inside, we were assisted by an official representative of Sea Jewel Resort, Tess. She gave us our boat tickets and we logged in to her record book. We were advised to wait for the boarding announcement. While waiting, we bought ourselves some breakfast. (♥Another tip: bring your own breakfast preferably sandwiches. The prices of the food inside are waaaay too expensive.♥) We played around after eating and after an hour of waiting, at last, Minolo Shipping Lines announced that we can board the outrigger boat. Steffy was so amazed with the 'big water' and the 'big boat'. Her excitement is evident in her smile and her high pitched squeals and laughter.

     
     During the boat ride, I can see how delighted she was, pointing at every island she saw. Even I got a glimpse of a black dorsal fin (I SWEAR!) coming out of the water not once but thrice. Not sure what sea creature that was though. Maybe it's a dolphin who lost its way and got separated from its family.

     In less than an hour, we can already see the white sands of White Beach. Immediately after we docked, we went to the Minolo Ticket Booth to confirm our roundtrip ticket. A staff of Sea Jewel Resort was waiting for us there holding up a paper with (gasp!) my WHOLE NAME written on it. When we arrived at the hotel, we immediately ordered lunch. The same friendly staff suggested that we settle first in our room while waiting for the food. The room was so tidy. We have clean towels on the bed. The bed sheet and the pillows smells fresh. I checked the toilet and bath and it was spotless! So I decided to give Steffy a bath first since it was really her bath time anyway. When we went down, our lunch is already waiting for us (still hot) on the table. I was very much satisfied with this hotel and its staff. Besides, it won't be awarded a Certificate of Excellence of Tripadvisor for nothing right?

     After eating, we had our siesta and when we woke up, we decided to stroll along the beach to feel the cool sea breeze and to eat dinner. The little munchkin, didn't like walking on the sand so Edmund and I have to take turns in carrying her. The feel of the sand getting inside her slippers is so new to her. We can't stop laughing at her because she told us that it's dirty. Anyway, by the end of the trip, she somehow got used to it (a bit).

Glorious Sunset

     Night came and Puerto Galera came to life. Lively house music here and there; drunk and sober party animals scattered; and of course, fire dancers showing off their buwis-buhay stints. Given the said details, Galera at night is not really for kids. Steffy was mesmerized though by the poi dancers. After watching some of the fire acts, we just had out dinner at our favorite budget stall named Food Trip (which I highly recommend for budget travellers) and we decided to retreat in our hotel room.

     The next day is just as laid back as the previous one. I mentioned that the little munchkin is not fond of the sand but swimming (errr, dipping) in the water is a different story. Steffy is much too eager to 'swim' that she doesn't mind that her Papa is just practically balancing her on his palm. She also saw a school of tiny silver fishes gathered near the shore. At lunch, we dared to go to the farthest end of White Beach to try Ciao Italia. An Italian themed resto (owned by a pure Italian) which had good reviews over the net. We tried their best sellers: tomato soup and 14-inch, thin crust White Beach Pizza. Delicioso! Before heading up to our room, we decided to eat some halo-halo at the beach front restaurant of VM Beach Resort. Since I am not feeling well that night, Edmund just bought our dinner from Food Trip (again). Their lugaw wanton made me feel better.

View of White Beach from Ciao Italia

     Since we need to check out by 11:30am on the third day, we spent our morning having breakfast, taking a bath and packing our things. You may think that this vacation is boring but to be honest, the main reason of this trip is to unwind, savor the sea and the sand, get tanned and most specially, spending quality time with the little munchkin. Island hopping, snorkeling, banana boat ride and other water activities will have to wait some other time when Steffy is old enough to appreciate them. Besides, this trip is just the beginning. There are still a lot in store for me and my baby. So the question is, where are the Merry Munchkins headed next? Any suggestions?