This isn't my first trip to Puerto Galera. The first was when I was with my swim team back when I was in high school. The second was years ago with my work colleagues (it was my first DIY trip). I went there this summer unequipped with my usual fervor. I wasn't giddy with anticipation. I knew what was waiting for me in Puerto Galera. A humble strip of white-sand beach, tons of people swarming the bars and restos, and a fair amount of drag queens and fire dancers for your entertainment. It was going to be a quick beach fix for us.

The girls and I at Batangas Pier, waiting for our ride

I admit that it was a pleasant surprise that I really enjoyed that weekend. My friend was glad she turned down an invitation to a class reunion for this. But don't tell her schoolmates that. I think it was worth it too.

Chose Father and Son for our boat ride. Cost us php500 for a round trip.

We arrived there around 7 in the evening. I know it's a bit late but we had some errands earlier in the day and there were unexpected hold ups. I was hoping I'd at least enjoy the sunset from the shore but it as it turns out, I'd be viewing it from the boat.

Oh, hi there. Couldn't you have at least wait for us to arrive?

Since it was so late, there was nothing else to do but have dinner and hang around at the beach. Soon, drag queens and fire dancers started to show up. It was getting crowdy so we ended up having some drinks and talking about life and love and death and other profound topics. Such profound, indeed.

Having dinner by the beach after a long day is such a delight

Chilling on my round towel while the dancers dance and the performers perform

Yes, let us speak of grown-up things, my fellow grown-ups

There was no concrete itinerary for this trip but I was secretly hoping we'd do some island hopping. So when some of the guys started asking if we wanted to go, every cell in my body lit up and it felt good to say heck yeah to that. The next morning, we were up at 6 and on our way to the docks. Minutes later, we found ourselves in a boat.

On our way to the docks. A Tricycle ride costs php50

It was good that we decided to start the tour early. We were among the first who visited some of the islands and so we got to take awesome photos with no trace of photobombers whosoever.

Boat rental is php1500. The boat guide's already got some bread for the fish feeding so we didn't have to buy any. Snorkeling gear is also included

We stopped at a snorkeling area. Later, some guys on small 2-3 person boats arrived, boarded our boat, and asked if we wanted to go to some other places that isn't covered by the tour package we availed from our boat guy. These places were only accessible by the small boats and it would cost php200 per attraction. I was sort of expecting this because we did this the last time we went to Puerto Galera. I wasn't sure though if my companions wanted to do it. But after a couple of minutes, we relented and agreed to only one attraction, the Coral Garden. You can imagine how excited I was. Once again, I'd be snorkeling in the waters of Puerto Galera but this time, I'd be armed with a 20/20 vision. I know I was going to enjoy this.

Small boats can carry 2-3 persons

The Coral Garden was beautiful! The amount of corals and fishes made that php200 worth it. This was definitely the highlight of my trip!

The fish feeding activity doesn't disappoint

They went violently for the bread and it feels as if these fish have not been fed for decades

Hold on to that katig while the boat moves for a major snorkeling experience

After that amazing snorkeling experience, we went back to our big boat and continued with the island hopping.

Took photos at a small cave on our first stop

The colleagues and their prized henna tattoos

We had breakfast at Haligi Beach and it is one of my favourite breakfast experiences ever. We had the place all to ourselves and the sound of crashing waves while we chowed down on seafood, grilled pork, egss and hotdogs after tiring ourselves out at the Coral Garden is priceless

My friend and I were taking some photos by the beach while waiting for the food and a guy with a plate of Sea Urchins approached us. He was selling these for eating. And being the curious human being that I was, I went heck yeah, let's try it! (that was after I bombarded manong with a million "are you sure it's safe?")

It was still moving when we were scooping its insides

The last island, Bayanan beach, had us swimming and taking more photos

This man kept hogging my photographer's attention. I am definitely not taking him to any of my travels if he keeps doing this

That expensive round towel I bought from Common Threads was worth it. We might want to work out on making sure it's round when we take photos, though.

I didn't have my rash guard with me because I thought the only thing we'd be doing at Puerto Galera was beach bumming

We finished the whole tour around 10 in the morning and we were back at the inn around 10:30, just in time to pack and get ourselves ready for our departure. Our boat was scheduled to leave at 2, so we had some more time to kill.We checked out and roamed around for some souvenirs. We also had halo-halo for a quick snack.

Halo-halo on a hot afternoon

I find the heat to be noteworthy this year. The weather was scorching hot and I do not certainly remember the climate being this treacherous the last time I was there. How the people were swimming at 1 in the afternoon, I cannot comprehend. Anyway, this trip had us refreshed and ready for another stressful week at work. I am definitely satisfied with the amazing photos and videos we got. That was one very good weekend indeed.



Photo credits: Wendy Fraginal