Discovering my Lineage - Hidden Paradise

My mother has never been the type of person who voluntarily talks about her hometown or her parents and siblings.  Me and my siblings graduated college without meeting any of her kins.  As soon as we had a long vacation in 2007 - here in the Philippines, Holy Week is the most apt time to go on a vacation- we've decided to coerced my mother to spend the whole week in Caramoan Peninsula, Camarines Sur.

We had no idea what a paradise my mother grew up with.  The 45-minute drive from Naga City, the heart of the Bicol Region, was such a joy-ride.  Good thing the bus from Manila has a direct route to Sabang Partido, the port where we took a motor boat to Caramoan islands.  Anyway, transportation from the city did not pose  a problem because there are many public vehicles, like vans and bus, to take you to the port. 

We arrived in Sabang noontime of 1st April 2007.  The sea has already receded that the boat was afar the shore.  Men were waiting for passengers and they carried us from the shore to the boat, now how cool would that be?  Well, for my sister, she felt awkward because two men carried her, she's kinda on a bigger size.

I grew up in the city so our 45-mins boat ride from the port to Caramoan was a new thing for me and my two sisters.  We enjoyed every minute of it, just looking into the blue water, sky and the small islands we could see afar.

On 4 April 2007, after covering ourselves with suntan lotion we went swimming in one of the little islands -- it was actually owned by my mother's auncle.  Here are the pictures of the island...  

This was actually my first time to see a live starfish.  My, you could spot them anywhere.  Too bad we could not get one home...

Bulusan Lake & Mateo Hot Spring

One of the freebies I enjoyed during my audit years was the weekend getaways.  We get to see the local spots of the Philippines at a lower cost, since we are already in the province.  Our colleagues in various provinces were so accommodating that they were more than willing to tour us around.  Of course we grabbed every chance to see the beautiful countryside.

These photos were taken during our stay in Sorsogon City.  We stayed in Fernando's Hotel.  We actually enjoined our stay here becasue the hotel resembles a home, with the warm hotel staff ready to assist us in any way.

Bulusan Lake

The Bulusan Lake.  The surrounding was so surreal, we trekked around the lake with Pam and an officer of the bank, Edith did not join us.  That was the time I've known eerie silence, we were advised not to make a noise so as not to disturb the unseen creatures dwelling around the lake.  I longed to be in a place like that, where you only hear the chirping sound of the birds, the smell of the moist earth and the rotten branches,  the swoosh sound of the trees and the hissing of who-knows creatures lurking in the robust plants around us.  I could remember the richness of the flora and fauna we saw.  We've seen people cooking along the path during the trek and we found out later that those people we saw were actually NPAs (New Peoples Army), the armed guerillas.    

A raft floating in Bulusan Lake

On our way to another destination, Mateo Hot Spring, we got lost.  Amidst the endless road and numeous mountains, we just sang our boredom.  Of course, we were anxious to get to the main road.. the place was NPA-infested area.  Not that we were very afraid of them, we knew better than to fear them, but who knows, we were in unknown countryside.

Mateo Hot Spring

Rizal Beach, a very well-known beach in Gubat, Sorsogon.  This beach is in the center of the cove, white sand, fresh sea breeze, blue waters and the sun, who could ask for more.  The place was still in its God-given form, no establishments around, except for the small resorts surrounding the beach and the cottages.  Aside from that, bare natue...Love it!