Sheesh! It’s May, and it’s summer break for some, including us.
It’s definitely about chasing the sun, white sand, and water, right? So, we planned out our beach getaway. We don’t know yet, how we even choose wherewith so many beautiful summer destinations around.
In the first place, we are craving a comfortable paradise to relax with, and an off-the-beaten-path discovery, and we believe Puerto Galera fits our liking! It is a town on the Philippine island of Mindoro. It’s known for its dive sites and beaches.
To avoid getting tickets at the last minute and worst might cause delay, it is important to have advance bookings to avoid long lines and to proceed to the boarding gates in an instant. We were assisted by JACN Puerto Galera Tours to book our trip going to Puerto Galera.
Normally, it will take a 2-hour ride on a roro (ship) and a fast craft takes an hour. Since it’s affordable to take the ship, so we did. It’s important to carry water and sweet treats with you when taking a ship because the motion of the wave can make you feel nauseous.
Authorities require us to present our vaccination card, S-pass and pay the environmental fee amounting to Php 120.00 per head. S-pass was also processed by our travel agency to avoid hassle on documents.
Our check-in time is 1PM and the hotel accommodation includes air conditioning plus the fan 😂, cable T.V., hot and cold shower, Wi-Fi connection, CCTV, kitchen on the rooftop, bathroom, and towel.
That’s a wrap for our first day stay in Puerto Galera before we finally began to explore more of what the island offers for its tourists. We have had ample time to soak into the sea and talk about things that we don’t normally talk about on busy days. We have the time to enjoy the cold water in the sea, vibe with the music, eat dinner, and enjoy the nightlife during happy hours.
On Day 2 at Puerto, at 9:45AM we were picked up by our driver to start our activities for the day. Our package tour is an Island tour which costs Php 1,580.00 for 10pax above including the hotel accommodation. The Island tour activities include an underwater cave, giant clams, snorkeling in a coral garden, sandbar, Muelle heritage park, Spanish galleon replica, Canon replica, and Muelle bay (one of the most beautiful bays in the world).
Before we go to water activities, we were reminded of several instructions to mind before diving into the water. There are also aqua shoes being offered, it is a type of footwear that is typically used for activities where the feet are likely to become wet, such as kayaking to prevent abrasions when walking in wet, rocky environments. It costs Php 100.00.
The scorching heat of the sun really burned my skin, in spite of having layers of sunscreen. It was pretty late lunch that we finished all the water activities like around 2:30 PM we went back to our hotel to freshen up and change. We were tired and rested, and got asleep till 4PM. We had the chance to explore the place and look for souvenirs and items to bring home to our loved ones.
There are far more stores, bars, and food stalls to explore in the place and yet to be experienced once. We enjoyed our second night by watching comedic stunts by the bay, we ate dinner, had happy hours, and rested.
It’s our last day, we need to check out at 11:30AM and catch the 12:45NN ship back to Batangas port. We only have a few hours left to enjoy the island and take pictures of and with the place.
How I wish we could stay a little longer, or a day, perhaps. But we need to get back to our home now to face the responsibilities and get back to our same lives in order for us to get back to places such as this. This trip gave me so many realizations, it’s okay to spoil yourself sometimes, it’s okay to ignore pressure for once, and it’s okay to feel free and happy because we all deserve it. Practically, we are all not blessed to have the financial capability to treat ourselves to a vacation we all are craving but, we have the physical capability and the discipline to work hard for something that we really want.
I’m constantly learning the idea of travel, new friends, and food. I always feel the excitement and fear at the same time, but never the boredom, and I think it’s the most rewarding thing above all. Thank God for guiding us all throughout, and we all went back home safely with fragments of memories we once experienced on this trip. Thank you, Puerto Galera.
“It doesn’t matter where you’re going, it’s who you have beside you.”
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