Confessions of a (reluctant) Blogger: Paradise by a Hundred

I can't tell you how much I love the beach. I don't have a particular favorite because every one is different from the other. Since it's summer here in the Philippines I was dying to set my toes on the sand and feel the salty air of the sea. And thank Heavens it heard my prayer! :)

On the 7th day of May this year Jr and I together with his friends The Buddies went to one of the most beautiful places I've seen, The Hundred Island National Park in Pangasinan. Yey! Actually the whole trip took almost a month of preparation and I even thought it won't push through, thanks to Criselda and Annie and of course Jr for fixing, arranging and preparing everything. :)

(Honestly, the trip was new to me, since I'm not the person in charge, in most trips that I've been, I'm usually the one who's doing the preparation and cramming. So it felt good. Really.) :p

We were set to leave Cabanatuan City at around 3:30 in the morning but we left at 4:30am. Talk about Fi-Li-Pi-No time? lol. We rented a van that will take us to Alaminos City (Where Hundred Island is located). I met most of Jr's friends already, and even though I was a new acquaintance they treated me nicely and the trip by land which took almost 3 hours didn't turn out to be boring (maybe because I was asleep the whole time? lol.). We ate breakfast at a Jollibee store that I can't remember where. ha,ha

We even went to the market to buy food since Annie said we won't be able to buy at the island. I admire Alaminos' public market, it's clean and organized, compared to the market where I live.

We arrived at Baranggay Lucap at around 10am and we went straight to the office of the tourism to settle our stuffs. They took our names for insurance purposes, they also assigned a boat that will take us to the islands. All in all we paid 2000php for the stuff that we rented (e.i, goggles, life vests, and other utensils) and 3000php for the boat ride and island hopping plus 400php for the Department of Tourism that I really don't understand what's for. lol They did not explain everything and that's the problem with the Philippine Government but that's another part of the story so I won't elaborate on that. :p

All in all, I had a wonderful trip with ten adorable people namely Criselda, Annie, Leah, Ace, Rael, Von, Eric, Kuya Ed, Kuya Cris and of course my Jr. :)

Another first of us. Definitely unforgettable! :p

At the store outside the tourists welcoming center at the Hundred Island National Park where you can find probably all the souvenirs you could think of.

with Leah, it was my first time to meet her. I can tell she's nice and cheerful. We were both scared at snorkeling at first but we conquered our fears and we had one hell of a good time! :)

Also at the Tourists Welcoming Center, with Rael this time. He's nice also and funny. It was really nice meeting him. :)

The boat ride was frightening at first. It was not my first time to ride a boat but it still give me the creeps every time. I was scared to got sea sick (Dyahe! lol) but luckily, I quickly got used to it. The ride took about 10-15 minutes, but it didn't bother us because the view is over whelming it took us a lot of time to absorb it.

The mesmerizing Light House. I just wished we had more time so we were able to explore it. :(

Next time. :

Before the boat ride, if you can notice the children on the water, they are a very good swimmer. Usually the tourists throw coins onto the sea and the kids will swim to retrieve the it.

Good thing I didn't get sea sick. Or else I won't be able to enjoy the wonderful view that awaited us. :)

I really adore the life vests for it gave me the assurance that I won't get drown. lol.

And orange is beginning to be my favorite color. I think it suits me. Lol

The boat fees are ranging from 1,500php-3,00php depending on the negotiation between you and your boat man.

One of the Island that we saw, most of the islands are well preserved and I'm happy that the next generation will be able to experience something as beautiful as this. :)

A view from the boat. Water and the wind hit my face a lot of time but I made no fuzz about it. I was enjoying the moment. :)

After approximately 10-15 minutes (according to Jr's estimating powers) we arrived at The Governor's Island. I asked our Guide Eric (Whose only 18 years old. I interviewed him a little. He said he's doing it for the summer to help his family, and his graduating from high school, I told him to continue his studies. And according to him, he earns 500php per day, depending on the number of tourists. Seasonal, he says. Too much for the side way story, back to the main thing) why it's called Governor's Island, he said that it is the largest island and it holds the highest peak where in you could see most of the other island and let me tell you, the view is literally breath taking. We arrived at the island around 11am and the sun is angrily beaming at us and we had to endure more than a hundred huge steps just to get there. Believe me, we were almost soaking with sweat when we reached the top, but every step was worth it. When we reached the top, we couldn't believe something as beautiful like that existed. :)

Just to show you how hot it was. I kept dragging Jr to the shade. Good thing I brought a hat. And don't wonder why Jr is so tan after that. :p

It's the climb! lol!
Really, we were literally breathless when we reached the top. Whew!

Jr, being the protective boyfriend that he is. He never goes less that a foot from me because he knows I'm clumsy and sometimes I can't control when gravity pulls and he's scared that I might fall or something.

At the peak. The jaw dropping view. We managed to smile in spite of the scorching heat. :)

The gang under the burning heat on Governor's Island. :)

At the Governor's Island. The grandest Island I think. It also holds the Big Brother House that was used during the Teen Edition. Although I haven't verified that information because I'm not that interested at all because I'm not a huge fan of the show.

Our Boat named King Nixon. I forgot to asked our boat man why it's called like that. :p

Mesmerizing. Endearing. You judge. :)

Heart heartbreakingly beautiful. I couldn't say more.

I would personally like to thank Ace for holding the camera most of the time! Thank you for the wonderful photos. Till next time! :)

Governor's Island from a far. We fought the urge to dive into the water. :p

The Notorious Jellyfish. Responsible for Von's and Ace's itchiness. :p

After taking so much photos we were dropped by our boat man to the next island which is the Quezon Island named after the former president of the Philippines. It is the largest island and probably the most developed. It has fine white sand and a snorkeling haven. It also has a few variety stores which sells over priced goods (Believe me, when I say over priced I mean over priced. You can buy a vinegar on a sachet for 20php that usually costs 7php and a tasty bread for 120php that normally costs 50php.) a rest room and some cottages. It also has designated places where you can cook, grill and prepare your food but the island doesn't have anything aside from sea water, good thing we brought purified drinking water with us. Also the rest room doesn't have normal water, so when you take a bath you have no choice but to use the sea water which will make your hair and body sticky and let me tell you that it was the stickiest feeling I ever felt. lol.

At Quezon Island. People didn't mind the heat. The water's really refreshing.

From 10am-3pm the sun's rays is very harmful to the skin and I promised myself I won't go under the sun during that time, but I ate everything I said. I wasn't able resist the clearness of the water. :p

With Criselda and Ace. Criselda was one of the people who really made this trip possible. And I give my thanks to her. And Ace is also a wonderful person. ;)

I can't resist to include this photo. I find it so cute! lol.

At Quezon Island, Jr and I admiring the clearness of the water. ♥

As always the sunset was breath taking. I really can't help to pause for a while and savor every minute of it.

One of the numerous attempt for a perfect jump shot. :)

Promise. We really did try our best on having the perfect jump shot. We tried and tried but we got tired! Lol.

The Mandatory picture! I fell in love with the sunset and the guy I'm kissing! lol!

After settling down, we had grilled fish and chicken adobo for lunch. After taking rest and fixing our stuff it was time to feel the water. The beach has this blue and green color, it's also clear so you can really see from the surface. We went swimming and snorkeling. I was so freaking scared at first since I have no idea how to swim, but all my fears melt away when I saw the things under water. I saw starfishes, corals, school of fish and NEMO (Seeing Nemo really brought the kid in me. Heaven knows how much I wanted to catch him! lol) and Dory (Nemo's friend)! I was so excited I forgot I was afraid. I would also like to extend my gratitude to Von and Jr for dragging me when I get tired from flapping and flipping. And for encouraging me not to be scared. :)

I can't tell you how much I wish to share you what I saw under water. I'ts a different world down there. It's mesmerizing nad unbelievable. Actually my adjectives aren't enough. I made a mental note to invest on an underwater camera so I will be able to show you next time. ;)

As I told you, I'm beginning to like Orange! :)

It's snorkeling time! :)
I can't describe how wonderful it is under water. I even asked myself why it took me 23years before trying this. I'm hoping that I could try this more often.

One scary thing about skinny dipping is the threat of jellyfish! Yes, you read it right. There's a lot of jellyfish roaming around and we should be cautious because their sting is really painful and sometimes deadly. Von and Ace can testify to that, because they've been stung, good thing we're nurses! lol!
TRIVIA: First aid on jellyfish sting. VINEGAR. Pour vinegar on the affected area .
P.S. That kid in red is the nine year old nephew of our boat man. I envy him for being such a good swimmer.

The girls? lol
L-R: Me, Leah, Real, Criselda and Annie. My teammates (except Rael) on the games that we played. We won on the charade. Beauty with brains indeed, but we lost on the balloon-catching-volleyball game. The boys cheated that's why they won . :p
(Forgive me for I don't have photos of the game, We're all having fun we forgot to take photos.)

Being the candid couple that we are. We can't afford to miss this photo op!

I was so proud of myself! lol. I was able to conquer my fear. And I enjoyed everything I saw. I'm glad that Jr's with me all the time. ♥

We were allowed to assemble our tents at 6pm, the boys built our tents. We only built 2 tents because we have to pay 200php per tent. It's like a rent on something. Sadly, we were not allowed to have a bonfire which disappointed me because I've been drooling on roasted marshmallows. :(

But everything went okay, we played games like charades, 7up and laughed the whole night.We decided to call it a night at around 11pm. Actually we almost got lost track of time because I think everyone's having a good time. We also needed to wake up early because our boat man will pick us at 7am. :)

Our second day started fine. We had a, as what I call instant breakfast meaning instant noodles and canned goods and I believe everyone got full. After packing our stuffs we made ourselves ready for the most anticipated island hopping! :p

Some islands are not fully developed, some has pristine sand, some has virgin forests and mostly possess an exhilarating view. and I thought how wonderful God is, for making this beautiful places for us to experience. Enchanting places cannot be created, they can only be discovered.

The morning of the second day. The sun rise was hypnotizing as well.

Saying goodbye to the Island that took care of us for the whole night. Till we meet again Quezon Island.

A view from the boat, we're ready to go island hopping! Yey!

Exhilarated, hyped and full charge! Off we go! :)

The Turtle Island, shaped like a turtle. Really. :)

The Cathedral Cave. It has this captivating view at the center.

Prepare yourself to be spell bound because the view is really enchanting.

From a far you wouldn't notice what island is this.

But when you get closer, you'll see these flying mammals hanging from every branch of every tree. It's creepy actually but fascinating as well.

At the Old Scout Island where we played some of the games. This time, the boys won. (because they cheated. lol). On my opinion, the Old Scout Island has the finest sand. (And don't tell anyone, I brought some sand home. TeeHee)

The rest of the Old Scout Island. Although the island isn't developed there were a lot of people who went there to swim and bond with their families.

At the Cuenco Cave. Picture taking is the only thing you could do to the cave. It still has this creepy vibe for me. And I saw traces of bats as well. Yikes!

With Rael again at the Cuenco Cave. :)

As I told you, I've saw traces of bats inside and I'm really scared of them, maybe that's the reason why I didn't like batman? lol.

Even with the creepiness we can't resist the photo op! :)

I can't come up with a good description so, I asked Mr. Google to help me out. here's what he got. :)

The islands (124 at low tide and 123 at high tide) are scattered along Lingayen Gulf and cover an area of 18.44 square kilometres (4,557 acres). They are believed to be about two million years old. Only three of them have been developed for tourists: Governor Island, Quezon Island, and Children's Island. The islands are actually ancient corals that extend well inland, in an area previously comprising the seabed of an ancient sea. Lowering sea levels have exposed them to the surface and the peculiar "mushroom"-like shapes of some of the islands have been caused by the eroding action of the ocean waves. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hundred_Islands_National_Park (Thanks Wikipedea! lotsa love! Lol.)

One story that I will never forget to tell is the fact that I jump of a 4-5meter high cliff and landed straight on the water! Talk about over flowing adrenaline inside my body! I just can't tell you how scared I was. Actually everyone jumped of that cliff like structure. It's really scary. Jr and Annie did the same actually, in a much much higher platform, it's like 9-10 meters? Jr says it's like a two story building. It was literally breath taking. Leah and I was indecisive at first because we're really scared, but it surprised me when Leah suddenly jumped and being the competitive that I am, I counted to three, held my breath, pray and Splash! I had the time of my life! I'm trying to look for the video and photos but unfortunately I didn't find any. But I promise you I'll post it when I see it. Okay? You can't blame us because we can't bring a camera or any electronic gadget because after jumping of that cliff we have to swim for us to be able to get to the shore. And mind you, the moment when I reached the shore I was exhausted, but it was all okay, I won't forget what it felt or how it made me feel. :)

It was my first time to bond with my boyfriend's friends and I had a great time, they are nice and they treated me well. This trip made me closer to Jr because I saw how he is with his friends and I must admit that he doesn't change, he still possess that same character. The character that I love. ♥

This trip also made me discover new things about myself, that I never thought I would be able to do. As I told you before, I'm scared of trying new things for I don't see comfort on adjusting and who would have thought that discovering new things will make you a better person for it enhance your personality and boost your confidence. :)

Each trip that we had is truly memorable and I'm so happy that I shared with JR most of the happiest days of my life. All in all, I just hope and pray that something like this can happen again, maybe with the same group of friends or family. Who knows what will happen next? Life, is I guess like the hundred island, there's a lot of island to discover, to explore and to appreciate. Just be sure you're armed with life's essentials and it wouldn't hurt if you have your loved ones on your side. :)