28 April 2007, 11:43 PM
Chebong and Buboy recently got back from their yearly White Beach, Puerto Galera jaunt where they spent 3 days and 2 nights kicking up their heels with friends and family. Located in Mindoro Oriental, Philippines, the name “Puerto Galera” literally means “Port of Galleons” originating from the fact that the numerous coastlines of the area have provided traders and sailors shelter from the rough seas for centuries. These days however, Puerto Galera is one of the premier tourist spots in the country famous for its beautiful corals (hence the influx of scuba diving aficionados from all over the world), the white sandy beaches, and of course, the world renowned Filipino Hospitality. Let’s have a chat with the Kurly Couple and get the lowdown on their latest adventure.
You’ve both been to White Beach several times already right? Obviously you haven’t gotten tired of coming back to the place every year, what’s changed from the first time you’ve been there?
Chebong (C): More people seem to be going there now than 3 to 5 years ago. The place is slowly getting crowded.
Buboy (B): Yup! White Beach is getting even more congested with every passing year, I mean some resorts there even have three-storey residences!
(C): And most of the girls (whatever their size is) are wearing 2-piece swimsuits. Too bad for me, I should have done it when I still can.
(B): Aww… that’s not true luv… you can still wear ‘em 2-piece suits for me *wink* *wink*
What do you do to prepare? Meaning, what do you bring with you? How much cash should you have on you for the trip? That kind of stuff….
(C): My friend said I pack like a wife now. Anyway, We packed the usual… undies, sleep wear, night wear (for those late night drinking sprees), swim wear, slippers… but I see to it we pack everything with extras… 2-3 pcs extra undies, 2-3 pcs extra shirts, etc. This year we also brought a toiletry hanging basket for the shampoo, conditioner, soap, feminine wash, lotion, shaver, toothpaste, toothbrush, etc. I made sure we bring our vitamins and other meds for emergency such as biogesic, decolgen, kemil-S, etc. And of course we brought hangers and clothes pins/clips. Food… we always bring at least 5 liters of water. This year we had canned juice and coke, we had dozens of milo, coffee, nesvita and litro juice sachets, we had salted eggs, biscuits and snacks!
(B): Understandably, the rates keep getting higher every year, especially when you go there from Friday to Sunday, the room rates skyrocket by about a thousand bucks! We ended up paying P3000 a night for a room that could fit 6 people, so that would be….P6000 for a 2 night stay. We consider the cost of round-trip bus and ferry rides; lunch & dinner for the 2-day stay…we probably ended up shelling out around P3500 per person in a group of 6. That still leaves you with enough dough for snorkeling, banana boat rides, booze and a few souvenirs!
What’s the most memorable experience you had there?
(C): Buboy and I weren’t married yet when we first went to Galera. It was for my birthday. We had been fighting days before and I was prepared to break up with him there. But instead of breaking up, we made up. And during our first night there, we were laying on the beach, watching the stars, I realized I really love Buboy and I am not going to let go of what we have… Years after, we went there again for our honeymoon. And I remembered the first time we came there… I was glad I didn’t let go…
(B): Aaaawww maaaaannnn!!!! Now, how can I possibly top that kind of an answer…Cmere and lemme give ya a hug! But seriously, what Chebong said was right on the money… and one thing that keeps me coming back to the place must be the fantastic sunsets there. There’s really nothing like seeing that blazing red-orange sun going down on the vast ocean blue…. Really takes your breath away!
Did you do anything new this year?
(C): Yup! We had a banana boat (but I swear it was shaped like a pencil) ride. Though we requested no “taob” because most of us don’t know how to swim and we’re (at least I am) mightily afraid of being thrown in the middle of the sea, even with a life vest on.
(B): We also had special henna tattoos made. These were extra special beeecause…. I designed em’ myself! Yup! Check-em out, we had our names tattooed as ambigrams (they read the same way once you flip em over!). Henna artists on the beach actually do ambigrams themselves but they were really surprised that we made ours without any help.
If you manage to return to White Beach next year, is there anything in particular you would want to try that you haven’t done before?
(C): Yes. I hope to be able to ride the banana boat with “taob” next time and maybe go hiking. We’ve been going there for years and we haven’t seen the tamaraw falls yet… heck, not even a live tamaraw. Maybe next time we can afford to stay there longer, like 5-7 days perhaps.
(B): That would really be awesome… one week of sun and sea… maybe we could even have time to try out jet-skiing this time.
So there you go folks, seems like the kurly couple will definitely be having more adventures in the months to come. Let’s wait and see where they turn up next! Till then…Keep on Kurlin’!!!!!
