Travel: Caramoan

Discover these questions asked about places for vacation:

“Is the place really beautiful?” 

“Would I/we have fun?”

“Is it exciting?  Is there something special about the place?”

Travel is binding some time with parts of the earth, learning life, and having fun.  It renews connections to where man couldn’t be alienated to water, wind and soil.

Whether travel is vacation, work, education or binding time with special people; it paves ways sowing seeds of life’s precious moments.

Paul Theroux claims, “It’s the journey, not the arrival that matters, and creates anew the adventures of getting there, via the Orient express, the old Patagonians Railway, and other memorable means of locomotion.”

Let’s visit the Philippines.  The island is composed of 7,107 islands.  It is a rich niche of natural beauty and resources. 

The latest vacation favorites are nearby places to Metro Manila like Tagaytay, Laguna, Batangas, Bulacan, and Pangasinan. 

Tagaytay has a cool weather abundant in tropical fruits and vegetables. 

Bulacan has spilling food delicacies.

Pangasinan has large quantities of seafood.

Laguna  and Batangas have  falls, hot springs, and churches.

Away from Manila, aside from Palawan, and Davao, one popular place today is Camarines Sur.

The latest sites of the “Survivor” film series (France “Koh Lanta” 2008, Israel 2009, Bulgaria 2009, Serbia 2009,  Israel 2010) is Caramoan in Bicol.

Caramoan waters is very rich and virgin.  It is free of impediments brought about by  busy cities.  Swimming, snorkeling, kayaking, rock climbing, mountain climbing, fishing will surely give the zeal of your vacation spree.

Way back, I remember one teacher told me, “It’s a forbidden Island,” because typhoon always inhabits that island; but then, “She forgot that it’s a haven of virginity and beauty.  Something pure can never be forbidden.”    All throughout history – no traveling casualties were reported on the waters of Caramoan (The Virgin Mary is queen of the waters and she is the patron saint of the Bicolanos). 

Climb a mountain; see an image of  “Mahal na Ina” on top,  walk through St. Michael Parish (angel that defeated the devil) and feast on seafood!

Check on “Mayor’s Inn” if you want to trace  “Firsts” of history:

The Mayors Inn is an Ancestral home named in honor of Glicerio O. Alarkon, first elected Town Mayor since the Philippines independence (first election campaign center of the Liberal Party).  It was first visited by nation’s ex-President Diosdado Macapagal.  The house is the base of  the first “Botica” of the mayor’s wife Luz (first licensed pharmacist), medical clinic of first municipal physician (Dr. Nilo Roa), optical clinic of first town optometrist (Asela), first dental clinic of another mayor’s daughter and her husband (Celeste and Edmundo), “all”  serving the community for many years.

Caramoan is the oasis of my grandparents.  Two sons  Glicerio,Waldemar,  and daughters Lydia, Gracia plus other six siblings ( all10 professionals) worked hard to take care of a modest heritage to share in “Tawog’s” splendid history of culture and beauty.  

Truly, nature and firsts can never be altered.  Visit now!

Rose Flores- Martinez

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