Feb 1, 2014: Let's face it... If you are not into churches, Naga has not a great deal to see in the city itself. It made into the tourist map due to the success of Camsur Watersports Complex (CWC) in nearby Pili. It is nearer to Naga airport than in city proper. They offer free shuttle at SM Naga mall but the schedule is unreliable and caused us delay. It was around 11 AM and the shuttle haven't arrived yet. We then decided to charter tricycle for PHP 200 and reached there after 30 mins.  The wake boarding course have been major tourist destination. There is a beginners' winch park, where you can practice standing up on a straight run. It is also possible to use a kneeboard on the main course. The main course involves 6 turns and assortment of ramps and rails for those who wish to do stunts.

It is recommended to register for a whole/half day wakeboard activity instead of hourly. Half day rate is PHP 370 and additional PHP90 for rental of equipments. They also offer a range of accomodation, from tiki huts to villas. Pls visit their website for the rates and packages.

From CWC, you may take a tricycle to the highway which costs around PHP40, then take jeepney to Naga which is only PHP 10/ head.

This is our photo after finishing the wakeboard course :)

Wakeboarding videos:

Candidate #1: Pao

Candidate #2 : Pheng


Candidate #3 : Steph

Feb 2, 2014:  This is the last day of our Naga trip, we decided to experience Pili picking and dip our sore muscles into the hot spring. 

At 7:30 pm, we walked towards the jeepney terminal going to Panicuason which is situated near the Naga City People's Mall near P.Caceres St. /Padian Street. We reached there and inquire on the directions on heading to the hot spring and learned that it is better we alight at Carolina instead and from here hire habal-habal or motorbike to the resort. 

Also, we learned that from somewhere before the last stop of Barangay Carolina, the jeepney could drop us where we could walk towards the Haciendas de Naga for pili picking. Jeep fare is PHP 24/pax.

Haciendas de Naga used to be just a huge piece of land in the uptown area of Brgy. Carolina, for housing development. Today, Haciendas de Naga is not only a huge piece of land for housing, but a huge piece of adventure. This is the entrance to the adventure park.

There are different activities to enjoy: ATV, pili picking, zip line, climbing, rappelling, etc... Admission is PHP 300 consumables, you will be given coupons and you may pick on various activities.

First, we became farmers for a day and picked pili from the trees. FYI: You should only pick those black fruits and not the green ones.

We also get to taste our harvest after.

After then we went for ATV ride and picture taking... Sorry we didn't go to other parts of the park as we need to hurry to next destination.

Then we bid goodbye to Haciendas de Naga and walked to the highway. We took jeepney to Brgy Carolina at PHP 8/head and hired habal-habal to take us to Panicuason Hot Spring. The habal-habal driver charged us PHP 150 to bring us to and from Carolina to hot spring and vice versa.

Barangay Carolina is full of resorts both on the left and right side of the road. Few of the noticeable resorts are, Kayumanggi Resort on the right side, Penafrancia Resort and Casa Ofelia on the left side of the road. But I think there is only one resort that has hot spring and cold spring and I'm talking about Panicuason Hot Spring Resort.

Entrance Fee is PHP 200/ pax. Rates of Cottages ranges from PHP200 to PHP500. Beware of sand flies and mosquitoes though because their bites are really unpleasant.

Normally people would come to visit here after trek from Malabsay Falls and Mt. Isarog National Park. Tucked away at the bottom of one of Mt. Isarog’s river ravines in Naga’s East Highland Tourism Zone, the resort is designed around the Inarihan River, which is a tributary of the Bicol River, so visitors can choose to take a dip in the cool waters of the river and then later move on to the hot spring pools.

There are actually several natural pools, whose hot spring waters are at temperatures ranging from a refreshing 20 degrees Celsius to a relaxing 39 degrees Celsius. People come to the Panicuason Hot Springs Resort to take an invigorating dip in the therapeutic geothermal hot springs of Mt. Isarog set within a rainforest gorge.

After a filling lechon manok lunch we bought from Naga, we spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing in the hot spring pools surrounded by riverside cottages. The different geothermal and river water pools are fed by volcanic rocks. The warm water instantly relaxed our tense muscles. At first it was scorching, but after a while, our bodies got used to the heat. As we simmered in the relaxing warmth of the pool, I couldn’t help but hope there is hot spring to visit in Singapore whenever I feel stressed.

There are other activities aside from swimming by the way... The resort also offer zip line, climbing and rappelling for those who are adventurous.

Then the habal-habal driver fetched us from here to where jeepney terminal to Naga. Jeep fare is PHP 24/pax.

Originally of bamboo and other light materials, the church was built in this present site on a north-south orientation. Its puerta mayor faced its parish, the pre-colonial pueblo of Naga which lay across the Naga River that at that time curved from its southerly course to a westerly direction before winding southward again alongside present-day Elias Angeles Street.

Then moving on to intersection of Elias Angeles and Gen. Luna St is Plaza Rizal. 

Walking further Gen Luna Street, you will see Oragon and Naga People's Mall. This place is very busy and is called the "Centro".


And it started to rain so we weren't able to locate Ateneo de Naga. We bought toasted siopao for dinner which is PHP 8 for one mouth-size piece. You will definitely ask for more...



There are still other churches and museum that you can visit in Naga City. However, you may need to ride tricycle to reach those places.

Before I bring you to our latest trip to Caramoan Islands, please allow me to give a brief overview of Naga City, Camarines Sur first.

Naga City is an independent component city in the Bicol Region of the Philippines. Naga is nicknamed as the "Heart of Bicol" for its geographical location near the center of the Bicol Peninsula. It is the second largest city in the Bicol Region (Region V) in terms of population and the religious, financial, educational, trade,and commercial center of the Bicol Region. 

Naga City is the Bicol Region's top tourist destinations not only because of "Peñafrancia Festival". It lies on the Southern part of Luzon Island and is the largest among the six provinces in the Bicol Region. Home of the muscular Mt. Isarog (with Mayon Volcano being the female counterpart) and the smallest commercially-harvested fish in the world, the Sinarapan (Mistichthys luzonensis) found only in lake Buhi. Today, with advent and unregulated culture of Tilapia fish in the lake, Sinarapan was kicked out (literally) from the main lake and being cultured in the smaller lakes around Lake Buhi, to avoid the specie from extinction, with the supervision of the BFAR. And recently the Camarines Sur Watersports Complex (CWC) @ the Capitol Grounds, Pili, Cam. Sur and the Caramoan Islands & Gota Beach Village Resort were added to the menu.

Quick facts:
- With a total land area of around 8,000 hectares, Naga is a relatively small city compared to Cebu or Davao.
- The name Naga is said to have come from an abundance of narra trees (“naga” in Bikolano).
- Naga is surrounded by plains, save for Mount Isarog. The borders of six municipalities in Camarines Sur (Goa, Tigaon, Ocampo, Pili, Naga, and Calabanga) converge at the peak of Mount Isarog.

How to get there:
Bus: From Cubao, it’s an eight hour ride to Naga. Ordinary fare is P600 per person, while an air-conditioned ride will set you back P900.
Train: From Manila, you can take the Philippine National Railways’ Bicol Express. The night ride departs at 6:30 PM and arrives at 5:00 AM—book a sleeper cabin for P800 to P1000 and get a good night’s sleep. But beware - the ride is a bumpy one!
Air: Watch out for seat sales from budget airlines like Cebu Pacific Air. You can get a one-way flight to Naga for as low as P500, exclusive of taxes.

Now let me guide you through how we explored this beautiful city...

Jan 29, 2014: It was around quarter before 1 AM that we boarded plane from Singapore and reached Manila City after approximately 4 hrs trip. We planned to take the free shuttle bus to Resorts World Manila just opposite the NAIA Terminal 3, but to our despair they no longer provide the free shuttle to non-members. Someone report this to their management!!! So instead of enjoying buffet at RWM, we dined at Jollibee at NAIA instead, while waiting for our next flight to Naga.

Due to airport terminal traffic our plane was delayed for about half hour. And when our time came for boarding, we were surprised that it was a SMALL plane with PROPELLERS. Anyways, we were still thankful that the plane had arrived, little did we know that it will again be delayed by almost an hour.. haiz... To cut the long story short, we arrived Naga at around 12:30 PM, then we rode taxi to Palm Vivo Inn. Please note that taxi charges flat fare of PHP 350.


After check-in, we walked to Bigg's Diner for lunch. Bigg's Diner is the biggest food chain in Bicol Region. We had Pork Cordon Bleu (PHP 159), Baby Back Ribs (PHP 225) and Salisbury Steak (PHP 125). After then we spent the afternoon exploring nearby attractions and looking for the van terminal for the next day. So after Bigg's Diner, we passed by San Francisco Church then walked all the way  to SM Naga mall. The van terminal is just beside SM Naga.

More of Naga City tour on my next blog...



Jan 30, 2014: Surviving Caramoan (A Budget Friendly Guide)


Caramoan Island - Famous because it is the favorite venue for the reality-TV series SURVIVOR, among the countries that chose Caramoan islands are Serbia, Israel, Bulgaria, Sweden, France, India and just recently USA.

Very little is known about Caramoan. Caramoan gives 'island hopping' a new meaning. Enjoy its beauty in many ways. Great ocean adventures for kayakers, snorkle and scuba dive to experience the diverse marine life, trek and search for the enigmatic lagoon, rock climb the limestone cliffs, explore the caves or just star gaze at night.

Isolated from the rest of Camarines Sur, it is no surprise why Philippine's Secret Paradise remains unexploited from commercial tourism unlike Palawan. I am not discouraging you from going to Palawan. In fact, I would like you to visit both of them, because both of them has different activities to enjoy... However, I just want to warn you ahead that reaching Caramoan requires commitment and you shall know why soon.


At around 5:30 am, we hired tricycle from our inn to Naga Van Terminal which is about 15 mins ride (PHP 40). From there we boarded the white aircon van to Sabang (PHP 100/pax). FYI: The van needs to be filled before it shall depart to its destination. The travel from Naga to Sabang takes around 1.5 hrs. Towns that you'll be passing by: Pili, Ocampo, Tigaon, Goa, San Jose, Sabang

Once you are in Sabang port, we registered our names and waited for the go signal to board the big boat that will bring us to Guijalo Feeder Port at Caramoan. There are porters who will offer you their service to carry your luggage to the boat. It was low tide and the boat couldn't get near the shore, so the porters built a floating bridge and carry the passengers to the boat. They charge PHP10/pax.


The boat fare is PHP120/pax, the boat ride from Sabang port to Guijalo Port takes around 2 hrs subject to water current. Enjoy the sea side trip with a lush green scenery on the left and blue waters on the right side. When you arrive Guijalo Port, you need to pay PHP30 for environmental fee. FYI: The boat to Guijalo starts at 6AM and departs hourly until 11AM. But sometimes the time is not reliable because it depends on the volume of passenger. So the suggested time is as early as possible (6AM-9AM) to ensure your travel. If you miss the last boat trip, then you will need to charter your own boat which will cost you from 2000 - 3000 php depending on the size of the boat and your haggling skills.

The weather was gloomy but the sea was calm. Even though the colors are not as bright as the photos we always see on travel blogs, we were excited as we don’t know what to expect in Caramoan. We passed by Aguirangan Island but wasn't able to take good photo of it from afar...

A month before the escapade, I tried to contact different hotels to canvass for their room rates and packages. And we decided to go for Hazel and Ala's Beach Resort. The resort is at Zone 4 Paniman, Caramoan, Camarines Sur. We chose this resort as it is beach-side and it is where the island hopping starts. The room rate for 3 persons is PHP1100/night (aircon and private t&b). They also arrange boat for island hopping tours and pickup at port. Island hopping short trip PHP1200 (includes matukad, lajos, cadbalinad, tinago, busdak island), while PHP 2200 (includes sabitang laya, cotivas, manlawe-sand bar, tabgon statue of our lady of peace 557 step). We booked the short trip only because we only have half day for island hopping. I also arranged for a tricycle that will pick us up when we arrive at the port at PHP250. You may contact them through facebook or text them at +639204016888. Please note they require 50% deposit for reservation as with other hotels or resorts.


Since this is just a 2D/1N escapade we have no time to lounge around. We had lunch at the resort before heading for island hopping tour. We ordered Bicol Express, Sinigang fish and rice for only PHP 400. Afterwards, we changed to our beach attire and started our island hopping trip. The boat ride to the islands was fun and adventure ride - strong breeze and water splashed our faces. We visited the nearby islands like Matukad, Lajos, Cadbalinad, Tinago, Busdak and Gota Village. We posed for some photo souvenir with the beautiful scenery. By the way, our boatman told us that there is a secret lagoon that can be reached by climbing among the cliffs in Matukad island. Unfortunately, we don't have the proper footwear to check it out. We hopped to another island and enjoyed swimming and snorkeling. There was no fish during that time because of very strong current. :(


Our last stop was Gota Village Resort. There were some props of SURVIVOR TV series in this resort. Our boat guide toured us around and showed us the cabanas that the SURVIVOR crew stayed whenever there is TV shooting. Lucky to know about this...

Then we went back to our hotel and bathe. At night, the sea breeze was very cold and strong, such that the owner needed to cover the restaurant with tarpaulin. We had 1 big crab, Laing and rice for dinner for only PHP 600. FYI: the crab was caught during lunch time and was especially cooked for us...hehe..

Jan 31, 2014: We really enjoyed Caramoan islands. It truly is a nice place to take a break from the hectic and monotonous days. Rooster crowed early but there was no sunrise since it was cloudy. We prepared for checkout and booked tricycle to take us to Guijalo Port. From there we take boat to Sabang then take van to Naga.