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Published: August 12th 2007
My older brother Tristan, just arrived in the Philippines after working in a Royal Caribbean Luxury liner for 8 months. He just can’t wait to jump into Philippines’ beaches. With little time in my hands, I dug into my old travel files to head to a place with the beach, nightlife, & activities we needed for a quick getaway. I also wanted to explore a new destination. Since all of us have visited Puerto Galera already, I decided to put some twist by going farther into Oriental Mindoro’s Tamaraw falls & Ponderosa.
My wife, Valerie, was kind enough to drop off the boys, Pen, Tristan & I to the closest bus station, Jam Liner at East avenue at Quezon City. We left there at 6AM. We arrived at the Batangas Pier at 9AM. While we were checking-in our luggage, we were surprised to be halted by the security staff for my pocket butane torch which was in my luggage. Pen’s Army knife was not spared & almost confiscated as well if not for the P100 bribe or else we have to claim it at the police station the next day. (They say deadly weapons are not allowed.)
As we
rode the MS Commando boat & left at 9AM, we were fortunate to ride with Visayan tour guides who helped us get room reservations at White beach. We got in Mendellukes Suites for a bargain price of P1500 per night from the usual P2500 on peak seasons. We ate at Nikiti restaurant. Pen enjoyed their chicken with herbed mashed potato which was really good & filling. While eating, our tour guide Jenny was bargaining us a tricycle at P600 to bring us to Tamaraw falls. (Jenny was the best! She was like a personal concierge.)
At around 230 PM, we were on the dusty & bumpy roads of San Teodoro. We suffered back pains & dust powdered faces for 1 ½ hours before we could get a glimpse of this 432-foot falls. We feared that the tricycle won’t make it up because it was struggling half-way because of Pen & Tristan’s weight. As we reached the destination, we paid P20 for the entrance fee & took the refreshing fresh water plunge. I felt like tracing my roots of being one of the Mangyan tribes taking a dip in the pool. We flipped, we tumbled, & we swam at the
manmade lagoon. The place was ok but I say it still has a lot of areas of improvement to preserve the natural look. There were just some cement pipes that look like sewerage & some cement walls which diminished the natural look. Nevertheless, we opted to spend our time here considering that it was too hot at the beach. The pool, on the other hand, was shaded & surrounded with tall trees. Coming back to the resort was faster, like 30 mins, since we were now going downhill.
As we arrived back to the room, we rested & prepared ourselves for a night of fun. We searched for nightlife. We tried to check the different bars which was mostly populated with gay & transvestite waitresses. Finally, almost on the right most edge (with your back to the sea) of White Beach is Summer Connection restaurant. Live band music (modern acoustic) was played as compared to the mixed dance beats from the other bars. We enjoyed a pitcher of the famous drink, the Mindoro Sling, once again Rum with the fruits in season, mango, lemon, & orange. The waitresses were really women & very accommodating. We thought we had to
settle with those transvestites. whew!!!
At 9AM I woke up to my much awaited day. My All-Terrain Vehicle day! I made prior arrangements the day before. They charge P500 an hour & you get to visit Ponderosa, a golf course on top of Puerto Galera. The view was spectacular! I could see ships, boats & ports from the top. I also met a family, the German family but I don’t think they’re German. I took a family pic of them enjoying it as well.
At 12 noon check-out time, we ate near the beach, maximizing our stay as we were almost the last few passengers about to board. The amazing race adventure ends as we were picked up at the train station by my wife. Missed you baby! (She’s now pregnant! ) What an adventure!
Contact # ‘s
Mendelluke Suites - 09165002670 Lyn
Tricycle Driver -0905869818 - Ronald
Tour Guide - 09059559490 - Jenn M
ATV - 0927 964 6464
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rey ramos
non-member comment
well done!
It is very refreshing to view your photos. I did a short to the Phils last month, but I dont have time to visit again the place. by the way, you can visit my blog as well. thanks. http://digitalnvironmentalist.blogspot.com/ http://www.dooyoo.co.uk/member/curious_tan/ hope you join my location trivia as well. Thanks and regards, Rey