Sugar Beach (29-31 Mar 14)

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I guess I shouldn't have remarked that I hadn't taken much land transportation yet in the Visayas.

Having made a somewhat last minute decision to make a long detour to a somewhat remote beach on the Southwestern coast of Negros, it was an exhausting 6h+ journey from Bais to my next destination, Sugar Beach, just a few kilometres north of the closest town of Sipalay.

And when I say exhausting, I mean 2h standing-room alone Ceres bus ride (Bais-Kabankalan), 2x jeepney (Kabankalan-Inayauan-Montilla), tricycle ride (Montilla-Nauhang) and finally paddle boat ride across a tidal river to Sugar Beach, then 10 min hike with all my gear on the sandy beach-exhausting!

Ok, I've taken longer and worse journeys before (the 16h train ride from Mandalay to Katha in Myanmar and 18h trans-Sumatran bus ride from Bukittingi to Parapet in Indonesia ) come to my immediately), but I guess this one stands out for the sheer variety of mode and number of transfers.

And it really was kind of a split-second decision too that I made to come here. I figured I probably had time to visit one more place before my last stop in Negros, so I thought, why not this beach that LP raved so much about?

And it was worth it. I guess it's quite not as remote these days, but the total number of people on this roughly 2km stretch of sand was probably just a few dozen the few days I was here, which means that at any given time there were only a handful of people in the water.

So the coarse, brown sand that might have given rise to the beach's name isn't quite as pretty as San Juan in Siquijor, and the abundance of driftwood on the beach, natural as they are, might annoy picky photographers. But I guess that mattered little to me. Journey as Destination gave me yet another lesson this time, one that I'd almost forgotten, and was now happy to be reminded of again.

Stayed at Driftwood Village Resort.

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Photos

Sugar Beach
Aka Langub Beach, also the reason for the exhausting 6h+ journey across Negros. Not sure if it's called Sugar Beach cos of the coarse, brown sand, or because of Negros' history as a sugarcane producing region. Either way, certainly the journey itself was an adventure in its own right. And the beach, well not too bad either I must say!

Sugar Beach
Nothing brings out a smile like the sun, sand and brightly-coloured bangkas!

Bais-Kabankalan
And the pretty, winding hilly roads through Central Negros.

Standing Room Only!
I was packed standing in the front with my face literally slammed against the door. Two hours from Bais to the transit town of Kabankalan. Not enjoyable.

Kabankalan-Montilla
Slightly better, at least I get a seat on the interprovincial jeepney ride, with the lovely countryside view out the window.

Montilla-Nauhang
This is fast becoming an adventure in every single mode of transportation the Visayas can throw at me. Tricycle ride from the barangay Montilla to the coastal village of Nauhang.

Nauhang-Sugar Beach
And the final leg! Paddle boat steered by two kids across the tidal wave to my destination. PHP20 for their troubles. I hope Unicef doesn't come calling.

Mynah Hut
Where I stayed in Driftwood Village Resort. At PHP800 (USD18), slightly above my budget, but pretty much the cheapest private room I could find. Anyway, it was well worth it.

Sugar Beach
I can see why LP says you could get stuck here for months...

Comments

[Josevich]

you should've paddled it yourself!
to spare you from guilt and participating in child labor. but I don't blame you for not wanting to. The trip does sound exhausting with all the transfers. I wouldn't have bothered unless there was a free buffet at the end

[piranha27]

Haha the kids looked so keen on doing it, and they were certainly delighted with the PHP20 I gave them! Yes it was an exhausting journey there, but sometimes that just makes the arrival even more satisfying. Having travelled for some time now, I've started to realise that part of the point is the exhausting journeys themselves...