quezon | A Journey With Me

Dampalitan Island, Padre Burgos, Quezon

Dampalitan Island is one of the three islands which is a popular destination along the Tayabas Bay. It is across Borawan in the coastline of Padre Burgos in Quezon.

Dampalitan Beach has the widest bed off-white sand bar and crystal clear water with a backdrop of the Agoho trees and coconut trees. The Bondoc Peninsula and the rest of Quezon are abundant of coconut trees. The trees added a tropical and laid back feeling, while we explore the island.

Dampalitan is also a camper’s site. There are cottages for rent, a common toilet and a store of the caretaker. We took a rest in the white sand beach and enjoyed the clear blue sky.

We then headed back to Villa Anita to check out. After which, we rode a jeep from Padre Burgos to Pagbilao. From Malicboy, Pagbilao we took a tricycle going to the jump-off point going to Kuwebang Lagpas.

We were supposed to go to Kuwebang Lampas and Puting Buhangin, but decided to take a different route near the jump-off point going there. We found a serene area without the usual campers and tourists who visit the beach area.

It was called, but there were rock formations, with small caves, and a rocky sand bar. It is near Pagbilao Power Station. Or maybe because we were actually lost that we found a different spot. Well, somehow it was a good thing, we were able to end our trip finding this gem along Pagbilao Grande.

For more information about Quezon Province, please check my posts: Gumaca, Quezon, Borawan Island Beach, Quezon

Borawan Island Beach, Quezon

Our 3rd Quezon – Bicol Escapade was to explore Padre Burgos in Quezon. I went to Calauag first and stayed there overnight. In the morning, Cam and I took a bus going to Lucena from Calauag. I was able to take a picture of the view on the top while traversing the Bituka nang Manok road in Atimonan.

From Lucena, we rode a minivan to Padre Burgos. We rode a tricycle looking for a place to stay. We weren’t successful in Tamarind Tree Resort but found the Villa Anita Butterfly Garden and Resort, along the Padre Burgos – Andangan National Road. It was already past 1PM when we arrived in the resort.

The resort has a huge garden and a fish pond. There’s a restaurant inside but just across the resort was a Pavillion for a large number of visitors. There were portions that were under construction especially the bigger swimming pool. The cottages were Nipa Huts with aircon. The staff told us of the beachfront area of the resort which was a 10-minute ride from the resort. We were accompanied by the driver of the resort and drove us to the Villa Anita beach front. But as of posting, Villa Anita was permanently closed.

It was low tide that morning and we enjoyed taking pictures and walking around the rocky beach. There was a floating “balsa” in the area. And we stayed there and waited for the sunset.

The following morning we were fetched by the boatman on the beachfront of the resort to start our island tour. The boat ride was about 15 minutes going to Borawan, just across the beach in front of Villa Anita.

Borawan came from the combination of the words Boracay and Palawan and located at Pagbilao Chica Island. It is along the coastline of the Tayabas Bay. There are different rock formations along the way.

Borawan is a place for campers. As of writing, there’s a resort already and that the place is being maintained properly. When we visited the place, there were campers and a caretaker with their small store for your needs. Because it was the Labor day weekend at that time, tourists flocked the island, so we went to the other side in a quieter place, where we had the towering rocks all by ourselves.

But beware of the secluded place without the nets, I was stung by a jellyfish here. If you could zoom the picture below, you’ll see how big the jellyfish that I encountered, and it was painful and the black scar lasted a year.

But all in all, Borawan is a good place to go, it just depends on your expectation. But for me, every new place is worth to travel.

For more information about Quezon Province, please check my posts: Gumaca, Quezon, Dampalitan Island, Padre Burgos, Quezon

Gumaca, Quezon

Gumaca lies in the middle of the Quezon Province along the coastline of Lopez Bay. Most travelers wouldn’t stop here because most of the buses going to Bicol have a stopover in Lucena or Atimonan, and the next stopover would be in Calauag or Tagkawayan.

The major attraction of Gumaca is the Gumaca Cathedral or the Cathedral of San Diego de Alcala, one of the oldest and biggest churches in the province of Quezon.

Other notable areas to explore in Gumaca is the Museo ng Gumaca, to know more about the Gumaca Heritage District due to the ancestral houses and old structures and the San Diego de Alcala Fortress or the Kutang San Diego, the only surviving fortress in Gumaca. The fortress is also recognized as a national treasure since 1981.

We went to a nearby public spot of the beach, in which my best friend and I decided to have a late afternoon stroll. And my trip to Gumaca was the start of our summer getaway in which we focused in Quezon Province and Bicol Region.

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