Caramoan Breakfast and Finding a Boat
The Island Hopping Tour! That is what everybody goes to Caramoan about. And that is what you should go to Caramoan for too! You will even see on the web that there are already a lot of information regarding this tour of the islands or islets. Been there done that. But as if ‘for compliance purposes’ I also had to do it again, and I have my own story. Here goes…
The morning after, I woke up early (as usual when I’m on the go) at just about sunrise. Not that I was too excited to go on the island tour, but I wanted to catch a group I can go out with. As you probably know, roaming these islands alone is not that friendly to the pocket. Its just plain expensive. I talked to the Rex Inn front staff the night before to please scout for me a group that might be going to tour the islands willing to take me along if I would give my share for the boat rental fee or even the food, if any. Not an easy feat for me nor the front staff since this was not peak season. In fact they tried asking one group last night and got a downright no for an answer.
This morning, there still was no luck, though the front desk girls knew that I may just continue roaming around dry land via habal-habal if I didn’t get to join a group. I walked to Lutong Bahay for breakfast. I salivated at the thought that I could ask them to whip up corned beef for me, plus sunny-side-up egg and fried rice, paired with hot chocolate and finished with coke! Yumminess, right?! Alas, there was no Purefoods Corned Beef! Easily solved though, I went a few steps to the store beside and bought one! Yehey! And there was no fried rice! Ah, I was fine with regular steamed rice. I smiled and was happy to note that “hot chocolate” was a sachet of Milo and hot water hehe. And I went back over to the store for a bottle of coke since Lutong Bahay is a Pepsi/Sarsi-only place. All considered, fantastic enough breakfast to kick me a fine day!
Back at Rex Inn, I was getting no luck. The group who did not want to take me along already left. Another group was still undecided if they’d go for the tour or just stay around or go to nearby beaches that did not need a boat. Best option offered by the front desk girls was for me to go to the wharf itself and take a chance as there might be groups ready to set sail that I could chance upon. I was also entertaining the idea of going back to La Playa and get the boat tour from there (though similarly expensive). So I prepared myself for more of landbased roaming. There are many anyway. Like going to the grotto and so on. I even already read a sign at Rex Inn’s counter and asked the girls regarding an ancestral house that seem to be a new attraction for visitors.
Then an employee casually approached me (name and description withheld lest Rex Inn take this against the kind employee) hehe. Employee said there is someone over at the Bikal wharf area that can probably take me on a tour alone in a smaller boat where the rate might probably be lower. Employee gave me the cellphone number and I of course txtd. In a flash, I got a tour for just me, myself and I at rock bottom rate (exact price withheld too cuz boatman says he was just giving in to request of the Rex Inn employee who took pity on me). In no time, I found myself down at the road waiting for a P50 habal-habal ride to the Bikal wharf. And I got there in a flash hehe! But let’s do my island tour in the next story, aight?!
Lesson? To get a boat for a ‘solitary’ tour hehe, be creative and use your charm, many of it! Let's go!
The morning after, I woke up early (as usual when I’m on the go) at just about sunrise. Not that I was too excited to go on the island tour, but I wanted to catch a group I can go out with. As you probably know, roaming these islands alone is not that friendly to the pocket. Its just plain expensive. I talked to the Rex Inn front staff the night before to please scout for me a group that might be going to tour the islands willing to take me along if I would give my share for the boat rental fee or even the food, if any. Not an easy feat for me nor the front staff since this was not peak season. In fact they tried asking one group last night and got a downright no for an answer.
Then an employee casually approached me (name and description withheld lest Rex Inn take this against the kind employee) hehe. Employee said there is someone over at the Bikal wharf area that can probably take me on a tour alone in a smaller boat where the rate might probably be lower. Employee gave me the cellphone number and I of course txtd. In a flash, I got a tour for just me, myself and I at rock bottom rate (exact price withheld too cuz boatman says he was just giving in to request of the Rex Inn employee who took pity on me). In no time, I found myself down at the road waiting for a P50 habal-habal ride to the Bikal wharf. And I got there in a flash hehe! But let’s do my island tour in the next story, aight?!
Lesson? To get a boat for a ‘solitary’ tour hehe, be creative and use your charm, many of it! Let's go!
For a chronology of this trip's stories, click these numbers:
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