Traveling to Catanduanes

   So this is my very first post for my travel and food blog, yey! Last week, I had a chance to travel with my mom to Catanduanes. We were invited by the very kind and humble Congressman Cesar Sarmiento. Thank you for accommodating us and sharing us your plans for your beautiful place. Our tour guides, Victor Samonte and Juriz Dela Rosa were very friendly, both young and energetic. They work for the Congressman, they are our tour guide for the first day we arrived.

   Our flight was scheduled at 6AM, we arrived just in time to depart. It was my first time to NAIA 3 terminal and I noticed that our airline is a bit scattered, although there were nice shops where you can buy your pasalubong and even make-up which can be found at the second floor.

                                                                                Check in

                                                              Took a photo inside the airplane

 When we arrived at Virac Airport, we had breakfast with the Congressman and his people in someone else’s home. I wasn’t able to take photos, but we were served sunny side up eggs, longganisa, dried fish with coconut vinegar, ginataang eel, fried eel, humba and fresh coconut juice to wash it down. Our itinerary for our 3 day stay, well technically 2 days was for an ocular. Victor and Juriz were our tour guide, they told us that people had an impression that Catanduanes is a rainy place and you can get stranded if there’s a typhoon. I noticed their weather was like this, sunny at first, and then rainy for a couple of hours, and then sunny again. There were also one part of the town were it continously rains.

       Our first destination was Maribina Falls, the falls was fantastic and a great spot for swimming or having a fashion/swimsuit photo shoot as mom says.

     Our second destination was Bato Church, the oldest church of the Philippines (correct me If I’m wrong), and a little trivia if PNoy and Shalani were supposed to get married, they will be supposedly get married here in Bato Church. On our way, we passed through the longest bridge too. The molds and grass that surrounds the church is what gives it character.

                                                                    Inside the Bato Church

We went to another church, and it is said that back in the days, Filipino’s killed a Spanish priest, and where he was killed a fountain grew, where the water is miraculous and can heal. The water is pure and safe for drinking.

It started raining, we had to make a quick pit stop at the Mayor’s office, our car’s aircon for some reason stopped working so they had to call another car for our transfer. We went to PAG-ASA, where it was so beautiful and clean inside their quarters, taking pictures of the actual PAG-ASA and machines are not allowed. Filipino’s and Japanese work hand in hand in maintaining the facility, and look how disciplined the Japanese are.

It was raining in that area and it was unfortunate that we couldn’t view the Mayon Volcano on top of the building, but they said that you can view it from there. Still, I enjoyed the cold breeze that day, all I needed was a bed and a comforter.

The Mayor of  Barangay Baras, Puraran provided our lunch at Majestic beach and he also took his time to sit with us and discuss a few things. A white sand beach and popular to foreigners and surfers, but that day the waves were not that big but still majestically beautiful. The resort was simple and untouched, if you are going to compare it with Boracay this resort and every other resort we’ve been to are simple, it’s their beaches and white sand which makes it beautiful alone.

                                                       Missing my man during my travel

    One of the products of Catanduanes is ABACA, strips of Abaca is hanged like a laundry under the sun, the more white it is the higher the price to sell it for. We were looking for a Stripper, no not that kind of stripper okay? haha! An abaca stripper, and we saw one man stripping abaca under his nipa hut on top of the hill. And since it was raining, going up made it dangerous and very slippery, but mom still went up along with Victor. I was scared for mom’s camera and herself too. And if you notice in the picture on the right side, there is a large lizard that is hanged upside down, assuming it will be their meal for that day.

After mom being so adventurous climbing up the slippery hill, we went to a Musuem in Virac.

Our last destination was Twin Rock beach where there are different activities to do and more cottages to choose from. The bigger cottage house costs P3,500 per night. This kind of room has 2 bedrooms, living room, dining place, kitchen, fridge and a bathroom.

Unfortunately and sadly, I wasn’t able to take photos of our second stay, I ran out of memory. Having experienced Catanduanes, this is what makes me proud of my country, our beautiful Philippines! Despite that it may be rainy at most times, it is a beautiful place to visit to, it needs a little bit of cleaning though. I can’t wait to share with you my food experience which will be on my next post.

                   Has anyone of you been to Catanduanes? Feel free to share okay?