Majayjay - Taytay Falls (Imelda Falls)

Good Day readers,


             I had the privilege to visit the second well known falls in Laguna, Taytay falls in Majayjay Laguna a.k.a. (Imelda Falls) it was renamed after former first lady Imelda Marcos. But locals still calls it Taytay falls.

This Majestic view is mesmerizing! the feeling of freshness while hearing the gust of water and birds humming en route the destination. If you go there on a Saturday and summertime you'll probably be with 1,000 others visiting the falls, it was like a street party at the falls.

Going there if commute From Manila. This for me is the most comfortable and fastest way to go. Take the DLTBCo. Buendia bus bound for Sta. Cruz Laguna. from Sta. Cruz ride the Tricycle going to the Sta. Cruz - Majayjay Terminal. Upon Reaching Majayjay town proper look for jeepney's bound for Gagalot. Gagalot is the town where Taytay falls is located. the Jeepney will take you straight to the Jump off point of  Taytay falls.

Environmental fee in Majayjay is 30 pesos good for the whole day.you can pick a spot near the falls to set up a tent and camp overnight or for day trippers set up your picnic mat as soon as you get there. Because during peak season its very hard to get a nice spot to set up camp.

You can grill food if you bring your own tools. tip though, to minimize your carriage Marinated pork belly "Liempo", raw Barbecue  HotDogs are being sold at the Jump off there are eateries/ "turo-turo". there are local tourism officers manning the place. Be wary though because they are strict.

• No Glass bottles allowed
• No food is allowed near the Basin of the Falls
• No Littering 

As much as possible bring high endurance aqua shoes. rocks can be very slippery. the basin of the falls has a depth of 4 - 6 feet and water is extremely cold. For adults I recommend a shot of Gin before you dip. :)

welcome to Majayjay!

Some of the scenic view en route to taytay falls

At jump off you'll need to walk around 15 Mins to reach the falls. there's a pathway built so its comfortable.

This is the view and site when you reach the destination. overly crowded during peak season.

our picnic site

The falls has a cemented basin built so you can swim. At first you'll probably be hesitant because of the chilling water but once you're in its very enjoyable and fun.

We only did a day tour at the falls we had a reservation at Carayan Resort. 12 hours for a room good for 7 is 1200 pesos 150 per succeeding hour.( www.Carayanresort.com ) near the bridge of Liliw - Majayjay. We spent the night there had a few drinks and went to sleep.

Carayan Resort

Carayan Resort

Carayan Resort

The next day after breakfast we were home bound. from the resort we rode the tricycle to Liliw town proper 60 pesos 5 persons. and Luckily it was Tsinelas Festival "Slippers Festival" . Liliw is known for making local slippers which are affordable and comfortable to wear.

Slippers, shoes & slip-ons ranges from 80 - 500 depending on the style

From Liliw town  proper we took a jeepney going to san pablo 7 pesos/person then we dropped off at nagcarlan and took the van to calamba for 60/person. at calamba there are a lot of buses going to manila depending where your going. fare would range from 49 pesos for alabang and 79 pesos for buendia.

The experience is great! but expect a crowd during summer!

Morong - Bataan White Corals Resort

Good day readers,

Just got back from a family trip, This time we went to Morong, Bataan. Morong is a hub for a quick vacation, away from the hustle and bustle of Manila its a 3 - 4 hour drive from the city, nice location and a relatively quiet small town.

There are a lot of resorts that line up the coastline of Morong. You can start from end to end just walking in if you want to find a place that suits your budget and lifestyle. You can choose from a cozy resort perfect for lovers e.g. Sunset view resort. a family oriented resort like Morong Star beach, and for group/company outings like phi-phi beach resort.

Here's a Map of the coastline and the resorts. Prices of these resorts vary as ive said you can pick a budget friendly or a grande resort.

If you guys are gonna go by commute - Victory Liner bus going to Olongapo -  from Olongapo terminal ride the jeep going to the MINI bus station going to Morong. the bus will drop you at Morong town proper from there you can get a tricycle going to the resort of your choice.

There are two routes to reach Morong both commute and private vehicle. the Olongapo route and the Bataan Route. I suggest you take the Olongapo Route as it is 1 hour faster than the Bataan route.

We went to Bataan White Corals Beach Resort.

http://www.bataanwhitecorals.ph/

https://www.facebook.com/WhiteCorals/

Here are their current rates as of  April 2016;

These a re a few sites at the Beach during Low tide and high tide.


It was a nice quick getaway trip... of course the side trip is the view in Subic and the scenery going to Morong is very captivating...



Please post any comments or suggestions to help other readers. Thank you

Cabongaoan Beach Pangasinan

Good day Readers!

                    Here's another adventure I would like to share with you.We recently planned an outing with close friends in pangasinan which happens to be our friends province. Cabongaoan Beach is located in Burgos pangasinan, we drove going to the location but if you guys are planning to go there by commute Five Star bus liners have daily trips to Alaminos,Pangasinan (5-6 hours) from Alaminos there's a jeepney going to Burgos  town proper (35-40 mins), from Burgos either you ride a public Jeep going to Ilio-Ilio or ride the tricycle (45 mins.-1 Hour).




In Cabongaoan there are a few resorts to choose from, the place is basically unurbanized unlike puerto galera and boracay... resorts here only offer a quiet place to relax after going to the beach. Stores are only a handful. they also close early (latest would be 8 PM.), so if you run out of supplies, buy them early. 

Drone shot of the coast

During holy week most of the beach goers are locals of Pangasinan. At this time waves are around 3-4 feet.. calm waters are from October to December..
















here's a sneak peek of this untouched beauty... you can set up your own bonfire with left over branches of trees or twigs just make sure to clean up the ashes after.... the elementary students here are the ones cleaning them specially during peak season.

Cagbalete Island Vacation

Good day and Welcome Readers!

YANG-IN Sandbar

I'll be kicking off this blog with our Family adventure in Cagbalete Island, Mauban, Quezon. March 19 - 21. This actually is the birthday wish of my son Chace. 

We opted to use a private transport for the trip since its relatively close.We left manila at around 5:30 a.m. Our route from Manila Started thru (Sto. Tomas Exit in SLEX - San Pablo - Tiaong - Candelaria - Sariaya - Tayabas - Mauban) Notice the Red text, because our supposed 4 hour drive became 5 due to heavy traffic. The route at this time had plenty of road construction (probably because its almost elections here in the Philippines). the good side of this route is they are all major highways (good for small vehicles). 

We arrived at around 11:00 a.m. in Mauban port. At the port there are a lot of Tourism employees that will help you guide your way, they will also assist you to look for a place to park your car. there is a public car park, others are private houses securing a garage. The Elementary school has a P50.00 fee per 24 hours, and private houses demand around P150 - 200 per night. It was a Saturday and when we arrived the school was full so we had no choice but to avail a private house to park for 150 a night, payable when you leave.

At Mauban port you'll need to pay P70/person Environmental fee, at the tourism building they will also ask if you'll take a private boat or public ferry... 

Private boat fees:

Max of 6 persons - P1500 one way, P2000 round trip
Max of 10 persons - P2000 one way - P2500 round trip
Max of 12 persons - P2500 one way - P3000 round trip
Max of 15 persons - P3000 one way - P3500 round trip

These private boats will drop you off at the resort your staying.

there are 3 public boats going to and fro Cagbalete island. Ive heard that the fee they charge per trip is P50.00. Sadly that day they were issued a new tariff...

M/B Neneng & M/B Anthony Schedule and updated fee as of March 19 2016

Mauban - Sabang(cagbalete port)	Sabang port - Mauban	Fee/person
8:00 A.M.	9:00 A.M.	P70.00
11:00 A.M.	1:00 P.M.	P70.00
3:00 P.M.	5:00 P.M.	P70.00

Another public boat M/B Jamelle Charges' P100/Person because its a relatively new ferry.

Maubans' local hero Gat Uban!

Going to Cagbalete we took the M/B Jamelle at 1:00 P.M. as it was ready for loading passengers. My wife didn't want to ride a private boat with just the three of us there.she'd be sea sick because the boat was too small. Boat ride from Mauban to Cagbalete is 45 Mins. I strongly advise that as much as possible wear shorts or any apparel you're willing to submerge in water, private or public boat you will be docked at the beach so rubber shoes are a no no!.

Mauban Port view from M/B Jamelle

We arrived at Sabang At around 2:00PM. When you arrive at sabang you can choose to trek your way to your resort. depending on which resort? walking would range from 10 - 25 minutes along the island.

Here's an idea if you opted to walk from sabang to the resort.

There are also small boats that would offer to ferry you from sabang directly to your resort. Fees range from 400 - 1000 which we took because it was 2:00 PM and the sun was scorching.

Our Resort destination was Villa Noe resort. the staff were accommodating. we had reserved a hut for P3,000 a night the airconditioned rooms were still under construction at that time so they only had nipa huts available. we transferred the following day to a much smaller room for 1,500 a night when we realized that the 3K room was too large for us. Electricity on the Island resorts run from 6:00 P.M. - 6:00 A.M. No TV's no Gas Stoves but there are several areas for grilling or cooking using charcoals. if you're not  in the mood for cooking their canteen has cooked food ready to serve. 

For full details of the resort:

https://www.facebook.com/VillaNoeBeach/photos

Fish bought from the locals

Trail from sabang port to resorts 15 - 20 mins

Spectacular sunrise

Attractions on the island can be seen if you rent a boat for P1,500. You can haggle for the price, in our case we were able to get it for P1,200. the trip includes yang-in beach where you can see the awesome sandbar, their snorkeling area and the mangrove river. 

Bonsai Island

On our way home we took the lucban - majayjay - nagcarlan - calauan - calamba route. Of course we needed to stop over at lucban church and eat at buddy's to have their famous "HabHab".

Local Church in Cagbalete Island

The Almost 4 Century Old church of Lucban

Side note for cagbalete Island: if your planning to swim at the beach.. do it early morning or late afternoon as low tide can reach up to a kilometer away from shore most of the day. 


All in all it was an exciting trip a lot of sights along the way and the island was very nice... next stop caboangan pangasinan.