Occ. Mindoro: Apo Reef!

This is the ultimate reason why I insisted on going to Sablayan instead of staying in San Jose but the trip to Apo Reef almost got cancelled because of 2 sneaky travel agency staff that stole (yes, STOLE!) the boat that would take us there.  BUT I will write about that incident next time because this is after all the Apo Reef trip that we’ve planned for so long.

Apo Reef is said to be the largest atoll-like reef in Asia, the second largest in the world next only to Australia’s Great Barrier Reef.  It’s not just one reef but is actually a number of reef systems spread out over more than 155,000 hectares.  Now, I understand why Sablayan is the largest municipality in the Philippines. J  I have no idea what “atoll-like” means so I checked it out and this is what I found…“Atoll means an island consisting of a circular coral reef surrounding a lagoon.”

It’s in the tentative list of the UNESCO World Heritage Convention where it’s described to have 3 main islands:  Apo Island, Apo Menor and Cayos del Bajo.  Apo Island is about 22 hectares in size and it’s where the rangers of the Apo National Park set-up station.  That’s also where we paid our dues for snorkeling.  There’s a lighthouse that stands at about 115 feet, which also happens to be the only landmark visible as we approached the island. 

There’s a toilet and manual water pump behind the ranger station but there’s no fresh-water.  The park rangers were nice enough to let us cook rice for lunch in their make-shift kitchen.  While having lunch, their patrol boat arrived and was tugging a much smaller boat.  Apparently, the fisherman who owns the small boat was caught poaching sea cucumbers.  Since the reef is a protected area, the park rangers warned him to stop but he insisted so they had to fire warning shots…when the fisherman didn’t budge, the patrol team had to tug his boat to Apo Island to document the incident.

Well, after bits of chismis with the park rangers, we boarded the boat and asked the captain to take us to the good snorkeling sites…and he did.  However, I can still remember the fear that I saw in his eyes when he learned that none of us knew how to swim.  And to make things worse, we were already scattered out in the open sea before he could even react.  In retrospect, I understand why he got worried, I remember enjoying the beautiful corals with lots of fish and then suddenly…darkness…which meant that I was in very deep and dangerous water.  Oh my goodness, why did I forget about the huge shark that we saw on the way to Apo Reef???  I think I enjoyed the 15 dolphins that we saw so I forgot the one with the huge dorsal fin!

If we had more time to spend in the water, I’m sure we’d be like prunes…you know, wrinkled due to prolonged stay in the water. J  That brief encounter with Apo Reef’s marine life still bring shivers up to my spine.  I play all the scenes I’ve seen over there repeatedly in my head for fear that I’d forget. And I definitely don’t want to forget!  I saw sharks, turtles, huge fish, several schools of different kinds, colors, sizes of fish and lots of beautiful hard and soft corals.  I was amazed by the huge coral walls that suddenly drops and then disappears…which means that that area is pretty darn deep.

I am going back to Apo Reef and I’m going to take my sweet time to marvel at the very diverse marine life…even if it means becoming a prune. J

Note:  Apo Island of Apo Reef, Occidental Mindoro is not to be confused with Apo Island in Dauin, Negros Oriental.  Though, I must admit that I really got confused during the planning stage of this trip…especially since we just got back from a snorkeling trip in Dauin. J

Occ. Mindoro: Buffet Dinner in Pandan Grande Island!

It is required to have at least one buffet meal when you stay in Pandan.  So even if we brought a lot of food, we had to march to the restaurant that evening for our buffet dinner.  I’m not sure if it’s worth 450pesos but knowing how hard it is to maintain the island…sige na nga din. J

Dinner started at 7 until 8:30pm.  These were what we found on the spread…



Crab and corn soup




Steamed rice




Freshly-made potato chips



Pork Menudo



Steamed fish (they are HUGE!!!)



Pinakbet and sliced tomatoes



Sliced cucumbers and coleslaw




An assortment of salad dressings




Bananas, pineapple and melons




Papaya and watermelon



It’s not the food that I liked about this restaurant…but this…

Yes, I had to see this implemented in this remote island.  How I wish that all restaurants would follow suit.  Ate L forgot to put her cellphone on silent mode and when her phone went off for an incoming call, Dominique (the French owner) immediately called her attention.  Sometimes, we really have to be reminded pa, noh?  Another thing is that the restaurant is self-service.  Something that the 2 other Filipino tourists took for granted when they left all their utensils on the table instead of bringing them over to the kitchen.  Little did I know that those 2 would nearly cause us our trip to the Apo Reef…but more on that in the next post because I can already feel my blood pressure shooting up.  Sometimes, I’m beginning to think that I’m good judge of character.

Some of us had one too many slices of papaya and watermelon so we had to stay on for coffee and tea which comes with the buffet dinner.  I even had a good chat with Pim, a Swedish tourist who’s thoroughly enjoying his Philippine trip with his wife.  It’s a good thing J brought his flashlight because it was pitch black on the way back to our cottages.  And would you believe that I almost caught a firefly with my bare hands?  J

It was a good night.

Occ. Mindoro: Pandan Grande Island!

Cebu Pacific arrived earlier than the ETA so we had time to enjoy the hearty breakfast prepared by Ate F in San Jose.  Then the troop proceeded to Sablayan where we would spend the weekend.

Favorite breakfast food :-)



Sablayan town is in mainland Mindoro and it’s the usual jump-off point to get to Pandan Grande Island and the Apo Reef.  It is also said to be the Philippine’s largest municipality.

We had to leave the 3 vehicles at the Sablayan police station for we would be staying in Pandan overnight.  The jetty is located at the back of the public market where we met with Angie from Tourism.  She arranged for a glass-bottom boat to take us to Pandan Island.  It’s a big boat that easily accommodated our party of 19.  We also asked her to arrange for a boat to take us to the Apo Reef early the following day.

We had time to roam around while waiting for the drivers to arrive.  Near the jetty, we spotted a hanging foot bridge which services pedestrians and cyclists alike. 

 And after a few minutes, we were off to Pandan Grande Island.  It was a pleasant 45-minute ride to Pandan except for that rough stretch where salt and fresh-water meets.  It normally takes just 10 minutes to get to the island but we decided to put the glass-bottom boat to good use.  It was a good idea because at least the toddlers and the senior citizens who were with us also enjoyed the underwater scenes.

The waters appeared dark green or dark blue where it must have been really deep.  But there are also the “shallow” areas where we could see the sea floor and corals.  We got excited when the boat man shouted and pointed to the glass-floor…that’s when we saw the biggest turtle I have ever seen!  And on the way to Pandan, there’s also another island which is said to be privately-owned.  I asked what it’s called and they said “Aloe Vera!”  Haha…very funny.  Bleh.

As we reached Pandan, we marveled at the long stretch of white sand and the blue-green waters of the sea.  Check-in at the resort was a breeze.  The receptionist led us to the 2 family houses that we rented for one night.  Each house has 3 rooms and comes with a nice porch where you can play cards or just bum around.  Just be sure to keep it down because you don’t want to disturb your neighbors who will most certainly be foreigners resting early in preparation for a trip to the Apo Reef.  And right at the back of our house, there’s the turtle hatchery where we saw hundreds of turtles ready to be released out to the open sea.

Pandan is pretty laid back…and by that I meant that there’s no electricity in the island.  Everything is run by solar power so there’s neither aircon nor electric fan.  We just enjoyed the fresh sea breeze at night because how often can we experience that in the urban jungle?  Batteries for cameras and cellphones can be re-charged at the dive shop.  We were also provided with mosquito nets to protect us from the little suckers.  Do not forget to bring some good old bug spray.  There’s also very limited fresh water so I had a taste of strict water discipline. 

We didn’t mind the simple accommodations and facilities because Pandan is a nice place to relax and….snorkel.  Pandan, like Dauin, has its own marine sanctuary…just a few meters from the shore.  It’s too bad, though, that we went snorkeling late in the afternoon so our underwater shots were hazy.  But the important thing is that we enjoyed the rich marine life of the waters of Pandan.

Mama!

She would have been 64 today.

The only person who kept up with our temper, our insolence, our sarcasm, our stubbornness and our cynical nature.

She loved us with all her heart and soul and we’re deeply saddened that our chance to reciprocate that love was cut short.

But I’m certain that she knows how much we love her.

And she’ll be proud to know that she raised good kids.

Thank you, Mama.  We love you so much and we miss you terribly.