The Travel Archives

Really, Cape Engaño in Palaui Island is a must-see.

A beach studded with white sand and pebbles will welcome you. Closely behind it is a forest of greens and logs with a lot of small, shelled creepers. Off its coast are (dead) corals and some fishes. One of us was lucky enough to see a sea turtle (pawikan).

But these are not the highlights of this destination.

Climb the nearby hill to see Cape Engaño up close and nature will definitely blow you out of your mind – in a good way. Words can do just a little to convey the striking beauty of the place, so here are some photos instead.










Yet these photos can only do so much. To experience its grandeur would need you to actually be there.

The place will surprise you as it is a wholly different world from the beach in front. It will make you curse in disbelief as its beauty is ultimately breathtaking. To see the best of the beach, the ocean, the lashing waves, the remote island, the valley, and the sky all at the same time while in a structure built in the 1800's does not happen everyday.

C’mon, visit Cape Engaño too, and let nature arrest you with its beauty.


(First six photos from Thera Reyes)

Could we still snorkel with this weather?

It was a stormy day for a boat ride and a snorkeling trip to Punta Verde in Palaui Island. The waves rocked our little boat; a little more stronger and we could have easily toppled off.

The waves have been merciful.

Punta Verde was deserted when we arrived. It welcomed us with its fine, yellow-white sand. It was like polvoron. I wonder how it tastes like.

We visited the caretaker's house nearby to sign in his logbook and our boatmen called the reef rangers to guide us in our attempt to snorkel amidst the strong current. Later, they arrived with their neon-colored gear. They shared that the Department of Tourism (DOT) certified them and gave them snorkeling gears for free.

Now that's a plus.

I was dead-tired and in need of real sleep. I wanted a room and a bed to take me in for my slumber. But we are headed to Sta. Ana, Cagayan. We are headed to a remote province at the Northernmost part of Luzon. A province I had no idea about, a place too far from everything else, a place where comfortable hotels may be non-existent.

So I did not expect a good resort. I did not expect a nice bed with clean sheets. What I had in mind were trees (lots of them), stones, weeds, the ocean, and a not-so-comfortable small resort with semi-painted walls, basic rooms, and wooden benches fresh from the forest. I was fine with this, as long as they had a bed.

Our Lonely Planet Travel Guide mentioned Jotay Resort in Sta. Ana, so that was where we immediately headed upon setting foot on the province.

As we reached Jotay Resort, everything inside me lit up. It looked beyond inviting! It was nothing of what I expected it to be! For a fatigued traveler like me, it was sanctuary at its finest.

A cancelled flight to Catanduanes and a Lonely Planet Travel Guide book took three travelers to the Northern-most tip of Luzon - Sta. Ana, Cagayan.

Photo from atlantic-cable.com. Edited by me.

The travelers spent 11 hours on a bus to reach the town of Santiago, and another 3 to reach Tuguegarao. Night has fallen when they arrived. They were welcomed by heavy rains which left them no choice but to pay a hefty price of P100 for a tricycle ride to the Florida Bus Terminal. It has been said that buses bound for Sta. Ana pass by this place.