Arriving at the Port in Bulan, we
were told to wait until 11am when the boat from San Vicente arrives.
Meantime, while waiting, the summer
heat is getting into my scalp so I decided to get a haircut. We have more than
an hour to wait.
It was past 11, and there is no arrival
of any boat. We were told the boat might have not sailed and we might have to
wait until morning. We were also advised
to try out fishing boats from the nearby fish port.
I walked onto the fishport and
asked the people around for any boat that might be heading to San Vicente.
There is one boat docked, but no one in the boat. I waited a bit until I
thought I better call my trip companion so we can both wait near the boat with
our luggage.
When we got back, there was the man. He said, he is not sure if he can accomodate us as they are loaded with goods. They asked us to wait at the fishport though.
When we got back, there was the man. He said, he is not sure if he can accomodate us as they are loaded with goods. They asked us to wait at the fishport though.
We waited in the fishport, and I
decided to take a nap.
It was getting very late, and I
thought I’d come back to the boat and check. Unfortunately, the boat has
left. They probably did not know how to
say “Sorry, we can’t take you in the boat.”
Then, I asked the people around
again. They pointed me to a bigger boat that has just left, though still a yell
away. We called them, and they took us. The boat is even bigger and faster such
that we crossed past the first boat we were supposed to take. In 2 hours, we
got to brgy Sila (and spotted dolphins along the way.)
We asked for the brgy captain who’s
house is just right next to where we docked. We introduced, and was gladly
accepted and offered some space to sleep. We have an hour to go and asked that
we take a walk to Pink Beach 1 in Pili, guided by his sons Ton and Nat.
The beach is empty except for some
households on a corner, and an under construction beach house by an expat.
The reef is so alive.
The next day, we did the tour of the other islands through Marvin. A humble boy who, I found out through my series of questioning, just finished high school, and sadly will not to move ahead to college due to finances.
Keep your stuff water proof too as the waves
could be big between Bulan and the island group.
The next day, we did the tour of the other islands through Marvin. A humble boy who, I found out through my series of questioning, just finished high school, and sadly will not to move ahead to college due to finances.
Anyway, pink beach 2 (as tagged in
maps) is “the pink beach.” Just like the sta cruz island in zamboanga, the
powdered sand is a mix of white and red corals that from afar shine as pink;
And, just like the other pink beach we visited in day 1, the corals are so
alive. The other good this is that, the corals are not scattered everywhere.
There is a part of the beach with a stack of corals, and there are parts with
nul white sand that’s perfect for swimming.
The beach tends to be steep and deep though, but I actually prefer those
ones.
After the pink beach, we moved to
“Mahaba.” This beach is empty, though better for young swimmers as the water is
shallow. Reef wise, there are smaller corals along with rock boulders; A little
less prefered than Pink Beach.
After Mahaba, we moved to Maragat
island.
I was initially thinking of
dropping by the captain, but the community is a little far away; Plus, the
better looking side of the beach is on the corner behind Mahaba, so we decided
to dock there. We spotted a family having their picnic, while we walked onto
the corner of the island to check. The water on the side tend to be cooler, I
suppose because it is shaded, and there are also some small cave cavities on
this side. There is also current flowing sidewards that lead to the open sea.
From there, we moved to Medio
Island.
Medio Island i’d say is the next
better destination apart from the Pink beach. The water is calm and quite
clear, especially on the corner, where the reef is also alive.
There are a few households in this
island, with one store where we got coffee and bread.
From there, it was getting late so
we decided to get back to Brgy Sila and then onto the fishing trip.
After Mahaba, we moved to Maragat island.
I was initially thinking of dropping by the captain, but the community is a little far away; Plus, the better looking side of the beach is on the corner behind Mahaba, so we decided to dock there. We spotted a family having their picnic, while we walked onto the corner of the island to check. The water on the side tend to be cooler, I suppose because it is shaded, and there are also some small cave cavities on this side. There is also current flowing sidewards that lead to the open sea.
From there, we moved to Medio Island.
Medio Island i’d say is the next better destination apart from the Pink beach. The water is calm and quite clear, especially on the corner, where the reef is also alive.
There are a few households in this island, with one store where we got coffee and bread.
From there, it was getting late so we decided to get back to Brgy Sila and then onto the fishing trip.
See this post on how to get to BrgySila/Pink Beach. For solo or pair travellers, ask for Marvin. His boat is small
but quite quick to move around the islands. We paid him P500 for a half day
tour of the islands.
In case you need a charter, kindly
contact Brgy Captain Roland. I have specifically asked him to be a contact so
he can put a rotation to the available boats there. Almost every household has
a boat, though varying in sizes, and it will be great if everyone will be able
to take part in the tourism that may happen in the island.
At the moment, there are no
accomodation options in the island, so kindly ask captain to host you. Perhaps,
you can bring food that you can cook there. There is an Inn in San Vicente, as
I have read, but San Vicente is about an hour boat ride from Sila/Ternate. You
may also camp in the pink beach. Don’t forget to bring water as
there is no purified water in the island. Electricity is also nil. Captain uses
a generator, and a few households have solar panels.
Arriving at the Port in Bulan, we
were told to wait until 11am when the boat from San Vicente arrives.
Meantime, while waiting, the summer
heat is getting into my scalp so I decided to get a haircut. We have more than
an hour to wait.
It was past 11, and there is no arrival
of any boat. We were told the boat might have not sailed and we might have to
wait until morning. We were also advised
to try out fishing boats from the nearby fish port.
I walked onto the fishport and
asked the people around for any boat that might be heading to San Vicente.
There is one boat docked, but no one in the boat. I waited a bit until I
thought I better call my trip companion so we can both wait near the boat with
our luggage.
When we got back, there was the man. He said, he is not sure if he can accomodate us as they are loaded with goods. They asked us to wait at the fishport though.
When we got back, there was the man. He said, he is not sure if he can accomodate us as they are loaded with goods. They asked us to wait at the fishport though.
We waited in the fishport, and I
decided to take a nap.
It was getting very late, and I
thought I’d come back to the boat and check. Unfortunately, the boat has
left. They probably did not know how to
say “Sorry, we can’t take you in the boat.”
Then, I asked the people around
again. They pointed me to a bigger boat that has just left, though still a yell
away. We called them, and they took us. The boat is even bigger and faster such
that we crossed past the first boat we were supposed to take. In 2 hours, we
got to brgy Sila (and spotted dolphins along the way.)
We asked for the brgy captain who’s
house is just right next to where we docked. We introduced, and was gladly
accepted and offered some space to sleep. We have an hour to go and asked that
we take a walk to Pink Beach 1 in Pili, guided by his sons Ton and Nat.
The beach is empty except for some
households on a corner, and an under construction beach house by an expat.
The reef is so alive.
The next day, we did the tour of the other islands through Marvin. A humble boy who, I found out through my series of questioning, just finished high school, and sadly will not to move ahead to college due to finances.
Keep your stuff water proof too as the waves
could be big between Bulan and the island group.
The next day, we did the tour of the other islands through Marvin. A humble boy who, I found out through my series of questioning, just finished high school, and sadly will not to move ahead to college due to finances.
Anyway, pink beach 2 (as tagged in
maps) is “the pink beach.” Just like the sta cruz island in zamboanga, the
powdered sand is a mix of white and red corals that from afar shine as pink;
And, just like the other pink beach we visited in day 1, the corals are so
alive. The other good this is that, the corals are not scattered everywhere.
There is a part of the beach with a stack of corals, and there are parts with
nul white sand that’s perfect for swimming.
The beach tends to be steep and deep though, but I actually prefer those
ones.
After the pink beach, we moved to
“Mahaba.” This beach is empty, though better for young swimmers as the water is
shallow. Reef wise, there are smaller corals along with rock boulders; A little
less prefered than Pink Beach.
After Mahaba, we moved to Maragat
island.
I was initially thinking of
dropping by the captain, but the community is a little far away; Plus, the
better looking side of the beach is on the corner behind Mahaba, so we decided
to dock there. We spotted a family having their picnic, while we walked onto
the corner of the island to check. The water on the side tend to be cooler, I
suppose because it is shaded, and there are also some small cave cavities on
this side. There is also current flowing sidewards that lead to the open sea.
From there, we moved to Medio
Island.
Medio Island i’d say is the next
better destination apart from the Pink beach. The water is calm and quite
clear, especially on the corner, where the reef is also alive.
There are a few households in this
island, with one store where we got coffee and bread.
From there, it was getting late so
we decided to get back to Brgy Sila and then onto the fishing trip.
After Mahaba, we moved to Maragat island.
I was initially thinking of dropping by the captain, but the community is a little far away; Plus, the better looking side of the beach is on the corner behind Mahaba, so we decided to dock there. We spotted a family having their picnic, while we walked onto the corner of the island to check. The water on the side tend to be cooler, I suppose because it is shaded, and there are also some small cave cavities on this side. There is also current flowing sidewards that lead to the open sea.
From there, we moved to Medio Island.
Medio Island i’d say is the next better destination apart from the Pink beach. The water is calm and quite clear, especially on the corner, where the reef is also alive.
There are a few households in this island, with one store where we got coffee and bread.
From there, it was getting late so we decided to get back to Brgy Sila and then onto the fishing trip.
See this post on how to get to BrgySila/Pink Beach. For solo or pair travellers, ask for Marvin. His boat is small
but quite quick to move around the islands. We paid him P500 for a half day
tour of the islands.
In case you need a charter, kindly
contact Brgy Captain Roland. I have specifically asked him to be a contact so
he can put a rotation to the available boats there. Almost every household has
a boat, though varying in sizes, and it will be great if everyone will be able
to take part in the tourism that may happen in the island.
At the moment, there are no
accomodation options in the island, so kindly ask captain to host you. Perhaps,
you can bring food that you can cook there. There is an Inn in San Vicente, as
I have read, but San Vicente is about an hour boat ride from Sila/Ternate. You
may also camp in the pink beach. Don’t forget to bring water as
there is no purified water in the island. Electricity is also nil. Captain uses
a generator, and a few households have solar panels.
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