Burias Island + Alibijaban Island

Sombrero Island

If you're going through something, travel. If you want to feed your soul, travel. If you want your weary heart to have a good time, travel. Others may not understand you, that's okay. You don't owe them an explanation. Getting out of the situation sometimes let you see a picture in a wider perspective. Remember, you're not giving up from it. You are just taking a break. It gets you prep up for bigger things to come. Good or bad, you will feel that you are ready to conquer it. Have you been too tired of dealing a situation and wants  to have a breather? its fine. Travel. Because by traveling, no one's gonna judge you except you. Traveling solo is fine. You'll have your own time, own pace, and most importantly, own space. 

It took me days before i decide to take yet another #solotravel but this time,  I want it be done within the holy week. I can no longer recall when was the last time i went out of town on a Holy week, spending atleast an overnight somewhere like anyone else does during this season. Usually, I spend most of the time watching old movies like Himala by Nora Aunor and other old time movies on cable and free tv channels. Last Thursday, I did a #solo visita Iglesia. Another first for me. Visited (in order) Baclaran Church, Malate Church, Manila Cathedral, San Agustin Church, Sta. Cruz Church and Quiapo Church. Had 2 stations per Church making it 14 after hitting Quiapo Church. The following day, together with a friend, we went to Kamay ni Hesus in Lucban, Quezon. Second year in a row for me on a Good Friday. Its good to know that my vacation leave from Good Friday until Easter Monday has been approved 1st week of January even if I dont have specific place to visit at that time.

Days prior the start of the Holy week, I came across a Travel Organizer Group on Facebook that offers Burias + Alibijaban Tour for less than 3k. Why not? I said to myself. Haven't really been to Masbate anyway so making it to Burias and other islands within the province marks Masbate as my 29th province on my list. 28th was Bohol, by the way. I sent private message to Gala PH right away and inquired. Having been courteous in answering all my queries, I asked for bank details where i can deposit my down payment. Couple of messages sent and received and I was certain that i will entrust my money, time and my security with these guys in exchange of love for travel. I will be a "joiner" to the said trip. there were 30 participants divided into 2 groups of 15, including 2 organizers. There were a group of office mates, group of friends, mother-daughter tandem (there's an infant on this trip... so cute), some backpackers, there's "love birds" and a "third wheel" and few solo participants. This is something new to me. Have traveled solo in the past but traveling with strangers throughout the trip is something that excites me. The feeling of meeting new acquaintances is surreal. Being outcast is a choice. For me, i tried to get along, but since this is Holy week and going out of town for me is one way of reflecting, I just chose to be me. I tried to disconnect myself from everyone, just had few talks with them and its fine. They have been very respectful to one another. When at work, I was the loudest, most cheerful, one of the funniest. But this time around, i suddenly went on mute. In an industry where I have been working for 9 years, being conversant is the name of the game. Thanks to no signal, I was able to give my phone a good kind of rest as well. After dinner, some chose to sleep while others gathered just outside our tents socializing, while there I was, sitting alone in the shore trying to reflect, repent and collect myself for a better outlook in life.

Masbate is another Island Province found almost in the middle of the Philippine archipelago. The people of Masbate are multilingual. They can speak Cebuano, Bicolano and other local dialect like Hiligaynon. Tagalog and English are also widely spoken here. There are 3 major islands in here. Burias, Ticao and Masbate.

How to get to Masbate:

In my case, since its a packaged tour, getting in to Masbate has been a hassle free trip. matutulog ka na lang sa van, paggising mo, Masbate na. Kidding aside, the van took us to San Andres Port, San Andres, Quezon since one of our destinations was Alibijaban island which is less than 30 minutes away from the port, San Andres, without a doubt, is the best choice. Philippine Airlines flies daily to Masbate City, I'm not so sure with Cebu Pacific. Do check their website to know more about their flight destinations and schedules. Another option is one can take a bus going to Pilar, Sorsogon. Then, from the main port you can ride a fastcraft to Masbate. After our trip to Kamay ni Hesus, I went straight to our meeting place in Makati.

Anyway, here's our itinerary for the trip.

HOW TO GET THERE

By Air
Philippine Airlines, AirPhilExpress and Zest Air has flights from Manila to Masbate City daily and on schedule. This is the same and only flight out of Masbate to Manila. At the moment, all trips are in the morning, adjust your itinerary accordingly. Travel time is about an hour.

By Land/Sea
From Manila, take a bus going to Pilar, Sorsogon. Pilar is the main port of Southern Luzon island and it is located just outside Sorsogon City. From there, it is a two hour ride on a FastCraft.

From the airport to the city center
Take a tricycle outside the airport and direct the driver to the city center. Fare is 10 PHP each and travel time is around 5-10 minutes.

From City Center to Bituon Beach
Hire a tricycle from the city center, rental fee is around 150 PHP (2-way). It's the best way to get to the beach as it is not along the national road. It would require approximately 10 minutes of navigating through a dirt road before reaching the resort. In total, it’s about 13 kilometers away form Masbate City and it will take you around 40 minutes to reach the beach.
- See more at: http://www.pinoyadventurista.com/2011/09/travel-guide-masbate-city.html#sthash.xBgb9zba.dpuf

Day 0

09:00pm - assembly
10:00pm - ETD

Day 1

6:00am - ETA San Andres
Breakfast, buy packed lunch
08:00 start of island hopping
Sombrero island
Dapa island
Tinalisayan island
Tinalisayan sandbar
Animasola island
7:00pm - dinner
8:00pm - socials, lights out

Day 2

5:30am - wake up time, watch sunrise
7:00am - breakfast
8:00am ETD, Alibijaban island
10:00am -3:00pm
Explore alibijaban island, lunch, wash up
4:00pm - ETD to MNL, (pee breaks and dinner somewhere in Quezon)
11:55pm - ETA Manila

Dapa Island

Dapa Island is an island within the jurisdiction of Quezon Province. According to a local, this Island also serves as a boundary between the provinces of Quezon and Masbate.

Sombrero Island

Sombrero Island. This is where we stayed overnight. The island promises a tranquil beach and serene atmosphere. This island, and other islands nearby was featured sometime last year (if my memory serves me right) by Drew Arellano in his travel show Biyahe ni Drew.

Animasola Island

 Animasola Island. Another island within Burias, can be compared to that of Kapurpurawan rock formation except for its color. Kapurpurawan literally means kaputi putian, however the rock formations of Animasola island was not white, but rather brown-ish.

Tinalisayan island

Another island that caught my attention was Tinalisayan island and sandbar, however for some reason i accidentally deleted the pictures from my pc (and recycle bin, too) so I was not able to put them here for viewing purposes. The photo above was the only photo that i salvaged (saved) from my pc. sad :(

This was the last island that we visited before going back to our base camp in Sombrero island.


Day 2

We had our breakfast from Sombrero island before going to yet another island near San Andres port, Alibijaban island.

Alibijaban island

Alibijaban island. This island is located in the southernmost part of Quezon province and 15-20 minute-boat ride from San Andres port. The people of Alibijaban are genuinely kind and friendly. There is no secondary school in the island so one must have to spend at least 50 pesos (round trip) from/to the mainland Quezon province, should you wish to finish your high school. I had a chit chat with one of the locals in the island while waiting for my turn for wash up, she said that some families are really having a hard time sending their kids to school because of the boat fee that they have to give to their kids just for them to go to school everyday.

After that long and tiring day of island trip, we had to clean up ourselves and go back to reality. It was indeed fun and memorable kind of vacation. 

essentials

Must have's for this trip:


sunblock lotion. or anything that could protect your skin from direct sunlight that causes sunburn, damages skin, and might contribute to skin cancer.

Sunnies. do i need to explain why one should have this? hehehe

Selfie stick/monopod. You don't want to make the tour coordinator or any anyone who's busy taking pictures take a picture of you as well. You don't want to bother them by asking to take a picture of you every time you want as this may sometimes, irritates them hihihi.

Water. Have yourself hydrated all the time by bringing a tumbler full of iced-cold (if possible) water with you.

Slipper. I prefer to wear slippers when going on island hopping instead of wearing aqua shoes.

Flashlight. I brought myself a flashlight that is good enough to light me up when inside the tent.

1st Aid Medicine. I had taken with me some meds like loperamide (Imodium) and Meclizine (bonamine), alcohol.

All pictures posted here were taken from my phone.


Burias island, Masbate and Alibijaban island, Quezon... conquered.