Puerto Galera Family Vacation

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I cannot let the summer pass without hitting the beach. And what better shore to frolic in than the waters of Puerto Galera! The family, cousins, and aunts, spent an overnight break at this enticing Island in Mindoro. Check out the photos:

Mom and the kids as we wait for the boat to leave the Batangas Pier. You cannot imagine the lengths we had to go through to convince mom to set aside the fear of ferrying in the sea. Boat travel going there took about 1 1/2 hours. Php 340/head, roundtrip.

Oh yes, first time to wear the two-piece bikini! Well that kind of beach requires it hehe. I finally figured to push away the hesitation to wear it because of my abdomen stitches (had a gall bladder operation 2 years ago). The little sister posed with me to give the picture a wholesome look! You know, I don’t get it why the people there are wearing the bikinis and stuff but they could not take a dip in the sea. Is this what we call, “porma lang”? They don’t want their hair wet!

Very rare occassion: Empty beach tables without the drinking buddies of the beach (above). Partying starts fairly the same time Manila people hold their beer and dancing celebrations at night.

Or maybe their all busy getting their bodies painted with henna, or their hair braided the “Jamaican way”. Henna tattoos cost you a hundred bucks minimum. You’d have to stay away from the waves for at least 2 hours to get it dried. That explains empty shoreline(below). Told you, everyone seems to be just there for the fashion beach walk.

Other than that, I bet the souvenir shops are having a blast.

Shirts and sandos only cost about Php 90-100. Folks there are given livelihood training to enable them to create shirts, accessories, and other souvenir items at surprisingly affordable prices. Hindi presyong turista!

Food is another story. Some offer cheaper meals though, but seafood there will always be above the affordable. Liempo and pork are more consumer pocket-friendly.

Banana boats charge you Php 100 per head, for 25 minutes. The banana boat goes swashing around the safe areas of the sea as it is mobilized by a motor boat. The thrill occurs by the end of the “water trip” as the banana boat gets turned over (and yeah, everything falls right into the water). No, we didn’t try that out. it was more fun trying to get on top of it to sit while it is parked near the shore. The kids had a great time playing with it. The banana seemed to feel like a grogy lakatan right after. Hehe!

In general, we had an exciting time there. However, I cannot help but notice the seeming lack of organization of the stalls, bars, souvenir shops, and accommodation huts. Halo-halo kalamay, as we call it. Tourism authorities can do better by improving the business landscape of the area. Maybe they can get the Ayala to play their thing. Of course the trade offs would be higher costs of accommodation and goods.

The most important thing is, it brought so much joy and bonding for the family.

 

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