The Surf Camp: Calicoan Island

We all need to take a break sometimes.  It has been six months since the last time I travelled. My schedule was packed up lately and couldn't find time for a real break.  My body and mind was stress and wanted some rest. So I realized that it's time to respond to stress by booking a flight to somewhere I could find solitude. The next question was where?!

I was glad I called Karen when I was booking a flight and she told me she was in Samar for a long vacation because she already resigned from work.  That time, we already knew where to go. There is a surfing site that has become popular  and it happened to be located in Samar. The name of the island is  Calicoan Island.  One of the islands of the town of Guiuan, in the province of Eastern Samar.

Last December 15-17, 2012 I decided to take a leave for a short vacation. A relaxing and simple one, or short and sweet.

I packed up my bag and some few things a beach vacation packing list should include. They include the following:

·                  Sunglasses

·                  Sunscreen

·                  Swimsuits

·                  Coverup clothing for changes in temperature

·                  Small first aid kit

·                  Tote bag for carrying essentials

·                  Water

·                  Cellphone

·                  Camera

·                  Snacks

Guiuan, Samar

Getting there was a bit tiring. One hour plane ride from manila to tacloban airport, and three hours to the town of Guiuan. Then from Guiuan Transport Terminal you need to ride a multicab going to Sulangan. The multicab will be passing by the Calicoan Villa Resort & Restaurant and The Surf Camp. Fare is 30 Pesos/person. Travel Time is 30-45 minutes. Multicab availability is from 6AM to 5PM. Well, that is what I have read from a travel blog but in our case we reached Guiuan at 5PM and we had no choice but contracted a tricycle driver for P250 to get us to Calicoan.

After a long day of travel, some site seeing we checked in at The Surf Camp. We found the room satisfactory for our stay and the whole place to be overwhelming. We thought The Surf Camp was expensive but we were surprised with the economy rooms they offered for only P1,500 good for two pax. There were also quite a few people and the atmosphere was lively.  We ate our dinner and had a few drinks beside the pool. The food was good and reasonable.  It was so dark outside, the wind didn't stop, rather it was blowing hard and the pool water was so cold. But we enjoyed the night.

Kamotee and Sayotee

Swim Galore

Leave nothing but footprints

Breathtaking Sunset view

The Swing facing the Pacific Ocean

Waking up to the sight of the ocean and sound of waves, it's just sooo....relaxing. The joy of a morning walk on the beach was my favourite part of the day.  The morning views in the resort was spectacular.  We toured to areas we had not seen last night.  We watched the sun rise and the ocean and took pictures, a lot of pictures. Until it dawned on us that we were really hungry and ate breakfast before plunge for a swim again.

Nature makes us feel good.

Good Morning Sunshine!

Right there, from that very moment, I found my comfort in solitude. 

We left Calicoan Island around 10am. While in Guiuan town proper, we visited the 16th-century Immaculate Conception Church before boarding a Bus bound to Tacloban.  I've realized Guiuan is not only boasts of many natural wonders but also rich in history and culture.

So that's it! It's time to say goodbye. After almost one hour of travelling, the Bus suddenly stop and the engine stop functioning. Luckily after few minutes a public van arrived.

Nganga Moments:

Karen: April, you go get the money we paid to the bus drivers and I'll go get our bags.

April: Ok.

When the van opened and told us that they can accommodate two more passengers, I run to get the bags and Karen run towards the bus driver to get the money. hahahaha

It was an awesome way to end the year and definitely I'll go back and next time I will surf and play with the waves. Ciao!