Blissful night and day on Cabalitian
Experience
paradise on this island!
I didn’t
experience rest right after graduation. In fact, a few days before the last of
my college life, I began working and practicing my craft.
And since my
schedule at my job was hectic as that was the campaign period for the 2013
midterm elections when we had to do a series of coverage, I needed a stress
buster.
I was really
hopeful I could get that perfect relief from the hustle and bustle the election
season ensued. So, when it came, I didn’t have second thoughts even though it
meant spending a part of my first salary. Well, I’ve been known to be a stingy
person.
Cabalitian getaway
Over a year
ago, my friends went to a beautiful island in Sual. The trip was a few days
after the end of my third year in college. I failed to join them because my
budget was scarce that time. When we met with one another again in a get
together, they euphorically shared the experience on the marvellous island and
how much they enjoyed their getaway. I felt envious and wished that one day, I
would get the chance to be captured in wonder and be amazed with the place.
It is called
Cabalitian Island. The trip may last for one hour and 45 minutes to two hours
via public transport and a maximum of one and a half hours if you use a private
car. From Dagupan City, take a Victory Liner bus bound for Sta. Cruz, Zambales.
The route that passes through Domalandan in Lingayen makes the trip shorter.
Alight from
the bus when you reach the coast along the national highway in Sual, about a
kilometer before the town proper. There you may rent a boat which will take you
to Cabalitian. The price may vary according to your agreement with the boatman,
but regular rates may still apply.
It is
advisable that you take the boat before late afternoon, so you won’t have to
endure a scary, rocky and wavy 30-minute ride to the island. Believe me, it
will freak the hell out of you. I experienced it myself on our ride back.
Don’t even
sail at dusk unless the sea is calm. Otherwise, when night falls and darkness
engulf you amidst huge waves, you’ll freak out all the more.
Well, in
other words, don’t do what we did. We sailed at dusk (because of our friends
who arrived almost eight hours late) and arrived on the island when it was night
time. Good thing, the sea was calm, so we were relaxed the whole trip.
Upon
arrival, we felt our stomachs complaining of hunger, so we prepared our supper
and got all set for a sumptuous dinner together.
Here’s
another tip: make sure that you’ve got everything that you need for food
preparation. Unless you’re confident enough to borrow almost all cooking and
eating utensils from the cottage’s caretaker, you could only get by if all
you’ve got are canned and ready to eat goods that no longer require you to use
those cooking skills that you have.
Falling in love with the place
The very
first thing you’ll love about Cabalitian is its pristine water. It was already
dark when we arrived, but the light coming from the cottages enabled us to see
how clear the water was. It will surely give you that clean feeling when you
plunged into the cool water.
After a
hearty meal and happy chit chat, we changed into our swimming outfit and off we
went to enjoy the water where we crazily played and enthusiastically swam
around (or few of us did while the rest just pretended to).
A dip in the
cold water under the starry night sky and cool evening may make every living
cell in your body shiver, but you’ll definitely enjoy it because you won’t
worry about getting sun burned.
The second
thing that you’ll love about it is even if you’re ten meters away from the
shore, you’ll still find yourself only three fourths deep into the water. If
you aren’t a good swimmer, but still want to go farther from the shore, it
won’t be scary at all.
After
getting our heart’s fill, we prepared for a warming and comforting sleep and
tucked ourselves in.
Best sunrise
I strongly
suggest that you spend the night on Cabalitian Island because a precious and
sparkling fresh scenery will be greeting you in the morning.
Spend a few
days on Cabalitian and if you’re not a morning person, then you’ll surely turn
into one. You will always love to wake up in the morning and witness the
gem-like morning sun peeking atop the hill, gradually extending its glorious
warm rays to the sky like gentle hands touching your delicate skin.
Looking at
the sun slowly rising to the sky that fades from tangerine to clear whitish
blue will undeniably make your eyes sparkle with joy and your heart fall in
love with another wonder of nature.
It was the
most beautiful sunrise I had ever seen so far. Just staring at it while sitting
on the shore hit by calm and sweet sounding waves made me grateful of God’s
creation.
The
beautiful sunrise is one of the highlights of Cabalitian, something you never
want to miss. A good picture of it will surely make you fall in love with
Cabalitian Island and seeing it for yourself will unsurprisingly make you stay.
That
morning, I found myself admiring the place even more. I trained my eyes around
and happily examined the island from point to point.
There’s a
hill covered in lush green previously blocking the rising sun. The shore is lined
with cottages that are up for rent for guests. The grainy sand is brownish in
color, that kind which you can put into an aquarium (that’s not a suggestion
though).
There are
boats docked along the shore, waiting for a trip to the coast on the other end
of the sea. The bluish water on the horizon was meets the nearly clear blue
morning sky.
I was there,
sitting outside the big cottage, ogling at and savouring nature like I’d never
done it before.
The cave
After our
delicious and mouth-watering breakfast, we headed to another highlight on the
island—the cave. The area is dotted with picturesque rock formations—those kinds
that you see on television and films—and made up more exciting by giant waves
hitting the rocks.
With the sun
getting higher, a splash of cool water is a welcome relief to the hot
temperature. The cave’s mouth is blocked by a stone bed where you can find
stones of various sizes and shapes. Lying on it, the waves rocked me back and
forth.
There were
deep parts and some deeper portions where we were very careful because of the
slippery rocks we were stepping on.
After
playful moments on the cave, we walked our way back to the cottage for lunch.
Once again, we admired the scenery we had passed by and repeatedly exclaimed
how beautiful it was.
The rest of
the afternoon was spent on swimming in the sea which turned us into human
pumpkins because of the sunburn it caused. Well, I couldn’t blame myself for my
overpowering desire to take a dip in the water after many years since my first
time on the beach.
Leaving the island…for now
It was
nearly dusk when we left the island and headed back towards the coast, sailing
in the midst of strong waves hitting our boat. That was one hell of a ride, but
it still felt like I enjoyed the experience. That’s something you don’t live
with every day.
My skin was
sore and red, but the cool memories are a neutralizer. It made me wonder when I
would be back on Cabalitian Island, another potential tourist destination. I
just hope that when it develops into one, it stays in its natural beauty and
doesn’t get destroyed by undisciplined tourists. Taking care of the virgin
island is much more important than the boost it will give to Sual’s booming
economy.
I left the
island happy about the fulfilling experience. And I’ll definitely be back.
- EJ Dangla (Focus)
- EJ Dangla (Focus)
