I know almost everyone has already went to Puerto Galera in Oriental Mindoro but not me. This is my first time. I was not interested in going before because I've heard lots of not so good stories like the beaches are not that great nor clean and that prostitution was rampant. So if I was going to spend money, might as well try other, and much farther, places here in our long list of provinces.
My former teammates, Bongbay, earned some money as part of their incentives and I was still part of the team when that prize was earned. So they decided to do something else this time around aside from the usual eat-out at buffet spots like before. I was informed that they are shouldering P1,000 and I just had to add P500 more so of course I agreed! I thought that it was time to give Galera a try and especially with my old teammates around, even if the place would be a drag, I would surely enjoy it still because of them.
Our trip was for 3 days and 2 nights. See below for our experience. =)
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| Arrived at the Batangas Port around 10am or 11am |
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| We brought along homemade meals to save on costs, thanks to Melvin's(green shirt guy) mom,Priscilla |
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| Everything was arranged already so we just waited for a very short time |
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| Our boat was like a very big outrigger that should seat only 50pax but we were near 100 at that time. We should've minded it but we didn't because of the excitement. |
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| DAY 1: Official start of our trip! Upon arrival, I slept at our room and recharged my 'batteries'. Then thus we started the exploration. |
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| It's confirmed, I can't be a mountain climber, I tried climbing this rock and I couldn't. Haha! |
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| Beautiful sunset! |
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| Of course, you got to go out the room and enjoy the nightly entertainment |
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| Love these! |
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| Fun! Fun! Fun! |
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| Fire dancers alight! |
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| I always imagine this scenario..just lying on my back in the sand and gazing at the skies (it was a beautiful starlit sky that night). Life's a beach! |
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| DAY 2: Start the day right by swimming. And the water was so cold but we jumped right in. A good way to get our blood pumping! |
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| Brrrr!! So cold.. |
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| Done swimming. Off to our next destination..Tamarraw Falls! |
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| If i remember correctly, we rented this jeepney at around P800 for the round trip. Since we're a large group, that amount is a big savings already and made the trip comfy also |
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| Tamarraw Falls..sure is beautiful |
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| For these cheap fees, the view inside was priceless |
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| There we were, trying to climb up those big boulders. It was easy to climb it but getting down was so difficult. I thought I was going to fall straight in the deep water and I'm not a swimmer! Lucky we got down safely. :) |
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| The water was much colder here..way, way colder than at the beach |
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| Love this shot! It was nice to hang out just like this |
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| Melvin the scary creature..hahah! |
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| What a wonderful second day! |
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| Looks like we rode this really..but not! The operators for the banana, or in this case, 'pencil' boat were in shambles. One was saying yes while the other was not to our request. The ending, we were pissed,especially Lani who threw a bit of a tantrum scene at the beach (priceless! haha!), then we ended the conversation by not continuing with the ride. It was their loss, not ours. Imagine losing income over a very small concern. Tsk Tsk. |
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| A well needed massage by the beach. Loved it! For only P150-P200. That's already for an hour. |
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| Pink ladies of White Beach |
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| The Galera experience would not be complete without experiencing their famed local alcoholic cocktail drink aptly called "Mindoro Sling". Some say its made of rum, mango , lemon, orange, grenadine and lime soda while some say it is made of tequila with four seasons, orande, pineapple and mango. Whatever it is, it sure is potent. You will never know it has already hit you until you stand up and you feel yourself feeling a bit tipsy. Beware! But try it! :) |
Overall rate, I give it a 3.5 out of 5. It sure erased my past opinion of this place and replaced it with a new, and positive, opinion. We all had fun, except for that instance at the banana boat rental. We explored the island and liked it. Day and night were filled with happy memories.
Not to mention that the expense per person was just less than P2,000. And that amount already covered our round trip van rental to and from the Batangas Port, the boat ride to Galera, the food, accommodation, etc.
Till the next trip, Bongbay! :)
