DUPALE was late. But come to think of it, she was always late.
Well everyone in this run-about trip was late. All of them asleep in their cottages after we arrived at 4:00 a.m. in Calatagan, after an excruciating long drive from Cavite and Manila.
Refusing the lure of the sight of bonfires and booze that dawn, everyone had to catch up on lost sleep and heal from stress of the long trip.
The agreement to wake up early and take advantage of the two-day stay was far from being observed.
It was 8:30 and everyone is still drooling in their beds except for me and Kyx who managed to drag our hemorrhaging heads and have breakfast and small talk with the resort owner Mr. Willie del Rosario (uncle of Andrea del Rosario).
Dupale came to join us, thinking of how best to incapacitate the person who concocted the painful trip.
Before arriving at this choice of resort, our host Cef, a creative director for an advertising company in Manila gave us a list of the possible resorts but when pointed out that this one offered trekking in the surrounding mountains, fishing, scuba diving, snorkeling, swimming and appended with the tagline "the sky's the limit" none of us really bothered to ask how the trip would be.
The road was like going to Mt. Pinatubo on mountain bikes.
There is this clean and Zen like calm to the place making it a perfect sanctuary for those who are constantly trying to escape the hustle and bustle of Manila city life.
Fresh air, lush green landscapes and the soothing ocean waves greeted us from the shores. We stayed in apartment-style rooms, fully air-conditioned with it's own bed and bath.
Meals are served upon request (a menu may be offered prior to the guest's trip) or the guests may order based on the menu of the day.
Waiting for an hour more us deicide to go with the trip schedules without the others and try the water attractions. This resort is part of Calatagan's beach line having a fare share of the Batangas coral shores.
We decided to go without the others and try snorkeling. One could in fact go at 30 feet down and there'll still be some coral there.
The sand was not really white but the water was crystal clear but the owner says that there are certain most when the current is strong and dilute the serene water.
(To be continued...)
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