Gigantes Day 2 is also full of fun and surprises. Different from our Day 1, this features several combination of activities.
Part 1… Continuation
November 29, 2015
First, there is no call time for our second day itinerary; it is also like a normal day. Second, there is no rush as all our activities are just around us. Third, no pressure as we are one group and also no joiners on our trip.
We have a long table and bench in front of our tent. Some of my companions also are already awake during sunrise and also seat at the bench near our tent. They also call for a coffee and wake us up then. When all of us are awake, our breakfast is ready. We also have delicious scrambled egg, hotdog and dried fish for breakfast. We also have a good morning laugh while having breakfast recalling what we are doing last night.
Breakfast is done and it’s also time to prepare for the day’s activity. We are going mountain climbing, caving, swimming and even cliff diving in Tangke. As per our itinerary, a climb to Cabugao Dako is first on the list. Immediately, we pack our gears to bring; camera, GoPro, phone and others then board our boat going to Cabugao Dako. It is just a short boat ride like around 20 minutes only from where we stay.
Reaching Cabugao Dako, it also surprises us that the jump off is at the beach that across Cabugao Gamay. We are glad we are able to visit the place as well. As per our itinerary, we also allot 2 hours for the climbing activity. One group is also ahead of us, they are foreigners from Australia. It is also challenging and fun-filled climb since more of our companions are not climbers. We only have a slow hike up the mountain. Also, there are some challenging trails but we have fun with it.
The last portion is to climb the rocks going to the summit of Cabugao. A challenging portion wherein you need to do the rock climbing for you to reach the open portion near the summit. I am also the first one to climb. Then Larry then Mia, Florante and Meong all follow. Only five of us brave ourselves to climb the rocks. Others just decide to stay at the last station and some also down to the drop off for a swim.
The view up there is awesome. A picturesque view of the Cabugao Gamay Island with the blue seas and the clouds, what more will you ask for?
They also make a sitting area out of branches at one portion of the open area. We put our things there and have some photo opportunities with the Cabugao Gamay as the background. Mia and Florante trek ahead to the summit while we are busy having pictures with Cabugao Gamay. After a while, we also proceed to the summit. The rocks are sharp so we are very careful walking through it. Few plants are also there that make us feel the breeze coming everywhere.
A panoramic view of the beautiful of Bantigue Sandbar greets us at the summit. As per Ryan; we will also be having our sunset at the sandbar. Each one of us poses at the summit and after spending enough time for photo opportunities, we decide to go down to proceed to our next itinerary.
The way going down is a bit of a challenge. We also use the other access and go in a different way. It is no longer a rock climb but a rock crawl. Literally, we have to fit ourselves in a very tiny hole in between sharp rocks. After the challenging hole, we also have to move down like rappelling the rocks using the branch of the tree. Then we walk back using the same route going to the beach. From afar, we also hear there voices and find them laughing, swimming and enjoying the beach. We also have a quick dip at the cool waters before boarding our boat going to Tangke.
Our boat leave Cabugao Dako immediately on our way to Tangke. We also need to finish the Tangke adventure before having lunch. By the way, Tangke is a salt water lagoon in the island. The way to go to Tangke is to climb the portion of the cliff because there is no water access in going to Tangke. We also dock alongside one boat and uses their boat to gain access to the cliff.
It is low tide when we arrive in Tangke. It’s also good so we can roam around the lagoon up to the waist deepest portion of it. I also climb the big rock and have a good photo opportunity with the lagoon. We also have nice shots at the stones and holes of the lagoon. Tangke not only boasts a beautiful lagoon but it also have a picturesque rock formations around it.
When I plan the Gigantes trip, I check some photos of those who do the cliff diving. I am also planning for a jump. So when we arrive at Tangke, I immediately asks Ryan where’s the location for the cliff diving. When he points out the side of the cliff, I am also thinking I can do it because it’s not that high. So after we roam around Tangke, I and Florante instead of walking towards the boat, we climb the other side of the cliff for a jump.
Upon reaching the edge of the cliff, I suddenly feel afraid. From the top, it really looks so high. My legs are also starting to shake. I want to back out from jumping but it’s really my desire to try a cliff jump. I don’t know how to swim so I let Florante wait for me to hand me a life jacket after my jump. It also take me a while to decide whether to really do it or not, unfortunately, our boat is already leaving the dock and now waiting for me at the center. I have no choice but to jump and just swim towards the boat. I DID IT. I conquer my fear. That is also my first time to jump without any life saving device on hand. Lol.
It take me few minutes to swim towards the boat. I also feel like it drains my energy upon jumping from the cliff. When I reach the boat, Ryan asks us if we want to go to Pawikan Cave or we’ll go back to Antonia Beach for lunch. Since Pawikan Cave’s location is just near Tangke, we also decide to do it while we are near the location. Pawikan Cave is one of the optional tour for us if we have available time. So our boatman drives us at the jump off area of the cave.
I am expecting to see a clear jump off area of the cave, however it is not. We will also be disembarking at the huge rocks at the foot of the mountain. We need to climb several meters up the mountain before gradually walking down towards the cave. It is also a steep climb like 70 degrees continuous vertical climb for about 30 minutes (slow pace). Upon reaching the cave, the climb is all worth it too! Only five of us do the caving, Me, Larry, Meong, Mia and Florante with Ryan and the boat lady (I forgot her name, sorry).
It is a nice cave unfortunately, it’s no longer alive. It is also sad to see somebody’s destroying its beauty. Somebody is vandalizing some portions of it.
It is a stone formation in the inside and there is also a hole at the ceiling of the cave bringing light to the center of it. We haven’t gone to any of its chambers because we don’t have any spelunking gears. Also, we only go for a quick look. After some sightseeing, we walk back to our boat. It is also faster now since we are walking down. However, we are extra careful, it’s a little slippery.
Now on board our boat, we sail back to Antonia beach for our late lunch. When we arrive, we have our lunch at a long table under the Talisay tree. Again, the food is delicious. They also serve steamed fish wrapped in foil. It is also mouth-watering.
The next activity will be the sunset at the sandbar, so we still have time to rest and relax. Maan, Aileen and Ate Vi also never miss the opportunity to snorkel at the other side of Antonia Beach. Macor is just watching them. Whereas Me, Larry, Meong, Auntie Vivian and my mom also opt to nap at our tent.
At 4pm, we start to organize ourselves for the sunset at Bantigue sandbar. Ryan also asks us if we want to have coffee at the sandbar. We think it is a nice idea so we agree immediately. We also bring some crackers and biscuits to pair with our coffee. Gears on and we are heading across the sandbar. The sandbar is also visible from Antonia Beach, every time I look at it, it’s very inviting.
Arriving at Bantigue Sandbar, we find two groups of tourists in the area. They are also busy roaming around the sandbar. Some of them are also swimming at the other side of the sandbar where there is no wave due to cove formation.
When we set foot at the sandbar, each of us is pulling out our gadgets for pictorials. Oh well, we really have a nice jump shots at the sandbar. Ryan also perform some tricks using my camera, making Cabugao Gamay and Cabugao Dako our background. Maan also start taking videos with her GoPro. Aileen as well shooting some moves to the tune of “tananananana, tananananana” by Ate Vi and “tsugs tsugs” of Maan. Mia and Florante are also busy with their “twofies”.
Few minutes later, the two groups of tourists leave the sandbar. Now we have it to ourselves. We also own it with the sunset. We have a quick dip at the cove. Then we suddenly think of an idea of having pictures sitting in line at the edge of the cove. We arrange ourselves, Ryan also look for a good angle to take a good photo and it’s great. We have several shoots before we have our coffee break.
Our boatman comes closer to us bringing the thermos full of hot water together with our coffee and mugs. We also start making our coffee and sit at the edge of the cove. While holding on to our mugs, Ryan also shoot another angle for us with our coffee. The photos are nice! We just finish our coffee and decide to go back to Antonia Beach.
It is almost dark when we reach Antonia Beach. As usual, the music also excites us to party. As expected, loud music of the 70’s and 80s plus the disco lights will be waiting for us at the beach. It also makes us dance all throughout! What the?… From the boat going to out tents, we also stop at the volleyball court for another showdown. That really starts our wonderful evening. Everyone is participating, laughing out loud, swaying and also showing the moves that none of us see before. We really have fun.
While we’re dancing, Macor go to the store to buy water. They tell Macor that we are all good dancers and Macor also really claims it. It really makes our day.
They prepare our dinner near our second tent. As usual, we have a delicious scallops and squid plus a soup. We also crave for very cold soft drinks so we go to the store and buy one. While having our drinks, we also choose our songs for the evening’s karaoke session. They want to hear us sing again. We also decide to have it after rinsing ourselves.
We are fresh again after rinsing. Now, we are also ready for the second night’s activity. Initially, we plan to have another karaoke session. Unfortunately, another group is already singing there. We also don’t know when to start until Ryan brings some mats to lay at the beach for stargazing. We also lay down at the mats, while chatting and stargazing. I buy a beer for me and Larry. So sad I didn’t have the chance of seeing the galaxy. Mia is crazy for what she sees. I am also trying to find the one’s they see. Lucky for them though. It is almost midnight and we decide to go back to our tents for a good night sleep. Actually, we also have a choice to sleep under the stars or at our tents, it’s up for us where we want.
Continuation… Part 3
Been here: November 28-30, 2015
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