Looking for some good food, hot weather and white beaches, we moved from the mountains to visit the south end of Luzon (Philippines’ main island).
We started in Naga, an inland city well-known for its spicy and delicious food and part of the amazing and volcanoes-rich Bicol region. After a quick tour of the city, we went to the Camsur Watersports Complex to try some wake-boarding! The CWC is made of an artificial lake and numerous courses for beginners and pros, and we had an incredible time there. The atmosphere is cool/hip and some westerners are chilling here for weeks spending their days on boards or bikes. Life is good.
From Naga, we accessed the remoted Caramoan Peninsula: this coast is full of deserted islands with their colorful corals and white beaches, reminding you of a scene for James Bond’s Dr. No.
On the boat we met Sophie, a British gal who was making fun of us because calling each other “bro” or “dude” is not very french. We met on the same day our new Irish and Danish friends and had a great time with them: we spent the same day doing some islands-hopping. A private boat led us to numerous deserted islands with postcards sceneries and we had a great lunch on the beach, eating grilled fish and drinking coconut water.
Selfie by Sophie
After two days in paradise, we went back to the mainland. We wanted to go snorkeling with whale-sharks and we moved to Legazpi in the south of Luzon. Unfortunately, the weather was really bad and no whale-sharks were spotted that day. We nevertheless got to admire Mt Mayon, the “most prefect volcano in the wold”, still active and impressive, and enjoyed Legazpi’s nightlife.
Mt Mayon in the clouds
A church that had been half-destroyed by a Mt Mayon eruption
We then flew to Boraclay, the most touristic place of Philippines. We’re not really fond of that kind of places (usually very expensive and crowded) but we wanted to see the magnificent 2 km long white beach that made it so famous. We joined Sophie there and went exploring the island. The beach is beautiful, but needless to say, you don’t go to Boracay for the culture…
After 2 weeks in the Philippines, we definitively love it!
