Be Careful When Climbing Coral Formations

I always thought of corals as beautiful mansions where the fishes and creatures of the sea live and thrive!

They can be deadly din pala!

Here are the blisters I got while climbing ahuge coral formation in Puerto Galera! They are very slippery pala so it's hard to get a solid footing, tapos they have numerous tinny-tiny sharp points which you can feel on you ass as you sit on the coral or in your hands when you touch them!

Since nakashorts ako, my legs were exposed so pag nadulas sa coral, ayun, sugat sugat ang peg!

So ingat ingat din pala when you want to climb on corals for that summer photo you want to show off to friends!

Exotic Summer Food: Halo-Halo with Breast Milk (only in Puerto Galera)

Mainit ba kamo ngayon sa labas? Gusto mo magpalamig?

The Beautiful Sun Sets in Puerto Galera!

A trip to the beach is not complete without the compulsory beach sunset photo!

Almost missed my chance but was just in time to snap this one!

Sunsets like these only happen in the Philippines!

Snorkeling and Beach Hopping at Puerto Galera

We Filipinos are spoiled for choice because every beach destination we go to has island hopping and snorkeling as their activities! The same is true at Puerto Galera.

However, I would have to go back to FF Aura and do some serious lapping before I go on another beach trip. As you can see from the pictures, all of my friends were having great fun in the sea, while I was barely struggling keeping myself afloat!

I think the last time I snorkeled was 7 years ago and I was like 40 pounds lighter! Anyhow, I tried first doing it without the life vest but I realized I haven't lapped for months so my endurance at floating was very poor!

I was shocked to find myself struggling to reenter the banca! Buti na lang, manong and his son, JR (more on him later) were very helpful to me because everytime I had to reenter the boat, they'd lift up my whole body since my upper body was very weak. Kainis! Now I know which part of my body to really work out when I go back to Manila!

I decided to wear my life vest para naman mas relaxed ako and since I haven't swam in months, my hand and feet coordination was very poor. So note to myself - if planning on going to beach destination - do laps in the pool the week before just to reawaken that part of my body and brain!

Amazed at How Big and Bustling Batangas Port Is

I've always had a love/hate relationship with ports. You'd have to remember that in the 70s and 80s, only the upper middle class and rich people could afford riding in planes. PAL was a virtual monopoly before so they could dictate any price they wanted.

So families like ours, who had to travel around Luzon, Cebu and Mindanao, took the boat. And my first recollection of a pier was a scary one! I was just five years old, and it was 1976, and I remember being afraid of falling into the cracks of this wooden pier! Papa was walking so fast kasi and I had to keep up with him!

That was in Kolambugan in Lanao del Norte and we had to take the boat to cross to Ozamiz. I even remember riding a boat to Iligan before where Muslims and Christians were segregated! And the food was terrible! It was stale pork and beans huhuhu

So when I saw the modern-day Batangas port, I was pretty impressed! I had so many bad memories of stinking and crowded ports that today's generation is so lucky not to experience anymore what I had to experience as a young person!

Well, a lot of improvements can still be done to make it safer and more convenient for everyone but at least, it doesn't look like the 1920s Chungking port!

They have to do something though with the boats going to Puerto Galera since it's not very PWD or elderly friendly!! It would be tough to bring Mama along because even if the weather is fine, the sea is not calm!! I think she'd have a hard time maintaining her balance as the boat sways from left to right!

The planks are too small, as well, so big people like me have to be very very careful, otherwise, man overboard!