Weekend get-away @ Puerto Galera (Part 1)

Here is one place I would always love to go to - White Beach, Puerto Galera, Mindoro. I swear, I'll never get tired of coming back there. We initially planned to have this trip 2 weeks ago, but thanks to Kimmie she had to cancel a day before the scheduled trip. This is one of those cases wherein its better if you plan things the last minute and then all will go well as expected.
Its just too bad that I went there without my 2 dudes, so its basically an all-girls escapade from work and family, more so for me, because I'm the only mom amongst the 3 of us. I have to call at home and ask how CJ was doing every 4 hours! Yes, I really felt so guilty :( but no regrets because I certainly need to get-away, relax and "think things over." Hmm...

So, what can I say about Puerto Galera? Travel, food, accommodation, bars and of course the beach is really worth your Php1,500.00 for a two-day-one-night stay, not to mention the irresistible souvenirs they offer.

Here's our itinerary during the whole trip, with some take-away tips if you plan to see the place for yourself:

Day 1: Saturday (February 24, 2007)

0710H - Meeting time with Mitch @ McDonalds, Sucat. It was supposed to be at 0630H, but then again, what can I do? My 1 1/2 hrs. of packing and other preparations for this trip was just not enough! Good thing, Mitch was in high spirits so she didn't pull my hair!

0730H - Picked up Kimmie @ McDonalds Greenbelt, Makati with her take-out breakfast for us!! (sausage mcmuffins, love 'em!)

0815H - Buendia LRT Taft Station. Boarded van going to Batangas Pier (Php150.00). I'm telling you, you won't have a hard time finding the bus/van going to Batangas pier, because dispatchers will be all over you once you get out of your car! You can also ride from Tritran at Quezon City and also at Alabang. So long as its heading to Batangas Pier.

0830-1030H - Travel time from Buendia, Makati to Batangas Port. I swear, it was a two-hour ride with the two loudest friends I have. They just never get tired of talking, LOL and chit-chatting!

1030-1100H- Bought round trip boat tickets (Php340.00) and Terminal Fee (Php10.00). There are scheduled trips every 30 minutes which you can choose from the different ferryboats but we opted for the MB Commandos 7 because the next trip was scheduled at 11am, and this one is going directly to the White Beach unlike the others that heads straight to the Sabang Beach (about 15mins tricycle ride going to the White Beach). Same case also with the bus terminal, as soon as you get out of the van/bus, these guys will be swarming you like bees and telling you to choose their boat!

1130H-1300H - Travel time from Batangas Port to White Beach, Puerto Galera. The 1 1/2 hour boat ride wasn't that fun as I hoped it would be, thanks to the Korean family we were with during that trip. Argh! Anyway, people will approach you as you get down the boat and offer you places where you can stay. (That is if you haven't made any reservations yet.)

1320H - After much haggling for a place to stay in(yes, you really need to be good at haggling, otherwise...) we were able to find a good one. Very nice bungalow type with 1 bed, good for three persons, 1 electric fan and 1 bathroom. This one cost us Php1,200.00 and I was able to convince owner to give us an extra electric fan. (Not bad, huh?) We didn't choose an air conditioned room because I find it very impractical since we will be out of the room most of the time. After unpacking our stuff, change to our swimsuits, picture takings, off we went for lunch.

1530H - Swimming and sunbathing time!! yipeeeee!!!

(To be continued..)