This is the second part of my post about my recent trip to CamSur with friends. If you haven't read the first part, click THIS.
Chapter 3: Butanding!
So it is day 2 of our Getaway and we woke up really early so that we can catch the 7 AM boat ride back to Sabang. Thank Gawd the waters were calm that morning. No waves at all. We arrived at Sabang as scheduled and from there we took a van taxi that would take us to SM Naga. Few people were short on cash and needed replenishment and the mall is the best place to get it. Triccia and Celso told us about a resto, well actually they brought this travelogue about CamSur and in it are "must visit" places in the Bicol Region. One section there is dedicated to a resto called "Chef Doy's" and they insisted we check it out. Good timing because we are yet to eat lunch. So we made our way to Magsaysay Ave and found the restaurant.
For some reason, the gang wanted to meet Chef Doy! Which I was hesitant of well because, first of all, I dunno he maybe busy and second we were just a group of young tourists so why would a Chef want to meet us. But fortunately, Chef Doy was very friendly and he welcomed us warmly. He even chit chatted for a little while and introduced us to his nephew Gelo Linaw, I think, who was supposed to be the World Junior Wakeboarding Champ. We even had Chef Doy sign the travelogue Celso bought. It was crazy!!! But let's talk about the food. WOW! Wow wow wow!!! It was amazing. If I had a choice I wouldn't really eat at Pinoy Restos but Chef Doy changed that. The food was really really good. Justifies the feature in the travelogue. We ordered , of course Bicol's pride, Bicol express, Kinalas, Grilled Liempo and Lechon Kawali in Kare-kare. Yum! If only Chef Doy would open up a branch here in Manila...
After we got our stomachs full, we then headed to the PASALUBONG shop for a quick shopping because it is past 1 Pm and he haven't arrived at CWC where we had a reservation. So after barely 20 minutes, we were walking towards our taxi with plastics of pasalubong in hand. I bought sweets because a Filipino pasalubong is never complete without them. Honey coated Pili, Pili Chocolate, Pili cake... heck everything could be made with Pili when you're in Bicol! From pulvoron and yema to cookies and pastillas... Pili can mibe mixed into it. So after the shopping we then went to CWC where we would be spending the whole afternoon and the night.
Man, CWC is BIG! I've been to Lago de Oro in Batangas and it does not compare to CWC. This is so much bigger and better. And the moment I stepped out of the taxi, Europeans are everywhere. They are all over the place. Kudos to the Governor of the region for pushing this project for tourism because it seems to be working. So yeah, the place still needs some work but what is there right now is enough to satisfy people who travelled miles just to wakeboard in the Philippines. We reserved 4 Cabanas for 1300+ pesos each so wow that's cheap plus the Cabanas were really nice so I thought it was a steal for that amount. We checked in and soon enough we were ready to hit the waters once again.
Okay, so we didn't get to wakeboard or kneeboard for that matter. Because we were exhausted. Why? Because of an hour playing at LAGO DEL REY. It looks innocent enough with its big, colorful, floating courses that we've mistaken for kids' play pool. I was even embarrassed at first because we were 20 something tourists, we're not supposed to be there. But I guess for the spirit of fun, I tagged along. But whoah, LAGO DEL REY wasn't designed for kids at all! If you guys are familiar with the show WIPEOUT, it is kind of like it. It looks easy but it is so not. We were on the first course and we were already panting like dogs! Mainly because of helping each other to get through the course. BUTANDING! Lol. So yeah this chapter is titled "Butanding" because for countless times we were dragging, pulling or pushing are not so sexy friends to be able to finish the course. We went on the giant slide, the floating trampoline, the iceberg, the giant seesaw, we tried it all!!! And it was a lot of fun even though we were really tired when all of it's done. We were supposed to try wakebaording but it didn't happen because we had no energy at all. BUTANDING! ROFL.
To wrap up the day, Chasty gave in to our *cough* request *cough* to treat us dinner (Thanks Chasty!) even though her birthday is not until next month! Yeay! And just like classic group dinners we had before, there has to be the What-Can-You-Say-About-This-And-That Chikahan after. We talked about what were our wishes for the barkada... so cheesy. Some talked not changing as individulas, some talked about having the same energy and ties even when we are on our forties, but what I liked the most is when we talked about the future Getaways we would be making! Next year, the target of the group is to go ABROAD! Woot! Woot! I'm all up for it! So where do we go? Hong Kong? Macau? Bangkok? Bali? Singapore? I'm excited!!!
Phrase of the Day:
"Daan ko kayong Cagsawa?"
Event of the Day:
Rescuing the Butanding
Picture of the day:
This is how you pose for the camera! Woohoo!
Chapter 4: Cagsawa? Casagwa? Cawagsa?
And the day to come home to Manila arrives. It was Monday morning and our flight to Manila was at 8 AM so we had to wake up at 5 AM. But since we still had the luxury for some last minute sightseeing, we went to the famous Cagsawa Ruins just minutes away from the airport. I only usually see it at postcards but the sight of the Mayon's perfect cone from Cagsawa was really cool. It was so majestic. And the Cagsawa Church was great too. And again we had to take pictures, but wait, we have a photographer this time!!! Kuya, that's how we decided to call the little guy, came up to us and gave us a brief history of what happened ala tour guide and insisted to take our pictures. Nice guy, right? There is a catch! He would be deciding what our poses would be. LOL. He was so insistent on doing camera tricks that would result to pictures of you touching the tip of the volcano or holding one of your friends like a toy. It was hilarious! But the guy certainly has talent! He should be a photographer/tour guide.
So after the sightseeing. We headed onto the airport and it was kinda sad to end such a great trip! Sure we will be broke until the next pay day but who cares? We had fun! That's all that matters. And I am really looking forward to the next trip me and this gang would soon be doing. Shoti! I think our next destination is Virgin Beach, right? That's this summer and I had my calendar marked, okay? LOL. Flickr Photos parts 3 & 4 HERE and HERE.
So that was it. A trip that I don't think one of us would forget. Thank you CamSur for that wonderful weekend...
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