Viaje Pagbilao | The Way to the Beaches

It's good to be back on the road, I totally need a break. My life as a student is pulling my brain out of me. This senior college year, as it goes deeper, drains every ATP I have in my body (talagang nakaka-stress). Part of the requirement before graduating (naks konting tiis na lang, ga-graduate na ako) is a thesis paper. For the sake of sharing, my thesis topic is all about the seagrass of Pagbilao, Quezon. (Enough with this nerdy stuff!)

Last Sunday, I together with my team plus our thesis adviser and his friend went to Pagbilao, Quezon to do an ocular visit and check if it is feasible to conduct our study there. We decided to meet by 12 midnight of July 24 at JAM terminal at Buendia.

>>>FAST FORWARD  

We're quite surprised, we reached Lucena Grand Central Terminal in just 2 hours. Of course there's no trip to Pagbilao as early as 3am. So we just stayed at the canteen area and waited until 5 in the morning.

early morning (3am) in Lucena Grand Central Terminal

We have to be in Brgy. Ibabang Pulo, Pagbilao by 6am but the first trip to Pagbilao is still at 7am. The makukulit na jeepney drivers started to offer us rides Pagbilao for P1500, of course we declined, we're students and we have limited cash on hand. The battle of the kuripot students and makukulit na drivers lasted for about 30 minutes. Good thing we won over them, our thesis adviser managed to haggle the price from P1500 down to P800, yey, great save.

It was a fast and smooth road to Pagbilao, after we crossed the Quipot bridge to Isla Grande, our eyes were truly amazed by the staggering views of corn fields and mountain range. We knew we're near when the tall chimney of the Mirant Power Plant came to our sight.     

Mirant Power Plant at Isla Grande, Pagbilao, Quezon

Our drop off point was at Brgy. Ibabang Pulo's barangay hall. While waiting for the Bantay Dagat representative who will accompany us to our site, we consumed first our baon breakfast.  

By 6am, we started the long walk to the place they call "tambakan", where our boat was waiting for us. Passing through a local community and a checkpoint, we followed the muddy trail to the muddy tambakan of heavy equipment. After we crossed a stream full of snails and tiny crabs, we reached our boat.

the muddy trail

we crossed this stream

and it has a lot of tiny crabs and shelled molluscs

I was kinda surprised (and excited) to know that our boat will need to pass through a dense mangrove forest to reach our sampling site. Woohoo, first time ko mag boat ride sa isang mangrove community. I really felt like a NatGeo explorer, exploring the wilderness of the Amazon River .

vwalla, into the mangrove forest

the place simply amazed me

the boat passed through the zigzagging river

some of my teammates and our thesis adviser (the singkit guy)

The feeling was awesome when we entered sea, as if a gate of mangrove trees opened before us, leading us to a greater paradise.

welcome to the sea

hello white beach.

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Pagbilao Series

Viaje Pagbilao | The Way to the Beaches - Part 1
Viaje Pagbilao | Puting Buhangin and Kuwebang Lampas - Part 2
Viaje Pagbilao | The Attack of the Jellies - Part 3

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