Ayala Triangle @ Night

Puting Buhangin Summary Expenses

Here are the Summary of our travel expenses (for 2 pax) Fare

Quezon Ave – Quiapo- 40.00 FX

Quiapo – Lawton -17.00 PUJ

Lawton- Buendia – 24.00 (PUJ)

Note: this fare cannot be happen if only we knew that Park N Ride in Lawton has no Buses bound for Lucena.

Buendia – Lucena- 420.00 (210.00 each)

Lucena Grand Terminal – Pagbilao Market – 24.00 (12.00 each)

Pagbilao Market- Bgy Polo – 40.00 x 2= 80.00

Bgy Polo – Parking Lot – 100.00

Parking Lot – Puting Buhangin -20 x 2= 40 (Back and Forth)

Parking Lot- Don Enrico Resort – 150.00 Tricycles

Don Enrico- SM Lucena – 40 x 2 = 80.00

SM Lucena – LRT Buendia – 209.50 x 2 = 419.00

Total Transpo: 1,394.00


FOOD: (2 pax)

Siopao – 25.00 x 2 = 50.00

Lugaw – 40.00

Taho- 10 + 5 = 15.00

Coffee: 15.00 (For Mariang Lagalag)

Cooked Food – 87.00 +50.00 + 50.00

Grocery + miscellaneous- 194

Pancit Chami early dinner – 75.00


Total Food: 576.00

Others: 2 pax

C.R Fee Grand Terminal 15.00

Puting Buhangin Entrance Fee- 100

Tip Boat – 50.00

Entrance Fee Don Enrico- 140.00

Pasalubong – 300.00


Others: Fees

605.00


Total 2,575.00, Our Budget allotted is 3,000, and we still have a change to put on our lagalag funds.

For Php 3,000 pesos less, we enjoyed a day in Puting Buhangin (3)

Bicolanang Lakwastera haggled for Kuya Tricycle driver to bring us to the nearest resort they know. They recommend Don Enrico’s Bar and Resort. This so called nearest resort took us about 20 minutes travel and Php 150.00 pesos fare. Discounted.

We knock at the gate and thought that the resort is closed. There is a construction truck inside and looks like they are renovating the resort. Good thing that the owner opened the gate and allowed us to enter. We are the only guest at that time, and the swimming pool is all by ourselves. It is like that we have rented the entire resort.

The owner is so accommodating and we only paid 140.00 for the two of us as entrance fee. The swimming pool is so tempting and we swam like children. We took pictures of the nice view. Fronting the swimming pool is a mountain that gives the resort a cool green and refreshing ambiance.

After taking some photos, Kuya pointed to us a nipa cottage wherein we can take shower and change clothes. It is an enclosed private Nipa Hut. Flowing water is what I need. We took a bath and I was satisfied with the shower bath I had.

Don Enrico Resort is a private resort owned by a former seaman and decided to put up a resort bar inside ---- His plans is to make the resort a transient hotel that can accommodate guests who needs accommodation inside Pagbilao, for a cheaper price.

Currently, the rates for day swimming is Php 70.00 pesos, and overnight stay cottages ranging from 500- 1000 depending on the size and type of nipa hut. Their main source of income is the resto bar who serves good food for a cheaper and affordable price.

Before 5pm, we prepared our things to catch a PUJ for Lucena. Kuya’s assistant waited for a PUJ that passes by in front of the resort. It took him 30 minutes before he called up inside and said that PUJ is waiting outside. It’s kind of like a taxi call.

We arrived Lucena City hungry. We entered Naisa Eatery and ordered Chami. I heard it is their pansit delicacy as pancit habhab in Lucban. We also bought Apas and espasol as pasalubongs.

We ride JAC Liner infront SM Lucena City that will return us to LRT Buendia. We arrived Manila at around 11:30pm. I got home at 12 midnight of May 1st 2012. I was late at work, arrived office at 9am the following day... Our time in is 8am. Being late is not good. But I feel good because of Puting Buhangin. I miss puting Buhangin already. I miss Quezon province. I heart U Quezon!

For Php 3,000 pesos less, we enjoyed a day in Puting Buhangin (2)

Overnight ba kayo? Asked ate Gemma. Tao kami di kami overnight sa loob loob ko .Joke. We said no. We will be here for a day visit only. We do not have a plan to stay overnight because our work will resume on May 2. After paying 190.00 Pesos , for the two of us, (50.00 pesos per pax entrance fee, 20 pesos /pax for boat crossing the lake vice versa, and 50.00 pesos for Totoy as our way of saying thank you for allowing us to ride in his boat, saved us for trekking by land for 15 mins.

We arrived at Lukang Beach around past 9am. First step we did is to lay our mat. Renting cottage is not practical, since we are only two and we will stay there for few hours. We learned that beyond 5pm, public transports in Bgy Polo are like invisibles, meaning, and no way to get out from Lukang Beach. Scary heh! Kidding aside, tricycles from Lukang Beach to Bgy Polo are only up to 5pm.

Bicolanang Lakwatsera really wants to take pictures of the pristine beach. The sand is not that as white and powdery as Boracay, but it is so fine. The water is calm and the entire beach is a perfect subject for a post card photograph. Right side of the beach is the Kwebang Lampas. You can get there by swimming or walking thru the rocks. When I get inside there, I remember the folklore about mermaids. If they are true, perhaps Kwebang Lampas is their favorite hiding place, a place wherein they can lay their heads on the rocks while the waves continues to kiss their face. I did it. I imagined I am a mermaid inside Kwebang Lampas.

We swam and took pictures. The beautiful scenery around us makes our solo pictures made perfect.

After a tiring swimming and picture taking, we ate our lunch. We had dinuguan, batchoy, itlog na maalat, rice, banana, pansit, puto, and bread. That is all that we had bought from Pagbilao Market.

We decided to leave early. But I was a bit discouraged when I saw lots of people lining up to take shower. I asked one caretaker where in I can get potable water. He answered back he will give us for only 30.00 pesos per pail. It is okay with me and I understand that in an Island like this, potable water is a golden treasure. It is not easy to transport gallons of water from the mainland. But upon seeing how much water I can use, and I know that a pail of water is not enough for me, I talked to my friend that we should look for any resorts wherein we can take a bath with flowing water.

We left Kwebang Lampas around 2pm and we trek for 15 minutes to the lake, wherein the boat is waiting to cross us to parking lot.

Same thing as we arrived, we again saw Ate Gemma at the parking lot. We said goodbye for now and I told her that we will come back soon because I am planning to bring my son along, and I just hope that Puting Buhangin or Lukang Beach modernization and improvement plan will materialize. If this happens, going in and going out from this beautiful place will be much easier and convenient.