beyond mindoro and puerto galera.

You can spell F-U-N with M-I-N-D-O-R-O or with P-U-E-R-T-O-G-A-L-E-R-A. You can choose one of them or use them both for emphasis and the meaning wont change. They’re synonymous, I think. Issa, Chel, and Annel can attest to that. And that’s something I’ve learned in three days.

Mindoro got its name from Mina de Oro, meaning “gold mine.” It is the seventh-largest island in the Philippines. It is located southwest of Luzon and northeast of Palawan. And since 1950, the province was divided into two – Occidental Mindoro and Oriental Mindoro.

Puerto Galera, on the other hand, is part of Oriental Mindoro. It’s not the name of the beach, it’s the name of a municipality within the province. White Beach and Sabang Beach are among the famous beaches in the municipality. The former being popular with the local tourists and the latter with foreigners.

I thank the heavens for granting my prayers. Even though I had nervous breakdowns in between, at least it came just right on time. My mom said I could go at around 10 a.m. of October 25. Never mind that we were supposed to meet by 12 at Taft and my traveling bag had nothing in it but air of hopes.

Let’s skip the things that happened during the bus ride going to Batangas Port. I was late. It was also traffic on the way and that’s why we didn’t catch the 3:30 p.m. trip to Calapan.

We boarded on this huge RoRo ship (roll-on, roll-off ship) instead. It took us roughly 2 hours to get to the next port. Upon boarding, we realized that most of the seats were occupied. But I was lucky because the girls I was with had natural charms. We got in the “Authorized Persons Only” area – somewhere near the captain’s cabin – while everybody else was standing against the ship’s railings due to the lack of seats. It was the captain himself who invited us, I think. The bitch passengers were silently screaming in loathe. The place was perfect for taking pictures – pictures of us and the sea. And I was policing those bastards who were throwing trash to the sea, silently.

The port in Calapan welcomed us with a Jollibee billboard. A huge photo of Chicken Joy against the red and yellow background, not of a Jolly Hotdog and not of Jolly Spaghetti. I just have to mention this. It was one of the debates before we boarded off the ship.

Before going to Daisy’s loving home in Bayanan Dos, we paid her adorable lola a short visit. Her lola’s house was right beside the sea. It was so close to the sea that when you peek down the balcony, you’ll realize that there is nothing else but deep water.

From there, we were fetched by Daisy’s parents. On the way, we paid Jollibee-Calapan a courtesy call. It was a branch where service crews are far more competitive than the Manila-trained crews. Everyone was on standby. Imagine them standing allover the place, ready to serve with a slightest call of attention.

Daisy’s home was a different story altogether. When we arrived, we saw huge cauldrons placed at the house’s façade and suspected that we were going to be offered anytime from Saturday till the time we leave. We half-seriously believed that it was a plan Daisy and the whole barrio concocted fit for some grotesque celebration. Not to mention that we were fed all the time and the night of our arrival, the whole place was enveloped with intensifying smoke from charred wood.

The next day, we borrowed their family car and drove around the city in pajamas. Annel was supposed to be our driver. A test to see how much she learned from driving a manual transmission car from driving school. But since the car kept on dying while she reverses it, Issa had to take the wheel. Issa who, by the way, drives an automatic back in Manila. What happened? Go figure. But I’m glad to be back in one piece. I guess Annel’s coaching worked. Tapakan mo yung clutch. Todo. Then changes gear for Issa. The car went beserk! And dies. Annel then sends another tirade of instructions. Clutch, change gear, gas. Mantra: Confidence!

Then all of a sudden Mr. De Guzman texted Daisy to go back as soon as possible. Daisy’s dad had to go somewhere daw. After that, the car’s key was lost forever.

Mrs. De Guzman (or Tita as we called her during our stay) makes the best empanadas in the Philippines. I swear. You can forget about its fillings because the crusty bread is delightful in itself. We were also fed with this huge, huge fish that they call ‘musko’. It was steamed, glazed with mayonnaise, and then topped with minced tomatoes, garlic, onion, pepper, and pickes among others.

We also met Ate Camille’s French “friend” Serile, who rarely talks, and Serile’s friend Jacques, who talked beyond any conversationist could talk. They insisted on bringing us to Anahaw, a restaurant/bar beside the beach, on the night of Daisy’s birthday. There we were made to drink bottles and bottles of beer that Jacques kept on ordering. We all wanted to go home, so we had to do something. In Ara’s word: konspirasyon. Enough said.

After all the good things in Bayanan Dos, we readied ourselves to push the fun level a notch higher. It was time to go to Puerto Galera.

We took a jeepney ride which lasted for an hour or so. Bayanan Dos to Puerto Galera. We had to pass through a mountain just to reach the other end. It was rough because there wasn’t really a road, but a make-shift road meant for a concrete one.

That ride was special because I wasn’t seated inside the jeepney, but instead on its door. It’s hard to explain. But just imagine a jeep with a door at its end, the door having a thicker portion where you can sit. There, I sat patiently despite annoying passengers (who, by the way, kept on staring) and bumpy roads that kept on hurting my arse.

We stayed in Bangera Inn. We just love the place. Our room was super cozy. They even provided extra pillows and a mattress for free. Arman Alviz, the inn’s manager, was also lovable. He pops out of nowhere whenever you need him. Promise.

I don’t know why, but Puerto Galera exuded a different kind of charm that time. It must be the rain and the low count of tourists. Not to mention, neighbors from a different inn who constantly showed off skin – as in constantly showed of skin. Hell Good heavens, I enjoyed our stay.

As Chel's shoutout shouts (?), Mindoro and Puerto Galera are just beyond words.

We took so many pictures. And now we’re having a hard time sharing it among ourselves. I’ve uploaded some of them and more are coming soon.

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This is a long entry. I just have to say it. If you reached this point, receive my congratulations. Cheers!