Mau Licks Life: Moalboal 2017

June 3, 2017, Saturday. The purpose for this journey was to escape the hustle and bustle of the city, to feel no attachments, to feel at ease, and to see Lara again. That was where we were getting at. Except for the heat, the prickly water, and the expenses, everything was going great.

When we arrived at South Bus Terminal (expecting that there would be no lines because it's not Oslob or Argao for that matter), we were surprised to see that the waiting line for the aircon bus heading for Moalboal was long. Waiting line because there weren't any aircon buses yet, so the people waited for one to arrive. Thinking that it was already 8:45 a.m. and we were super running late based on the time we initially planned on (6:00 a.m.), I quickly answered that man who shouted "Non-aircon bus for Barili! 3 slots left!" And boy, I didn't realize that that was a big mistake until it was too late.

We were running on fumes. The travel time was approximately 2-3 hours. Fare from the city to Moalboal would be Php115.00. The morning heat was excruciating. We were lucky enough to be seated, but I wasn't really that lucky with mine. The two people beside me were having their legs spread open like I wasn't there. I had to adjust and used my elbow against the seats beside us as an anchor to prevent me from falling from my seat. I don't know why but I couldn't tell them off. Must be because I didn't want the whole ride to feel awkward, knowing that they were right beside me; I didn't want to be seen as pretentious; or I didn't have enough energy to do so because it was scorching (plus the bus was doing some stops, so it was unbearable).

We arrived at Gaisano Moalboal (the place where we would meet former classmate and a dear, dear friend) around 11:00 a.m. We ate at McDonald's because we were starving and thirsty, and it was near lunch time. We haven't seen Lara in such a long time. We made use of our little meal as cope-up chatter, and then and there, we realized that we haven't changed a thing. Our little conversation reminded us of our college days and the silly things that we did. It was nostalgic.

After making ourselves full, Lara insisted that we buy food and drinks from a 7-Eleven store. Thinking that it would be a hassle to bring goods to the beach under the heat, Mark and I just bought a sunblock. Lara asked why we haven't bought anything to eat and drink, we simply answered "There must be something at the beach." And again, little did we know, that it was another big mistake.

From Gaisano Moalboal to Bas Dako (translation: Big Sand) beach was approximately 7 kilometers. We rode a tricycle from Gaisano, and get this, it costed us Php150.00. It only took us 15-30 minutes and the fare is higher than that of the bus ride. The driver gave us the reason of the government requiring them to have that price. We didn't have that of a choice since we were already there. Anyway, Kuya Christopher was so accommodating and his English was good! Mark and I keep exchanging smiles as we listened to his stories.

There were two entrance fees to be paid. First entrance was worth Php5.00 since you would be entering a private road and the second one would be worth Php10.00—specifically for the beach. If you brought a small car, your parking fee is worth Php30.00. If you brought a big car, it's Php50.00.

We entered the beach with excitement. We saw multitudes of tents and people. The sea was calling out to us but unfortunately for us, it was still so hot. It was already 2:00 p.m. and somehow the heat was at its peak. We had beads of sweat dripping from our faces. We were so excited to get ourselves a cottage. We inquired for the price and was shocked to know a cottage is worth Php500.00. The price was high since it was only the four of us. If it were a team or a family, we would get it then and there. Since the beach staff sensed our hesitation, they offered us a table and some chairs with a beach umbrella with the price of Php400.00. Lara even negotiated for the price to be Php300.00. They turned us down so we turned them down. Aircon rooms were Php1,000.00 each. Prior to this adventure, we estimated for the possible expenses and prepared Php500.00 each. We didn't expect Moalboal to be this expensive.

Since all the shady parts of the beach were occupied and we had nowhere, we decided to rent a tent. Initially planned, Mark and I would bring a tent if we would be spending the night. Since plans changed, we didn't bring one (it was such a waste since bringing your own tent and setting it up at the beach was free). The rent fee was Php250.00. It was another slap to the wallet but this time, we didn't have any choice. It was better than the price of Php400.00 or Php500.00. Kuya Buko Juice offered us to help with setting up our tent (thank you, Kuya Buko Juice).

Having rented a tent was nowhere near the word comfortable. The tent was like a sauna. So my friends and I all gathered at the entrance. Haha. Since the entrance was small and my husband's a gentleman, he offered only half of his body to be in the comforts of the shade and the other half to be sacrificed under the heat. It was literally funny. We were, like, being punished. We decided to buy beer and drink our worries away.

The beer-drinking didn't event last half an hour. The cold beer tastes great under the scorching sun. We couldn't get another round of booze since one bottle is Php100.00 and we were running low on our budget (plus the fare back to the city). So we made amends with only one round of that cold, delicious beer. Even ice costed us Php10.00. *ugly cries*

The funniest part was their comfort rooms. A half pail of water is worth Php5.00. So imagine doing number one and number two. Haha. It's like every little thing you do, there's a price! This wasn't the Moalboal I imagined it to be since I heard so many good things about it.

Since we were all gathered in our sauna tent, our skins sticking to each other, and we were getting a little bit grumpy because of the heat, I had had enough! I stood up, headed for the beach, and just dove right in. The cold and refreshing seawater felt amazing as it covered every part of my body. It was an ecstasy. I called Mark right away to join me in the waters (Mary and Lara told us they won't be swimming since they didn't bring any change of clothes). Everything got better after that. I didn't want to get any sunburn so we took breaks. We ate pinipig popsicles and it's like our Moalboal escapade started at that moment. Haha. We were starting to enjoy ourselves.

It was around 5 p.m. and it was time to go home considering the travel time to get back to the city. Luckily, we hitched a ride back to the national road, so we didn't get to spend another Php150.00 back. Prior that, we took a little detour and got the most amazing view. I took lots of photos as we gaze at the darken horizon and the lightnings that it hides (there weren't any people so it was worth it!). We were having a mini competition as to who would be able to take a photo of the lightning. It took us a long time until we finally gave up and just time-lapsed it away.

All in all, it looks like the only purpose achieved was seeing Lara again. The number of people at the beach reminded us of the city–its hustle and bustle and the attachments it brings. We were so agonized by the heat that we didn't get to feel at ease at all. *ugly cries again*

The trip was worth one day.

Verdict:

Will I do it again?

Probably. But this time, with a number of people since with a number of people, you'd save more.

Budget to bring:

It is safe to bring Php1000.00 (day trip only) since our expenses were more than Php500.00.

Thank you to Lara for being there with us all throughout our mini summer escapade! See you again, love! ♥