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Basking In the Beaches of Batangas (Part II)

© Eva Goyena

That sun-drenched noon my friend and I wandered the beaches so unmindful of the wrinkling sunrays. There were a few people swimming because everybody was in the shade, taking the usual siesta after lunch. We talked about many insensible things and laughed our hearts out that if I would try to remember now, I can't even recall a single idea. Maybe our stories vanished beneath the quiet waves as we pampered ourselves with the strikingly clear water. And that left us unaware that we were actually cutting across many barangays ---the barangays of Majuben, San Jose and Sulu (all are part of Mabini, Batangas). Approximately, it was a 2 kilometer-beach walk from Majuben to Sulu.

Between the boundaries of Barangay San Jose and Sulu is a stunning formation of rocks that looks like a giant sleeping turtle. Because of its turtle-like appearance, the group of rocks got the name "Pag-ong," a Filipino term for "turtle."

While we continue our stroll, I noticed that there were many on-going lodging constructions in the area of San Jose and Sulu. Surely they were readying the place for summer. What amazed me most was a creatively designed raft stationed at the waterfront of an unnamed resort. The custodians invited us to board the raft and examine it closely. It has a diving board and a slide that make this raft unconventional, but we did not try either diving or sliding, having the safest reason of not wanting to get drenched. But actually, the reason was the raft's slide and diving boards were situated at the deeper side of the water. We were not brave enough that time!

The raft also has a comfort room and a bathtub. The water on the tub is not coming from the sea, we assumed. We were correct, as the custodians said how would you imagine freshening up after swimming using the same salt water? They got plenty of fresh-water supply in the raft. They also have a small room that can accommodate at least three persons. The main part of the raft is the open-area with fixed-benches and a big table. Also available are cooking gas stove and a grill. And you know how many people can the raft carry? A maximum of 15 persons! You can party all night over the water, with your choice of destination –be in the middle of the sea or just near the beach. It can be the equivalent of a yacht for less endowed people, the custodian joked. Well, it can indeed be a cheap but similarly enjoyable counterpart of a yacht. I remember years back, it cost our friend despicable thousand pesos (already discounted) when we rented a yacht in Puerto Galera, Mindoro for a 2-day adventure of ten friends. Compare it with the raft rental of only 2,500 pesos overnight for a group of 15 persons.

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