While people violate each other's intimate zones in Boracay during its biggest weekend, my former workmates and I decided to hit another less populated beach: Mariveles, Bataan! Mariveles is at the tip of Bataan and you can actually see it from Manila Bay (at least according to dear Wiki). I, for once, never have thought that this holds a beautiful gem of a beach and other natural surprises.
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| View from Manila Bay. (c) wikipedia.org |
To get to Mariveles is a straightforward journey: ride a bus bound for Mariveles! Our group of seven rode a Bataan Transit in Cubao bus for 280 pesos. Earliest trip is at 12 MN while the last one goes at 9:30 PM. Check out other bus details here. The trip is almost a four-hour drive and make sure to bring a jacket (you will regret if you don't because I did) with you. We arrived around 10 PM at the bus terminal with Mercury Drug Store as a landmark in the town proper of Mariveles. From there, ride a tricycle for 25 pesos to the port bound for Biaan where boat service runs for 24 hours. Since one of my friends know someone who owns a place in the area that has a boat service, too, we were able to hop on a boat the moment we reach the port. To get back to the Metro, you just have to reverse the trip!
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| Night boat ride is a must-try! (c) Rabe |
We stayed in La Nina Resort in a large room/'half-a-house'. It has an airy living room, a bedroom with two queen-sized bed where the girls stayed, a clean bathroom with shower and a mezzanine where we guys stayed. Everything has been waived off because our friend knows the owner of the place but it seems to be more affordable than to stay at Camaya Coast which shares the coastline (but it has the finer and whiter sand).
There is virtually no party area in the place so we brought one with us. The typical drinking games and finger foods were enough to satisfy us since bringing it up a notch higher will disturb the people in the area. We then decided to sober up under the stars and called it a night at 5 AM.
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| Our kind of party: Thunders (above) versus The Young 'Uns (below) doing their best take of we're-still-not-drunk shots. (Ours became more daring as the night deepened and we got more ROH-soaked) (c) Rabe |
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| I have to talk him out from eating the meat from the grill. (c) Guiang |
Bring your own food. Just like any other outings, you have to bring your own food whether pre-cooked or uncooked ones. Yes, there are stores near the area but they only sell the staple condiments and such and not hot meals. While waiting for the food to be cooked, you can walk along the shore, dip your foot in the water and just go all out swimming but remember to slap on some sunblock. Be wary of the sea level (especially my fellow non-swimmers) since high tide comes around late morning to noon. We thought that we had the beach to ourselves but most tourists arrive at mid-morning, some with scuba gear.
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| And the water's warm good morning to wake up your senses. (c) Rabe |
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| BEACH! (c) Guiang |
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| Tucked between the trees |
Aside from the saltwater beauty that this part of Mariveles has to offer, deep inside its plain and just at the foot of the mountain is a freshwater gem: falls. We don't exactly know the name of the falls. Our eight-year old guide kinda passed off the information but no biggie since we enjoyed the trek through the fields, across rivers and eventually into some canopies where the falls is tucked in. Though we were short of time to enjoy one last banana boat ride, I think the less-than-24-hour retreat from our laptops, office files and bosses was enough to give our minds a break and to stay sane long enough to last in the hustle and bustle of office work.
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| The place also offers a simple life for a day or two. Just look how happy the kids are with their improvised flying fiesta for one. (c) Guiang |
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| Mariveles (hopefully) we will meet again. (c) Rabe) |
Until my next trip! Bye!
- Paulo
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