It has been such a long time since I last travelled far from where I live. Before the pandemic, travel by plane was kind of a usual experience for me since my work entails going around the country. Since, travel restrictions were lifted in most provinces, we took this chance to book our long-time ago purchased plane ticket and arranged a trip that would impress on us that life is so much more than the tall buildings we see every day in the city we live in. And the best vacation we could think of is to spend 3 days and 2 nights in an island. It's not a difficult plan to carry out since the Philippines is graced with 7,641 islands. So that is how we spent our vacation off the cost of Cadiz, Negros Occidental and lived for days in Lakawon Island. 🏝
Our flight to Bacolod
The usual airport scene started our Saturday morning: long lines, carts loaded with baggages, and bustling food court. Our flight schedule was perfect because it got us a great view of the clouds. It felt like flying again for the first time since it has been more than 2 years. After an hour, we arrived at the airport and started our long land travel to the port. Since the Negros Occidental is a province, the traffic was smooth, nothing compared to the traffic in Metro Manila, where we live.
Off to the island of Lakawon
The island just recently opened for tourists during our visit, we were not able to take into consideration the time when tourists arrive at the port. Since we got there past noon already, we had to rent our own pump boat in going to the island. We were only a group of three and we were told that most tourists arrive early in the morning. We spent around $30 for the pump boat and this was one of the many unexpected expenses we had during our stay in the island. It was a costly vacation for me, but, every thing was worth the penny because it gave me the chance to experience the beauty of Nature in its mundane and pristine way.
The sunset and the beauty of its colors
After putting our luggage in our hotel room, we went straight to the shore to have some snacks and enjoy the setting sun. The island has its own bar and restaurant where you can eat with the sea as your view. It was a whole day of traveling and the beauty of the sunset felt like such a great reward. It was surreal, it's very seldom to be able to watch without any obstruction like tall buildings in the city. We spent the whole afternoon just walking along the shoreline. A lot of the tourists just spend the day in the island, so when the sun set, it felt like we had all of the island for us to enjoy.
A day of exploring the island
We were hoping to catch the sunrise but our tired and old bodies wanted to stay longer in our beds. Nonetheless, the island was still a little deserted when we went out for a walk. Our island experience felt so different on our first morning since it was high tide! In the afternoon the water recedes to an extent, and that was what we experienced when we arrived. The island in broad daylight was so majestic, the clear waters allowed us to enjoy the corals near the beach line, you don't even have to use a snorkel to get a look of the corals. But of course, the deeper part will have a grander view of the corals.
There are a lot of activities you can do in the island such as scuba diving, riding a jet ski, kayaking, and more. We didn't aim to have a full-pack activities for this trip, our stay in the island was mostly enjoying the food and taking all in the beauty of Nature.
My dream life in photographs
One of the things the island is known for is its floating bar. Just a few meters from the island, there's a boat turned into a bar where you can order drinks and stay in the cushions to just chill. The island offers unlimited boat ride to and from the floating bar, as we go to the island port, I took the time to take a lot of photos of the scenic view. I love doing photography. I love drinking iced cold coffee. I love reading. Those were the three things I was able to enjoy during our stay.
Always with the view of the horizon
My love for photography went real obvious from the number of photos I took, my camera roll was filled with hundreds of photos of the sea. It just really felt so calming to watch the sea and the skies go by the day.
Just a little down side of our stay in the island is the limited variety of food we could order. The bar only offers burgers and pick-a snacks. The restaurant is only available during meal hours. It shows how the business in the island was affected by the on going pandemic that they have to limit their offerings. Regardless, the view was already such a treat for us.
A place to go back to
Our short stay in the island thought me one thing, I'd love to go back to this place again. It felt like a place to go back to —a home for my worn out body in the fast paced living in the city. The staff there were all kind and very accommodating. There's a little language barrier since they speak of their local language, but, their kind hearts showed in their smiles and services they offer.
