Over the Holy Week about a month ago, STRAP’s transpinay celebrity Rica Paras was invited to judge a Bikini Open in Romblon so on 21 April 2011, Maundy Thursday, Rica, another STRAP girl Dawn Madrona and I (see pic above) set sail for the island of Romblon.
My hubby Alex and I had been looking forward to this trip having agreed some time back to do many things together for the first time. I have never been to Romblon nor taken a ship before so we both could not wait to begin our Romblon odyssey. On Thursday afternoon, we boarded a ferry called Maria Matilde at the Batangas Port (see the pic above).
The journey took 12 hours overnight and we slept through most of it. On the way though we watched the breathtaking sunset from the ship’s bow and right before dusk we had the delightful experience of witnessing a pod of dolphins swim with the ship. They came from both directions and positioned themselves right under the bow, swimming fast and so gracefully, as if they were leading the boat and guiding it. The scene took under five minutes but Rica and Alex were able to film it. Up to this day, we watch the video whenever we miss Romblon.
When we arrived at the Romblon port, the organizers of the Bikini Open, Joey Argawanon (in green in the pic above) and Tita Bert Adarlo (in orange in the pic above) were already there waiting for us with a welcome banner for Rica (see pic above). We were so touched by their warmth and thought that the gesture boded well for the rest of our stay. We were not mistaken. What followed after that was five days of rest, relaxation, enjoyment and unrivaled hospitality from our hosts.
On our first day, Tita Bert immediately organized a trip to the beach. He had a feast prepared and invited us to join him at Tiamban Beach (see pic above). It is one of the most beautiful beaches that I have ever seen. Alex and I fell in love with Tiamban that save for one day, we went there every day of our stay until we left Tuesday of the following week.
Tiamban has white, sugary sand, so white it has the effect of making the seawater clear (see pic above). I was glad to see that the beach was unspoiled and well-taken care of. There were no bars or restaurants around and I hope it remains that way. Proof that man’s encroachment has not disturbed the beach’s ecology is the fish that we saw swimming around with us. They seemed careless and unafraid and acted like we were not there. It was just another one of the many unbelievable details of our stay in Romblon.
Alex and I had so much fun in Tiamban. We lazed there in the afternoons, watched the sun set several times and played in the water like kids. We tried to master a trick where I would stand on his shoulders and on the count of three, he would throw me into the air so I could dive into the water (see pic above). We failed to perfect the trick but laughed our hearts out while trying to do so.
On Easter Sunday, Dawn brought us to another island called Logbon where we spent the afternoon (see pic above).
Although Logbon was not as beautiful as Tiamban, we were thrilled to be there. The boat ride from Romblon to Logbon was phenomenal and it felt like we were surrounded by an ocean of emeralds (see pic above). The remoteness of Logbon gave it a particular charm.
Dawn’s picture above is a testament to the poster-perfect beauty of the place.
Rica had her own shot too (see pic above).
Over lunch, care of Dawn’s incredible cooking skills (see pic above), we marveled at the fact that Romblon was not in any of the regular tourist maps of the Philippines. Many know of the legendary white sand beaches of Boracay Island but not of Romblon and we felt that that was an injustice.
Rica, Dawn and I had fun thinking up a tourism tag line for the island and settled on: Relax, recharge, renew—refreshing Romblon. My “jump shot”, I think captures this tag line perfectly (see pic above).
Although I want many more people to see Romblon, I fear that if tourists start coming to the island in uncontrolled droves, its natural beauty would be tainted. It is my hope though that Romblon would attract more attention in the coming years and that the local government would be able to balance commercial tourism with protecting the environment, a feat not achieved in many of the Philippines’ tourist attractions. Boracay beach, for example, is notorious for the amount of trash one finds in it during the peak seasons. Tourism authorities have to do a lot more in terms of educating local and foreign travelers alike on their civic duty to the places they visit in this country.
Over all, our trip to Romblon was probably one of the best holidays I have taken in a long time. Up to this point, I have heard only good things about Romblon but never really seen it--its Mediterranean-like beauty, its charming, down-to-earth people and its pristine white sand beaches. Many Filipinos come to know of Romblon only abstractedly in Civics Class as the “marble capital” of the Philippines for its rich marble and mineral deposits. My appreciation of Romblon has deepened so much more now after having been there and having the honor and pleasure of enjoying its uncorrupted beauty.
To Romblon and its people, Alex and I wish you prosperity. You will be forever in our hearts and have our gratitude and loyalty (see pic above). Long live the people and island of Romblon!
1 comments:
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