CARAMOAN, part five : The Twin Beachfronts of LAHUS ISLAND

The only thing better than spending time on what is
arguably the Crown Jewel of Caramoan,

is spending time there with two of my best friends,
Dr. Honey Palugod and Dr. Elmo Isip,

who, along with the absent Jun, Louie, and Joseph,
have been my core barkada for a quarter of a century.











Lahus Island
is owned by the Bicharas of Albay,
a prominent political clan whose most famous relation
is the dancer Maribeth.

I'm not really sure how one goes about
buying an island here in the Philippines,
but I'm grateful that the Bicharas didn't seal it off
like the Elizaldes did with their Boracay beachfront property.










We wanted to spend the night here,
but the strong rains of Typhoon Frank,

and the high tides brought about
by the gravitational pull of the full moon,

might have forced us to spend the night
sleeping standing up like cows.


Not to mention the sea snakes...
or other creatures that might be lurking in the rocks.





The small island of Lahus has a beach on both sides,
separated by a dune of white sand,
and bookended by more of those
magnificent Jurassic Park rockfaces.


There's even a natural jacuzzi,
and underneath, a tropical aquarium.





And directly across it,
less than ten minutes away by pumpboat,
is another island with twin beaches,
Matukad!!!


No wonder this Manila Boy is smiling!!!

CARAMOAN, part six : Boracay + Palawan = MATUKAD!!!

"We're not worthy! We're not worthy!!!"

By far,
the most beautiful island
we visited in the Caramoan Peninsula;

as we arrived,
I received a text message that
(yes, SMART has a one-bar signal here)
Signal no. 3 had been hoisted over Bicol,


and as I pointed out Lahus Island across the channel,
the god of beaches smiled down on the sons of a beach

who braved the high swells of the waves, and
who dared visit Matukad on what was supposed to be a stormy day.


armed with a single bottle of single malt,
and a cooler full of ice cubes,

we proceeded to maximize our stay
in this wonderful wonderful place,


an island with two distinct beaches,
a freshwater pool at the summit of this hill,


and strange new plants that would stimulate
the interest even of John Locke from LOST:







This is THE BEACH that most reminded me
of what Boracay looked and felt like
back during my first trips there from
the late '80s to the early '90s...

no passé house music blaring out of every bar,
no vendors selling fake "oakleys",
no pushy boatmen offering banana boat rides,
no empty bottles of mineral water littering the beach.

Back in those days,
we went to Boracay for the beaches,
and the partying was incidental;

Nowadays,
people go to "Bora" for the parties,
and "oh, incidentally, there's a beach".




MATUKAD is a BEACH,
first and foremost,
front and center,
untouched and unspoiled.

But who says you can't party
in this virgin territory?

Scotch and a smoke...

Yoga by the shore...

start a Scandal...

Jump around...

Float calmly...

and in honor of this Olympic year,
some Greco-Roman Wrestling...

and even Shotput!!!

After all that activity,
our intrepid boatmen surprised us with a merienda treat:

Mini Marlins,
fresh from the sea, grilled on the spot!!!

The smoky flavor of the fish was
perfectly complemented the peaty whiskey,

but some people just don't know when to stop,

and can't control their intake of Scotch on the Rocks!

Finally,
a respectful Toast to Matukad Island,

and a firm commitment to keep it pristine,
and take care of the God-given beauty of this natural wonder,
one of the best beaches of the Philippines.



We shall return.