The Epic Weekend in Jomalig Part 2: Exploring a Hidden Paradise

Much like Batanes in the north, Jomalig Island is far from the hustle and bustle of the mainland. It is Quezon’s farthest and smallest municipality and its distance has been both a boon and bane for the island.

Legend has it that a young man wanted to marry the daughter of the Datu but he failed in the tasks given to him, as a last resort he requested the daughter to kiss him. The people of the island saw what happened and shouted ‘humalik’ and she kissed the young man. From then on the people named the island ‘Humalik’, thus its present name.

And upon exploring the island, it seemed like some mystical fairy kissed the island and sprinkled pixie dust all over it, okay, enough of the literary mumbo jumbo, this is just the effect of our “memorable” boat ride.

The main reason why we went to the island was to do an ocular for a future outreach project being planned by our travel blogger extraordinaire friend Journeying James. The three of us were just hangers on, taking the opportunity to explore an uncharted territory and helping our pal in his noble deeds. So after resting our weary bodies at Tejada’s (home stay is great by the way, they’re the only ‘resort’ on the entire island) the night before, we had a day to see some of what the island had to offer.

It was a bright, sun shiny day, the exact opposite of what we encountered on the way to the island. Our tour guide for the day was Dr. Rita Mae Ang, the municipality’s lone doctor, fresh out of med school, she looks more like a high school kid but don’t be fooled by the exterior. She is very knowledgeable about the island and the health situation of its residents and I must say very sincere and dedicated to her job.

So the day’s itinerary was to circumanavigate the whole island via habal habal (motorcycle), the only way we can get around it. After the courtesy call with Mayor Rodelio Tena we started our journey in Jomaligland (I just had to coin the term, sorry, couldn’t help it).

We had to traverse the idyllic Jomalig countryside in in order to reach the beach. It was like being on a cross country race, one minute you a see a grassy plain, the next minute you’re inside thick, lush forest. The trail ranged from flat concrete to muddy, literally an off the the beaten path that was exciting to say the least. Some parts of the trail are so rough that locals call it “Abortion Road” (Above photo courtesy of Janeca Racho)

After an the breathtaking trail ride we finally hit our first beach, a secluded shoreline, hidden by the ravines. It was seaweed season so the beach was not as postcard perfect as it could be but the water was turquoise blue. I have never seen the ocean so sparkling as it was that day.

The sand is golden brown, not powdery as the one in Boracay. Its texture reminded me of ‘linga’ (sesame seeds). But in exchange for the fine sand you get the beach to yourself, wouldn’t that be a great consolation? After taking photos and admiring the scenery we took a break and proceeded to Brgy. Apad to do the real task for the ocular (more on that in a future post).

The ‘serious stuff’ all done, we went back to the beach but alas, the skies did not cooperate and it rained on our parade (pun intended). We had to settle and take refuge in the makeshift hut which is used as a bodega (storage area) by fishermen.

When the rain finally stopped we hit the beach and frolicked in the sand, well, not really but it was time to take more pictures of the surroundings and take a dip in the crystal clear waters of Jomalig.

The sun was shining, the water was calm and we momentarily forgot our journey the day before. Dante Alighieri said the path to paradise begins in hell and being in hell was all worthwhile.

For more info on how to get to Jomalig, read Lakwatsero’s blog.

Till my rant. Peace and Stay Fresh. 🙂

PS. Too bad we did not have the time to go to Salibungot Beach, hope to go there the next time. (Read The Backpack Chronicles’ experience)

Read: The Epic Weekend in Jomalig Part 1: Breaking The Waves