My trip to Marinduque

I'm back!!! , just arrived from a 6 day vacation from the province of Marinduque. I was here 18 years ago and I never thought I'll be back again to this place.  It was almost a 3 hour drive by car from my place in San Juan  City to Dalahican Port in Lucena City. We took the Roro vessel (roll on-roll off), the fare was P260/person and P1900++ freight expenses for the car .  Another 3 hour travel on the sea and finally, we set foot on the island of Marinduque at the Balanacan Port. From the port, it took us another 45 minutes to an hour drive and we arrived at our destination, Cawit, Boac,  my father's birthplace.

The island

We were welcomed by our relatives and treated us to some of their native delicacies and fresh seafoods. The beach was just  walking distance from my aunt's house where we stayed, so we went swimming almost everyday.

An early catch, a 3 ft. giant squid

Eating jackfruit

Having fun at the beach with my brother & nephew

Coconuts freshly picked from the tree

Dried up ricefield due to El Nino

Due to limited time, we never got to explore the island. During our stay we have to visit some of our relatives who live nearby,  invited us over to have lunch at their houses (that explains my weight gain, hahaha...) and shared stories that we missed over the past 18 years. On our last day, we were able to go to Torrijos beach which is on the far end of the island. It was not like Boracay or any expensive beach resort, but nevertheless, you will enjoy the serenity and simplicity of the place. It has very fine white sand and you can walk barefoot without hurting your feet. There are huts which you can rent for only P100 and entrance fee is around P20/person which cost less than the parking fee.

My nephew, Miggy, enjoying the white sand

At the beach, my nephew Kevin and brother Nigel

On our return trip home, the travel was much easier and faster, we took the Cawit Port which is just a few blocks away from where we are staying, they had a scheduled trip back to Lucena City, so we had an extra time to spare to say our goodbyes to our relatives.

My family and I really enjoyed our vacation to Marinduque. It was a long and tiring trip but it was all worth it. Too bad, my father isn't here anymore to join us, he was so eager to return and retire back  to Marinduque when he had a major stroke and died in 2002. I'm sure wherever he is, he's very much happy that we finally made that trip.