Cagayan, Palaui Island and Isabela 4 Day Trip – Itinerary, Travel Guide and Expenses

I have always wanted to go to Palaui. I have been invited to or initiated three different trips every year since 2011, with one group, we even bought our plane tickets already, but decided to cancel since there was a typhoon in Cagayan exactly on the dates of our trip. Finally, last 2014 (yes, this is a super late post!), we made this happen!A friend and I were talking a couple of months ago on how it would be nice if we went to Palaui, and some time in November, my friend called me again,  “Oi, tuloy na natin Palaui natin, holiday next week oh” and the rest is history.

5 Days Around Sorsogon, Albay and Camarines Sur: Itinerary, Bicol Travel Guide, and Expenses

I have always been curious about Bicol. I have only been to Masbate, which is my mother’s hometown, but have yet to explore its sister provinces. During gradeschool, we were always taught of how beautiful Bicol is, with my teachers boasting of Mt. Mayon. I have no idea if they have even seen it up close or only in pictures, but when I had some free time before I start with a new company, I decided it was finally my turn to see it for myself.  My sister was also about to commence with her university studies, so as a gift for her for passing the entrance exams and also an initiation (college is hard!), I decided that she also tag along on this trip. Off to new beginnings and new adventures!

Beautiful Churches That You Must See in Isabela Province

After we accomplished our main goal of visiting Palaui Island, my companions left for Manila, and because I still had one day vacation leave left, I took this as an opportunity to see Cagayan’s neighboring province, Isabela. It’s probably one of the provinces in Luzon least visited by bloggers and travelers that’s why there’s only scarce information available even on the World Wide Web. If you have been following my posts recently, you would know that I have developed a fascination with old colonial churches, and because I have limited time and money left :( I though this activity would exactly fit the bill.

Charming Churches of Camarines Sur and Exploring Naga City

Last from our Bicol itinerary is a visit to the province of Camarines Sur. We originally planned to go to Caramoan and explore the beaches there, but since it was only me and my sister, I did the math and it seems like our budget would not be able to hold up if ever we pushed through. The province is also famous for water sports but it looks like it will be another expensive activity for the both of us.

Old Beautiful Churches of Cagayan

I wasn’t a big fan of visiting churches whenever I go on trips around the country, I ONLY thought of churches as a sacred house and things such as taking pictures and talking non-religious stuff would be an act of disrespect, but this changed when I visited Cagayan. We were a bit constricted when looking for things to do in the province since most involved extreme activities like cave spelunking (we were able to go to Callao Cave though, because it was endorsed to be safe for beginners, and indeed it was) and we were with my friends’ parents so we wanted to keep the whole trip light yet still enjoyable as possible, thus we decided to visit several churches located around the different parts of the province. I am glad we did this because I finally found appreciation for the magnificent artistry and history that these churches possess.

A Swift Journey to Paguriran Island and Sorsogon City

We did not really have an itinerary or places to see when we risked this trip to Bicol, well of course, we knew we had to see Mt. Mayon, but we mostly relied on my phone’s lousy internet capability and the trustworthy locals whom we met on the road for their best recommendations and cheap ways on how to reach those places. The province might be not be known for its beaches, but Sorsogon also takes pride for the beauty of Subic Beach at Matnog, Sorsogon known for its white sand reminiscent of Boracay but with less crowd, less pollution and less commercialization. We were supposed to go there as we were enticed by the pictures we saw at the internet but due to budget constraints, I opted to scrap this plan and look for another place where we can still enjoy an affordable beach escapade. So we were told to take ourselves to this quaint town of Bacon. To all the meat lovers out there (like me), this is not a town that prides itself for selling bacon. Our main purpose here was to see Paguriran Island. I was worried because if it is an island then definitely we would need more money to charter a boat, just like at Subic Beach, but she assured we will have no problems so we went off and followed her advice.

The rocky lagoon that is Paguriran Island

Kamay ni Hesus Shrine, Quezon Province

May of 2011, we set off for a day trip to the province of Quezon to experience Pahiyas Festival. Also situated in Lucban, we headed for the Shrine of Kamay ni Hesus to catch the morning mass and also to explore the entirety of the grotto.