What's up, Hivers?!
Are you up for some island adventure?
Join me as I explore my hometown's pride. A little island called Atulayan.
It was a week ago when we went home to the province for a short vacation. A much-needed opportunity to relax and see our loved ones.
My oldest child always gets excited whenever we talk about our hometown. He always assumes that we are heading to the beach.
Just a brief introduction about the town: Sagñay is a small coastal town facing the Pacific Ocean and Atulayan is one of the 19 baranggays under the jurisdiction of the town.
Depending on how many persons are in the boat, the standard boat rate ranges from $30 to $40. Life jackets are included in the boat rate.
We used my aunt's boat for this excursion. I just put the rate above for reference. For the travel time, it will take 15–20 minutes to reach the island.
Our boat approaching the island.
When we got on the island, a baranggay tanod, or baranggay police officer, welcomed us and helped us pay the P10.00 ($0.18) per person for environmental fee.
We paid P400.00 ($8) for the bamboo cottage, where we set up our belongings and the food we had brought.
Now that all are settled, let's start exploring the island.
The ocean was calm, and the waves were gentle, making it a wonderful day for spending at the beach.
My youngest son went straight to the water right after the boat arrived.
My brother and my niece.
Let's take a short hike!
The island is divided into three parts or more. And where we landed, there's a small pathway leading to the other side of the island. If you've watched the video above, you'll see the trek going to the other side.
The following photos are taken from the entrance going to the other side of the island.
We'll find the entrance by following that mass of stones over there on the right side of this photo.
The Entrance.
Here's the view on top of that mass of stones.
Another shot before we continue hiking.
After few steps, pose for a photo again!
Stay still because the scenery is about to get spectacular as we ascend the hiking trail.
This where the shore and the mountain meet.
Crystal clear water.
The trail's highest point.
Your eyes will feast on the abundance of green, blue, and white contrast during this portion of the journey. Also, don't forget about the mountain breeze and the sea! The best feeling!
We are almost there!
The other side of the island.
I was busy taking videos so I didn't have much photos on this part. lol
Me and my youngest sister.
We continued filming for a little while longer before returning to our cottage to feast on the food!
The food, of course! I nearly forgot about it. Without food, swimming isn't complete, so let's include food in this blog as well!
Here's the food we brought to the island. Prepared by my Mama. Thank you Mama!
We brought hotdogs for kids and kids at heart, rice, chicken feet, pancit bihon, spicy chicken adobo, and aroyo (a Filipino delicacy made of sticky rice wrapped in banana leaves).
Meet my group.
Before deciding to join in the fun, I circled the group a few more times to snap photographs of everyone enjoying the sights, food, and sea air. This rarely occurs when a family goes swimming together, so I make sure I have everything under my lens.
My brother's soon family of four.
The happiest kid in the planet, my eldest.
Happy faces.
Our bunso (youngest).
Me and my mother.
Sisters. My beautiful mother and auntie.
My cousins.
My niece.
Kamayan sa buhangin.😍
Family.
As I concluded this blog, I couldn't help but smile. I have a ton of pictures and wonderful memories from our trip and everyone enjoyed their day at the beach.
I hope you've seen the video if you've read this far in order to really appreciate the experience. And I somehow wish it could take you on virtual vacations.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read.
Until next time,
❤️❤️❤️
cindee08
The first photo was edited using Canva.
The video was edited using Capcut.
All photos are taken by me unless stated otherwise.
▶️ 3Speak