Of beaches, horses, and cows in Bulalacao
Traveling is a powerful tool in remembering that life is beautiful.
Aside from changing your relationship status, announcing that you’re traveling somewhere always comes up with more Facebook comments from friends who are either truly happy for you or secretly envious of your vacation leave. Perhaps it’s the inevitable stressed-filled lives that we have in the city that makes traveling like a happy pill to remain sane.
This is what this column is all about—the sheer enjoyment of being free for a few days and recharging your energy to face the rest of life’s craziness.
And for our first stop, let me introduce you to the islands of Bulalacao in Oriental Mindoro. It is located at the southernmost tip of the province and it has fantastic beaches, waterfalls, caves, pasturelands, and amazing legends as well.
I am always intrigued by legends. Its either our forefathers had lived in a magical and mystic-filled environment or they just have a bigger sense of imagination. And one of Bulalacao’s legends goes like this: Once upon a time, there was a bird called Bulalacao. And whenever the bird comes, a calamity happens to the town. They named the town Bulalacao to keep the bird from getting angry and since then, they never saw the bird again. What a powerful way of waging psywar to the ones on top of the food chain!
Nevertheless, it’s a great thing that the bird is now gone because Bulalacao is indeed a marvelous group of islands. Getting to the town requires a five-hour drive from the more popular beach of the province called Puerto Galera. Another option to get there is to fly to San Jose, Occidental Mindoro and drive for an hour and a half.
It is the only Visayan-speaking town in Oriental Mindoro because of its proximity to the Visayas region. It is only 2 hours away from Boracay and four hours away from Coron, Palawan using a motorized boat. So, if you think you want to go beyond island-hopping, you may opt to level up to province-hopping.
Bulalacao is composed of nine islands and eight coastal barangays. Most of these islets are not yet fully developed and unlike Boracay where you can hope for a romantic episode with a stranger who might be your Mr. Right, people in Bulalacao are a friendly bunch who sleep early. The islands of Bulalacao provide serenity in paradise.
Island hopping
We reached Bulalacao an hour before sunrise because our show’s director wanted to catch the sunrise. The super accommodating Senior Tourism Operations Officer of Oriental Mindoro, Orlando Tizon, accompanied us to Bulalacao’s fish port and joined us in facing the chill of the morning as we wait for Mr. Golden Sun to spread its light on that part of the earth.
This fish port is where fishermen bring their fresh catch after braving the widest municipal waters of Oriental Mindoro. These are brought to different fishing ports to Manila and get sold at a much higher price.
Before heading on to the island-hopping, we stopped by a restaurant called South-drive Grill which has a distinct ranch ambiance. It immediately made us feel like we were cowboys in the middle of the quiet town. They served the homey Filipino breakfast where you can choose the prefix for “silog” and one of the options was a plate of Lamayo—a semi-dried fish which is processed by the women’s association in Bulalacao to retain a juicy taste while prolonging its shelf life.
Our first stop was Aslom Islet which has a long sandbar. One side of the sandbar has crashing waves while the other side is calm. It’s like having a surfing beach on one side and having an infinite pool of turquoise waters on the other.
The other islands have their own distinct charm as well. Target Island has a long stretch of white beach leading to clear waters and it got its name because it used to be the venue for bombing practices of American soldiers during World War II. Tambaron Island has sea urchins and corals on its seafloor where you can join other divers and brave the waters in catching these thorny creatures. Bulalacao also has a sands-free island but with fantastic rock formations and a mangrove area where the famous tamilok (an exotic delicacy which is actually a big worm inside mangrove’s wood) thrives.
Going Upland
Morning is, indeed, marvelous in Bulalacao. While sipping hot coffee in South Drive Grill, Ching Jano, the Municipal Planning and Development Coordinator of Bulalacao prepared us for the horseback riding experience. According to her, when she was young, there were more cows than people in Bulalacao but somehow, the ratio changed over time.
As our van approached the pasturelands, the vista took my breath away. It was as if the photos of New Zealand and Batanes came to life in Oriental Mindoro. The seemingly endless rolling hills of grass with cows and horses grazing for their breakfast created a picturesque sight. Marlboro’s soundtrack immediately played on my mind as we entered the ranch which was bounded by a fence made of tree twigs.
And there we met Canor, a real cowboy who is the offspring of generations of cowboys in Bulalacao. He mounted the horse and sat on the saddle which is made of foam wrapped in sack for cushion, held on the rope rolled around the horse’s neck and rode like the wind as if the grasslands were his infinite playground. Real saddles were on the way as the local government plans to develop it as a tourist destination (but if you’re brave enough to try if there’s a cowboy blood running in your veins and pretend to be Clint Eastwood or Hannah Montana, then just contact the Local Government of Bulalacao to try horseback riding in the raw beauty).
Bulalacao also has amazing waterfalls and caves waiting to be explored. But since the lack of time is usually the culprit, I will write about them next or as soon as the two moles on my feet begin to touch them. This gives me another reason to go back and discover more of Bulalacao’s beauty.
To visit Bulalacao, just contact the Provincial Tourism of Oriental Mindoro or the Local Government of Bulalacao for tour assistance. - Article courtesy of Manila Bulletin
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