Calatagan, Batangas: Serene Beauty And The Tiny Beasts Of Burot Beach

And The heat is on! Yeah, I felt I was inside a sauna, intensely sweating when I wrote this. Indeed, summer has already started in my country, the Philippines. Every noon is like hell, hot and sizzles. Oopps! The more exact term we can use is "Hot Dry" season. According to the weatherman, who's weatherman? Nope, it's PAG-ASA (Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration) weather bureau of the Republic of the Philippines. FYI, the country has two major seasons; Rainy season from June to November and Dry season from December to May. To make it more accurate, dry season has also two subtypes based on the temperature; Cool Dry season from December to February and Hot Dry season from March to May. These terms are a bit hard to remember, so let's be fine with the usual, Summer! This is my favorite season ever, I always find peace and feel comfy when it's sunny. I would prefer to get sweat than to get wet because of the storm.

This is also the perfect time to go to the beach. I just can't imagine how cozy the beach can offer to your stressed life. Draw this in your mind, you're looking toward the sea waiting for the sunset while drinking pinacolada or sipping coconut juice. A very loud reggae song is playing from the stereos you brought. Then, you were a bit distracted by the colorful umbrellas perfectly aligned along the seashore. Warm winds are blowing toward you. Your sunburn on the back of your neck, kinda irascible but that's ok because it was your fault when you swam at noon where the heat has its strongest. The sunblock turned out ineffective but no matter what, that moment is priceless! Isn't spending at the beach stress relieving? Beach becomes the eraser of your worries and stresses. 

This season where hot is mostly appreciated, the more you sweat the more your body becomes attractive. Henna Tattoos and Dreadlocks are in. Lighter clothing and the never ending hashtags on social media like #vitaminbeach to #vitaminsea. Don't forget a very assumptive post "touchdown" even if you just rode a bus to get to the island. Expect a lot of us get tanned. Everyone wants to show off their bikinis and toned body. Don't forget to take a selfies too with your sunglass. Right?

But I'm sure there are a lot more this season can offer. So how about you? Are you ready to turn up the heat? 

So come and let's go to the beach. Let's beat this freak'in summer!

Tent Themed Team Building at the beach. This was our goal we achieved when we went to Burot Beach last first week of April. Team Building, this surely a heat or I mean hit this season. Popular breaker of stress at the office and best way to know your colleagues more. It was a long period of planning but that day was the destined and perfect time. We have been hearing and reading about this beach online over and over again. So we decided to give it a try. Reviews like it is very accessible and cheaper to go there if you're living just within the Metro Manila than to go down under Luzon, islands in Visayas.

Sunday morning when I went to the office. It was our meeting place. Luckily, it was my off so I had enough time to prepare. It was just a light and simple summer outfit to kill the heat. Muscle Tee Shirt, short, jefferson shoes and backpack with my summer kit inside. Our colleague Amber who became our main organizer. We rented a jeep enough for more than 20 passengers, our vehicle going to Burot. Sadly, we ended not fit because of our foods and our paraphernalia. It was a very stressful journey going there, we were like sardines. It was like more than 3 hours of self flagellating. Muscle pain attack! 

Just so you know, if this is a help. Each contributed 1 thousand pesos($23) all in to make this happen.

Our route going there: Edsa Pioneer-Sta.Rosa Exit-Tagaytay-Nasugbu-Calatagan. It was not traffic because its weekend. We arrived there roughly 10 am. We were about to pay the fee when the guard headed us up that the beach was crowded. We knew it because it was weekend but we also knew that during that time most of them would leave since it's monday the next day. We said to the guard that we would just find place. We paid P130($2.50) per person for the overnight stay. 

The way going there was dusty and smell like you went inside a wet market, smell like seashells. The heat became stronger when we went outside the jeepney. Sun was almost at its tip. We disembarked all our things inside and organized it after. We found our perfect area to put up our tents. It was my first time to do this at the beach, I only encountered this during our boy scout jamboree when I was in high school at Scout Barrio, Baguio City. 

Good Morning Burot! Hello People! Hello Trash? Okay! The guard was correct, it was jam-packed. Everywhere I looked there were people, cars were scattered as well as the garbages. While we were preparing, I noticed most of them were also preparing to leave. After an hour, foods were already set and tents as well. We already had a temporary dining area near our jeepney and beds near the seashore. I didn't eat a lot just pizza and pasta even if its good until the next day. 

I just sat near our tent and enjoyed the different views of Burot. I don't know if it was low tide when we went there, the sea was very calm to the point that you could not here and see even a small wave. I was asking myself if this was really a sea? What also got me irritated was the trash. The garbages already became marine debris from the camper who went there before us. That was my first time to see huge number of wastes along the seashore. Look at these images.

I don't know who to blame here, irresponsible campers or curators of this beach who did not put a lot of trash bin. I am sure both.

This is very alarming to see. Imagine if this will not be fixed for a long period of time. Future Dumpsite.

I realized after, the bad side of social media when a new place is sensational, people go and leave something. Trash! Trash! Trash! 

I hope that the fee we paid somehow give way for them to buy trash bin or hire people who will maintain the beach. Hope it will be cleaned when we get back.

I let these garbages passed. Not to ruin my whole day in Burot I wore my rashguard and swam. I walked toward the sea. There were still people but that's ok. Good thing I brought my slippers, it was not a smooth walk. I wore my flip flops right away because of the sea grass and rocky seabed. It was not flat. That answered somehow why there were no waves.

One of the activities you can do here is Island-Hopping with this kind of boat owned by the local fishermen you can hire.

Afternoon and number of people already decreased. The serene beauty of Burot became recognizeable.

Without my intention to taste the water but when I swam for the record this was the saltiest seawater I have ever tasted.

Kids at the Beach.

Kids enjoying the perks of no school during this season

Out of curiosity I went to the other side of the beach. This was way better. Not so much trash. Seawater was not that salty. There were waves. Seabeds were not rocky.

Excuse me, Don't block my way! 

When the sea turned like bed of crystals

Picture of Burot Beach during Sunset.

This shot was taken by my colleague Mitch after our team activities. We had the very famous sack race. It will not be called Team Building without alcohol beverages.  This was like the aftermath, most of us were drunk, me still sober. Eitherway, everyone was "Young, Wild, Free and Happy"

The life of a camper and swimmer.

Unforgettable shot during sunset.

One of my concerns too was when we went to the rest room. Tap water was hard there, you need to pay if you want to take a bath or pee. There were long queues. It was not also clean, there were a lot of shampoo sachets inside. 

Good Morning! I woke up 5 in the morning and took a shot of the sky. We were almost at the end of our overnight stay. Before I ate my breakfast I walked again toward the seabed. There were no people swimming. It was just Burot Beach. I realized that it was a short stay because I was not able to visit other areas. I hope I could go back.

Starfish. I hope you'll survive from trash.

The sun has risen again. We left Burot roughly 7 in the morning. Unfortunately, due to manic monday, due to traffic it took us 6 hours just to get to our origin again. Burot Beach is incomparable to a very well known Boracay and Pagudpud, it is not really that beautiful like what you can see on the online reviews, it is a bit overrated. There were unlikeable marine debris which can ruin your stay there. However, it is still an okay hideout from the urban Metro Manila, a must try if you want to go to unusual beach. Team Building with a "Survivor" theme is also a must try here. It will test how resourceful you are and patience. DIY like cook your own food, put up your own tent and sleep with no electric fan. You need to be a scout in this kind of place, always ready. Make sure to bring your own trash bag to save the beach from threats. 

This was just the first wave of my summer getaway and I am still craving to find more bitches I mean beaches. Philippines is really gifted with its more than 7000 islands, every island has its story. 

I was in a middle of movie marathon when I wrote this. I just saw this on Mad Max Fury Road.

"Where must we go, we who wander this wasteland in search of our better selves?" -The First History Man

We usually hear and see this, let me borrowed this for us. 

"Leave nothing but footprints. Take nothing but pictures, Kill nothing but time"