"Row, row, row your boat. Gently down the stream. Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily. Life is but a dream."
How many times did you sing this nursery rhyme when you were in kindergarten? Perhaps, gazillion times? Back in the day, it was indisputably one of our favorite children's songs. Now, it's the Baby Shark dance craze. Oh my, how time flies! Life is but a dream. Wow! That's so deep! Seriously, do you believe it? Is this life a dream? Well, if only I could have sweet dreams every time I sleep, I would never wake up. If only I could turn nightmares into lucid dreams all the time, I would agree that life is wholly a dream. So, let's not answer that, it's simply metaphorical. Sadly, life is way more painful, unfair and unmagical, especially for most of us nowadays. I wish there's a lifecatcher like a dreamcatcher, I'd surely buy hundreds to catch bad vibes and negativities. I guess it's better to say, life is like our dreams!
"The best thing about dreams is that fleeting moment, when you are between asleep and awake, when you don't know the difference between reality and fantasy, when for just that one moment you feel with your entire soul that the dream is reality, and it really happened."-Oprah Winfrey
You know what I like about dreaming? It has a power to make me a Billionaire driving my Lamborghini and next day, a Royal Prince living in Buckingham Palace, effortlessly. Oh, wait! Am I dreaming? I need to wake up and create my new blog post.
Hello, Super Folks! Starting today, let me greet you like that because you're extra special to me. How are you? It's been ages. Please give me a big hug because I'm back again on my blog. Did you miss me? Apologies for the blogging break, I felt I'd need to be a sleeping beauty for more than a month. I really had to rest. But like what they say, "just take a rest but don't give up". That's why I'm back to reality!
Blogging is already one of my passions and I will never remove this in my life, ever. "Para-para-paradise. Para-para-paradise. She'd dream of para-para-paradise". This perfectly describes my new post. Ready to know the whole story? Okay wait, we need a time warp. Kidding aside, this happened last dry season when me and my colleagues went to Pangasinan for our summer vacation.
In addition, this is a continuation of my blog about this beautiful province and the "Mission 101: Find Awe-Inspiring Beaches You Can Explore As Boracay Alternatives". So, I'm done with Sampaguita Beach in Bauan, Batangas and Cabongaoan Beach in Burgos, Pangasinan. What's next? Brace yourself, next destination is Colibra Island in Dasol, Pangasinan.
If you're my loyal reader, I'd say, "this is the moment you've been waiting for" because remember on my previous blog, I said that I'd publish a post about this hidden paradise. Well, I'm a man of my word. Yeah, I mean it.
Pinch me, I think I'm dreaming! For sure you'll ask your friend for this favor when you step into this island. It's indeed dreamy and one of the most gorgeous natural attractions I've ever seen.
Colibra was the highlight of our summer getaway in Pangasinan and the "cherry on top" of our itinerary. It was a short-stay but well worth it. Okay wait, I'm actually reading your mind now. Perhaps, you'd like to ask me this way? "Oh yes, I agree! These photos are lovely. How did you go there?"
Sure, let me tell you. To reach Colibra Island, you need to rent a boat and hire a "bangkero" (boatman/fisherman). It's not like Cabongaoan where you can either go by car or tricycle. Good thing, it wasn't hard for us to find one when we were staying in Playa De Luz Resort because Mommy Luz, owner and caretaker told us that if we would like to do "Island Hopping", she could refer her fisherman friend. The offer was 1,500 Pesos (roughly 29 US Dollars), good for five of us. We thought it was a good deal and just agreed right away. She even added that we would need to wake up early to meet him. Oh, that's the most challenging part.
Omg, this is it! I woke up roughly 5am feeling quite dizzy and tired, but very excited for our morning agenda, the "Island Hopping". You know the feeling when your mind badly wants to do something but your body isn't cooperating? It was like that. It's because we didn't get enough sleep since we arrived at the resort very late and also did drink a bottle of liquor, as a toast to our success. Blame it on the alcohol or just me?
Somehow we're fine with it even if we're lack of sleep because we're still able to catch the sunrise and visit Colibra. My takeaway is to be more prepared next time. So, we met our boatman and started the journey 7am sharp. We tried to bargain the price of our boat trip because we're on a budget but we failed. Our itinerary was plain and simple, "Cabongaoan Beach>Colibra Island>Death Pool>Cabongaoan Beach". Bon Voyage!
Safety First: Make Sure To Always Wear Your Sailing Life Jacket!
"Row, row, row your boat. Gently down the stream. Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily. Life is but a dream."
Sadly, we didn't sing this while we're sailing. We're like as peaceable as sea. It was my first small boat trip experience and oh my, the cliffs and blue water were like part of a huge painting.
Welcome to Colibra Island! Well, what's more exciting than meeting real mermaids? No, I'm just kidding they are my friends. It was almost an hour when we arrived in the island. Oh, yes! I agree with the online reviews that Colibra is somewhat not virgin island but still, uncrowded and no doubt, surreal. Heaven on earth, hands downs! Another outstanding thing you can see there are the Cairns. Are you familiar with Stone Stacking or Rock Balancing? Yeah, that's it!
I know it's no longer unique to see these but honestly, it's my first time to see an island highly promoting this kind of art. I'm not even sure their real purpose but they're promising. I guess for millennials who love Instagram-worthy photos? Let me research it!
According to Wikipedia, it's a human-made pile (or stack of stones). In modern times, Cairns are often erected as landmarks. However, since prehistory, they have also been built and used as burial monuments; for defense and hunting; for ceremonial purposes, sometimes relating to astronomy. They also say that it's meditative and good for mental health. On the contrary, critics of the practice say it's ruining the environment. Now we know. You're welcome!
Moving forward, Cairns are just there in Colibra, you can either appreciate it or ignore it. It's up to you! The entrance fee is 25 Pesos (roughly 0.47 US Dollar) per person and there's a parking fee for the boat, 100 Pesos (1.90 US Dollar). This island happens to be located in the open West Philippine Sea and sometimes spelled Culebra. I'm not trying to scare you but it's also called Snake Island, for the highly poisonous sea snakes that used to make the island their home. Be careful when you visit, okay?
Colibra is just a small island but certainly has a big potential to be popular like the Pagudpud Beach aka "Boracay of the North", let's say three or five years from now. Especially nowadays, we're in the "social media generation", it's so easy to go viral on Facebook or Twitter. Not only that, it's definitely a "Certified Boracay Alternative". Look at the photos again, Super Folks, these speak for itself. The salty but crystal clear water, beige sand and calm waves. These don't have filters. Yeah, not necessary! A great place to relax and you'll surely say, "it's a dream come true!"
So, are you ready to row, row, row your boat and visit Colibra? Don't think twice. Super Folks, super thanks for reading this new post and I hope you enjoyed it. That's all for now! Adios Amigos! Oops! Wait, before you go. Please like, follow and subscribe on my,
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