Most of the time I travel with tight resources. And this Masasa trip is definitely not an exemption. I simply do not have the luxury of cash to spend. I don’t usually have that much spare of a time to squander either. Thus, the supposed, logically two-day getaway (Gulugod-Baboy + Masasa Beach) was forcibly squeezed to fit into a single day affair. In effect, had to rush here and there during the course of the trip to catch up with our ideal itinerary.
By the time we reached the Mt. Gulugod Baboy peak at around 1100H, the sun’s already scorching hot. We didn’t pay out much time right there since we knew for a fact that we had to descend asap. Good thing there were trikes up there at the top readily available for hire to the port in Anilao. Convenience at its finest, ladies and gentlemen. Although I would love to go over the other half of the mountain climbing process, the more important thing is to keep up with our presumed Masasa Beach plan. So, we found ourselves minutes later on that winding road riding trike going down to the port.
In roughly 15 minutes of downhill ride, we arrived at our jumpoff destination. Since the boat chartered to Tingloy Island won’t be leaving yet anytime soon during that time, we decided to give ourselves the lunch meal we truly deserve. Unfortunately, the boat we’re supposed to ride was already full by the time we finished our meal. We were left with no other choice but to spend the entire ride to Tingloy, outside the designated passengers’ area under the heat of the sun. In addition, the waves were splashing wildly against us midway of the boat course, causing me to get salty soaked for the rest of the ride. Literally left me wet and dry at the same time. At few minutes past the top of the hour, we finally arrived at the rugged Tingloy Port. Nothing much out there to see around, we just rode another trike to bring us at the Masasa Beach jump-off point – a short downhill hike across a rice field perfectly painted under blue skies.
Finally, we were welcomed by a rather small but a refreshing stretch of the Masasa shorelines. A few groups of hikers and casual tourists alike were already having the time of their lives when we arrived. Tingloy Island actually offers more than just its beach. In fact, there are a number of snorkeling and island hopping activities for the taking. But in our case, the beach trip was already more than enough for a side. Instead, we plainly spent those good two hours by the sea, the sand, and the rocks, before finally calling for pack-up.
Finally, we were welcomed by a rather small but a refreshing stretch of the Masasa shorelines. A few groups of hikers and casual tourists alike were already having the time of their lives when we arrived. Tingloy Island actually offers more than just its beach. In fact, there are a number of snorkeling and island hopping activities for the taking. But in our case, the beach trip was already more than enough for a side. Instead, we plainly spent those good two hours by the sea, the sand, and the rocks, before finally calling for pack-up.
End note: Known to be a quick post-climb getaway among Mt. Gulugod Baboy climbers, Masasa Beach in Tingloy remains as an all-time favorite among hikers. Located just a boat away from Mabini, where the famed Mt.GB sits, we decided to visit it after a swift, easy climb off the said mountain. Our date of visit was last year’s 9-11 day, back in time when the beach was steeply gaining much popularity.
