A Trio of Wanderlust Friends: February 2014

Being a Metrodeal member for quite some time, I was delighted to find out that they were offering a day tour to Ocean Adventure Subic which included transportation thru a private bus. Having no car, I have read that getting to Ocean Adventure can be a bit expensive because the taxis there charge so much. Best of all, the deal included a day pass at Camayan Beach resort.

So, I purchased three tickets and made the usual reservation. The bus makes three pick ups, starting from Mall of Asia, next SM Megamall and last pick up would be at SM North. My group chose Megamall since we would be coming from Rizal and it would be the most accessible for us. The bus arrived promptly at 8:00 A.M. and left after ten minutes. On the website, it states that you will be given around 20 minutes leeway time, but be mindful of other people who will be at the pick up point in time.

The trip to Subic took us about two and a half hours, more or less. Even though it was a Saturday and a long weekend at that, we were like around 30 people more or less in the bus. This is a plus for me because we were all seated comfortably.

Upon arrival at Ocean Adventure, our tour facilitator informed us that he would contact us by 3PM. This got me a little worried since the deal stated that we could stay up to 8PM, and my group wanted to enjoy the beach at Camayan. Nevertheless, we just proceeded to the ticket area to present our Metrodeal vouchers in exchange for tickets. There was a long queue though at the admissions area since there was also a school conducting their field trip that day.

By the time we were able to get in, it was after 11AM and we had already missed the Acrobat show. So, what we did was to explore the grounds and see the aquarium. We also ordered lunch after visiting the aquarium area. I recommend the whole fried chicken, especially if you are a group of three or more since the food at their restaurant can be a bit pricey.

We were able to finish all the shows by 3PM. By then we were ready to hit the beach. But no one (staff at Ocean Adventure, nor our tour guide) could answer us what or where we needed to go so that we can swim at Camayan. Our tour guide just pointed us to the direction of Camayan and told us that we needed to get ready by 430PM since not all would be swimming.

This was a real bummer for us. One of the reasons why I availed the deal was so that we could swim at the beach. And when we got to Camayan, the staff were like clueless that such a deal was offered. But, still we still swam at the beach even if it was for only an hour. We headed back to the tour bus at 430PM and surprise, surprise. We were the first ones to head back and the rest of our tour group was still at the beach. We headed back to Manila by 630PM.

I would still recommend this deal, especially for those who don't have their own car and want to go to Subic. It takes away the hassles of transferring from one mode of transport to another just to get to Ocean Adventure.

Now, for what I don't like about this deal or trip.Being obsessive-compulsive at times when it comes to traveling, I made reservations a week ahead and made all the necessary inquiries. I specifically asked if at Camayan Beach we would have a cabana or hut. The person I spoke to at their reservations office said yes, but it would be shared with our bus group. I said ok, at least we would have a place to put our things. When we got to Camayan, the staff was clueless about the deal and we had no cabana to use. I don't really blame the staff at Camayan, since they admitted that they had no idea about the deal. Their Manila office that handled the reservations should have informed their staff at Subic of what was and wasn't included in the deal. I don't mind shelling a few extra hundred for the hut as long as they told us before hand so that I can use my friendliness with my fellow travelers and probably split the bill between us. But we were pressed with time from the tour guide who asked us to be at the bus by 430PM even if the deal states 8PM so every minute spent with the staff who were trying to find out details of our day tour deal was lost time.

The beach at Camayan is nice. It's clean. But the shower/changing area is dirty. Plus, the showers don't really work. One has to push the shower knobs at all times so that the water will run. The place wasn't even that crowded. But the facilities were in bad shape. I'd love to go back to Subic, but probably won't stay here.

Traveler tip: after finishing all the shows at Ocean Adventure and you want to swim at Camayan, just proceed next door and use the beach entrance. They will allow you in, just show your tickets. Also, bring a beach towel so that you can have a spot to dump all your stuff without worrying about getting sand in your bags.

San Gregorio Magno is the oldest church in Laguna located in Majayjay. Majayjay in itself, as one goes there, a sleepy town with all the rustic elements. It's as if one is transported back in time, where life is laid back and peaceful.

The church is still well maintained. I wasn't able to get a picture of the giant tree near this door since some kids were enjoying the view as they sat at the trees' thick branches.

There was some kind of scandal involving the parish priest and important artifacts of the church some years back. And sadly, I can see what that was as I entered the church. The retablo or altar is still majestic looking. But it now houses new plaster saints that for me, are kind of cheap looking (like the ones you see at street stalls).

The baptistry sits at a corner and on close inspection I was dismayed to find that it's like a big trash can with plastic bottles heaped inside.

One of the church ladies who noticed me taking pictures said with pride that it is the oldest church in Laguna and their pride and heritage. But I felt more sad than awed because it seems to have been pillaged from withing. I can count probably one or two antiques inside and I won't say where because these might still disappear.