On our last day on Caramoan, we woke early enough to have our last breakfast at the inn before we got ready to go off. Since it was a 12-hour travel by the road, we had to start our day early if we still wanted to see some other sights on the way while also arriving at Manila at a decent hour.
Early enough to see the sunrise!
The town proper was a good few hours away from the place we were staying at and since it was a Sunday, we opted to stop by the church first, where I got to have my first adventure away from the sea!
St. Michael the Archangel Church of Caramoan
Not much people on a Sunday...
It's said that your prayers are mostly answered when it's your first time to visit a certain church, I'm not usually one for superstitions, but something did catch my attention though; a flight of stairs seemingly leading up to the bell tower. I guess it had something to do with being in a 400-year old church, (which I wouldn't usually find myself visiting anytime soon...) that got my gears kicking into action. I later found myself in a dusty old corner with another flight of stairs, and since I heard my other tour members wanting to check out the bell tower, I hurried up the steps without a second thought.
A flight of seemingly old stairs...
The next room seemed like a dead end with a child-sized window on one side and an old gate on the other, which had me thinking, "Nope! Not going that way!" so that left me with the window option. At this point, my other tour group members with in the same room looking around as well so I had to make a decision fast 'cuz the room was starting to feel a little cramped. Yep, I jumped out the window.
Turns out, the window was the right choice! Not only did it have a wonderful view of the surrounding town, it also had another set of stairs which lead directly to the bell tower.
Now that's what I call a pair of bells... :D
Civilization amidst Nature
We later found out that the bell tower wasn't exactly open to the public, as a church caretaker pointed out on our way down, but the experience already had my adrenaline pumping even as we were buying souvenirs outside the church property. I guess you could say I'll be needing the stairs' warm up for later.
Didn't really see any turtles near the beaches though...
Hours later, when I was on the verge of sleep, we finally stopped for another must-see spot. At this point, we weren't even halfway off Camarines Sur, but it felt like we were miles away from Caramoan now.
Tabgon Grotto Entrance
We were still technically in Caramoan, but the district of Tabgon is known for its 500+ step shrine which is otherwise known as Our Lady of Peace Grotto. Like I said, I wasn't one for superstitions but this was just too exciting to pass up, and I guess my little adventure back at the church felt kind of lacking.
They say a journey starts with a single step, so I better get started... #boythatsalotofsteps
View from up top... Are those some of the islands we've been to???
You could say I bit off more than I could chew, but I wasn't the type to discontinue something when I felt like I was already halfway there, I just needed a little push but what a climb it was!
Do people really go to church this high up top???
That look of achievement on me and my mom's face though...
After that experience, I was out like a light back at the van, which was a good thing 'cuz I heard it was somewhat of a bumpy ride on the way to our lunch stop.
Let me just say that Bigg's Diner is a pleasant surprise when you're travelling for long hours on the road, with its retro theme and big, comfy chairs, it's definitely an upgrade to the usual bus stops we've previously stopped at. Wish they'd have a few branches here in Manila though, it's definitely a place fit for diner dates and family sundaes.
#MajorThrowback
Pork BBQ 'cuz I've been eating fish these past few days...
At around 3pm, we made a side-trip to CamSur Watersports Complex (CWC) just to see some action; 'cuz I honestly felt too drained at this point to even think about joining in on the fun, fortunately the other tour members felt the same way so we left as soon as we all got bored of watching.
Did someone say, "SPLASH!"
I guess it mostly had a lot to do about the travelling time and the miles we still had to catch up on to get back to Manila, but I'd suggest to experience CWC on a whole different tour (while booking a cottage there too), and I'll probably take the plane to get there this time around.
We arrived at Manila at around 12MN, and even though my adventures mostly happened during the earlier half of the day, I suddenly felt that I missed my bed back at home; imagine I still had to go to work the following morning though, the horror.
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