Unplugged and itinerary-free on Cagbalete Island

One of the sandbars near Villa Pilarosa in Cagbalete, Quezon. This is a side of the popular tourist destination away from the crowds and the bigger resorts, with a mangrove forest, no electricity, lots of dogs and a cat. Photos: Carmela G. Lapeña

There are days when leaving the city for someplace quiet seems like a very good idea. Somewhere far, where there are more animals than people, and you can wake up to birds chirping instead of cars passing by. But while it may be a good idea, it usually isn't that simple. The next best thing is a vacation.

Luckily, there are plenty of quiet islands to escape to, and we may have found the perfect spot in Cagbalete.

Although Cagbalete—an island in Lamon Bay and part of Mauban town in Quezon—is already a popular destination, complete with tourist registration, passenger boats, and a row of resorts, there is Villa Pilarosa, a relatively undiscovered spot on the less crowded side of the island. Instead of a sandy beach, there is a mangrove forest. The outdoor kitchen is a hut with firewood and stones, a steady stream of friendly ants, and a dog that likes to watch people cook. There is no electricity, just a generator that is turned on at night. Before you panic, realize that this is a very good thing. It means no simultaneous karaoke sessions from fellow vacationers, which, by the way, there aren't many of on this side of the island.

Cottages at Villa Pilarosa are simple and clean.

It's highly unlikely that you'll be able to use your phone here. No dealing with internet trolls, no endless scrolling through stressful newsfeeds, and best of all, your boss can't reach you. No one can reach you. The only things to keep you busy here are deciding which hammock to nap in, figuring out the best time to go sandbar hopping, finding someone to take your picture while you balance on the raft, and choosing which island pet to give your leftovers to.

There are several dogs, all well-versed in the art of midnight food snatching. When we were there, we woke up to find the following items missing: some frozen hotdogs, half a bag of marshmallows, and a bag of bread. Each cottage had lost something, and we accepted it as a fair price for sharing the dogs' island. Besides, we had been careless. Lesson 1: if you have any food you plan to eat in the morning, hide it well at night. There was also a lone cat, sweet and cuddly, who seemed to enjoy our drinking sessions.

With no refrigerator, ice blocks in coolers were everyone's best friend. Lacking foresight, we didn't have any, but the resort owners were kind and lent us two. This was where we stored our drinks: cheap bottles of rum and beer by the liter, the kind you don't usually drink unless there isn't anything else. There wasn't anything else. There is just one store in the area, a hut that has sardines, corned beef, and some pantry staples such as onions and tomatoes. Lesson 2: Bring enough food for however long you plan to stay.

The airconditioned room of the cottage at Villa PIlarosa is good for eight people and one cat.

We stayed two nights, and by the second day all we had left were canned goods and instant noodles. We had gone to the market before taking the boat to the island, but the fresh food had to be cooked and consumed immediately. Lesson 3: Cook lots of adobo. Don't forget to hide it. Remember the first lesson.

Apart from cooking and eating, we had nothing scheduled, and so we went our separate ways. Some of us wandered out into the water, which was clear and shallow. You could walk out for minutes and the water would still be below the knee. Some of us took naps, while others read books. Others explored the island and found that there was a volleyball net, a gazebo, and a boat you could rent to go snorkelling.

In the morning we all went for a swim. We spread a blanket on a sandbar, which disappeared after an hour. We moved to the next sandbar, and that disappeared, too. After a while we gave up and hung our things on some branches, and just stayed in the water until we turned red. Then we walked back to the resort for more cooking, more eating, more lazing around.

At first the lack of a schedule was disorienting, but it wasn't long before we adjusted to this quiet, unplugged life. It was just what we needed, a few days of nothing. The morning we left, we crossed a sandbar to get to the boat that would take us back to the town. A cast of crabs scuttled across our path, and we all stopped to watch. We had barely left and we were already making plans to return. This was, without a doubt, exactly what we had wanted. A quiet place, where the most exciting things are getting your food stolen by dogs, rescuing your things from a disappearing sandbar, and crossing paths with some hermit crabs.

The water is clear and shallow, and fringed with mangroves. The craft is used for crossing during high tide--and just for hanging out on at low tide.

Getting there

Take a bus from Manila to Mauban, Quezon. From the Mauban terminal, take a tricycle to the tourist registration center. From Mauban port, you can either hire a private boat or take the passenger ferry. — BM, GMA News