My trip to Talipanan Beach was one of those spur-of-the-moment kind of things which, based from experience, are usually the ones that push through more often. It was so spontaneous that the extent of my planning consisted of the following: (a) I made reservations by texting the resort where I planned to stay; (b) I bought a cheap and lousy backpack because I left my decent one at our other house; And (c) I checked the weather forecast about a day prior to my trip. Afterwards, I literally packed my bags (actually, only one bag) and just left. Upon arriving at Talipanan Beach I was welcomed by Ate Margie (09204032173), whose family owned Mengie’s Resort, one of the very few resorts in Talipanan. Her family actually lived at Talipanan beach and has done so for generations, so the accommodations their resort offered were homey and simple, as if the cottages and rooms were extensions of their home. I was given a key to a room for one where I was to stay for the night. The room was clean enough, the bathroom fairly decent. I figured I was only going to stay there to sleep anyway so it was not a problem.
I left Manila on a Saturday morning by riding a bus headed to Batangas Pier. The trip took over two hours and cost PhP 140.00. Upon arriving at Batangas pier, the chaos at the ticket terminal was a bit overwhelming, but I managed to get to the booth to buy a one-way ticket for a 1 ½ hour boat ride to Talipanan Beach.
Not a lot of boats dock at Talipanan Beach – most dock at White Beach, which isn’t really a problem, because you could easily get a tricycle to take you from White Beach to Talipanan. But on my trip I was lucky that the boat I rode from Batangas pier had another group of passengers who were also headed for Talipanan Beach, so it took us there after a stopover in White Beach without any additional charge.
I got a lot of peace and quiet on my stay at Talipanan Beach. I read"Atlas Shrugged" but didn't finish it. I ate halo-halo and sat around by the beach. I went swimming. I saw a rainbow. When dusk came I walked and walked and listened to my iPod. The next morning, I woke up early and again took a long walk by the shore, where I saw a number of unfinished and abandoned structures, probably the beginning stages of various plans to put up resorts, plans that obviously never pushed through. I also befriended a nice middle-aged couple who had lived at Talipanan beach their whole lives - we talked real estate. My only regret is that I wasn't able to try the pizza made by the Italian guy who lived in the house at the farthest end of the beach.
By Sunday afternoon I was ready to go home. From Talipanan Beach, I had to go back to White Beach, where I was to ride a boat headed back to Batangas pier. There isn’t a lot of transportation available at Talipanan Beach, so for the first part of my trip home, I had to walk. A lot. I took the road behind Talipanan Beach that led straight to White Beach. I walked and walked, probably for about an hour, and took pictures of what I saw. I walked behind an old man and his grandchildren, who probably walked through that road everyday. I passed by what I think was a Mangyan village. From the road I could see the shore of Talipanan beach, which looked beautiful and serene. I walked under huge trees – sunlight seeped through their branches, which made for some beautiful pictures. I had walked a long way before I got to ride a jeepney that took me the rest of the way to White Beach. It was the most unexpected part of my trip, which turned out to be the most memorable too.
The trip to Talipanan beach was the first one I took alone - my first ever solitary trip, which is why I rather fondly look back at it as a coming-of-age of sorts. And through it I realized that going on solitary trips does have its charms, although of course, going with friends can be just as fun, if not more enjoyable.And while there isn’t much to do in Talipanan Beach, such is not necessarily a bad thing – that, along with the fact that Talipanan beach is so close to Manila, make it the perfect destination if you suddenly feel the need to make a quick escape from the city to relax, take a break and forget the many stresses of urban living.
5 comments:
To those planning to go to Talipanan Beach,
Don't stay in MENGIES/White Sands Resort
We just came back from Talipanan in Puerto Galera. We had a horrible experience in MENGIES resort (White Sands Resort). That place stinks and the rooms were really dirty. The owner also overcharged us! Horrible!
To those planning to go to Talipanan Beach,
Don't stay in MENGIES/White Sands Resort
We just came back from Talipanan in Puerto Galera. We had a horrible experience in MENGIES resort (White Sands Resort). That place stinks and the rooms were really dirty. The owner also overcharged us! Horrible!
may 10, 2008. my first time in puerto galera. we went to mengie's in talipanan. hey, if you're looking for 5-star hotel amenities, don't come here and tell me i'm wrong. the place is not perfect cos in the first place, it's not a hotel no but i would surely recommend this for those looking for a budget yet comfortable, relaxing and peaceful place to stay in puerto galera.
the best sa mengie's! super affordable. food and room. ms. marge offered us an aircon room for only P1,500/night. we were 8 and so we got 2 rooms. the best food too! per meal per pax would range P80-P120 but if you're on a budget you can bring your own food para tipid talaga.
a relaxing full body massage by the beach is only P200. banana boat ride is only P200 per pax for 20 fun, fun, fun minutes! sayang. parasailing dapat kami ng sis ko kaya lang medyo di na kaya ng budget. it's P1,200 kung mag isa ka lang and P2k pag 2 kayo. concert pa kami at P5/song. nabulabog yata namin ang katahimikan ng talipanan sa mga sintunado naming mga boses. ok lang. kesa naman sa white beach no.. hehehe.
over all, excellent ang stay namin. ms. marge, her husband, mang meng, their nieces, kathleen and the debutant (forgot his name, sorry naman), were so accommodating and helpful. ang bilis ng oras talaga when you're enjoying. kanis! text ms. marge at 0920-4032173 and sir meng 0920-2464396. they will take care of everything for you.
this is in response to "anonymous":
i believe i know your story. my first question is, when you decided to stay at mengie's, did you research at all? 2nd question, are you looking for a hotel? cos if you have enough funds, you should have searched for an accommodation with hotel amenities (a lot to choose from at white beach). if all customers are as "unprofessional" as you are, nobody else will take you in! you're so meticulous yet you're comment is not convincing at all. so negative. why not share your genuine experience so readers would know what really happened to you. it's so unfair to be telling the world that you've been to a horrible place and yet you are so horrible yourself. tell everybody what happened and maybe you'd get sympathy from others and maybe from me too. God bless you!
talipanan is indeed a haven!my bf and i really enjoyed our trip last may 10-12,we stayed at mengie's and i think it is the best place there ever!the rooms were just okay,they are clean and comfortable enough,the price is really cheap! and the best thing about mengie's?? their dishes!so yummy! and the seafoods are really fresh! we so love the chicken teriyaki, sinigang na lapu-lapu and the fried salisi(if i remember it correctly,hahaha)it was really an awesome trip,luca's pizza at the far end of talipanan is so great!my bf and i both agreed that it was the best pizza we ever tasted so far!it was our sweetest summer ever and definitely we'll go back again.soon..:)
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