Masasa Beach

A sky full of stars. 

There is something calming about sleeping at a beach. Whether you're in a hotel, a hammock or a tent. For me and my friends, we opt to sleep in the latter. Aside from the fact that it's cheaper, there is nothing more indulgent and feeling closer to nature when you sleep in a tent. 

Masasa Beach is located in Tingloy, Batangas which is very near the snorkeling spots of Anilao. The island has a very small community of friendly people. We were able to use the bathroom in one of the nearby houses. They have sari-sari stores which sells beer and junk foods (because our load is already heavy, we did not buy beforehand). The people were very accommodating, they even suggested places where we could take pictures. 

Sunset at the beach. 

Upon arriving, there was just one tent pitched on the beach. Later that afternoon, that group left the area and another two groups arrived. So by sunset, we were just three groups in the area. We went here during the APEC Summit, so most people from the city are also out of town. But we got lucky here. We had the calm sweet serenity of the beach all to ourselves. 

I am also not a fan of crowded places. For me, the point of going on a vacation is to get as far away as possible to the city where you don't have to think about how busy you are and just enjoy a good laugh with the people you trust the most. So, if you are the type of person who's busy and stressed like us, you would surely appreciate Masasa. 

The green one is our tent. 

Of course, the sand is not comparable to the ones I grew up in Palawan. The sand is grayish and seashore has corals. So what we enjoyed the most is stargazing on the clear night sky. It balanced with scorching sun we experienced during the mid afternoon. 

Woke up to this view in the morning. 

We initially planned to go to hiking at Mt. Gulugod Baboy first then head to the beach after the climb. We left Manila at around 5 am but since most of Metro Manila were also heading South at that time, we encountered so much traffic all the way from Alabang. When we realized we would not be able to get hold of the boat to Tingloy if we climbed first, we decided to catch the ferry at Anilao Port. 

There are also a lot of other Beaches in Tingloy island. Some of the tourists we were with on the boat were headed somewhere else. We took a tricycle at the port of Tingloy and walked through a rice field before reaching the beach. 

We slept through the whole afternoon because it felt so tiring driving in traffic the whole morning. Anyway, the sweltering sun could've made the water hot as well so I don't think I can enjoy that. We only dipped in the water during sunset when the water was getting cooler. After swimming, we cooked dinner and had some beer. 

It was the kind of vacation that makes you forget all about the traffic in Manila, that a plunderer is running for president, that I have MA classes, and a box load of test papers to check. Well, in hindsight, we might have actually talked about it at some point in our conversation, but I don't care. I'm enjoying the quiet beach with my friends. Anyway, we still have a hike the following day.