sta cruz island - ang kwento namin (3 of 3)

here's 3rd part of my sta cruz island series. :D




my usual sunglass shot! :D that's one of our boatmen... and those are our baon :D

we tried to leave for the island the earliest possible. This time pickup is no longer beside Lantaka Hotel, but inside Paseo del Mar (they've built a waiting area inside the park!)....




our boat didnt have any "katig" (bamboo stilts) for support, but the trip seems kinda sturdy... that boat can accommodate upto 10 passengers. Boat costs Php900 for 6pax and an additional Php100 for every additional guest.

the gang's reaction when they first set foot in the island was exactly the same as ours more than a year ago... immediately check out whether the sand's really pink and pick up some pieces of the red corals. :D




all sta cruz island visitors are required to register with the Department of Tourism. The department provides a police escort for each boat going to sta cruz island.

Our police escort allowed us to borrow his gun! :) but he ensured bullets were taken off before we played with it... :D




except for the island locals, we got the place to ourselves... no other guests!!!

i think i read somewhere that people can opt to stay in the island overnight but they have to bring their own tents. The cottages available in the island are just good for day trips.




except for the cottages and 2 comfort rooms, the island retains its natural form. so you just have to find ways to entertain yourselves while there. you can opt to swim in its clear waters...just be careful, current is really strong.




having someone who's good with the guitar is a big plus! :D we dont have to worry about bringing anything so we can have music during the stay. :)




place is good for camwhoring too!!! :D




some locals rent out volleyballs and they've setup volleyball nets too. despite the heat of high noon we still played!!! ;D




and when the heat got unbearable we played touch-ball under the shades of the trees...




but for gagay... he opted to daydream with one of the island's dogs. :D




there's really nothing in the island so you have to bring your own food and supply of water. just make sure that you include food and water for the police escort too...

leo volunteered to grill our new catched and de-boned bangus... but of course we also have my staple beach baon - sweet and sour lapu-lapu. we brought the crabs cooked in Alavar sauce that they didnt get to finish the night before. gagay had a feast with it... the sotanghon didnt get to be photographed anymore because they've already gobbled it up before we even thought of taking photos. ;D




here's a tip for photo-enthusiast who'll be visiting Sta Cruz island.... between 12noon-2pm the boat from Basilan to Zamboanga passes on one side of the island... it may be a good subject! :D i was able to capture something similar to this one during my first visit. :)


we needed to leave the island by 2-3pm mainly due to a stronger current beyond that time and the boat may have difficulty navigating.


...so we were still able to pass by a grocery store and buy food for next day's trip. we craved for selecta's truffle ice cream... we ended eating it all up with that small wooden spoon for ice creams in cups...we didnt even bother settling inside the house first... :D

t'was a good trip. :)


------------------
Sta Cruz Island
Zamboanga City, Philippines
06 September 2009