Prime Summer Outing 2016: Cagbalete

Contributor: Ms. Jaidee Cyra Pintor/ Tour Facilitator

Summer is coming and pronounced excitement comes with it. As a new part of this Prime family hearing lots of things regarding the most awaited part of the year, the company summer outing, I am very thrilled with the idea that finally, I will be able to experience it together with my batch mates, TF15. Plans are laid, groupings are made, checklist completed, bags are packed and the excitement soaring up- Prime Orienteer Tours and Travel Inc. Summer Outing 2016, game on!

Originally bound to the infamous, top beach destination in the country nowadays, Calaguas Island in Camarines Norte but circumstances and the weather is quite impermissible and I don’t want to talk about our dilemmas encountered and just wanted to focus on the brighter side of this adventure. So goodbye Calaguas and off to our on-the-day Plan B and from Camarines Norte, we rode back to the province of Quezon and had an overnight stay at Batis Aramin where we shook off our 24-hours travel jitters. After some of us took an evening water dip and ate a very sumptuous dinner, we finally doze off to sleep and prepare ourselves for the next day’s travel.
We were greeted by the typical somehow-rainy weather of Quezon the next day as we continue our journey to Mauban, Quezon where we are going to take our boat ride going to Cagbalete Island. It took us almost four hours before we reached the port and immediately unloaded all of our belongings and necessities from the bus and loaded it again to the boat assigned to us. We are very fortunate that the sun showed itself to us as we arrived at the port and as we are loading the boat but very unfortunate that as soon as we started cruising the vast seas, rain started pouring again.

It was my very first time to ride a boat in an open sea and it is very unforgettable as if I am on a roller coaster ride and I am not a big fan of such amusement rides. Cruising in an open sea against the current and big waves, almost zero visibility, and tension within everyone can be strongly felt. We are like a paper boat being tossed by waves. Thanks to Maám Juliet who lighten and ease the negative aura embracing our group. And after an almost-forever boat ride, we finally dock on the shores of Cagbalete Island.

We then wasted no time and started preparing ourselves and our teams for our team building games. We stayed at Villa Cleofas, one of the few resorts in the islands. Our team, violet team, shared hut with the green team. After lunch, the battle begins. The first part of our activity, the ever-present cheering contest that makes everyone’s tummy ache because of the “preparedness” of everyone. The second part includes the team building games itself, and the details I can’t be share, if you want to know, just join our team and you’ll surely won’t miss it for your life. We played mind games, stamina and strength games that test the group and individual’s capacity. Strong competition can be felt within the groups and it is very amusing to see how competitive yet, gratifying each of us were. After a series of games and mumbles of laughter, we are finally through. Time for us to explore the beach.
The waters of the sea was actually gone (because of low tide) by the time we are finished playing so we had the chance to walk on the waterless sea and went to a sandbar that showed itself. It is very astounding to witness a picturesque landscape such as what Cagbalete has. Though the sand is not as fine as the other beached has to offer, Cagbalete Island has its genuine beauty. After hundreds of groupies and selfies, we decided to head back to the resort since it already started getting dark and the water as well is starting to rise and just in a glimpse, the sea is in full view again and it is enough to call it a day.

I was awakened by loud sound of a Tokay Gecko (tuko) very early the next day. I went out of the hut and was welcomed by a spine trembling gust of morning sea breeze. Wrapping myself with a blanket, I head off for a morning walk.

This is the first time I saw the complete calm view of the Cagbalete Island as well as its waters. The serene environment, the sound of the waves, the rustle of the leaves of the trees and the pristine waters, offers a calming effect. I strolled the beach and enjoyed picking of hermit crabs-yes, there are tons of hermits crabs on the shores and they are really cute-all sort of sizes.

As soon as everyone was already awake, the resort comes back to life again. After breakfast, we head to different activities. While others are getting high on playing volleyball, and others are getting busy for another pictorial sessions, some of us settled to have a morning dip. A summer beach outing will never be complete without swimming, and so we set forth. The water is surprisingly shallow that we are quite far from the shore and the water is still waist-deep. After some time playing with the waves, we decided to visit the so-called estuarine located nearby. Following our guide who is Choco, the dog, yeah, he actually lead us going there, we reached the area where a river and the sea meets, surrounded by mangroves, a very scenic view. Endless phot sessions, mumbles and laughter and swimming- enough to make us tired and hungry, that leads us back to resort.

Since the sun finally showed itself to us, we then prepared to leave, which is very funny fro during our stay, the weather is quite inauspicious, the moment that we are bound to leave, sun shone brightly. But thanks to it, the boat ride going back to port from the island is smooth.

This trip with the Prime Orienteer family is one of a kind experience for me. A very worthwhile experience. I thought we will just went home empty-handed since Plan A didn’t go well, but big thanks to the enthusiasm of our bosses, we went home full of everything. The twenty-four hours bus ride, the mind-boggling boat ride- everything is unforgettable, the experiences and the place, very remarkable. But what makes this trip notable is the people, the Prime family. If not for these people, this trip might turned out differently. We may be different in terms of lots of things- ages, preferences, attitude- but the love, care, friendship and comfort as well as the sense of belongingness to the company that binds everyone together, is what makes it different.

​So kudos to the Prime family and hoping for a more fruitful years to come to have more exciting experiences as this one.

​ Indeed, One Prime, One Rule, Prime Rules!