Dec 25 – Palaui Island and Long Drive to Baler, Aurora

It’s Christmas Day, and we spent it island hopping. Honestly such an unusual way to celebrate, but also one of the nicest.

We were at San Vicente Port by 6 AM. I had searched for a contact the night before, and by 7 AM we were already on a boat heading to Palaui Island, life vests on, ham sandwiches packed from the Christmas ham I brought from work. Ochre had his own little vest and looked so adorbs! Such a qtpatootie.

The ride to Engaño Cove took about an hour. At one point it honestly felt like the water and sky were blending together because everything looked white and gray. The reflection of the clouds on the sea made everything feel so still and quiet.

When we arrived, we were the only people there. One of the boatmen stayed with the boat while the other guided us up to the Cape Engaño Lighthouse. Around 200 to 300 steps to the top, but there was a proper trail and we weren’t in any rush. Carabaos roaming the grasslands below, the cove stretching out on the other side, and the huge Palaui Island sign you could already spot from the water. Ochre kept running ahead with the guide then stopping to wait for us like, “hooman, walk faster.”

The lighthouse itself, Faro de Cabo Engaño, is a Spanish colonial structure built in the 19th century. Old, windswept, and quiet. The sky even cleared up briefly so we got some blue in our photos.

Just when we thought we were heading back, our guide led us down another trail that wasn’t obvious at all. It opened up to a completely unobstructed view of the coast and the nearby Dos Hermanas islands. There was also an old signage there with the Philippine flag, “Palaui Island, Sta. Ana Cagayan,” and the coordinates, though some of the text was already gone. Beautiful, but a bit close to the cliffside so we tread carefully.

On the way back, the wind picked up fast. By the time we rounded the other side of the island, the waves were rough. Really rough. We were getting soaked just sitting in the boat, and at one point the boatman opened an umbrella in front of us to block the water. We skipped the swimming spots and Crocodile Island and just headed straight back. Definitely one for the books.

We were back at port by 10 AM, packed up at the resort, and on the road again by noon.

The original plan was to stop in Tuguegarao for Pancit Batil Patong, but the traffic and the driving there stressed us out and we ended up skipping it. Good thing we passed a family selling biryani by the road. That became lunch. A bit further along there were people selling corn, buko juice, bibingka, and puto bumbong. Those random stops kept us going.

Since we skipped Tuguegarao, we just decided to push all the way to Baler. Bold move. Also definitely one we would not want to repeat.

We hit the Sierra Madre stretch at around 7 PM, already dark. Nonstop winding roads, sharp curves, elevation changes, fog rolling in and out. There were barely any other cars, and we honestly had no clue what was around us most of the time. Just pitch black with the occasional house here and there. At times it felt like we were driving right beside cliffs, so Asis was extra careful the whole way, especially with the brakes. No signal, barely anyone around. It would’ve been terrifying if something happened to the car out there. I bet the views during daytime would be beautiful, but driving through it at night? Never again.

The mountain drive lasted about two hours. When we finally got down, there were eateries still open along the highway. We stopped, ate, rested. We were all exhausted, and I honestly could not imagine how Asis was still functioning after driving all day.

The Airbnb I had booked just hours before turned out to be great. A simple modern kubo near everything, lovely hosts. We arrived past 11 PM, and by then we were all just done. Each of us had our own bed to crash into, and that was more than enough.

Memorable Christmas. One we definitely won’t forget.

---

Photos shot on my phone, edited on Vintify. They turned out a bit too contrasty and dark now but looked fine on my mobile screen so I just left them. Too lazy to redo everything.