Tikling Island, Subic Beacn, Huwag Fish Sanctuary in Matnog, Sorsogon

Most recent trip : July 2008

No. of times I had been here : 10+

Hotels/Resorts I stayed in : none

Best time to go : March - June (summer)

Am I going back to Matnog : Yes

Matnog is the end of the road for Luzon but it only where the adventure begins. For many people, this town is the jump off point to Visayas. For ferry passengers during typhoon season, they don't want to be stranded in here. Matnog lacks decent accommodation and the inns are not numerous. If the port is closed due to bad weather, you will see a lot of stranded passengers camping out here and there because there is no place to stay. But thats only 1/10000 of being in Matnog. This town has a heavy loaded market day. Blessed with rich marine life, this is where people go for the freshest blue marlin and groupers (lapu-lapu) at rock bottom prices. So every market day, you will see a lot of people coming from nearby towns just buying fishes and also local produce (organic) vegetable.

Matnog has beautiful pristine beaches, namely Tikling Island and Subic Beach. These two beaches are only accessible by boat. Tikling is the island you can see facing the port. Its uninhabited and you dock your boat anywhere as long as it is weather permitting. The sand is so white, the water is so clear, but its deep and at high tide the waves are huge. There are 2 sides of Tikling. The white sandy shore and the shallow reef. In the reef side during low tide, you can easily spot crustaceans and shells no matter how much it camouflages from the marine environment. Such a pleasant surprise to find these aquatic life just right after the shoreline. Most people do bring home the catch, cook with coconut milk and chili, authentic home made Bicol dish.

Subic Beach is a hidden cove, much farther than Tikling and you cannot see it from the port. It has 2 beaches both powdery white sand and clear blue waters. No one can possibly come up with a good reason of not diving into the waters, it is so inviting. There are 2 makeshift cottage for day trippers and thats it. No stores or souvenir shops and no toilet. Bring your own food and drinks and bring your trash on your way back to the port. If you don't want to stay in the cottage, you can just camp anywhere you like, usually under the trees, and no one would mind. This is Sorsogon's best kept secret. Ssshhh!

Enroute to Subic Beach from Tikling is Huwag Fish Sanctuary. Its a lagoon with fish pens around it. Passers by are allowed to go the center of the fish pen and swim with the lobsters and mother milkfish. They have a very interesting way of transporting the visitors to the fish pen. From the point of entry, you will be standing on a floater, hold on to rope and then they will pull you to the center. The water is from shallow to very deep, so if you dont have plans of swimming in the fish pen, better hold on the rope and the person standing right next to you. The milkfish is for show only since it is illegal to eat these breeders but the lobsters are for sale.

What do I think of the places I visited :
Subic Beach : I hope its remains to be a best kept secret
Huwag : Another secret
Tikling Island : at good weather and calm seas, perfect

As we all know, Bicol is frequently visited by typhoons and during the rainy seasons, the sea can be so rough with gigantic waves and whirlpools. Of course, your safety has to be the first priority. Subic and Tikling won't leave us, it is just waiting there to be discovered.