College is supposed to be this awesome, overwhelmingly fun aspect that really brightens up your life. I can see why it’s generally considered to be like this; after all, you can further your career, hang out with a multitude of different people and be more free than ever before. College gives you an unbelievable amount of opportunities, whether it is joining a club that seems really fun or going to a professor’s office hours for extra help. I’ve found that college is bursting at the seams with activities and chances to improve yourself every single day. Every day at college could be an adventure, in and of itself.
However, college has not been that fun for me. I cannot tell you the amount of times that I’ve had to go to bed at 2 a.m. or 3 a.m., due to working on assignments for one of my classes. It feels as though the work that I get in college never ends; whether it’s writing papers, reading chapters out of a textbook or completing online assignments, it feels as though I’m always working. I’ve been feeling busy and very stressed and stay up very late to study and finish an assignment, and I sacrifice sleep just to read a couple more pages on a book for class. I’ve worked ridiculous amounts for weeks now, and I’ve had to put aside some of my hobbies as a result.
There are days where I’m running around from morning to night, doing millions of little actions and having a very small amount of time for relaxing and just enjoying life.
However, I’ve still found ways to enjoy my time at college. The large workloads and constant stress is something that every college student has to deal with, which means that I am not alone in feeling this way. Talking to friends who I really enjoy and visiting my hometown is the best escape from reality.
I’ve been visiting my mother’s hometown in Del Socorro Minalabac, Camarines Sur for more than 6 years now but it was only this year that I’ve learned about its neighboring beaches. After getting to some beaches in Bicol. I’ve told myself that every time that I’ll visit my mother’s hometown, I should get to a beach that is very relaxing.
Last December 2018, I asked my younger brothergo with me in Bagolatao beach, as I’ve learned that there are nice pebble beaches there. Minalabac is home to pebble beaches along the coasts of Ragay Gulf. These pebble beaches can be found in the towns of Bagolatao, Salingogon, Hamoraon, and San Antonio. But that time, what we had intended to visit to is the pebble beach in Bagolatao.
My younger brother know the place. They told me that it wasn’t that far from our place if we walk and a private or rented vehicle can reach it in two hours. It is also near in Naga City with travel time that may only take an hour.
Driving to Bagolatao is not easy. There are roads that are still unpaved. It is quite rocky and uneven. There are some roads that are uphill and steep that it leads some of us to get down from the jeepney then walked until we reach the even part of the road.
I recommend that when visiting the place; hire a jeepney that is capable to drive through the uneven and steep road. It was bad for us that we rented just a regular jeepney because it took our travel time more than the regular travel time to get to Bagolatao. The jeepney had to stop along the road because it had to fix its engine or some sort.
Were in Bagolatao, a coastal town of Minalabac, south of Naga City to visit this pebbly beach yes, not powdery white sand that almost everyone is crazy about. Not the rare red beach which is only found in some distant islets in the country. Or not even black due to volcanic activity. Just simply, white but pebbly beach.
It’s kind of a novelty but not enough to whet the appetite of large scale developers and planeloads and bus loads of tourists. But enough for us, visitors to actually see one that is not the norm. As soon as we disembarked from the Jeepney , we scampered right away to the beachfront and marveled at what we saw.
The pebbles are actually of different sizes. Smooth and round. Where it starts at the huts, the pebbles are bigger and white and graduates to smaller ones and creamier in color as it nears the water’s edge. And when you hit the sea, sand greets your feet.
While it may not be powdery white sand, just think of the possibilities. No tourist but only locals. It’s an alternative to far off Caramoan. On weekdays, you will just have the beach all to yourself as you let the smooth pebbles massage your feet. Or you can just lounge at the huts or at the native house’s veranda to enjoy the wind and sip on freshly picked coconuts. Doze off and just let time pass by.
In White Pebbles Beach Resort it was around noontime that we were able to arrive in Bagolatao. There are small resorts located in the area but we settled in White Pebbles Beach Resort. The resort has a beach house and some closed cottages good for overnight. It also has three cottages along the shoreline that is good for day tour guests. Since we were only there for half-day, we only rented one cottage that costs PHP 500. There’s no entrance fee.
Our mother and aunties prepared our food while us, the young ones, proceeded to the beach and had some picture taking.
I find the beach still and calm, as well as the town. There were only few people outside. It was quiet and serene, which what I had actually needed to de-stress.
The beach was okay. I took a swim but it was too shallow that I didn’t able to enjoy it so much. But the kids were able to have fun. They were too fond of the rocks and pebbles that some of them brought home a few. We spent the rest of our day having chitchats over chips and beers. Although I felt short to enjoy the beach, it was the time and bonding moments with my family and relatives that I had really appreciated in our trip to Bagolatao.
Visiting and swimming in Bagolatao is priceless experience.
HOW TO GET THERE: From Naga City, head to Minalabac. If you’re riding a private vehicle or hiring one, you can just go directly to Bagolatao’s White Pebble Beach. There are directions once you get to the coast. Or, if you see the Bicol Shell Museum, the beach is directly infront. If you’re on public transport, head to Minalabac and from there are tricycles and probably motorcycles or habalhabal that you can hire. Beach huts are available for rent, cheaply.
findmeonce 