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| DAET: where Bicol begins! |
Every time I hear or read about Camarines Norte, the very first thing that will come to my mind is Daet. Daet is the provincial capital of Camarines Norte. It is where Bicol begins! The municipality is a popular surfing spot among surfers worldwide. The municipality is rich in mineral resources such as white clay. It is also viable source of sand and gravel.
It really pays to have generous out of town friends who offers free accommodation! I feel lucky to have a friend who settled in Daet for professional growth. Sir Eric, offered me a weekend visit to his place and I accepted the invitation. We have a series of phone conversations in setting the perfect date of my vacation. I filed a one day leave so I can enjoy my stay a little longer. My trip schedule was supposedly Thursday night but due to a bad weather in Daet, Sir Eric advised me to take the Friday morning trip instead.
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| St. John the Baptist Parish Church |
My first visit to Daet is a memorable one. I arrived there late Friday afternoon good enough to catch the first Friday mass at St. John the Baptist Parish Church. I seldom experience a trip like this. I spent my first hour travel inside the church. That was cool. I was able to meet the previous students of my friend. We spent a dinner together after the mass. I was also able to experience a night life with them. Finishing bottles of beer and the hitting notes thru videoke.
My second day was a perfect sunny weather. We were able to stroll around the busy municipality. I strolled for historical landmarks and tourists attractions of the town. Daet is the home of the first monument of Dr. Jose Rizal.
First Rizal Monument in the Philippines was erected by voluntary contributions of the people of Camarines Norte, led by Lt. Col. Ildefonso Alegre and Lt. Col. Antonio Sanz of the Revolutionary Army. Unveiled on 30 December 1898.
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| First Rizal Monument in the Philippines |
Lunchtime, I requested them to take me to a lutong-bahay restaurant because I wanted to try local cuisine. Barry brought me to Bonok's Inasal. The restaurant serves varieties of chicken inasal. The place was filled up by locals. I tried their pecho inasal. It was great even if I have not asked for the unli rice that they were serving. Yes, they serve with unlimited rice.
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| "Bonok's Inasal" |
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| Special Inasal |
I tried their dessert, Sinugma Bitz. Great enough to quench my thirst for a hot weather. It tastes like halo-halo ice cream with candies and marshmallows as toppings. The over all experience in Bonok's Inasal was great. I felt like I was eating inside a bahay-kubo maybe because of the ambiance.
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| Sinugma Bitz |
My vacation in Daet will not be complete without experiencing the waves and sea breeze of Bagasbas Beach. After finishing some errands, we decided to refill our stomach before heading to the famous surfing beach of Camarines Norte. We visited CM 10/25, a home for kinalas, goto and tapsi's.
This kubo restaurant is located along the winding farm road going to Bagasbas Beach. It is along the highway surrounded by farm. Your eyes will be feasting with great views of mountain ranges and fields. Include a very fresh air from the province.
I ordered kinalas. It is a bowl of noodles, hard boiled egg, chicharon and other spices to make it special. I even ordered kutsinta. It was great! They have mastered the recipe over time I guess. The ambiance was just perfect for a snack before heading to the beach.
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| "yummy Kinalas and Kutsinta" |
After filling up our stomach, we headed to Bagasbas Beach. Bagasbas Beach is a long stretch of gray sand which is famous for surfing and kite boarding. It is a accredited local surfing spot by the Department of Tourism.
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| Enjoying Bagasbas Beach |
I was supposed to witness a great sunset in the beach but too bad the sun does not sets in the east. It should have been a picture perfect view. Waves are amazing and they are huge. No doubt it was a surfer's haven.
We spend time chilling and taking pictures before we went home. It came to my senses that I was really in Bagasbas Beach. Dreams really do come true. Who would have taught that the place I was only reading in online blogs has been crossed-out on my travel bucket list? Thank you for the wonderful persons I have met. I went back to Manila early Sunday morning taking up DLTB Bus Lines.
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| with my Daet colleagues: Sir Eric, Barry, your traveler and Jinalyn |
The two days vacation was filled with great memories and memorable experience. I will definitely visit my colleagues here again anytime soon. We have planned to visit Calaguas soon!
