My Day in Sabang

The beach curves around. Past the white condos (top right) is a stairway and path that leads to the other side of the point. Along the way names change from Sabang to Small La Laguna to Big La Laguna but it looks like one long beach. To walk back to PG, I took the road from this side of Sabang. A banca would go around the point. See 3 little boys in the center of the photo?

The beach front. Not much swimming here except for the small local kids. On the other end of the path past the white building was a swimming beach. Lots of tall cell towers.

A typical beachfront image. I loved all the colors.

Small resorts line the beach front.

Looking down on the homes of Sabang.

Three little boys exploring the tide pools. They lifted any rock that looked promising! The water was quite clear.

I have lots more of them, they were so "being little kids."

Today is January 7th. The kids returned to school after their summer holiday. November and December are the months with the best weather so schools are closed. But the International School here has a school year that matches American School schedules.

These kids were too old for exploring tide pools and were pitching peso.

After I left the boys, I scrounged around a bit looking for sea glass. Then I walked on further down the beach planning to look into the little shops along the way. There are a few and lots of bars and resturants.

A matchbox with Jose Rizal's photo. I found it on the beach.

A woman going off to sell her fruit.

Local bar. This is the narrow street that parallels the beach front. There are lots of characters here one could imagine as pirates; all of them westerners, most Europeans one could imagine as part of Jack Sparrow's motley crew.

I heard someone calling my name and looked up. Randal was hanging out waiting for his "Classic Club" buddies to show up. This was one pre-lunch hangout place. I finished Randal's diet coke and then went off alone so no one would see us together and make Randal pay for a round of drinks. Wives were "so not allowed" at this event. The club has been meeting for over 10 years, every Thursday, and I had no desire to challenge history.

Another colorful bar along the beach. One gets thirsty at the beach!

This place is empty here, but by noon it would be full of "Classic Club" members.

And here it is again starting to fill up. Randal is wearing his green backpack. Nick is there as well as JR who lives on the boat two down from us in Subic (talking to Randal). JR and Heidi were visiting Nick for the holidays. Chris is another new friend we made. He is in the green hat. Chris and Marlene live in Romblom but were in Puerta Galera on their sailboat for the holidays. Randal enjoys talking boats and cruising with this group.

This is the swimming beach. I am sitting at a small restaurant just out of the photo. The men you see walking in the distance in the black and white shirts are off to attend the Classic Club! There are club shirts members must wear, but there are a variety of styles and either black or white.

My little table. I had an onion, tomato, cheese omelet and toast with mango jam! I had brought a book, but never opened it. I was actually filling in time while the thread lady wove my necklace. I can't believe I have no photo of her.

Following these guys was a family of four. These guys were hired to carry their stuff from the banca that had delivered them probably from Puerto Galera or from the ferry from Batangas. The only road into town is back at the end of Sabang. Nick has to park his car there and walk half the beach to his condo at Portofino.

I made the mistake of telling the fruit seller in white, "maybe later," when she had asked me to buy some fruit. Well this was later and she said, it was later, and that I had said I would buy some fruit later. So...I bought bananas. She said, "what about buying some fruit from my friend?" I said, "I didn't even want the bananas!" But I did use them to make really good banana, mango, walnut bread that Chris from Romblon especially loved.

Leaving Sabang. A resort built to look like a castle. So I'm now on the way out of town and back to Puerto Galera. The road is 6 kilometers. 5 kilometers=3 miles. From Sabang to La Laguna to get my thread necklace is about a mile, and then a mile back.

An interesting display along the road just after I left Sabang. Abandon all seriousness you who enter here.

I have to admit I take lots of laundry photos too.

It looks the middle of nowhere, but there was enough road traffic that I never felt isolated or scared to be walking along the road. You could see the sea through the trees on the photo's right.

A jeepney from Puerto Galera to Sabang. Crammed to overflowing.

On going forever, apparently.

I had to time it to make sure I was out of the way of the traffic and not having to jump into the muck to get out of the way!

Randal arranged to get a ride back from Sabang to Puerto Galera and thought it was in a trike. But the man led him to a motocycle. Randal told him that he'd better not get them stuck in the mud! This is not Randal, but it is what he must have looked like, only bigger!

There were very small "towns" and resorts along the road. This one is about 1/2 mile from PG.

Just about back in Puerto Galera. With stopping to take photos, the walk took about an hour.

The End




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