An unexpected Calaguas Island redux, and reluctantly too!

Tutubi was able to visit again his favorite backpacker beach during his trip to Paracale, Camarines Norte. Due to his friends insistence to have lunch on Maculabo Island by hiring a boat at Paracale port


These are what Tutubi saw on Tinaga Island the second time around:

the big boat that ferried Tutubi to calaguas island for the 2nd time (PhP3,500.00 rate)



Tutubi's companion didn't really intend to swim but quickly dove into the water when he saw the awesome beach that Tutubi avers was really very good



sand so fine and not hot to the feet

the owner of the large part of Mahabang Buhangin is experimentin in growing bermuda grass on the island plus the use of solar power to charge car battery


Changes to Calaguas Island:

there's a confirmed mobile phone signal from Smart at a certain location on the beach marked by bamboo "totem" poles. You can bring solar power chargers to charge your cellphones due to the presence of cellphone signal on Calaguas Island

You can find battery charger using solar energy owned by the Patents holder of much of Mahabang Buhangin Beach Resort

Beach property is for sale, a few hectares of this paradise is for sale by a whopping PhP3.5M, no title yet but a Patent owned by Lolo whom Tutubi personally met.

Drinking water is still fetched from a fresh water well (from where Sadako climbed up)

How to get to Calaguas Island:

Board a bus to Daet, Camarines Norte via Sta. Elena (Piltranco, Amihan Express, Daet Express, fare: PhP500.00), get off at a junction called Batobalani in Jose Panganiban town, ride a tricycle to the port of Paracale (fare: PhP20.00) then look for boats going to Tinaga Island (PhP60.00 fare) or rent a boat to Calaguas Island (PhP3,500.00 boat rental rate).

You may get in touch directly with the owner of Mahabang Buhangin Beach resort for the latest "accommodations/room rates," camping/pitching of tents, water, electricity or simply boat rentals and contact numbers.

Related Posts:
Maculabo Island
Calaguas Island
Apuao Grande Island

Labels: Beaches, Bicol Region, Camarines Norte, Islands

An attempt to visit Paracale's Pulang Daga Beach, named after the red colored sand beach (daga means soil in Bicolano), did not materialized due to Tutubi's friend's insistence to have lunch in an island that's so near the "gold rush" town of Paracale.

It turned out it's on the list of Tutubi's islands he wanted to visit: Maculabo Island, just to verify claims of some people (and bloggers) that it's like this famous island teeming with tourists down south.

The trip to Maculabo Island is just a mere thirty minutes from the Paracale Port via motorized banca, an hour more, you'll find yourself in the mesmerizing Mahabang Buhangin of Tinaga Island, Calaguas Islands. Both Tinaga Island and Maculabo islands are part of the Calaguas Group of Islands though Tinaga Island is politically part of Vinzons, Camarines Norte.
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Pictures of Maculabo Island, the white sand beach of Centro (or Sentro) as the locals call the place.





The white sand beach boasts white sand alright but it's not as white nor as fine as the sand of Mahabang Buhangin, (erroneously called Calaguas Island).

Centro of Maculabo is inhabited with a small barangay (village) where Tutubi's friend bought freshly-caught fish (talakitok and tanigue).

Maculabo Island
GPS Coordinates/Waypoints: N14 24 04.5 E122 49 04.0

Related Posts:

Calaguas Island
Apuao grande Island Resort

Labels: Beaches, Bicol Region, Camarines Norte, Islands

Tutubi's friend from France last year tried to watch the dazzling show of combined transvestites and girls ala Las vegas show girls style, on a tip from Lonely Planet guide book, yet failed due to ticket reservation problem and that the performers were booked for an exclusive show at a birth party.

Now, here are pictures and directions for others wishing to visit the place

Pictures of Club Mwah's Performers and Performances:

World-class Las Vegas Style showgirls performing at Club Mwah in Mandaluyong, Metro Manila

Performers at Club Mwah is a mix of transvestites, "third sex," and authentic women, you just can't tell who is who :P

Tutubi was able to watch the Cabaret show in Bangkok, Thailand featuring same format but the big difference was that the performers here sing the songs themselves live, unlike in Bangkok where they only did lip synching ("lip sing," instead of lip synch or lip sync as most Pinoys think). This is the same style you see at the Amazing Philippine Show at the Film Center, Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) Complex in Pasay City (not Manila),

Here are directions to Club Mwah in Mandaluyong for those who want to go there.

For a map of Club Mwah, click here (on OpenStreetMap, updated by Tutubi)

How to get to Club Mwah, Mandaluyong:

From MRT, drop off at Boni Station, walk to Pinatubo (for Southbound) or Forum Robinsons (Pioneer) then board a jeepney to Kalentong, JRU or Stop N Shop
then alight at Boni corner Ligaya, cross Boni on foot.

Driving Directions to Club Mwah, Mandaluyong

If you have a car, from Ayala Avenue, Makati, you can drive on Makati Avenue, cross Makati-Mandaluyong Bridge, right to Coronado, right to San Francisco, right
to Maysilo (rotonda), right to Boni (landmark: Petron) until you see Club Mwah on your right

From Quezon City, the easiest (but not usually the fastest) is via EDSA, right to Boni then make a U-Turn on Sikap Street, and look for CLub Mwah on your right

Club Mwah
Location Address: 3rd Floor, The Venue Tower, 652 Boni Avenue, Mandaluyong City
GPS Coordinate: N14 34 34.1 E121 02 17.4

Parking: ample parking at the building basement
Club Mwah Ticket Prices/Rates: PhP500/head
Telephone Number/Contact Number:
Official Website: www.clubmwah.com

reservation, group tours, private party, promos, discounts and other inquiries, please contact Club Mwah directly.

related posts:
How to get to Mandaluyong City Hall

Labels: Mandaluyong City, Metro Manila, Nightlife

Stuck in Metro Manila in Holy Week, like Tutubi and also allergic to malls and usual trips? Herewith is a suggested itinerary for a day or two around the so called Laguna Loop route:

Old Churches of Rizal (Visita Iglesia)
Baras Church
Morong Church
Tanay Church

after visiting Tanay Church, you can proceed to the giant Mother Mary shrine in Rizal in Sampaloc, Tanay near Camp Capinpin and Marcos Highway called Regina RICA

the shade under the giant statue can seat about 70 people. there's an adoration chapel insde the statue, the only place where picture taking is not allowed. guests are requested to dress modestly and keep quiet

Old Churches of Laguna (Visita Iglesia) with coordinates for your GPS:

Pakil Church: St. Peter of Alcantara Parish
Paete Church: St. James the Apostle Parish
Longos Church (Kalayaan): San Juan Bautista (St. John the Baptist)
Lumban Church
Pagsanjan Church: Our Lady of Guadalupe (not old though, it's reconstructed)

In Pakil, you can trek up Mt. Ping-as to visit the Holy Cross where a viewpoint offers a magnificent vista of Pakil town and Laguna de Bay.

In Paete, you may opt to drive to the top of the hill for the Tatlong Krus,
similar to the biblical Three Crosses on Calvary Hill in Jerusalem

the three crosses taken about 6 years ago using Tutubi's then trusted Canon Ixus 30

After Reaching Pagsanjan, you can opt to turn left after passing Pagsanjan Church (Our Lady of Guadalupe) and Pagsanjan Municipal Hall towards Cavinti and Luisiana (where the old churches await) en route to Lucban ( to visit Kamay ni Hesus, an already popular pilgrimage site on the hillsides of the Sierra Madre



From Lucban, you can drive back to Majayjay and Liliw where two old churches again await.

list of old churches in Laguna (from the northeast of Laguna de Bay (Laguna Lake))

Pakil Church, Paete church, Longos Church, Lumban Church, Cavinti Church, Luisiana Church, Magdalena Church, Majayjay Church (beautiful earthquake baroque), Liliw Church (red bricks), Sta. Cruz Church, Pila Church, Bay Church, Los Banos Church, Calamba Church (where Jose Rizal was baptized)

So many places to visit and explore, you really can't do it in a day, suggest an overnight somewhere probably in Paete, with the moving saints during the Holy Wednesday and Maundy Thursday Procession and the Dapit on Good Friday including the Mater Dolorosa, which won for Mariano Madrinan a Gold Medal in the

Estimated travel time, via the main roads, not the highway (Manila East Road)
conservative approximations:

Antipolo to Teresa, Rizal: 20 minutes
Pakil to Paete: 15 minutes
Paete to Longos, Kalayaan: 15 minutes
Lumban to Pagsanjan: 10 minutes
Pagsanjan to Lucban, Quezon : 1 hour


GPS coordinates/waypoints:

Tatlong Krus: N14 21 53.7 E121 29 32.8
Kamay ni Hesus: N14 06 00.5 E121 34 25.6

Pakil Church: N14 22 50.9 E121 28 44.7
Paete Church: N14 21 52.3 E121 28 54.4
Longos Church N14 20 25.0 E121 28 52.7

related post:
Holy Week in Paete, Laguna

Labels: Calabarzon, Holy Week, Laguna, Pilgrimage Sites, Quezon, Rizal, Southern Tagalog

In the "gold rush" town of Paracale that sits on gold (whose gold was alleged to be by an ex-president), stands the old stone Church of Our Lady of Candelaria (Our Lady of Candles), which is celebrating its 400th anniversary.

the Drive-by photo of Paracale Church's facade:

the facade of Paracale Church, made of adobe blocks and facing towards the sea, as always, i.e. east guarding the town from marauders and slave traders of yore (picture taken around 5pm)

Tutubi merely took a drive-by picture of the old church and was not able to enter to see, document how the altar and read about the history of the catholic edifice and probably old retablo (tableau) but had to leave in a haste so as not get caought at night passing by the zigzag road between Atimonan and Pagbilao, Quezon on the way to Manila

Paracale is a gateway port to Maculabo Island and the Calaguas Group of Islands, home to Mahabang Buhangin, about 1.5 hours away from Paracale port.

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Paracale Church
GPS Coordinate: N14 16 46.1 E122 47 14.6

How to get to Paracale, Camarines Norte

Commute to Paracale, there's a Superlines terminal near Paracale Church that has trips to the capital town of Daet, Camarines Norte. You can get to Paracale from Manila by boarding a bus of Superlines, Amihan Lines or Daet Express that pass by the northern towns of Sta. Elena, Capalonga, Labo and Jose Panganiban (fare: PhP500.00 approximately) but request the conductor to drop you off at a junction called Bato Balani in Jose Panganiban town. At Bato Balani, ride a tricycle to Paracale (fare: PhP20.00)

There's an ATM owned by Rural Bank of Paracale that dispenses gold, not cold cash (as it's April 1 :)

If you want some sort of Visita Iglesia Camarines Norte you can also try Saint Peter's Parish Church (Vinzons Church), Parish of St. John, the Evangelist (Labo Church), (Capalonga Church, not really old but it's home to the venerated Black Nazarene).

Labels: Bicol Region, Camarines Norte, Churches, Visita Iglesia