2nd Chance: An Untitled Destination

I didn't put a title to this post since I wanted to catch your attention. And with this picture as my cover, you may be wondering: where the hell is this beach?

Well, if you've wanted to explore more, I can now tell you that this is Aninuan Beach in none other than Puerto Galera. Yes, you've heard me right. I have finally written an entry about Galera. Just to give you some background, I hated Galera when I visited it as a backpacker. I landed in Sabang Beach, and witnessed a debauchery of nature, an exploitation of whims and the spillage of hedonism in one beach. I banned myself from going back. It was hell.

What made me come back was a festival that I've always wanted to experience, the Malasimbo Arts and Music Festival. And its been five years, so I figured, time for renewal. And possibly a second chance. But I didn't want to go to Sabang anymore. I've never been to White Beach, but also didn't want to stay there hearing some things. So I decided to stay in Aninuan that was just beside White Beach, but as the reviewers say, quieter.  So we took that ferry from the Batangas Pier to Muelle Pier and off we went to our resort, Sunset at Aninuan.

I must admit, when I landed at the pier, I never figured I was a Galera. Hence, the excitement built up. As we drove along the highway passing through White Beach, I witness a slew of new and better looking resorts. We were at Aninuan. 

And boy was I happy with our resort. Deemed one of the most recommended in Galera, Sunset at Aninuan was a welcoming escape.

The resort was truly what I was looking for. Quiet, rustic yet charming and concealed. It was near yet far. It was busy yet tame. It was modern yet otherworldly. It was also surprisingly big, as it had two wings, one for its more modern rooms, and one for its more traditional ones facing the beach. 

Of course, I took the more traditional one - the one not in a building. Though the other wing also looked promising, the charm of the older one was more genuine. I loved the lounges scattered all over  its beachfront. I can just imagine relaxing here the ENTIRE DAY.

But I wouldn't allow myself that. We wandered off to proceed to White Beach through a rocky trail. 

After 10 minutes, we were in busy White Beach, where most tourists of Galera frolicked. I was also happy that I saw a lot of foreigners, blending in already with the locals. This wasn't the case 10 years ago, when all the foreigners were in La Laguna or in Coco Beach only.

We stayed a little longer in White Beach. We had a meal and a couple of beers and sort of digested the vibe that was again, surprisingly good. Though it did try a little bit hard to become like Boracay, you'd see that the crowd is not pretentious. Some may call them more rowdy and offbeat, but I think they were all minding their own business of having fun.

We rushed back to Aninuan, since we realized we were here for Malasimbo, which I will be sharing in my next post.

Sunset at Aninuan won't be called as such if the sentiment was not true. This dazzling view was witnessed with a beer on hand, and with some chill out music playing in the background. It was the perfect warm up for one of the most anticipated festival in the country. And I was here, soaking it all up in this melting moment, forgetting what happened five years ago.