Boracay… … de Cavite

Last week, I had a my front tire replaced with an FDR Genzi 80/80-17. Handling was funny and I struggled a bit for days. I considered replacing it with the usual Dunlop tires I’ve always had but I decided to give it a shot on a longer distance ride. Maybe the tire just needs a couple of hundred of kilometers to rise to the occasion. Or maybe I’M the one who needs to log a few more kilometers with the tire to get used to it. If neither of those two works, I’m getting rid of the tire.

I’ve always wanted to explore Cavite more and this is probably the day to head out in that direction. I’m thinking of Ternate. They say the twisties there are great and the beaches are just as beautiful. I got off work at 5AM in Sta Rosa, Laguna. At daybreak, I am already up in Tagaytay enjoying the cool breeze as much as the road . I didn’t have a set route in mind so that it won’t count as “got lost” if I do get lost. I still did, anyway.

The roads of Cavite..

I took a wrong turn in Alfonso. Instead to heading straight to Marogondon, a right turn took me to Indang and then the seemingly endless stretch of road in Naic. Before 7AM, I was already in Ternate and making my way up Mt Palay-Palay National Park.

my unplanned route for this quickie ride

bottom left pic is Isla de Balot at the mouth of Ternate River.

I first came upon Puerto Azul but unfortunately, it’s closed. I continued deeper into the mountain. Not surprisingly, I was getting used to the tire. I’m getting better in negotiating the turns.

There’s supposedly 4 beaches here. too bad it’s closed for the day.

After 10 kms, I reached General Gregorio Lim Marine Base. It is one of the Marine Barracks in the country. Cool thing is, it is open to the public and part of the reason it is popular is because of Cavite de Boracay or Katungkulan Beach. Katungkulan is Tagalog for duty. The beach is 5 km from the main gate (which is at KM post 70).

securing a visitor’s pass at the main gate.

The beach is open to the public contrary to rumors that you need to secure a special permit or you should be endorsed by someone in the Armed Forces. There’s an entrance fee of P100 per head but I wasn’t asked to pay for it because I informed them I won’t go swimming and I won’t stay for long. According to a helper on the resort, cottages start at P350 and the room for overnight stay at P500. I wasn’t able to check the rooms and the shower areas. The cottages seemed OK. They also have a sari-sari store near the beach. Yes, you may bring food and drinks (alcoholic beverages allowed).

Cavite de Boracay, Boracay de Cavite, Marine Base Beach, Katungkulan Beach.. whatever you call it, this is it.

the trees near the cottages provide as extra shade from the sun.

As for the beach.. well, don’t expect something like that of Boracay of course just because it is dubbed as “little Boracay”. I find the sand finer than the ones in Laiya or Nasugbu though. It’s also much, much cleaner. It’s definitely one of the best beaches near Metro Manila which is only 70 kms away.

Early birds! It’s only 7:30 AM and there’s this many beach-goers already. Summer IS here!

What also makes this unique is the presence of the Marines training in the area. They have the training grounds and barracks just a few meters from the beach. Expect to hear the occasional gunfire. No picture-taking allowed!

an “unsinkable battleship”, the Fort Drum.

I stayed only long enough to eat a cupcake and gulp down a bottle of energy drink. There’s really nothing interesting to see except for what appears like a battleship docked nearby.  On my way out, I passed by a fork on the road and asked a Marine if I may go there. He said it’s okay as long as I behave myself. Excited, I helped myself through some ruins and waist-high grass for a panoramic view of Manila Bay. Let’s continue the exploration on another post (Click here) and see the landmine I almost stepped on to.