Overnight in Matabungkay Batangas

It took a while for the team to have its 1st team building activity. Although it was a little impromptu, still, many decided to come together with some ex-peers. The place was suggested by someone who was from the area and we had a good deal for it, 6K for 2 rooms and each room had roughly 10 people in it, not bad. The place was called Sakura, it had its own pool with slide (and goes as deep as 6 feet) and is a stone throws away from the beach. The majority of the group went ahead and rode a bus going to Nasugbu at the terminal in Pasay (where Sogo is). I wasn't able to join the rest of the group and went there with one of my colleagues. We met at Alabang and I said we will ride from there. I was so sure we can get a bus or even a van going to Nasugbu from there but unfortunately there was none, probably because it was already 9PM in the evening when we met up.

According to the bus people there a.k.a konduktor and dispatcher, we can ride a bus going to Nasugbu but we have to go to GMA Cavite first, from there, take another ride going to Pala pala in Cavite and from there get a bus. (Tip #1 The buses at Alabang City Terminal mostly go to Batangas Pier, Lipa and Lucena) I was worried for 3 reasons: 1. it was getting late at night and we still had to find our way around, 2. we were both unfamiliar with the place and 3. there was no guarantee there's still a bus going to Nasugbu since the last trip from the terminal was at 9PM. Well we took a chance and rode our first jeep going to GMA Cavite. Sure I've passed by the place a couple of times with trips going to Nasugbu and Tagaytay but the difference is that I was riding a car with someone who knew the place. We sat beside the jeepney driver so we can ask him and direct us to our next stop.

The jeep used SLEX and exited at Carmona to reach GMA. The jeepney driver told us that there should be a bus or van going to Nasugbu from the Terminal (see I was right) but we said there was non. He said he was also going to Nasugbu for a family outing but that wasn't until 3AM in the morning. So he stopped at a local market and told us that we can ride a jeep from there. From there, it wasn't long til we found our way to Pala pala. Good thing I was a little familiar with the place since I used to go there quite a few times. We stopped at Robinsons Dasmarinas right across SM and from there waited for our bus. We waited for 20 minutes and we were getting worried that we might not catch a ride since most of the buses were going to Silay and Tagaytay only. Desperate, we were about to ride a bus headed to Tagaytay when we saw our bus. There were no more seats and really crowded but we didn't have a choice.

The fare from there was 107 pesos (Tip 2: Trips where you're not using a private car, make sure you use a back pack or a bag that you can close. I was using a beach bag and it was such a hassle since I can't put it in the overhead since stuff will fall out. I had to put it on the floor where people constantly kicked/stepped on it. Its Tommy Hilfiger people!). It took us almost 2 hours to get to the town of Lian which we used to talk and talk and talk. When we got down, it was a relief that there were still tricycles there. We took one and said to take us to Matabungkay. It costs 300 pesos and it really was worth it since it was quite far from the town. It took us I think almost 30 minutes just to reach the place (The group who went ahead us was able to take a jeep going to Matabungkay so a tricycle is not the only option). After 3 hours, we arrived there at almost 12:30AM in the morning. There were still some stores that were open at that time so we bought some supplies from the sari2x store like water and of course booze.

I was glad to have arrived but first order of business was to eat. After eating time to hit the pool and enjoy. The pool at the resort was open til 2AM although it was supposed to be closed at 12MN for maintenance. We were the only group there so it felt like it was a private resort. After swimming, we went and bought burgers at Burger Machine for a midnight snack. The place was open for 24 hours and was walking distance from the resort. After a few hours of swimming and drinking it was lights out. The rooms have double deck beds but you can ask for extra beds at 200 each. Morning came and I was the first one to wake up so i decided to check out the beach. Being a public beach, don't expect too much. The sand not really white, not even gray, and the actual beach isn't that wide since houses were almost at the shore already. To add up, there were a lot of floating cottages (a lot) and bangkas, crowds of people and the beach not really that clean. I was happy that the place where we were staying has its own pool. After checking out the beach, I grabbed breakfast at the resorts restaurant which serves Filipino and Japanese dishes (it closes at 10 PM). I tried the pork barbecue (3 pieces, 75 pesos) and it was yummy (by the way, rice is at 12 pesos). My friend tried the Ramen and he said it was OK. The resort also had a store and you can also get fruit shakes to beat the summer heat. For lunch, the team decided to get buy from the market and just cook it there (the resort has its grill and you can have rice cooked for a fee). I had to leave early so same procedure going back, rode a tricycle for 300 pesos and took the bus going to Pasay. It was a Sunday so when we encountered a little traffic in Tagaytay. Instead of going down in Pasay (since I live in Alabang), I went down at Waltermart in Dasmarinas and took a van going to Alabang (it was much faster since it will pass by Daang Hari and its last stop was Alabang City terminal again). The vans are located near the overpass and there's a sign (I didn't initially see it so i had to ask at 711 right across it). The fare from the terminal costs 45 pesos. Overall, it was a long and tiring trip going there and getting back home but nevertheless, it was a nice experience. The place was basic, didn't really have the nicest rooms but had a pool which was great. Despite some setbacks and difficulties, it was a fun trip. As somebody quoted to me in Twitter, its the people you are with the counts. Couldn't agree more.