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| Alibijaban (Alibihaban) Island, San Andres, Quezon |
Having doubts about the traffic ahead and the strict available time i have, i asked to go 1hour undertime just to be sure i catch the san andres bus in Lucena grand.
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| pickers in Alibijaban Island, San Andres Quezon |
It was 4pm when the LUCENA lines bus bound to Lucena Grand left the central terminal in cubao.
Because of the weekend rush, it was already 20mins past 8pm when i reached Lucena grand.
When i got there, that last bus was already almost full, and totally jam packed with baggage. Alighting passengers literally climb the dump of goods on the bus aisle.
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| Mangrove in Alibijaban Island, San Andres, Quezon |
A few mintues after 9pm, the bus left; And, so, there we were... I'm finally riding an R&R bus(by far my third attempt to reach alibijaban)
2 bus stops from there, we reached San andres market. From there, my co passengers had advised me to speak to yet 2 sets of passenger who are bound for Alibijaban. They said that the trips going to alibijaban will be later at about 7, and I might want to negotiate with the other passengers so i can ask to fit in their boat.
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| Walking around Alibijaban Island, San Andres, Quezon |
The first set were 2 ladies with 2 babies and plenty of baggage. The boat was too small for me to fit me in, plus the waves were strong at the time. The boatman agreed to come back though to fetch me and the other passengers, which he did in less than an hour.
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| Fisherman in Alibijaban Island, San Andres, Quezon |
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| Fisherman in Alibijaban Island, San Andres, Quezon |
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| Children in Alibijaban Island, San Andres, Quezon |
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| Children's pick of weeds from the waters of Alibijaban |
It was when I was in the boat when i felt how kinda risky the waves are. The boat was swinging left and right, smashes forward, and my grip on the boat was just hilarious. There isnt even a comfortable seat in there.. I felt like i'll be thrown away. Plus, the boatman didnt even have a light.
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| Ian Limbonis in Alibijaban Island, San Andres, Quezon |
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| Ian Limbonis in Alibijaban Island, San Andres, Quezon |
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| Ian Limbonis in Alibijaban Island, San Andres, Quezon |
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| Ian Limbonis in Alibijaban Island, San Andres, Quezon |
Luckily, we docked safe.
Although the moon wasn't around to give some light, from the shore, you could tell how clear the water is. You'd see the silhouettes of the stones; The sand was obviously bright.
I sat on a bench and waited for the sunrise.
Kuya randy, the boatman, stood with me for the time and entertained with quick facts about alibijaban.
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| Alibijaban Island, San Andres, Quezon |
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| Alibijaban Island, San Andres, Quezon |
By the time it was bright, he volunteered to walk me around after getting permission from kagawad (Kaptain isn't there at that time).
After telling kagawad about ME and stuff, he asked Randy to go ahead and escort me. We walked through a guesthouse which he said is intended for visiting tourists. It's actually a DENR facility though since it's not really occupied most of the time, they allow tourists to stay in it.
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| Alibijaban Island, San Andres, Quezon |
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| Alibijaban Island, San Andres, Quezon |
Next to the facility is the barangay school, which, according to Randy and the locals is impending turnover into a resort.
Further inland, we got to the mangroves, the dismantled boat (in Dong Ho of Eskapo's blog, it was still erect and docked), then the bridge to the next barangay.
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| kids in Alibijaban Island, San Andres, Quezon |
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| kid in Alibijaban Island, San Andres, Quezon |
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| Alibijaban Island, San Andres, Quezon |
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| Alibijaban Island, San Andres, Quezon |
After the bridge, we walked back to the bench and off i was for my picture moments.
By 9am, i felt sleepy and walked back to the guesthouse and took a nap.
When i woke up, it wa already past 11. I woke up very hungry and cooked some noodles. Lit a cigarette and then then walked back to the beanch to find kuya randy.
Along the way, There were some locals along who asked if i were bound to
bayan, and walked with me towards randy's boat.
By 12:30, i was already at the bus station. Since the bus is leaving only by 1pm, i took the time to charge my phone.
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| Alibijaban Island, San Andres, Quezon |
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| Alibijaban Island, San Andres, Quezon |
It was already past 1 when it left and thank god the bus isn't as loaded as it was at the night. Every so often, the bus has to stop to pickup passengers along the way. Just before reaching san narciso, a man walked in carrying a toddler and a kid. As soon as he sat, he yelled over a woman in the window. My tumor has it, they were on a fight. When the conductor came to get his fare, he was pleading to be excused as he doesn't have money. The conductor noded and left. Try doing that in manila. Also, on my trip going to san andres, a lot of the passengers were bargaining on the fair. I was amazed how the system here is.
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| Alibijaban Island, San Andres, Quezon |
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| Alibijaban Island, San Andres, Quezon |
Meantime, along san narciso, traversing through the mountain range, the other extension of the province was very visible. It seems that they also have white sand at that part. I asked my bus seatmate, and she said it is called punta. It is a beach stretch all over the coast of the land between that going to bicol and san narciso. Something to add up to a alibijaban itinerary.
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| kids in Alibijaban Island, San Andres, Quezon |
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| Ian Limbonis in Alibijaban Island, San Andres, Quezon |
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| waters of Alibijaban Island, San Andres, Quezon |
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| departing Alibijaban Island, San Andres, Quezon |
*add'l details:
*from Cubao to Lucena Grand terminal is P218. Trips to san andres, from lucena starts 5am. Last trip at 8pm (they actually leave 9, but you wont want to be left by the bus, just like what happened to me before and i had to cancel the trip in lucena itself). Fare is P270. Prepare to tight fit in your own seat as people would normally carry boxes and bags of whatever goods they can get from the city.
Regular boat fare from and to san andres pier to alibijaban is P20 (though i had to pay kuya P50 in the morning dahil wala ako barya; And P200 on my way back to the port since it was supposedly a special trip plus considering his hospitability).
*people in the island, and generally in town are very, and i mean very, superstitious and speculative. Quezon is known for the pogi (Communist brothers), so all eyes on unfamiliar faces. When i got off the bus, foot set in san andres, i had some coffee in one store and opened a converaation with manang about the island. She asked if i was carrying my water as it is unsafe to drink from there. In turn, i said yes, but again asked if it were with the quality of the water. She exclaimed it was of poisoning which I was having a hard time to believe. Meantime, when I was with the other passenger waiting for Randy to come back, the passenger was telling me too not to eat just on anywhere. Again, he said it was bec of poisoning.
*an even better view was the kids enthusiasm on the cam. When they see you taking pictures, they'll get close and will be very happy to pose for you.
*please approach and talk to the locals. They'd love to talk to u.. They're rather just hesitant.
*try the bibingkas sold on stopover.
*i was informed that a lot of the people from the pier offer guiding services, etc and ask for vain tip. Careful.
*kuya randy may be contacted, for guide and boat service, at 09773708487, 09982758413 (new as of June 2015).
*you can also do a sidetrip to Sombrero Island in San Pascual Masbate which shall be 2 hours boat from Alibijaban island (see burias island post for details)
*superlines now ply cubao-san andres
see here for the outreach activity we did in Alibijaban
see here for a cool sidetrip of your travel to Alibijaban: Talao Talao Rock Formation in San Narciso
Looking to travelling to this destination? Talk to me and we'll let's talk about your accomodation, transpo, and tour options
*people in the island, and generally in town are very, and i mean very, superstitious and speculative"
ReplyDelete- same as what Dong Ho said. napagkamalan syang bandido pagdating nya jan sa alibijaban. hehe =)
you surely loved the mangroves there in alibijaban... my bs biology students were able to survey the mangrove diversity there in the island! very nice pictures mr. backpacker! i enjoyed reading your blog...very much!
ReplyDeleteThanks a lot
ReplyDeletei am impressed with your blog, planning to visit the island one of these days, how much is the approximate budget, travelling alone, 3days 2 nights, where to stay? Is it safe ? thanks
ReplyDeletehi tony.. sorry for the late reply. i spent about P1000 to get there (transpo: 218 to lucena, and then 240 from lucena to san andres, and less than 100 for the inter island boat ride; Last time I checked, SUPERLINES plies cubao to san andres already... Brought my canned goods with me. You can contact the number posted there.. There are no resorts but the DENR has a for-visitors-too facility
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteian,
thanks for the info.
1) Do you think staying 3D/2N is enough?
2) What are the things to do in the island?
3 ) Is it a white sand beach?
4) how's the electricity 24 hours ?
5) Regarding security , Is it really safe? This will be my first time to visit a place that I am not familiar.
6) How much should I pay if I will stay in DENR place? .
Thank you so much. God bless
3D2N is more than enough. Island is small and u can tour in a day. It's white sand...yes.. Island runs on generator, not sure about d timing. It's safe so long as u approach d kapatad on ur first stride. There,s no fee to stay in d DENR facility... But it's very basic.. Not sure if it even has mattress.. Just enclosure I guess... People are very very friendly. Kids will follow u around...just be cool.. And people will be as cool
ReplyDeleteI meant kapitan instead of kapatad by d way (predictive keyboard mess)
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeletethanks a lot for the info. God bless
komusta mo nlang ako kay kuya randy.. and, kung gusto mo lang magpasaya nman, kung may printer ka,,, hehehe.. pakiprint nman pictures nung mga bata.. tas paki bigay sa kanila, sigurado tuwang tuwa mga yun.
Deletehi,,im searching about this island,gusto kng malaman yung stado ng elementary school nila dito,me and my friends is looking for some outreach program this summer,baka may mabibigay kang info saken,di ko din kc makausap si kuya randy.
Deletebyaherangbarat- 09186120049
ok sige I will, not a problem, sigurado matutuwa yung mga bata sa pictures. thanks again
ReplyDeletethanks for blogging this. wanted to go there soon
ReplyDeletemay trip ako to the island sa may 4-5 sir, along with some travel buds, and im opening the event for interested. let me know if you want to join. the island is really nice and i am hoping the community can find alternative livelihood with upcoming visitors...
ReplyDeleteThanks for your blog on Alibijaban Island.you have plan to go back there on may?
ReplyDeleteYou have to explore the other side after the river going north.There are many beautiful
Nature's scenic views there.The owner planted more than 200,000 coastal trees and mangroves
there 15 years ago.So you can see in your google the greener part of the island.The owner
also released different varieties of fish in the river sanctuary that already multiplied to thousands.
There are about 8 species of edible crabs,and giant edible saltwater snail(bagongon) that were
seeded there now numbering millions.see also hundreds different kind of birds and tens of thousand of bats hovering around starting 5pm.Tabon,a rare specie of birds that lay and hatch their eggs in the white sugar like sand are being grown there.there are lot of caves there too. need have to worry on lodging there are two big open cottages there good for 50-100 people with restroom.its very safe there,with caretaker andmaintenance staff.Thanks for promoting Alibijaban Island.Probably this is one of the remaining real virgin islands God has given as gift to us so we are doing everything to protect and preserve it.MayI suggest you contact in San Andres kuya Fando,Aldo who supervises the area and at the island,Aguido, who is the caretaker.they will attend to you there.Have more pictures when you return from there
Hi sir, i was supposed to go there last weekend. I though about organizing a trip to that island along with other friends to boost its publicity. However, i could not contact kuya randy, so i had to redirect my trip to pollilo island :-(
DeleteLacking something on my reply.insert' You' need 'not' have too worry... Sorry hehe
ReplyDeleteKuya fando is in manila now.if you are interested to go back with friends to the island try to contact Aldo in Long Beach(mahabang buhangin).seek his help so that your group can be accomodated in the private area thru Aguido the caretaker.just let me know when you will be going there coz am planning also to visit the island after election for angling.i heard its season for talakitok,tanigui and
ReplyDeleteBarracuda there.Thats lot of angling time and fun.
Cge sir.how can i contact you? Can you leave some details.we can probably do june?
DeleteHi Ian good am.just read your reply now.just list down the details you want to know. Me too, probably
ReplyDeleteWill go there in june.its busy here now in Quezon coz of so many festivities.its appropriate to go there
nxt month for nature's trip,fishing and do inner mind and spiritual exercises(TM) there.just send your
message.
do you mind me asking your mobile no sir? you can mail it to jibmaxatnewroad@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteHi! Sorry for late reply.too busy.ok i will give you my no.thru email.
ReplyDeleteI will go there next week with group of friends.They want to explore the whole island
ReplyDeleteand know more details on (scuba) diving sites for another group itinerary. Tourists/visitors heading there usually use MJD URBAN ESCAPE FARM in Brgy Bocohan Lucena City as meeting place.
Hi ian, gud day as of diz writing im into searching for places (like diz) dat r less traveled to go to ang i just read diz blog w/c is nice.. in gen. is it safe der as i will/myt go der solo? Also how long is d travel time from lucena term to san andres? Lastly wats d last trip of bangka to island itself. Hope u could read diz. Thanks
ReplyDeleteLucena to san andres is 7hrs. As per boat going to the island, it should be easy as its just 15mins.there are a no of locals crossing back and forth.i also know a group whos going on the 21st.. Lemme know if u want to tag.i'll talk to them
ReplyDeletePart 1
ReplyDeleteHi Ian! Thanks to your blog I discovered Alibahaban! =)
I took the 5 am (Saturday, mid-March) trip of Superline bound to San Andres (P450, aircon). We arrived in San Andres at about 3 pm. Unfortunately I was not able to contact Kuya Rundy so I decided to chat with the lady in the burger stand near the terminal. She said I will need to take a special trip to the island; so I did and it cost me a lot. The best time to go to the island is before 10 am since there are a lot boats traveling from and to the island.
I arrived at the island at 5 pm. Tatay Yupi (a local resident, pronounced as UP) offered there home to me. He and his family are very kind. They even cooked white rice for my dinner; they normally cook red rice. There is electricity powered by solar panels and batteries. But most of the houses have only lights at night; basic electrical appliances such as TV, refrigerstor, computers are rare. I remembered "Ate" from the burger stand reminding me to be cautious of the foods in the island as there are supposedly incidents of food poisoning. Kuya Yupi' wife served me with fried daing and dilis. I was asking them to join me but they refused to; I feel like I was a guest in a hotel and I didnt like it. While eating, I was telling them how I discovered the island throught the Internet. They were kinda amazed that I travaled all the way from Quezon City all alone. They were very warm, accommodating, they also told stories of previous visitors of the island. I guess the fear of being food poisoned were replaced with their smiles and heart-felt welcomes. Then I met Kuya Randy and again told the story how I discovered the island over the net and was contacting him early morning. Actually, I was also to blame since I didnt not explicitly said in the text message that I am arriving that day; I was only like inquiring and confirming if it was his number. Anyway, he promised to walk me to the other side early in the morning.
After supper I went back to the shore. The bamboo seat you see above (photo #12) under the low tree where Ian is sitting, I lie there for hours overlooking Quezon. It was very relaxing; the wind from the shore and the silence of the night just took away my worries at work, on money, and life in general. It was something I wish I could feel more often. When my back started to ache I decided to go back to tatay Yupi's house. He was already on the bed when he heard my steps and excitedly stood up and showed my room. It was a big room and a big bed. And from the smell of it, I can tell they changed the pillow cases and gave me a newly washed blanket. And I think at least 5 people have to sleep elsewhere because I took the room. It was not the special treatment you feel when you go to a hotel and you know you're paying the service so you deserve a nice accommodation, it was something else. It was like home. They make me feel like, take a rest, enjoy our island, and hope to see you again; that was the feeling, insane. :)
Part 2:
ReplyDeleteI woke up at 6.30 and Kuya Randy was already at the shore waiting for me and so we walked. He showed me the DENR house; this place is ideal for large groups and there were cottages inside the premises. He told me stories of people he met and I think Ian you're one of them; Im sorry I didnt remember your name. He also gave me a brief history of the island. Every sunday, they have basketball games - the players are children and women, nice right! We went to a place where a cottage is standing in the middle of the water; it was a very, very nice place to eat with family and friends and just sit and chat or grill. Then we walked further until we reached these small sandbars only visible during low tide. After a 2-hour walk we headed back to the Tatay Yupi's house so I changed clothes and was very excited running towards the beach.
High tide starts at 11 a.m. If you are planning to enjoy the water earlier than that you'll be disappointed. At low tide sea urchins are everywhere. I walked several meters to check other areas and it is the same scenario. The farthest you can reach without encountering the sea urchins is waste-level water. At 12 noon several kids head off the beach and they asked me to join them so I did. They told me it's ideal to swim during high tide to avoid the sea urchins. The water is so clear, clean, and the sand beneath is so fine. I could stay there forever ... (to be continued)
Glad to be of help Dannes and thanks for detailing ur experience and iti and expenses ;-)
ReplyDeletehi ian, do you have the updated number of Kuya Randy? cant reach him e. THANKS :)
ReplyDeleteHi treveur, just sms him. Most of the time, he don't have signal
ReplyDeleteHi Ian, our group will be there this weekend. We have a local contact, the nephew of the caretaker. I will post by Monday about our trip.
ReplyDeleteYay! All the best sir. Dont worry.. The long road will not be a regret to what you'll find there ;-)
ReplyDeleteHi Ian, is the last trip from Lucena to San Andres really at 8 or 9pm? Planning to go there this weekend. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteYes sir. You might want to consider the superlines trip from cubao though
DeleteSir Ian, this was our Alibijaban experience. Thanks for your info, it was a success.
ReplyDeletehttp://herbolero.blogspot.com/2014/05/alibijaban-island-unspoiled-beauty.html
Hi! I'm planning to go there next week, June 16,, is it safe if i go there this month? thanx!
ReplyDeletePretty much yes
ReplyDeleteHello Ian, we are fascinated by your post. we are looking at visiting alibijaban early next year. We plan to bring our own vehicle. what is the road condition going there if I may ask? and according to the map, there are 2 routes, do you pass by bondoc peninsula or do you pass by gumaca and lopez? How about sleeping accomodations? are there homestay places or lodging places to stay? Thank you very much
ReplyDeletemon castillo
As of last visit (and only visit so far, looking forward for a repeat), there were no accomodation options yet in the island, though the DENr facility there is provided for travellers as well. The roads were bad in the san narciso area. Not sure about that from gumaca. Im afraid it might be worse (just 2 cents)
DeleteThank you very much. What route do the buses take going to the town of San Andres? oogle maps show gumaca-lopez-san narciso-san andres. Is this the route that the buses take? or are we better off taking the suarez highway (padre burgoz- macalelon-gen luna-catanauan-sanfrancisco-san andres? Thank you again .
DeleteYes, thats the bus route. However, i cant comment as to which is better since i havent tried the other one. ;-)
ReplyDeleteoh my... Bebe Ian, this blog really helps a lot, as in many visitor na sa island...
ReplyDelete- bebe juday
Hi Ian,
ReplyDeletevery nice blog.
question, how long does is the travel time from Cubao to Lucena and Lucena to San Andres? thanks!
cubao to lucena shall be 2.5 hours but may extend to infinity depending on the situation of the bottleneck in laguna. lucena to san andres takes 9 hours. we'll probably go after new year
ReplyDelete