Coral Garden

All I can hear is the sound of my breathing and splashes of water. We were then instructed to hold on to a string tied to a boat. “Hold on tight”, our boatman firmly tells us. It was my first time to try snorkeling. My first time in Puerto Galera.

It was drizzling when Conrad and I left Manila. Hoping for a sunny day ahead, we took the bus at Buendia Jam Liner bound for Batangas town proper, where we’ll catch a ferry that will take us to Puerto Galera. It was also a first for us, to take the public bus, to go “out of town”. Nevertheless, I’m really glad we did. The ride kept me entertained. As two episodes of men and woman hawking their goods, “Mister Donuts pasalubong, c2 orange, Minute Maid, banana chips, shing a ling, buco pie and even burgers. Now imagine the chaos they made when they all went aboard the bus. One of them even stepped on my foot. It had me thinking at the back of my mind, they do this thing every day that they can make the hawking spiel rhyme. The ride was not really comfortable, squeezed in the seats. Later on, we are laughing so hard at a sleeping guy, suddenly jerked forward obviously surprised by the “tuk!” sound made from closing an eyeglass case of one seated next to him.

Arriving at Batangas port area, swarming with people to get to Puerto Galera or so I thought. It was also a jump off point to other destinations. At 1:30pm, we haven’t had lunch yet, and waiting for an hour, after boarding the ferry, before finally leaving the port area. Looking around, it feels like there are already a hundred people onboard. Several minutes later, after a few waves, maybe they are also hungry and excited to get to the beach, people are pretending to ride a roller coaster. Screaming and Laughing.



We’ve finally arrived at White Beach, Puerto Galera. Puerto Galera (or port for galleons, if translated literally) is a small town on the northeast coast of the island of Mindoro in the Philippines. Though it is a quiet little town, it is a popular summer destination in the country. People come here from all over the country and the rest of the world for its wonderful beaches and fun water activities. Brimming with people, perfect for people watching and being watched, buying drinks and getting drunk. Searching for the best grilled seafood and refreshing fruit shakes. The only thing missing here are the lounge chairs where you can lie down at the beachfront and stay all day long.




“She has the confidence of somebody who knows how to swim”, yells the boatmen, as he looked on as I jumped to the water.

“Don’t try to put down your feet. Those corals are just below you.”
I find myself far from our boat, far from our trusty boatmen, far from Conrad. How I manage to get to the middle of the sea. I have no idea. All I know is I love what I’m seeing here.

After having breakfast, a quick dip in the beach, walking barefoot along White Beach to be approached by “snorkeling-island-hopping” boys. After agreeing to a standard price of P1500, (I think that’s a small price to pay to see what’s in store for us as we are taken by boat, along with three boatmen to Coral Garden. Upon arrival at the area somewhere in the middle of the sea, along with other groups wanting to see Coral Garden, we are welcomed by a smaller boat, much like a fisherman’s boat (or so I imagined it to be), but there is barely room for three of us. Little did I know, that this is a vital key to what we are about to experience.


We are instructed to hold on to string tied to the small boat. Then we will be “pulled’ our way to Coral Garden while we snorkel. Donning orange life vest, getting a feel of the snorkeling gear, slowly dipping my feet into the water, I plunged into the sea.

The corals were shallow that if you try to stand, your feet will touch the corals. Corals in vibrant colors, in different shapes, sizes and textures. Cactus like, one that looks like branches and scary huge ones that make you straighten up, for fear of touching them, while you “swim” above the reefs while motorboat is pulling you. I never knew what a sea urchin looks like, until I saw one. And there were plenty of them! Royal blue colored starfishes, long nosed flat fishes, schools of fishes just below you. I even found Nemo.

The boat stopped, and we wondered, “Is it over?” As we poked our heads above the surface, we are handed the pieces of bread we bought before leaving White Beach.

“You can feed the fishes now”, our boatmen and tour guide tells us.

“Wow! This is exciting, now, where are the fishes?” Turning around, breaking pieces of bread here and there. There’s not a single fish in sight. “No fishes here!” I called out to him. Smiling, he yelled back, “Just wait and don’t lose the bread you’re holding.” Getting impatient, I swim away from the boat, feeling Conrad’s trying to pull my leg. I wait for fish to come. Within a few seconds, I had fishes swarming at me. No, swarming at the bread I’m holding. I was literally surrounded by fishes of varied colors getting a bite of the bread. I even felt a few bit my hand; maybe this must be what it feels like in a fish spa. I just floated three, so fascinated of being these close to them. After my bread is gone, I looked up and found myself far from the motorboat. I was in the middle of the sea; I could see Conrad looking at me.

“Don’t try standing up, those corals are just below you”, barely hearing those words, I swim my way back to them. We held on to the boat as we went to more corals and a second spot to feed fishes. I found myself saying, “Can I do this the whole day?” Smart enough to pick up, we were offered to see the giant clamshells, even as big as a washbasin, giant clamshells at the bottom. There was even a diver below; I wonder if he’ll wave back at me?

Holding on to the boat, I felt my body float effortlessly, to be taken back to Coral Garden. Taken back to what I only see at travel shows in Discovery and Living Asia channel, aquariums and ocean themed parks. Somewhere I never imagined I could see and experience anytime soon, given that I don’t even know how to swim.

Happy to go back to the shore, to splash in the water, collect and throw stones, and to dig in the sand in vain. Then I’ll have more time to think of travel. I think I’ll be dreaming of corals for days.