Travel Bug: Destination Barili
that's the early morning view from my room when i woke up from a restful sleep in Palalong Place (PP). PP is a bed and breakfast along the national highway about two kilometers from barili poblacion. situated on top of a cliff, you get an amazing view of tanon straight and the coastal town settled on a natural cove. under the mid day sun the stunningly clear light blue waters reveal coral formations where fishermen go about their activity.
barili itself is a destination and not just a roadside town on the way to more famous places like moalboal, badian or kawasan. there is something for everyone in this little gem:
from antique architecture,
to mighty torrential waterfalls (mantayupan),
mountain spring resorts (boloc boloc),
cliff side picnic groves (palalong place) and arguably,
the best vanilla ice cream (molave milk station).
if you're a water baby like me, you'll enjoy the pebbly white coral beach resort Sayaw Beach (owned by alvin garcia) that has some amazing corals 10 meters from the shore. the corals near the shore is already showing signs of destruction because of uncontrolled activities from the locals who pound on the corals to gather slimy wormy creatures that they reportedly use as bait. i hope something gets done before it is tooooo late.
keep your eyes open for this sign along the road from carcar to barili. it is a dairy farm and they sell deleysyusnes vanilla ice cream. and other flavors. and squid balls. and all sorts of snacks. my favorite is still the cheap ice cream. really fresh from the cows grazing on the hills. yumi!
it's interesting to know more about one's faith, and there's one thing that i found out in barili that most people don't even know - the patron saint of the town is st. anne, otherwise known as the mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary. digging for some more info, i also found out the st. joachim is the husband of st. anne.
a word of caution, the picture simulates an "old" picture whereas the actual facade is an ugly white and yellow. do check out the shrine dedicated to st. anne. just ask any of the caretakers to open the place - it's at the back of the church altar.
this place can be reached via a 2km drive from the town poblacion, a sign along the national highway shows you where to make a turn.
went back the following day around 1030 am and the beach was dazzling white, had so much fun snorkeling with multi colored fishes darting in and out of the corals. this is an easy walk along the national highway from palalong place (about 300 meters). if you're inclined, check out the caves along the way. it's a perfect place to hang out, like batman. :P
this cross marks the spot along the cliff of palalong where the japanese "allegedly" threw the bodies of the people they killed. spooky.
there are only two places where you can find accommodations in barili: shamrock pension and palalong place. if sharing a bathroom is your idea of "tripping" then shamrock in the middle of the poblacion, right across the bus station is your choice. if you want picturesque scenery, you're better off in palalong. don't mind the howling at night. it's just the wind.
food is reasonable in palalong place (taste and price), if you want an even cheaper selection take a short ride to town and grab your chow in shamrock pension carinderia. better yet, follow my lead and grab flavored sandwich spread (tuna, ham and cheese) and wheat bread.
room rates in shamrock is dirt cheap at Php 350 for al fresco rooms (read: no aircon) good for 4 people comfortable sniffing each other's armpits. aircon rooms are available for Php 450 (i think)
in palalong place, rooms are slightly pricier at Php 750 (2 peeps + 1 extra) or Php 950 (4 + 1 extra) but are airconditioned.
SHAMROCK PENSION HOUSE
National Highway
Poblacion, Barili,
Tel:(+6332 470.9235)
PALALONG PLACE
National Highway
Guibuangan, Barili
Tel: (+6332 516.0878)
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