December 1999 - Christmas/New Year in Puerto Galera Philippines

Anette and Kimberly on the Jeepney we rented to take us to the waterfalls Beautiful Puerto Galera beach Kimberly and Bill at the waterfall Family photo on sunset boat cruise Kimberly with her bumble bee panjamas Our Christmas in Puerto Galera Philippines We spent our 1999 Christmas and New Year holiday in Puerto Galera Philippines which is on the island of Mindoro.  We flew into Manila with Philippine Airlines and then took a 3 hour private taxi to Batangas City followed by a 1 hour boat ride across the straits to Puerto Galera.  The distance between the Manila airport and Batangas City is only about 110km but the Manila traffic was so bad that it took nearly 3 hours to reach the Batangas City pier.  We arrived in Manila in the late afternoon so it was already dark when we arrived at the Batangas City pier.  The boat trip across the straits was quite interesting as it was very dark (there was no moon) and fairly rough with big waves and we had no idea where we were going.  To top it off when we arrived in Puerto Galera we had to walk down a plank onto the beach as there was no pier.  So to put it in perspective we had just endured a hour long boat ride through big waves and then were let off into the crashing waves at the beach and then led through some small alleyways until we eventually reached the resort.  Needless to say this was not what we had expected and we were having our doubts as to whether we had made the right decision.  We finally got settled into our room and went to sleep.  Upon waking up the next morning we were greeted with a beautiful blue sky and a nice view of the Puerto Galera harbor and the little city below.  We could see the small alleyways we had gone through the night before but it had a different feeling in the light of day. Area map of the Philippines Where we stayed We stayed at the Atlantis Beach Resort in Puerto Galera Philippines (we stayed at the Atlantis "sister" resort in Dumaguette Philippines during our 2003 Christmas vacation - see this trip report here).  The resort is built up the hill and we rented the top-level sea view terrace suite which was really nice.  From our private terrace we had clear views of the Puerto Galera harbor and surrounding city.  This is a fairly small resort and the staff provided very personable service.  During our visit we checked out some of the other surrounding resorts and we felt that the Atlantis Resort was the "best overall" considering the amenities, food quality and value for money.  The onsite restaurant provided some excellent meals and astonishing value for money.  Overall we were very pleased with our visit and would recommend this resort to anyone wanting to visit this part of the Philippines. Some useful Web Links      Atlantis Beach Resorts Philippines Puerto Galera Tourists Information Scuba Diving in Puerto Galera Lonely Planet Philippines Puerto Galera Hotels What we did Aside from relaxing at the beach and pool at the hotel, Bill did some scuba diving.  The diving was ok, but nothing spectacular.  There are 2 other small villages (Big Laguna and Little Laguna) that are within walking distance of Puerto Galera and we spent more of our time at these beaches as they tended to be less crowded than the Puerto Galera beach. In addition, there are local outrigger boats (called Bangka boats) which are available for charter.  On several days we had the resort make us a family picnic and we chartered one of the local Bangka boats to take us to one of the many surrounding secluded beaches.  The first time we did this it was a little unnerving as the boatsman left us there at the secluded beach and said he would return to pick us up later that afternoon at our agreed time.  Initially we had concerns that the boatsman would forget us and we would be stranded on this secluded beach.  Our worries were unfounded as sure enough at the agreed upon time the boat arrived to take us back to the resort.  In hindsight our worries were unneeded as we hadn't paid for the boat charter and you could bet your "bottom dollar" that the boatsman would forget and forfeit this money.  We also chartered the boats for several "happy hour" sunset cruises. On another day we chartered a "jeepney" which is a local version of a bus with benches in the back to take us to a nearby waterfall for some swimming and a family picnic.  The roads leading to the waterfall were very poor and full of potholes.  Much of the road was unpaved and washed away from recent heavy rainfall.  However, upon arriving at the waterfall the bumpy, unpleasant ride was considered worth it. A Little Puerto Galera History Puerto Galera, one of the oldest settlements of the religious missionaries, was founded in 1574 as the original capital of Mindoro. Originally, the town was located at the Lagundian, now a "sitio", chosen by the Spanish authorities as the provincial capital due to its excellent harbor and natural beauty. But due to its susceptibility to moro raids, the Spaniards were forced to transfer the town from the Lagundian to the present site, which they named Puerto Galera. The town was popularly known as "Puerto Galera" (Port of the Galleons). Spanish galleons coming from Mexico and Spain used the presence of an excellent port or berthing place to take refuge during stormy weather before proceeding to Manila. The mountains and the good harbor nearby served the Spaniards well as shields from the moro pirates and other marauders. Several guard houses and watch towers were built at the top of the surrounding mountains. The biggest was constructed at Dampalitan Point, north of the town facing Batangas Channel. Public and Military headquarters, hospitals, warehouses and a convent made of stone were also erected through the efforts of both the church and the state. A wharf was also built at Muelle Bay. Adjacent to this stood a warehouse for rice, which caught fire one night. It is widely believed that the charcoaled grains, popularly known as "black rice", still remain scattered at the shores of Muelle up to this day.  In 1837, the seat of government was transferred to Calapan due to the suitable agricultural plains and the Spaniards opted to stay there. When Puerto Galera was no longer the seat of the government, the Spanish government officials left the town and only the friars remained. A "cabesa" or "capitan del pueblo" was then appointed by the "governador" to collect the tributes or taxes from the people and to maintain peace and order. Among the heads of the town called "gobernadorcillos" who became famous were Jose Salamat, Juan Quinto, Aguido Cobarrubias and Hilarion Axalan. Guarding the coasts of Puerto Galera was a Spanish warship, named "Cañonero Mariveles". However, on November 18, 1879, the ill-fated battleship was hit by a powerful storm, which caused it to sink outside the West Coast of Muelle. As a tribute to the lost ship and its crew, a wooden cross was erected right at the center of Muelle with the following inscription: "Ultima tierra que pesaron los tripolantes del Cañonero Mariveles el 18 de Noviembre de 1879, Memoria de sus campañero". As one of the greatest relics of the past century, this cross was renovated in 1938 by a Spanish national named Luis Gomez y Sotto. Revolutionaries from Puerto Galera participated in the overthrow of the Spanish Government in Mindoro in 1898 -1900 under the leadership of brothers Miguel and Estanislao Cobarrubias Sr. During the American regime, a military governor by the name Captain Robert Offley was appointed. On November 2, 1902, Puerto Galera was again made the capital of the province until 1903. It was annexed to Calapan in 1905 as a barrio represented by Hilarion Axalan in the Calapan town council in 1916. In 1919 it was made a municipal district with Isidro Suzara as "municipal president". On February 21, 1928, Under Act. No. 3415, it was organized into an independent municipality with Anacleto Atienza as first "municipal presidente". Estanislao Cobarrubias Sr. was the last "municipal presidente" of the civil government and the first municipal mayor of the commonwealth government. On February 27, 1942, the Japanese air force and naval auxiliary occupied the town. Leoncio Axalan, who was supposed to end his term as mayor in 1942, was made to extend his term until 1946 because of his courage and integrity. It was indeed a great test for a man to run the affairs of the municipal government amidst the warring parties, the guerrillas and the Japanese. After the liberation in 1946, then Governor Arturo Ignacio appointed Rafael Garcia as the municipal mayor of Puerto Galera. In 1948, Estanislao Brucal, an officer of the guerrilla unit in Mindoro during the Japanese occupation, became the first elected municipal mayor of Puerto Galera under the Republican form of Government. In 1972, during the third term of Mayor Rogelio Cataquis, the sitios of Sto. Niño and Villaflor were created and organized into regular barangays together with the recognition of Poblacion as a duly organized barangay. On December 26, 1973, PD 354 was issued by then President Ferdinand E. Marcos making Puerto Galera a reservation area under the Man and Biosphere Program of the UNESCO. Today, the beautiful and scenic Puerto Galera is the center of tourism in this province, making full use of its long line of white beaches and its abundant flora and fauna. Photo Slideshow Looking out the back of our rented Jeepney Kimberly posing on our patio Anette and Kimberly on our patio Kimberly by Atlantis Resort signboard Kimberly going snorkeling in the pool View a slideshow of photos from this trip below or look here for a photo album of photos from this trip (note that the picture quality isn't that good as these were scanned with a cheap scanner):