My Kalanggaman

The rates


Snorkeling time


The kiosks


The disappearing sand bar


A view from the our approaching banca

White, fine, powdery sand, clear blue waters and palm trees that waved in the softly blowing wind. These scene stood out in my friends' Facebook pictures and I knew i just had to go and see for myself this island paradise that had remained unknown until social networking and word-of-mouth plucked it from relative obscurity. Until then, the island was mostly frequented by locals who selfishly kept this treasure to themselves. But this beauty of a place could not stay hidden for long. Soon most everyone in Eastern Visayas were braving the 45 minute boat trip from Palompon, Leyte to splash in its waters and take numeous pictures that soon got posted on the Internet contributing to its growing fame.

And so it was that I added another title to my cap, from lawyer, public servant, wannabe writer, and blogger I became an instant tour organizer. It was out of necessity as the hubby adamantly refused to accompany me and my family was not so interested to take a trip to Kalanggaman Islet anywhere in the near foreseeable future. That left me with people from the office. I had to drum up the interest of enough office mates to make an excursion worth my organizing self. And I did. There were 17 of us who signed up including 3 young German volunteers who were just so excited after seeing pictures of the place on the Net.

We encircled a date that ran smack into a brewing typhoon. Luckily for us it was way up north where we here in the south could hardly feel its effects except for occasional winds that ruffled trees. The night before we were still unsure if the trip would push through. The breeze was getting stronger. We texted each other and we all agreed we will wait till morning to decide.

Come 4 a.m. and the weather seemed fine.It was definitely a go.

We left Tacloban for Palompon at about 5:45 a.m. and reached the town's outskirts at about quarter to eight in the morning. We then went straight to the Palompon eco-tourism office which managed all trips to the island. There we met the amiable Cristopher whom I had made arrangements and reservations with for our transport to the island days earlier on the phone. He received our entrance fees and led us to the boat we were to ride which to our our dismay was too small for comfort. Too late to realize that after we had already given up our reserved bigger boat to a larger group after supplications from Cristopher. Anyway, small boat or not, we were determined to go and chalked up our now regretted moment of generosity to experience.

The waters were so calm during the 45 minute trip from Palompon to Kalanggaman itself and we entrirely forgot about the typhoon that made landfall somewhere in Cagayan Valley. We would rudely be reminded of its presence some hours later. Soon the island came into view and we were not disappointed. It exceeeded our expectations and we were full of "ohs" and "ahs" as we jumped to shore. Powdery white sand that would give Boracay a run for its money (well, I exaggerate, my friend said the ones in Boracay are finer but Kalanggaman came close).

The blue-green waters were son inviting and in no time we were swimming and jumping in its shores. Surprisingly, the water felt cool despite the heat from the midday sun. The sand bar was amazing. Here waves coming from different directions clashed and sent up waves and ripples. Because of the undertow, swimming is strictly prohibited near the sand bar.

Swimming is not the only activity one can engage in in Kalanggaman. You can go snorkeling on one side of the island and watch the teeming sea life below. Snorkeling and diving equipment are provided by the eco-torism office for a fee. Diving, however, is limited to those who hold valid diving licenses.

You may also watch the beautiful sunset which, regretfully we did not get to see as we went home by 3 pm.

As I said, the island is quite small, reason why the local government regulates its visitors to 300 at any given time. Due to its size, its ecological balance could easily be upset with an uncontrolled nukber of people coming to its shores. The present facilities of Kalangagaman blends well with its surroundings and is limited to the most basic of comforts. There is no electricity and water system is non-existent. You have to bring in your own barrels of water for drinking and bathing. There is a smattering of kiosks which are spaced well enough apart. In my opinion, to add more would be ill-advised.

Despite its semi-primitiveness and lack of creature comforts, Kalanggaman is definitely one place worth coming back too. In fact, we felt that one day was not enought and an overnight stay is recommended to truly enjoy to the fullest the island.

We all made a promise to return and one we are keen to keep with memories and pictures to spur us on.