Wakeboarding Adventure at Camsur Watersports Complex
If it wasn’t for the reality TV show, Survivor I wouldn’t have known that somewhere in Camarines Sur there is an unexploited, rugged, and breath-taking beautiful group of islands. The show has put it on the map, which pretty much explains why it is currently one of the most preferred summer destinations this year. And today ladies and gents, I will begin the story on how I got my tan in what has to be, one of the most beautiful places in the Philippines, Caramoan Islands.
So how did I get my ass there? By invitation. One day, my office mate, Martha, asked me to join her and some of her friends in their Caramoan trip. But before I take you to Caramoan, let’s start the story on how we got there. The adventure started at Camsur Watersports Complex.
The looooong travel
On the 6th of April 2013, with only two hours’ worth of sleep, I went on a trip to CamSur with 8 others. Two of Martha’s friends brought vehicles and for over 12 hours, we were on the road with few stops along the way. Our travel began at 5AM. At around 10M we had lunch at Lita’s Carinderia in Gumaca, Quezon. It is one of the eateries that lined the highway, facing the sea. The food was so-so and overpriced so if you ever get there, do yourself a favor and try other food establishments in the area.
While we were driving around Naga I noticed that there are many eateries that had the word kinalas on their signboards. My curiosity didn’t go unanswered because my travel companions decided that we eat in this noodle place named, Cordova’s Kinalasan.
Kinalas
Turns out that kinalas (PHP 28) is a type of noodle dish, which seemed to me, a cross between batchoy and bulalo. It has strips of pork, the noodle is thick, the broth, suety. It is kind of bland so it’s up to you to make it more flavorful by adding your choice of condiments. They got calamansi, soy sauce, black pepper, vinegar, chilli pepper, and fish sauce. One of us seemed to have the knack for making a kinalas flavorful based from the reaction of those who were able to try hers. I heard her saying though that kinalas tastes better with vinegar and chili pepper. I tried it and I gotta say, she knew what she was talking about.
If you don’t want kinalas, you can order other offerings in the menu such as loglog, baduya, and panlegazpi. Baduya (PHP 8) by the way, is their own version of maruya (banana fritters).
Then the long travel ensued, with few stopovers to respond to the call of nature. It was a journey so long, I started feeling sorry for Jb, who had no one to share the driving duties with. Some hours I tried to catch some zzs. Most of the time I just stared out of the window, enjoying the rock music stored in Jb’s playlist. I was in a ride with Martha, Jb, and James. Most of the time, the three talked about their common friends, relived old memories, and discussed about their travel plans. If I could relate to what they were talking I’d pitch in, otherwise, I kept to myself.
CWC
The travel was so long it felt like I’d grown a year older, so when we finally reached CamSur Watersports Complex (CWC), I was so relieved I had to suppress the urge to kiss the ground.
You see the water and those cables and cranes in the picture? That’s for wakeboarding, waterskiing, and waterskating. CWC is a watersports park, with other amenities like swimming pool, hotel, bar and restaurants, and shops. So did I try any of the water sports? Yes, I did, but more on that later.
Villa del Rey Hotel
We stayed at Villa del Rey Hotel. To say that this hotel is interesting would be an understatement. It has beautiful lodgings like dwell homes, tiki huts, wood cabins, containers, cabanas, villas, Eco Village, and mansion suites. Our group picked the wood cabins.
Wakeboarding
When Macky, Jb, and James decided to go wakeboarding, despite my interest to try it, I found myself dilly dallying because I didn’t bring enough clothes. Yet I kept thinking of my friend Rhoda who likes outdoor adventures; if she were there, she’d definitely go for it. As I was busy debating with myself, Jb decided to resolve my hesitations by paying for my wakeboarding fee. Next thing I knew they were already asking me to sign a waiver. Since I had no extra clothes, Martha and I exchanged our outfits. Then I was given this pink vest and a yellow head gear.
We walked our way to the water park for the beginners. It has a simpler cable system and a smaller man-made lake, and since I am not equipped with the ability to estimate distance, I won’t be able to give you that information. Both ends of the lake have waiting areas for the wakeboarders.
The sport is fairly simple, here’s how it goes:
- Hold on to the wood attached to the cable.
- Bend your knees
- Hunch your back
- Keep your toes up on the board
- Don’t tug the cable, just keep your arms straight
- Remain in a squatting position
- Dive head first to the water and meet your maker (optional)
Okay the last part is not included hehehe…
My first attempt was a failure. I think I panicked a little that I let go of the cable too soon, I didn’t even get to the middle part of the lake. Joselito, one of the instructors whose voice could reach to the ends of the earth, was quite supportive and patient to teach us the right tricks. He kept reminding us what and what not to do, with a voice that was so loud, I swear I could hear him inside my head.
Thankfully something clicked and had me crossing the lake smoothly on my second try. There were like 20 other people who took wakeboarding that night so every time we reached the other end of the lake, we had to patiently wait for our turns. I was able to cross the lake 5 times, with only one failure. Not bad for a first timer huh?
Wakeboarding is fun and if you get to CWC, I highly recommend you give it a try. For your information here is the rate (exclusive of gear rental):
- Day/hour (8:30AM – 5PM) – PHP 125
- Half day (8:30AM – 12:30PM/1PM – 8PM) – PHP 370
- Whole day (8:30AM – 5:00 p.m.) – PHP 610
- Night/hour (5PM – 9PM) – PHP 175
- Whole night (5PM – 9PM) – PHP 500
- Whole day + whole night (8:30AM – 9PM) – PHP 970
And that’s how my first day in CamSur went. It was a long day so as soon as I hit the bed, I was already off to la la la land. Stay tuned for more stories about this lovely, accidental trip. For now I am leaving you with the contact information of CWC.
CamSur Watersports Complex (CWC)
Provincial Capitol Complex
Cadlan, Pili, Camarines Sur
Telephone nos: (054) 477-3344/(054) 477-3349
Mobile nos.: (63) 917-8954156/(63) 999-8893697
Website: http://www.cwcwake.com/
Hello!
For a general a general info… I was the first one who realized and materialized the Caramoan Tourism Industry in Caramoan. I remember I used to gave my tour-guide services for free for and even for a bottle of beer only hehehe! I started during the time when there was still no hotels except a small Traveller's Inn owned by my father in Caramoan, At that time there was no hotel structures in Gota and the Survivors events not even in the dreams of the Caramoanons.
If you want some info and also planning to visit caramoan… Now that I have my own travel agency you may contact me At:
Caramoan Travel and Tours Services
09293362773 / 09273772190
http://www.caramoantours.com
email: caramoan@gmail.com
Thanks and Godbless!
Brgy. Capt. Emilio Victor B. Avila III (Totem)
Pwede po by plane ate Joy, pero sa Legazpi airport po ang destination so magbabyahe pa din po papuntang Caramoan.
Can't wait to read lakwatsero's blog kung meron. This guy is so pigeonholed sa kanyang ideas and i'm curious what kind of perfect writing he's doing. The intellectual badgering screams of need for affirmation. Bigay nio na bka makatulong hehe.
cge i'll try it minsan… gusto ko jan sa Caramoan kasi pinasikat talaga as in ng Survivor… hihihihi… dagdag gatong lang…
Other blogs and bloggers have made the same claim. Ambot-ah. And even caramoan.ph. And if their claim is a fallacy, that's an issue. If this blogger's claim is a fallacy? Not an issue. It's a personal blog, anyway.
Your suggestion is nice. Nice. But retaining “…this year” in the statement? That is still misinformation. Have a dose of your own medicine. Analyze the statement. If you have a brain—one that's working—for that. In editing, making suggestions to improve written words, you have to be precise. 100 percent accuracy. Eliminate all errors. Otherwise, don't be too arrogant.
Remember to try it with vinegar and chili pepper 🙂
Stephenie Meyer?! WTF?! Hahaha…
The place is lovely. Fantastic. Breathtaking. But if it would take… how long? 12 hours to go there from here? Hmmm… That gives me second thoughts… But maybe.
Controversial post BTW. I love it. Think of it like this: Stephen King's the detractor of… well. Stephanie Mayer? Nah. Choose another analogy. Different from mine.
Actually that's what Pao thought so too, dapat daw meron akong wrist band na WWRD hahaha…
napaka-kontrobersyal naman ng post na to. hehe. bat ganun “what would rhoda do” ang naisip ko :)) gusto ko din mag-wakeboard! sayang wala kayong pics habang hinihila ng cables.
Well put Pao. Thanks 🙂
I wanna visit CamSur again. I love the place. You can find a lot of activities there. I am in love with Laing and Bicol Express Pizza which is truly Bicolano. Dyan ko lang namiatkn yun. Kakaiba pero huling huli ang lasang Bicol. I enjoyed my vacation at CWC too.
That's exactly the reason why I made that statement. Hindi ko yun kathang-isip lang.
Wala akong idea kung kailan naging famous sa mundo ang Caramoan hanggang makita ko ito sa dalawang sites:
“Caramoan became famous when the French franchise of the Survivor TV series filmed one of its seasons here. Despite its shot to fame, life in this town is still laid-back and slow.”
…at sa caramoan.ph mismo:
“Caramoan resorts became popular only recently when it became the venue for the French Survivor show. The location for Israel's Survivor hit TV show was also Caramoan. The true natural beauty of Caramoan Islands is what made it popular for shooting TV shows…”
So, they support the argument that the show has really put Caramoan on the map hehehe.
sources:
http://www.dangerous-business.com/2010/10/guest-post-tips-for-your-first-time-in-the-philippines/
http://www.caramoan.ph/
Though the qualifier “my” can do good to contextualize her message as a personal experience, I do think however, that her statement:
“The show has put it on the map, which pretty much explains why it is currently one of the most preferred summer destinations this year.”
…is a perfectly valid claim due to the fact that it is an umbrella statement. It is inclusive and not exclusive. Which only means that she acknowledges the power of mass media and its impact on tourism, specifically the over a decade-long viewership of Survivor
not just in the Philippines but all over the globe exposing destinations and enticing people comfortably glued to their TV screens to get off their asses and glue themselves with sunscreens.
Granting that your statement is correct on Caramoan being popular to “seasoned travelers and true-blue backpackers from Europe and the US,” it does not invalidate her statement simply because (if tv viewership is the thing in her mind when she wrote it) it is intended for the lay man/woman.
If there is anything wrong with her opening spiel, it’s lack of specificity and not misinformation. But then again, like what Jacqui said, this isn’t a Nat Geo article or a travel
article in a published magazine. ‘tis a freakin blog mate.
Thanks a lot girl. I am trying to be civil about the whole thing because I don't want my followers to think I like to pick fight with my readers. Anyway, I stick with what I said and I am not going to let anyone tell me what to do in my blog. I miss you too!
Ang naisip ko naman sa Baduya si Abby Biduya, real name ni Priscilla Almeda hahaha… If you ever get to CWC, do stay at Villa del Rey and don't miss the wakeboarding. Matutuwa ka for sure.
Grabe. Haba byahe. D ba puede airplane punta dyan or to Naga maybe?
Ganda nga.dyan.
@marge Funny how some people can't stop at just reading, huh? I mean, if you're not happy with what you've just read, close the page, move on, and don't ever come back. It's not like this is an article for Nat Geo anyway. What's with all the nitpicking?? As they say in Tagalog, walang basagan ng trip, please lang!
Anyway, your article's great. Looking forward to reading the rest of the series. I miss you na! 🙂
That was a fun read Marge – felt like I was tagged along on your accidental trip 🙂
Naaaliw ako sa mga kinainan nyo at sa food. Tawa ako sa name ng “baduya” parang binakla lang 🙂
At mas natawa ako (almost choked on the cup noodles I was eating) when I read “Dive head first to the water and meet your maker (optional)” Good thing optional sya haha!
I want to go to CWC too and stay at the Villa del Rey – looks really cozy 🙂
I didn't get to taste the kinalas. There's a next time. 🙂
I don't get the animosity too but then oh well.
Thanks. Sa tiki huts pala kayo nag-stay, sana wooden cabin na lang.
Punta ka na, siguradong mag-eenjoy ka 🙂
waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa….. gusto ko man maexperience yung caramoan island.
tapos Survivor kemeruth ang peg…
🙂
While your suggestion is appreciated I am not going to change anything in my blog. I will just let my readers read your helpful information and take it from there.
in journalistic parlance, your opening spiel borders on misinformation. if i may suggest, try:
If it wasn't for the reality TV show, Survivor I [since you're using the first person here, implying a PERSONAL experience~] wouldn't have known that somewhere in Camarines Sur there is an unexploited, rugged, and breathtakingly beautiful group of islands that has become one of the most preferred summer destinations this year. The show has put it on MY [~qualifying it here is more appropriate] map. [end the sentence here]
just a suggestion though.
I rest my case. I'm sorry I'm not a true-blue backpacker from Europe.
it did? maybe to you. Caramoan IS ALREADY a popular destination among seasoned travelers and true-blue backpackers from Europe and the US, EVEN BEFORE survivor came to its shores.
Still you can't take away the fact that Survivor made it popular.
i'm sorry, it's not my “say so”. it IS so.
it's just sad that many people wrongly attribute Caramoan's popularity to this reality show. few folks are even aware that because of this show, many MORE PRISTINE beaches and islets are now off limits to local tourists.
Oo nga eh para di naman sayang, meron pa nga akong video actually pero di ko pa nakukuha dun sa may ari ng cam. Nga lang ang layo naman ng kuha tapos ang dilim pa.
Ay sayang naman. Dapat may staff sila dun na nagpipicture din para may pang-souvenir man lang no?
Thanks for the info.
by the way, the noodle soup is called 'kinalas' because the 'sahog' in it is from the 'kinalas' (detached or scraped from) meat from a pig's head.
Oo nga eh, kasi yung mga mahilig kumuha ng pictures, ayun kasama ko ding nag-wakeboarding.
If you say so
I'm sorry, i have to disagree with your opening spiel. It wasn't the Survivor Series that put Caramoan on the world map. Au contraire. Caramoan has been on the traveler's map for the last what, five or so years.
Feeling ko dahil mas matagal byahe nyo pa-CWC kesa sa flight from Manila to Cebu, you thought na ayun na pinakamalayong starbucks na napuntahan mo, haha
Kinalasan? Parang mami lang no? Weird lang na lalagyan siya ng vinegar..
No wakeboarding pics? Dun pa naman ako excited, haha. Pero galing mo ah, first attempt lang ang fail.. woah!
Oo merong cute boys dun, mga turista din na nagwe-wake boarding. Try mo mag wakeboarding, super fun siya. Sige, I'll try my best na mapost agad yung iba pa naming adventures 🙂
I wanna try wakeboarding too! Congrats! 4/5? Not bad! May mga cute boys ba sa CWC?hihihi..
'eto ung mga ni-like kong status updates mo sa FB eh… wait pa ako sa mga susunod ah…