Beyond the Capital: My Coastal Escape to Real and Infanta, Quezon Province

Guess who's early this time! Hahaha. I've been feeling a lot more motivated lately, so I finally had the energy to sort through my photos for the last part of my Luzon trip last May. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, here's a quick recap of what happened. On day one, I flew to Manila to attend the concert of the Japanese band RADWIMPS. On day two, I spent 24 hours in Baguio. On day three, I traveled back to Manila to explore the historical sites, and that same night, I traveled for over six hours to reach the land of a thousand colors, Quezon Province.

When I initially planned this trip, it was supposed to be a 7 to 9-day adventure. However, due to some unforeseen events, the trip was almost canceled. I'm just grateful to the universe for conspiring to make this trip a reality. The nine-day trip was cut down to five days with no itinerary whatsoever, but never in my wildest dreams did I imagine visiting three different regions in just five days. It's been a sleepless few nights, but I'm not complaining—this has been the best solo trip ever.

I didn’t have an itinerary, but visiting Quezon Province wasn’t part of the plan. The idea came up when I messaged my aunt and cousin to see if they were in Manila because I wanted to meet them and catch up before heading back to Cebu. Sadly, they were both already back home in Infanta, Quezon. After a short exchange of messages over Messenger, the conversation ended with me deciding to go to Infanta instead. That’s also why the Baguio trip was cut short.

I've been to Infanta countless times with my family, but I’ve never experienced going there on my own. I also never tried taking the bus there. Imagine my shock when I arrived at the terminal in Sampalok, dragging my luggage, exhausted from all the walking, only to be welcomed by more chaos. It slipped my mind that it was Friday, and a lot of people were trying to catch the bus home. Thankfully, there was still a non-airconditioned bus with two or three available seats. I didn’t have time to act fancy, especially since I was so tired and just wanted to sit and rest. Oh boy, I was wrong—I forgot the road there was full of twists and turns, with sudden ascents and descents. I spent the entire trip holding onto my suitcase and the metal seat because I didn’t want to embarrass myself by falling out of my seat. Hahaha!

Anyway, it was almost midnight when I finally arrived safely in Infanta and hit the sack as soon as I saw the bed. I just wanted to lay down and roll around on that fluffy mattress. I felt like staying in bed for the next few days. Hahaha. Of course, that thought was quickly put aside because we still had a long day ahead, as we’d be exploring the beaches, rivers, and falls of Real, Quezon.

I guess I was just really exhausted, so I slept some more before we headed out to explore. Our first destination was Lejano Oriente Beach Resort. We spent the morning there while my brain still hadn’t fully kicked in. Don’t ask me about the hundreds of photos we took—just me and my cousin! We also did a lot of catching up in between snaps. Hahaha. This is also where I gained so much confidence about my body. I rarely show too much skin, but it was so liberating to be in a place where no one judges you for how you dress. And hello, we’re at the beach! To be fair, there weren’t many people when we went, so we had the whole place to ourselves to enjoy.

Aside from the great ambiance and friendly staff, another thing I loved about the place was the pool. As someone from an island, it’s a bit embarrassing to admit that I don’t know how to swim, so whenever we go swimming, I always end up staying at the edge of the pool. However, here, the depth of the pool was perfect for non-swimmers—ahem, I mean, for my height—which I was so excited about! I was giggling the whole time. The same goes for their infinity pool. I highly recommend visiting them if you're in the area.

When we got hungry, Pam suggested we eat at Appleton Little Paradise Resort, right beside the Lejano's. Her recommendation did not disappoint. It had a perfect view of the beach, and although it was hot, the breeze was very refreshing. And the food? Chef’s kiss. I even added to my bucket list to visit Real again just to eat there. Even writing this post is making my mouth water. We spent more time catching up and having random conversations. What I really love about my cousin is that we share a lot of common interests, so we get along really well.

After we had lunch, we decided to move on to another location. We were undecided whether to visit a river or a waterfall first, but after a little discussion, we decided to go to Balagbag Falls. By this point, I had no idea how long we had been traveling by motorcycle.

The sun was burning, but these ladies were unstoppable. On the way to Balagbag Falls, we stopped by the Malapad Rock formation, if my memory serves me right, where we once again took hundreds of photos. Hahaha!

Honestly, when we got to Balagbag Falls, I was a bit disappointed. It just felt underwhelming for someone like me who has seen much more impressive waterfalls in my own hometown. I don’t think it was because of the crowd that I didn’t enjoy it; I mean, nature is a gift for all of us to enjoy, and of course, others will be there to have their share of fun. Anyway, it just wasn’t what I expected.

On the other hand, maybe it was because it was summer, and the effects of global warming that made the falls not as spectacular when we visited, especially since I’ve seen some beautiful photos of the falls.

Anyway, I’m glad I was able to snap some photos before my phone died. Also, if you asked me what the most unforgettable part of this trip was, I would say losing a toenail. Hahaha. I swear, I didn’t notice at first that I was already missing a toenail—it wasn’t until we were on our way down from the second waterfall that I started feeling a sting whenever I walked against the water. No worries, though—I’m happy to report that after a few weeks, the nail is back. Hahaha.

We wanted to visit other destinations, but I was just too tired at this point, and the missing toenail was a clear sign that I was having too much fun. Hahaha.

Anyway, after another long ride back to Infanta from Real, we decided to relax for the rest of the night since I still had one last bus ride to catch before daybreak, as I’d be heading back to Manila to catch a flight home. So yeah, day 5 was all about traveling from Infanta to Manila, then to Cebu.

Sadly, this concludes my Luzon trip from May, but it’s definitely just the beginning of many more adventures. If there’s one thing, I’m grateful for in traveling to different parts of the country, it’s that I now have so many places I can call my second home. I can’t wait to explore more of the Philippines, make new friends, and create more memories.