Biri Island : Invading the Alien World of  Magnificent Rock Formations

Long before, I wasn’t awakened by this magic. I dreamt of going outdoors and wandering to places I have never been, but did not give any serious thought about it. It remained a dream. Eventually I had this scary feeling, the fear of the unknown.  I harbored unsettled doubts and I let negative thoughts dominate my being. That’s why I was stuck and remained stagnant and my world just revolved around me.

Maybe I was peculiar.
Maybe I was weird.
Maybe,just maybe, I was just crazy.

And I loathed myself because of that.

• To travel to be able to not just  see the view but  to witness and discover behind the sights
• To travel to be able to experience and to go beyond the offered moments of such experiences.
• To travel to be able to learn and gain knowledge  at the same time to learn to unlearn
• To travel to be able to live a life that I had imagined long before.

So join me as I go out to witness another magic. I’m going to chase potatoes again and this time it will be in Biri Island.

A BIT OF FACTS ABOUT BIRI ISLAND

Upon our arrival in Biri Island since our main purpose was to view  the rock formations in Biri, we then rode a habal habal and were directly led to the tourism office.

The tourism office also gave us this leaflet. The leaflet presents information about facts, history, tourist spots and other stuffs in Biri Island. They  gave us this information to give us a trip with  easy access and without hassles and I like it.  I hope other towns will imitate this kind of service.

Aaaaand the tour began. Yey!

First stop. Magasang Rock Formation

As we started, we came across this concrete bridge.  That’s me at the end of the bridge. The beautiful scenery here started to unfold and it thrilled me so much that I captured a selfie shot.

And as we proceeded with our tour, we noticed that the rocks were becoming plentiful. We saw a bed of rocks. I had so many questions in my mind. Curiosity just sprouted in my nuts at the unbelievable sight (like how did those rocks form like that, where do the rocks come from, etc., etc., etc.) but naaaah I  had to stop all my queries and just be fascinated with nature.

Finally we stepped on Magasang Rock Formation. And whoaa, just look at Ate Chen. She seemed to be devoured by a rock tsunami. Haha! When you are in Biri, your mind gets playful and creative in animating what you will see thus making your trip more enjoyable.

Just posing around behind the stunning artwork crafted by nature. This place totally rocks! Literally. Ha-ha!

If you have fear of holes, you better not look at this photo. For sure, this will make you uncomfortable. Sometimes nature provides odd looking things to make our skin shiver. Haha! Anyway, I don’t have that kind of fear. I was just intrigued how these holes were moulded and shaped. They looked like dried coral reefs. But still I was captivated with the sight. Tell me what do they resemble?

Here’s Katrina having a good time posing for a photo. In this picture you can see the different textures of the rocks. Behind her is a smooth wall with a wavelike-pattern topped with a rugged shaped rock and she is sitting on  a rough rock that looks like  dried corals. Don’t worry, most of the coral-looking rocks are sturdy enough to be stepped on.

Here’s a funny photo of us trying to hide from the sun’s  hottest rays.

Again I found a spot to hide from the unforgiving hotness of Mr. SUN, haha. I was grateful for taking this spot for I luckily got a panoramic view of the Pacific Ocean.

And this is the perfect place to shout  your greetings to America  or rather clamour that you’re the king or queen of the world or just scream all the pains, disappointments and heartaches and release to your heart’s content all the negative feelings that had swallowed your being and for sure you’ll be okay after.  Biri Island is the ideal place for the healing of the broken-hearted to be able to move on and realize that life goes on and on and on! Char lang!

In this photo you can see different rock formations, textures, colours, patterns, shapes and also  tourists. The comeliness and picturesque view of the rock formations attracts tourists to visit Biri Isand. This island is blessed to have this kind of natural beauty.

But since we had limited time, what we did was just picture taking with the nature pool.

So this is the end of our Magasang Rock Formation tour. Time flew so fast for unknowingly we had consumed enough of it while enjoying taking snaps of this stunning world. So here’s my last photo featuring the rock islands. Just kidding. I called the place rock islands because the rocks are submerged in the water protruding their heads resembling islets or small islands. How I would love to hop from rock to rock here!  It may be called rock hopping, lol!

Second Stop . Bel-at Rock Formations

So this is now the Belat Rock Formation. Look,  how massive the rock structures are! I can’t wait to explore more of the rocks. So let’s go on. . .

As I took a closer look at the rock formations in Belat, I was captivated by what I saw.

Finally, we rested here in this area and it had a bigger shade. Our tour guide narrated to us that long ago when he was a kid, he sometimes sneaked to this place just to rest and sleep.. Well I couldn’t blame him. This part is  ideal for relaxation after sauntering around the rock formations of Biri Island.

This pic taken by Ate Chen was my fave pic so far. Looking at this pic, I noted that the rocks looked like a temple or a fortress from other parts of the world. It seemed we were transported to the ancient temples of Cambodia. These rock formations are truly fascinating and only nature can produce them marvellously.

As we bade goodbye, the waters gradually rose due to the approaching high tide. So we waded fast so as not to be totally soaked with the waters in going back to our destination. Haha!

So anyway, this is the end of our tour. So thank you, Biri Island. You are biri beautiful!   I’ll be back and that’s for sure.

HOW TO GET THERE
(taken from Biri leaflet)

·       By  AIR – Air Philippines, Cebu Pacific Airlines have daily flights to Catarman, capital of Northern Samar. Each airline has its respective flight schedule from Monday to Sunday daily. From Catarman, take 30 – minutes jeepney ride to Lavezares, and from there, a 45-minute motorboat ride to Biri Island.

·         By LAND – Air-conditioned buses from Manila are available daily to Allen and Catarman. Aircon vans and ordinary buses ply to Tacloban and Catarman routes. Get off at the municipality of Lavezares, the jump-off point and take pumpboats going to Biri Island.

·        By WATER – From Cebu, one can take a boat or vessel bound for Calbayog City or Ormoc City in Leyte. From Manila, passenger boats travel via Tacloban or Calbayog City.

HOW I GOT THERE

WHERE TO STAY

We stayed at GLORIA Vista. The room rental is cheap, perfect place for budgetarian folks . The people in  Gloria Vista are accommodating and friendly…

ESTIMATED EXPENSES IN GOING TO BIRI ISLAND

Php 50.00  – From Lavezares to Biri Island (motorboat)
Php 10.00 – Habal habal fare to Office of Tourism
Php 645.00 – Package tour for 3 persons –
the tour fee depends on the number of guests
Php 50.00 – Environmental fee

Php 200.00 – Lodge for one night

*The estimated expenses posted is for Biri Island only.  Travel fare in going to Samar and some miscellaneous fees are not included.

TIPS FOR YOUR TRIPS

• Tip No. 1 –  You can hire a boat going to Biri island through “pakyaw” system. It is better to avail of “pakyaw’ system   because waiting for other passengers for the boat to be full will take time. Boats will depart only if they are full of passengers. There is no scheduled time for the boats to arrive and depart. The fare of the pakyaw is Php 1,000.00.
• Tip No. 2 –     Go directly to the tourism office for the orientation and package tour arrangement. If you hire tour guides who are not from the tourism office, your tour might be cancelled.
• Tip No. 3 –     Take food and water with you for you might get hungry and thirsty in exploring the rock formations but never litter. Respect mother nature. What you take there, bring them back with you.
• Tip No. 4 –     Use sunblock, wear eyeglasses, and hat to protect you from the sun’s hot rays.
• Tip No. 5 –     Bring additional clothes in case you like to swim in the nature pool.
• Tip No. 6 –     Be extra careful as you wade on the waters, you might step on some corals and other marine creatures.
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• Tip No. 7 –     Do not get any rocks or anything as souvenirs. Leave the place as it is.
• Tip No. 8 –     Some parts of the area are slippery because of the remnants of sea water that are left on the surface during low tide. With that, there is some kind of algae or moss that grows on the area making it slippery. So be cautious in walking along the rocks.
• Tip No. 9 –     Always follow the guide, for the guide knows the place and he will always look after your safety. Never, ever wander away from him.
• Tip No. 10 –     Electricity in Biri is from 12 noon to 12 midnight only.
• Tip No. 11 –    Some parts of Biri town have limited network services but along the shore the networks are strong.
• Tip No. 12 –    Bring extra cash for emergency purposes.

Words somehow can’t describe my delight in  Biri Island, so here’s our video about our musing in this stunning island.

Here’s my portrait photography in Capul and Biri Island.