After lunch at the resort, we all decided to do some sightseeing and swimming. From the highway, we turned into a 2-km. long dirt road. Along the way, we passed by the bell-shaped Timmangtang Rock and made a short stopover at nearby Bantay Abot (meaning “mountain with a hole”) Caves seen along the seacoast of Sitio Gaoa, Balaoi.
According to folklore, Timangtang Rock and Bantay Abot Caves are believed to be lovers, the former being the female and the later the male and are collectively termed as “Lover’s Rock.”
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| Timangtang Rock |
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| Bantay Abot Cave |
Upon arrival at the lovely Maira-ira Beach (also called Blue Lagoon), we stayed at a simple nipa picnic cottage. Hemmed in by hills around its perimeterand largely deserted, except for a few fishermen’s houses, it also has sparklingly white sand and clear blue waters. Though its sand was much finer than its better-known neighbor Saud White Beach, this beach has yet to become popular with the mainstream beach-combing crowd.
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| The crescent-shaped May-raira Beach |
Just offshore, in Brgy. Balaoi, are the identical Dos Hermanas (Two Brothers) Islands.
According to folklore, two very close brothers one day went fishing at sea. Unfortunately, they were met by a typhoon while at sea. Vowing to be together even in death, they both drowned. To serve as an inspiration to others, the two islands were said to have appeared later.
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| Dos Hermanas |
