MyPictureDay - Having a great weekend on the Island of Kalanggaman

Visiting places that will enlighten your mood is a very excellent way to recharge your body from all the stressors of your daily activities. In fact, it increases a pleasant feeling because it reduces the production of stress hormones.😊

I am glad that despite having a very tight schedule, I still managed to find time to distress. The last three months were rocking almost my entire time with loads of workloads. That's why traveling or enjoying the summer supposedly, was put out of the box. Even posting regularly my interest here in esteem, I barely had it.

Today, I will share with you another one of my favorite place to visit when I feel to unwind and relax. I'd been to this place a couple of times because it is only a 45 minutes ride thru a pump boat from the mainland of my hometown. So have a closer look at my last visit, a few days ago, on the beautiful Island of Kalanggaman.

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I usually go on an overnight stay on this island, because it has a magnificent view of the sunset and a glimpse of the sunrise. But at that time, my friends and I decided to have an early trip to the island. After registering at the Palompon Eco-Tourism office, we departed at about 9 am from the mainland by a pump boat. We were supposed to take the 6 am trip, but we were not able to follow the schedule as planned. It was Saturday and the weather just so perfect for a sunny weekend escapade. Since it was only a whole day trip, we just brought with us enough things that we need. Like a first timer on the island, we want to relax and enjoy the beautiful scenery of the place.

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The Island

A familiar scent from the ocean breeze embraced us when we arrived at Kalanggaman Island. I will never get tired to appreciate its beauty. The crystal blue and clear water with a powder soft white sand were dazzling that we could not wait to play with them. This island is one of the gems in the province of Leyte, and we are blessed to have it in our hometown.

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The Energy Booster

When we were able to choose our spot, we set up everything, especially the foods. Grilled meat and fish with spider shells, were the menu for the day, with some cold beers. We first satisfied our tummy before heading to the adventures that we planned afterward. We need to have enough energy to supply our body for the whole day. The tropical ambiance was so perfect to enjoy our meal.

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After having a delicious lunch with a great conversation with folks, we directly proceed to the west side. It is where Jeter Resort located, the only private resort that the local government allowed on the island.

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The Adventures

Since we already had the list of what to do, we decided to have a quick deep before heading to the first activity. Among the activities that we can do on the island, we only chose three on the list.

These are the activities that you can enjoy:

• Scuba Diving
• Snorkeling
• Stand Up Paddling
• Kayaking
• Jet Skiing
• Banana Boat Riding
• Water Bikes Riding
• Beach Volleyball
• Bicycle Riding

After completing the registration form and paying the needed fees, we had a short orientation about safety precautions on the activities we chose. Then, the personnel guided us to the starting point afterward. All throughout the water activities, I was not able to take photos since I intentionally left the camera in the dry bag. I just wanted to enjoy it with less hassle of holding something in my hands.

First, we had the Banana Boat Riding. We chose the extreme mode since all of us were asking for it. We had an agreement earlier that whoever protests would be paying the whole group. I guessed it worked because everyone agreed and no one raised any objection. But the funniest thing about it, we almost reach the finishing point, we did not fall into the water. What did we do? All of us glided our body in one direction, pulling the Banana Boat for us to fall out into the water. And we made it! We just kept on laughing while floating our way back to the starting point, with a confusing look on the Jet Ski driver's eyes on us.

Second, it was time to rock the speed of the Jet Ski. Since all of us are used to drive a scooter, everyone decided to ride according to its turn. We were having a great time maneuvering it while playing with the speed. Of course, with the precautions that we learned during the orientation, our safety was always the top priority.

Lastly, we were able to enjoy the different species that we found underneath the water thru Snorkeling. Among the group, I was the only one whom I considered having less confidence in swimming, but I conquered that fear and gave it a try. We explore at the back portion of the island, in the safe zone area. There are different species of fish and corals can be seen since it is a protected marine sanctuary. If lucky enough, you might see the giant clams in the area.

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We still had a quick tour around the Island after stretching the muscles from those activities that we had. We also feasted the leftovers from lunch and took some cold beers while strumming the guitar. This time, we strike our vocal cords and do jamming while waiting for the pump boat to take us back at the mainland. It was a perfect late afternoon, with the sun was about to set off slowly from the horizon. It was simply beautiful.

^{Stunning Sandbar}

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We departed from Kalanggaman Island at 5:45 pm. It was indeed a great day, with so much fun of what we did and great company with the people I am with, not to mention the endless laughter and satisfied tummy. We continued the jamming portion all throughout our trip back to the mainland. We never mind the sunburnt in our skin and the exhausted feeling, we just enjoying the moment until we went home.

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The photos were taken with Nikon D5000 and Samsung Galaxy Note.😊

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