Trip to Poctoy Beach

the day before yesterday was taken up by a drive around lovely Marinduque .. the destination was actually Poctoy Beach, which is one of the few beaches in Marinduque that has 'white' sand. The sand is actually a golden colour. Most beaches in Marinduque have black sand, strewn with pebbles and bits of coral. It may sound strange, but it looks nice (check out my photos taken in Gasan).

The itinerary for the trip was, starting from 'home' in Tabi, Boac in the direction of Santa Cruz.
We stopped there to visit the market.

From there we drove through lush greenery all the way to Torrijos, which is where Poctoy Beach is located. It's quite easy to miss the beach itself, there is a sign on the right, and a large archway on the left saying 'Welcome to Poctoy Beach'. Through the archway leads to a parking area (I think we were meant to pay P25 for the parking) and from there it's easy to step down to the beach itself.



Although the weather wasn't ideal (it was rather overcast and windy) the sea was warm and swimming was pleasant. After a swim, we bought a large dorado (dolphin fish) from a woman with a stand by the shore, and for a little extra she barbequeued it for us .. really good and healthy eating! We paid for the fish by the kilo (80 pesos per kilo) and an extra 50 pesos to have it cooked (the cooking was by the kilo too, actually) .. so .. an excellent meal, in lovely surroundings, for very litle money.




As in all Marinduque, the people at Poctoy beach are incredibly friendly. The guy tending the showers charged us 10 pesos for the use of the shower, and then came up with fresh buko (coconuts, cut open for drinking) that he didn't want to be paid for! He said we could even come back for more, as he had lots .. I struck up a conversation with some people who were holidaying in Marinduque, coming from Manila. As usual, I had to explain where Malta is.



After Poctoy beach, we took the 'long' route back, through Buenavista, Gasan (and stopped to check how 'our' beach was faring), and finally back to Boac. It's quite a long drive around the island, but the roads are good, the scenery is incredibly beautiful. I spotted quite a few bright blue birds - though I wasn't given enough time to identify. From my fleeting glimpse they might be some type of kingfisher, though I might have to correct myself later.



I also spotted some places i'd like to visit on future trips - the butterfly farms in Gasan, hot springs in Buenavista .. Boac cathedral is on my list too :) each day I love this island more and more!