The nestled lagoon in the middle of an island, a natural sanctuary for giant seafaring turtles, fills with saltwater during high tide.

This was the caption of the March to April 2007 page of PNOC’s (Philippine National Oil Company) calendar with their theme, “Our Undiscovered Country” with the stunning picture of Paguriran Lake in Bacon, Sorsogon. Imagine an enclosed lagoon in the middle of an island? I jotted it down in my brown notebook and vowed to visit it in the future. Below the main picture were small pictures of Vera Falls which I visited last year (so thankful) and the other was Naghaso Boiling Lake (next target to explore), both are found in my humble hometown Albay.

There are reports about insurgencies to some parts of Sorsogon, particularly in Bacon. This was the reason my hubby did not allow me to go there alone. But my main goal in our vacation this year in Albay is to explore Paguriran Lake and check if it is okay for a family getaway. Upon hearing this, my Aunt, Tiya Glo, volunteered to accompany me and so off we go for another exciting adventure.

Wednesday morning, we left Tabaco City at 8:25 am and arrived at Legazpi Jeepney Terminal at 10:08 through the shuttle van (P50). Then we boarded another shuttle van going to Sorsogon City (P90). We patiently waited for almost an hour before we head off. At Sorsogon Terminal we rode a jeepney bound to Sawanga, the last barangay in Bacon (P40).

Bacon is a sleepy town. As we went along through a neatly paved road, my eyes enjoyed passing scenic views of lush vegetation. The tranquility was well-defined. I am a sleepyhead but this journey awoke all my senses. I chatted with a fellow passenger who vigorously told us about the lake.

Reaching the barangay Sawanga we were welcomed by a road under construction. I felt we were in the middle of nowhere. There were no people in sight. We sped off in what seems like a forest trail with sparse houses abounds with lots of trees. There was a tinge of fear heading at the Easternmost end of Sorsogon. The smart driver passed on the good side of the road to fend off the dust. My seatmate told the driver to stop when we were at our destination. Travel time is from 10:25 am to 11:40 am.

There was no signage going to the lagoon. We saw signage going to Paguriran Beach Resort and off we passed by a short dusty road and entered the fenced resort. It has no summer crowd and few people were roaming in the area. We continued walking until finally, we saw an islet facing an open sea. Surprisingly, there we saw a large assembly of people submerged in thigh-deep level water.

My heart was pumping with excitement because any minute from now I’ll be seeing in person that wonderful picture I was dreaming on to explore. I’ve discovered there’s no need to ride a boat because it was so near to the beach area. My auntie had already pulled out her camera and was grinning at me. So before we cross the water, we exchanged cameras and snapped our moments of memories.

We folded our knee pants and we slowly traversed the shallow water which was so clear, warm and so calm. There were no rocks on the seafloor but it has occasional seaweeds. It was so nice walking on the creamy sand because it was very fine.

This is it!

I was so thrilled to see the lagoon surrounded by jagged rocks. And to my surprise, bathers were spread out in the aquamarine water. There was a diving area where the boys jumped to the water. My son Paolo will surely enjoy this cliff jumping. Veering to our right, there were two huge rocks with a hole leading to the open sea. Teens were swimming in this area. It gives the joy to watch them immensely.

We clambered up the jagged rocks and there we saw the breathtaking view of the entire secluded lagoon. It was a wonderful sight to behold. We explored around. It was a delightful treat seeing the surrounding bay, the vast expanse of aquamarine water, the lush mangroves, and the clear blue sky.

I extended my two arms grasping the wind and yelled “This is life!” Hahaha!  I enjoyed so much taking pictures to my heart’s content. I promised myself, I will go back with my family. I want them to see this awesome spot and we will indulge in swimming activity.

I saw a teenage boy jumped from one of the islets. He did it twice and later other teens joined him.  I took one shot of that boy in his candid move.

Going back to the resort, my jaws dropped seeing a glistening creamy white sand bar emerged in its full glory. I hastily removed my multi-strap sandal to feel its texture. It was so soft, almost comparable to Boracay. Amazing! I imagine my little Shen making a sandcastle and wading in the crystal clear water.

We met the caretaker Lani Nogales and chatted with her for few minutes. She told us we were so lucky because we were able to see the lagoon at its best. There are days that it is filled with water, so disappointing to take pictures and is not ideal to swim.

Another bonus point for us was the experience of walking on the sand bar. She was so kind that she did not let us pay for the use of the comfort room. She even toured me in cottages and rooms. In an exchange for her kindness, we bought biscuits and soft drinks in her sari-sari store.

Parking fee as seen in the picture below:

I strolled around and saw another resort. So after all, this is no longer an isolated or a dangerous place because of these mushroomed resorts fronting the islet. Paguriran Lake is now frequented by visitors so don’t be scared to explore.

I was thankful for this opportunity and for my “little conquer” to this awesome spot in our neighboring province. The sojourn had ended and we had fantastic and memorable photos to treasure. My admiration of how nature works and the discovery of the same passion in capturing captivating moments are definitely a blessing and a wonderful experience to cherish.  I am hoping that I can go back with my family.

We left the resort at 1:30 pm.  We did not stay long as the last trip from the terminal of Sawanga going to Sorsogon is 4:30 pm.

See you again Paguriran Lake!

Notes:

• Lani Nogales’ contact number – 09296756325
• Rate of Picnic Sheds – P200, P300 with videoke
• Rate of Fan Room with comfort room – P700
• No aircon room
• It’s more convenient to bring a private vehicle to lessen time trip.

In Getting There:

From Legazpi City, ride a van (P90) and alight at Sorsogon Terminal. From there board a jeepney with a signboard Sawanga (P40) the last barangay in Bacon and tell the driver to drop you off at Paguriran lake.