Text and photos by: Gypsygal Prime

I'm a true blue city gal – born and raised in the city, and have traveled to several key cities (Melbourne, Toronto, Bangkok, Delhi – and perhaps in the very near future – Prague, New York, London, Cairo ) overseas. I love the color, the noise, the grittiness, the familiarity, the strangeness that every city has to offer.

There was a time that I wished I was living in a quiet farm or perhaps spend my days trekking and doing all these i-love-nature-thingys, But my recent forays in the terkking-hiking-whatever reveaked the many many things that I miss about city living: sipping designer coffees, browsing books in my favorite bookstores, admiring paintings in galleries and museums, connecting with my media colleagues.

But sometimes, I just need to get away from it all, so immediately packed my bags when Oxfam invited me for a brief tour of fishing communities in Sorsogon and how climate change is affecting them.

It was a very tiring interview, spending most part of my daty, listening how erratic weather changes is hurting the community and livelohood of these fishermen. While i did learn loads, by the end of the day, I was really drained and felt "heavy". Which is why when Gil of oxfam suggested that perhaps I should see Bulusan Lake as a side trip, I immediately joined them.

It was a grueling one-hour trip, traversing over rough roads, from Sorsogon city to the municipality of Bulusan. Someone like me who enjoy her creature comforts may have balked at the mere idea of driving through these roads.
But then again, so what? I was rewarded by this stunning view of the lake – refreshing, nakakawala ng pagod! Just look at this:

Bulusan Lake

According to the U.S.-based nonprofit Lakenet
: Lake Bulusan is located within the Bulusan Volcano Natural Park.

Bulusan Lake has interesting legends. It is said that a village once stood where Bulusan Lake is currently located. The legend suggests that a pagan chieftain once managed the land, and one day when he did not honor a promise he made to set his slaves free, waters came from the skies and flooded everything creating the lake. His slaves that were working in the fields survived the floods and are believed to have been the founders of the city of Bulusan.

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Gypsygal Prime in Bulusan

I was so stunned by its beauty that even if I'm not into water sports (as I don't know how to swim), I gamely joined Stef, Glen and Gil and kayaked in the lake. (But of course not without my lifesaver jacket)

Ahhh, my arms were hurting, as I wasnt used to paddling kayak. But it was fun! I told Glenn, who's an avid surfer, that I've always been keen on surfing  since I saw  Blue Crush

Colorful kayaks in Bulusan Lake

in Singapore several years ago. The surfer gurls and guys were so cool…) that it actually spurred me to go for swimming lessons.

I stopped my lessons when I came back to Manila to pursue a masters degree. I was very busy.

But kayaking in Bulusan (and my return to the gym to shed some of those unwanted pounds garnered by eating too much cake without doing anything to burn all those carbo and fat) is pushing me once again to renew my swimming lessons

Gypsygal's Travel Resources:

* Salvador Adrao, a tourism officer in Sorsogon, helped us in our Sorsogon tour,His company – Eco Donsol Tours – offers guided tours to Bulusan and other parts of sorsogon. Please visit www.ecodonsoltravel.com for more details. Or e-mail him at [email protected].

* The Aggrupation of Advocates for Environmental Protection (AGAP) trains fishermen to conduct ecotourism tours in Bulusan (it was one of the fishermen who assisted me in my first kayaking adventure. The community based group promotes eco-friendly livelihood to protect Bulusan park. Aside from ecotourism, the group also sells delicious wild honey and pili oil. (Their office-cum-store is about a 15-minute ride from Bulusan lake) You may get in touch with them at [email protected] Or call their president Philip Bartilet at +63-918-457-8767