This post is part of my North Luzon Road trip Series

The town of Badoc is about one and half hours drive, North of Vigan. It is a coastal town known for its agriculture and as I was about to learn, salt making. The streets are neat and tidy with colourful signs painted on rocks, quoting simple thoughts such as ‘time is golden’ and ‘enjoy the simple life’. It is quaint and very sweet to drive through. Our reason for going there was for one thing, Badoc Island. This island is about one kilometre from shore and is an uninhabited island which on one side has rocky shoreline and the other, a beautiful white sand beach, with crystal clear waters, and a bit of snorkelling action. If you love island hopping, if you love beautiful beaches, then this is the place for you.

We followed Waze to the coastline and cruised along narrow streets with colourfully painted rocks and walls, stopping occasionally to ask directions for where we could get a boat to the island. We found our way to Barangay Pagsanhan Norte 5-b, there is a large sign with this written on it. Directly opposite you will find a small resort – as in sand, trees, some bench seats, bankas, and beach. Roman Madalipay is the caretaker of the Barangay and Badoc island. He is a small man, seasoned with a lifetime on the sand and sea. Deep lines are etched in his face, he has a cheeky smile and friendly face which lights up when we say we are Australian. He is full of energy and bounds around between his workers and guests coordinating trips, allowing time for each to get to the island and get settled before the next enclave arrives. As he does this, he is always checking in to keep us updated, pointing here and there to let us know which boats are being considered, which ones need work, which groups are next to leave.

Roman works on a first come, first serve basis, and as we waited our turn he pointed up the beach and told me there were people making salt and I was welcome to go for a look. I was happily surprised as salt making here in the Philippines is something I have wanted to learn about for a few years now.

We wandered up the beach. The sand was dark and muddy, almost claylike. A vast section of beach was raked evenly, and as I got closer to a lady with her salt baskets I heard her tell me to get off. I realised then that I was walking on the sand they use for the salt making. You could see the little pathways they had made to take to the water’s edge to collect water. The rest of the sand is somewhat sacred, and must be kept clean. The lady who was making the salt did not speak English, and my Tagaolog is really really useless and so through noises, hand gestures and dancing around I kind of figured out the process. Roman then clarified it for me through his laughter as I told him how I found out. He told me the Spanish taught the Filipinos here how to make the salt, this is a very traditional and very old fashioned way of doing it, relying on natural elements to make the salt. He said the Spanish taught them two things – how to fish, and how to make salt.

Two baskets sat on a sheet of plastic side by side. In front was a small well in the ground and and a trench had been dug and the middle of the plastic poked down into it.

The tide rises and covers the section of sand, drenching it. After drying slightly in the sun, the sand is collected, and packed into a basket, it is compressed by stamping on it to make it thick and almost impenetrable. A well is made in the middle and more sea water is added. Any liquid left in the sand drains out of the bottom of the basket, and the heat of the sun evaporates the water in the well, leaving salt crystals on top of the sand for collection. 

Our time to sail across to the island came and we squished into the small banka. The kids sitting on the floor and SB and I balancing on the edge each side. The ride is fast, around ten minutes and as the island becomes closer you can see the white sand and crystal waters glistening in the sun. The crunch of the boat as it eases into the soft sand always signifies something special for me. The sand is coarse, made up of shells and coral mostly but there are sections, like a patchwork quilt, where the sand is soft and kind on your feet. At each end of the strip of beach is rocky terrain, dissolving into the ocean, rockpools and mossy ground make treasure hunting exciting. The rocks themselves prove fascinating. From my research (disclaimer: I am not a geologist, I would like to thank Google for helping me out here), they are called Coquina. This is the Spanish word for ‘Cockle’ and ‘Shellfish’. Basically, it is sedentary rock composed either wholly or in this case, partly with shells, molluscs, and other bits and pieces like that. It is absolutely fascinating to look at and I found a decent sized clam shell stuck, jutting out of some rock.

 

The island is uninhabited, it is designed for the harsh weather conditions it would see with low laying tough shrubs. These line the edge of the sand and provide much needed shade from the burning sun. There is a small square building made from corrugated iron which houses a toilet and provides a little room for changing into bathers. Other than that there is not a lot of privacy, so perhaps change into swimwear before coming over. We found our piece of shelter and got busy. SB went snorkling, and the kids and I dived into the crystal, turquoise waters and none of us ever wanted to leave.

The water lapped softly and BB played on his boogie board. I floated on my back with my eyes closed listening to the water in my ears, feeling the hot sun on my face and sensing a newly revived freedom in my body. It was as close to bliss as I could image and for the life of me I could not place the feeling I had here. The sense that all was right with the world, a peace and tranquillity that generally lacks in my psyche. It was a comment from a friend that placed it for me. She said the colours are reminiscent of home. This beach was just like home. FB and I collected treasure, pinks, purples and yellows filled her little hands. SB came back talking about the fish and the coral he found on his snorkelling adventure, and then before we knew it we had to go. Each and every one of us felt it, sadness and desperation that we will probably not return before we leave the Philippines.

The boat ride back was choppier as the breeze had come in. We got back to the mainland around midday and quickly changed out of our swimwear and headed back onto the road. The drive from then was relatively uneventful as we savoured memories of Badoc Island.

Details:

Location: When you arrive in Badoc, follow Waze to get you to the coast, and drive along until you find the sign for Barangay Pagsanhan Norte 5-b. Directly opposite this sign you will find Roman’s resort and he will sort you out.

Cost: 100 peso for parking and 1100 peso for the boat for four of us. The boat captains will bring you back whenever you are ready to leave.

Tip: Change into your swimwear before you go over. There is not a lot of privacy for that, there are some bushes to hide in, or if you have dark tint on your windows, change in your car.

Take hats, suncream, water and food. There is nothing available on the island.

Leave only footprints.

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