I fell asleep at 8 pm last night despite some asshole campers on the other side of the campsite blasting their odious music (as I mentioned yesterday) but it was a restless night because my girls were equally restless and were tossing and turning. Plus my back hurts from sleeping on the ground (sleeping bag isn’t thick enough for my spine). It rained during the night, I think, but we were dry inside and nary a drop of water could be felt even from the air vents.
In the morning when I heard the birds chirping, I flung the flaps open to see this:
I walked to the water’s edge to savor the early morning light.
We went to my mom’s cabin to have breakfast and after that we rented a boat to take us around Lake Caliraya.
We went around for an hour, which only covered a small portion of the lake. After the boat ride, I went back to the tent to take a nap while the girls went with their grandma to her cabin.
We checked out at 12 noon. Such a shame that the noisy campers were still there and didn’t leave earlier before us.
We weren’t able to go kayaking because I don’t trust myself when I don’t have enough sleep. It would have been a nice place to kayak because of the placid waters though.
Ditto for jet skiing. Swimming in the lake is not recommended because of the silt and clay that makes everything turbid.
Lake Caliraya is a man-made lake that used to be 1) farmland, 2) Caliraya river, and 3) a barangay (our boatman said). The Americans (during their occupation of the Philippines) sunk all those 3 things to create a dam on top of Sierra Madre to generate electricity.
It has long been a playground for the rich, bringing their jetskis and speedboats every weekend to this mountain hideaway. Some windsurf, kite board, and wake board here as the water in the area is placid compared to Anilao where you constantly battle with choppy waters.
If you want leisurely camping i.e. just relaxing-under-the-stars type of camping, then Lake Caliraya is perfect for that. No need to trek or anything of that sort. If bass fishing(or tilapia) is also your thing, then this lake is for you. Other water sports except diving is ok too (if you have enough money to rent equipment). Swimming though is… Not for the faint of heart.
Another thing, if you hate packing for camping, forget about it. You need to provide for everything. This campsite though has grilling stations, picnic tables, and shower and toilet areas.
My girls and I enjoyed our stay here even though my back hurts like hell now.