the kalipay life: Kalipay Beach Island Trip

Already on my second day of my stay at Bahay Kalipay camp, we scheduled our 5 day trip to Kalipay Beach.

After all that I had heard of the beautiful, mysterious lonely beach, I was more than excited to get going.

To reach our destiny, we had to take a 5 hour van ride from Puerto Princesa bus terminal heading north on Palawan island up to the village of San Vicente. From there we made another 45 min boat ride to reach our destination.

There were four of us on that trip - Pi, Daniw, both residents at Bahay Kalipay, and Shanti, a Canadian who had been travelling extensively through Asia, mostly on his bike, for the last couple of years.

Since we bought a whole lot of wonderful fruits and vegetables at Puerto market, we dropped our original plan to only eat Buco (young coconut) throughout the trip. Arriving on the island it turned out to be a good plan since there were only little fresh Buco to be found on the ground and none of us eager to climb the coco trees.

On the island itself there is no electricity or running water and the bay where Kalipay beach is located, is still very remote and has not been touched by tourism development. Although it is obvious that the town of San Vicente is booming and preparing for more local and international tourists.

Kalipay beach is simplify beautiful, the somehow utopian wooden house that was built by the initial owner of the bay (apparently American members of the Cirque du Soleil) makes the place both the perfect cast away island but also a mysterious, spiritual and somehow very energetic place.

The days at Kalipay beach were short but intense. My body soon adjusted more and more to the daily rhythm of nature - waking up with or just before sunrise (around 6) and going to sleep soon after sunset (around 7).

Leaving the island and coming back to Bahay Kalipay on the bigger island of Palawan, was somhow like beeing back on solid ground, a solid ground to further integrate and work on the energies, emotions, and impressions that I brought back from the island.