BY MINNIE C. ADVINCULA

Going to the beach is always a welcome treat during the summer but going to five beaches in two days is an experience well worth repeating notwithstanding the long drive it took us to get there.

Sorsogon is a province endowed with lesser-known, but beautiful, beaches.

The nearest to the city proper is in Bacon, a district of Sorsogon City, known as Tolong Gapo. Tolong Gapo is a 15 to 20 drive by jeepney from downtown.

It is not only the most accessible, it is also the cheapest.

The water and the sand are comparable to the more popular Rizal Beach in Gubat, another town in Sorsogon province.

There is no entrance fee, one just have to pay for the cottages which go for as high as P100 but which can still be negotiated.

Passing through barangay Boñga, the next beach is Pagol in barangay Bon-ot. This beach is a surprise in its being unexplored by people despite its beauty, calm waters and the quiet and peace weary travelers are sure to enjoy. Maybe its serenity is a turn-off to party-seeking beach goers.

Further on to Sawanga, in what feels like the end of the earth, Paguiriran island beckons even to those who have sworn to stay out of the sun. From the shore, the island can be reached by walking on clear blue water which is knee to waist-deep during low tide.

There is a lagoon in the middle that opens into the bigger ocean. The place is ideal for snorkeling.

Children who cannot be told to refrain from swimming must be cautioned against the stones in the ocean floor.

Tolong gapo, Pagol and Paguiriran lie in one stretch of a long road in Bacon. If a vacationer plans to see as much as he could of the province, these three beaches can take all of one day at the minimum.

South of Sorsogon City, in Gubat, is the most famous of the province’s beaches—Rizal Beach. Its only edge over the other beaches is its facilities. It is the only beach in the province, barring those in Donsol, where one might stay overnight or even for several days in its two-story hotel.

This is also where most beach goers troop to. So if one wishes to be seen and enjoy a party, Rizal Beach is where one is most likely to have the most fun.

In the same road network as Rizal Beach, going up to the town of Bulusan is Dancalan Beach.

In my book, this is the best beach in the province for two reasons: It has the clearest water and the softest sand (not quite white but somewhat cream); and it is the most ideal place for children to swim in.

For two kilometers from the shore, the water is level at three feet. That is why it is called "dancalan".

There is a big stone that serves as a natural marker which marks the beginning of stronger waves and current.

The cottages are also cheap at P100 but there is an entrance fee of P6 per head and a P50 parking fee.

There is another unexplored area of beaches in another town, Prieto Diaz, but the area is usually familiar only to the locals.

My only misgiving about these Sorsogon beaches is the lack of a good shower room. Maybe because the locals are so used to just catering to fellow Sorsoganons and their friends and relatives, no one is really investing in a good shower/changing room.

In Tolong gapo for example, you have to pay P5 for a pail of water to rinse off the salt water in a makeshift shower room.

The irony of exploring the beaches of Sorsogon is that having a vehicle of your own is most convenient but this means that you will be driving the vehicle all the way from Manila which takes about 10 hours at the very least.

On the other hand, the easier way to get to Sorsogon is to take a plane to Legaspi. From Legaspi, there is a passenger van that takes about 45 minutes to Sorsogon City.

To go to the beaches at a leisurely pace, a solution might be to rent a jeepney or a van upon reaching Sorsogon City.