OCAM OCAM BEACH, NEW BUSUANGA, PALAWAN | Basic. Wonderfully Basic

OCAM OCAM BEACH | Sitio Ocam Ocam, New Busuanga, Busuanga, Palawan

Sitio Ocam Ocam,a meek stunning beauty, is remotely  located in Barangay New Busuanga in the municipality of Busuanga. It is being preserved by a small neighborhood, who are still in awe each time they would get a surprise visit from strangers. A few philanthropic tourists, in partnership with the local command, have bought a few hectares of the land; they aim to augment education and the healthcare system in the area. Their iconic beach is a fine choice to those who would like to take a flight from the busy streets of Coron. 

HOW TO GET TO OCAM OCAM BEACH

FROM CORON

1. Catch the daily 10 AM scheduled trip bound for New Busuanga. Non A/C buses are parked at Coron Public Market, just near the pier. Travel time takes about 3 hours; fare is Php 100.
2. Get off at the town proper, Salvacion, and ride a motorbike bound for Ocam Ocam Beach. Travel time is a little less than an hour. Fare depends but usually ranges from Php 150-200.

POINTERS |

• Transportation |

Coron – New Busuanga: Daily 10AM

New Busuanga – Coron: Daily 3 AM and 1 PM

Motorbike: Available at Salvacion town, either for rental or private service

• Road | Road infrastructures are in rough conditions.
• Protect | Make sure to put on your reliable sunscreen before the motorbike ride, as there will be no shade of any kind as you traverse the road to the beach.

And as always, GET LOST!

STAY | 

HAMMOCK, HUT OR TENT: Premier Accommodation

Very limited accommodation is available at the beach, as most lands are privately owned. One or two guesthouses exist; starts at Php 500. Reservation won’t be necessary since the place is very secluded and does not have any adequate mobile or internet reception to confirm bookings. Locals would normally allow visitors to pitch tents at a minimum rate of Php 100. Some would even secure a room in their own house for rent. No solid housing structure was sighted in the area; most dwellings are made of native materials. Neither swimming pool nor pubs were noted, but working toilets and water supply are well provided by the local hosts.

LIVELIHOOD |

Sitio Ocam Ocam is just gifted with copious marine life. Most families own a boat that they use either for fishing or transport service. On a daily basis, when the tide is high, the head of the family would sail and return after sunset, bringing their catch to feed the household. Backyard gardening is also one of the means they use to sustain their day by day living. Housewives would normally make use of their terrain space to plant root crop and vegetables. Small business enterprises are merging in this barangay through selling of general merchandise and showcasing of creativity in food industry.

S U N S E T | For most mothers are like sunsets - warm yet fierce, resolute imagery of calmness, and a beautiful refuge after a hard day's work.May we all treasure our sunsets, adopted or owned, as long as nature permits.

EXPLORE |

Time moves so slowly but passes so quickly like a time bomb

There are no lavish restaurants and coffee bars in Ocam Ocam, it is fundamentally leaned on a simplified way of living. If ever you would come across to one of the inhabitants, start a conversation for they are generally hospitable. If you get a little lucky, you'd be offered with a cup of coffee; others would even provide you a fresh coconut right from their own trees! Now, that's a treat.

If you have time and wish to explore some islands or islets, you may hire a private boat to help you get to Black Island and Kalampisawan; rate starts at approximately Php 1500.

Backpacking, no turning back

If island hopping does not excite you, then just simply feast your eyes on the whole cloud nine almost on your own.  

Let the revolution of thoughts consume you, saltwater to baptize you, sunrays to clothe you, and the seabed be your new-fangled love.

THE ART OF DOING NOTHING | Camping and Sunset Watching

If you find beach camping more interesting than posh staycation, sunset watching more rewarding over movie theater chains, and plain lounging more gratifying than partying, then read on for this one’s for you. You might had enjoyed or at least had tried one of the island tour packages in Coron, and let us all be clear and agree on this – Coron is awesome! But, a few moments in between, you’d find yourself too filled with so much things to do, too excited about the places to see and overly tensed with your next adventures to try. You would crave for something more relaxed, some kind of a nice place too but quieter and less people: locals or tourists. Ocam Ocam highly qualifies on the said specifications, hence the visit.

You have to remember that mobile signals are inadequate while on the premise of this secret paradise. I suggest that you switch your phone to airplane mode to save a few bars of your battery, which you will be using come night time. Camping along the shoreline of a sheltered beach, with colorful hues of green, purple, blue and orange under a painted sky, would quite sound too basic. But, it can be wonderfully basic.

As mentioned above, your tents would be your best accommodation of choice. Once preferred spot is chosen, set up your tent, lay down your beach towel, sniff the summer breeze, and  listen to the waves complementing the sound you make as you turn the pages of your book. Rule number 1, devour the moment. Your moment.

Prepare for a phenomenal sunset after six, and watch how the bordering islands are warmly tinted. At night, you may choose to light up a bonfire, snuggle into a hammock and gaze at the horizon. 

 These are the exact reasons that give me more reasons to continue discovering remote areas. These too, are probably the exact reasons why you would suddenly want to come far and have a firsthand try on this - to elude, to breathe, to reclaim peace, to be able to do everything by doing nothing.