Astonishing wonder's of Juag Lagoon: Matnog's Hidden Treasure

On the second day of my Tikling stint, I and my travel buddies woke up early to catch the sunshine in Tikling Island. One thing to note though is that the front side of Tikling island is not a good spot for sunshine photo opp since the sun shines on the eastern part of the island and it is situated on the hind part of the said paradise.Hence, we contented ourselves sight seeing and playing hide and seek with some of the islands permanent residents: the little crabs that roam around the beach's shores.

We had our breakfast at 5:30 AM, and afterwards I decided to mooch around and took a last glance at my piece of paradise. Later on I decided to take a last dip, and swim to my hearts content as my way of saying goodbye to the island. As I played in its crystal clear waters I realized that swimming is best done in the morning in the island of Tikling. As I lay afloat its waters, I heard the rev of an approaching boat. True to his word, kuya Alex arrived on time, good thing Arturo had dismantled our tents and were ready for our next adventure: Island hopping in Juag Fish sanctuary and Subic beach.

After nearly 20 minutes of traversing the Pacific ocean, our boatmen manuevred us to a cove that consist of several fish cages. It was then when we just arrived to our first stop: Juag Fish Sanctuary.The lagoon looks like an ordinary site of fish cages, with very spartan shelter in its center which serves as the owners recieving area. Next to it is an isolated cage that can be reached via bamboo raft, that serves as the viewing area. A couple of minutes after we docked, a group of students from Bicol University arrived too.

Never get excited to swim once in Juag Lagoon, Since its a fish sanctuary, anyone who applied sunblock is not allowed to swim in the area. The waters is good for swimming,
this time one can enjoy swimming with the school of fish that is under kuya Alex care. Too bad we don't have an underwater camera to capture the moment. I feel so lucky and blessed that I had the opportunity swimming with the school of fishes, you know the feeling that you are swimming freely with this little creatures, without any sign of fear from them, I had much of good time and could't thank the people like Kuya Alex for having the heart and compassion for this creatures!! When asked if they are for sale, he replied quickly, his friends are not for sale. It was then that I realized that Matnog is so blessed with people like Kuya Alex.

The lagoon also serves as a temporary shelter for endured sea animals like dolphin, sea turtles etc. I took my last dip in the lagoon, thinking that people who doesnt have too much of money has so much to give to maintain a balance in marine ecosystem. As I continously swam I wished I could raise funds to make the fish sanctuary in Juag a role model not just in Sorsogon but in the entire Philippines, but this time as a tourist, I would buy tokens from Juag to help the family earn a decent living, I would pay the fair (which is literally fair enough) and give extra to show my appreciation on these people's unending care and compassion to the little marine creatures, as a tourist I would spread the word to promote eco tourism in the area,that in turn helps people promote and solicit environmental awareness not just from tourists but from the locals themselves.

I concluded my Juag adventure by taking a photo opp with my beloved seekyu (short for sea cucumber)Yes, the sea cucumber's soft texture reminds me of how soft and big are Juag's people's heart for this marine creatures. Looking at this unique creature, I told myself Juag Lagoon is uniquely beautiful and its splendid nature is simply incomparable.

Proprietor /Banca Operator : Alex Geneblazo
Contact number :09183045437