Even though my formative years were spent in Looc, Romblon, I really never got the chance to travel around town and explore its nook and crany. Our municipality is composed of about a dozen barrios nestled either high up the mountains or beside the sea. There's one barangay, Buenavista, that was foreign to me until last April when I and a couple of highschool friends decided to pay the place a visit.

The primary reason I wanted to go see Buenavista was to look for that nice beach resort I saw online. Funny how I was able to find it on the Internet as opposed to learning about it from my kababayan. But then again, I've learnt about most tourist spots in Looc online. Thanks to modern technology!

We hopped on a motorcycle and traversed an unfamiliar but easy path leading to Looc's western-most village. On the get go, Buenavista gives off that rustic, idyllic feel that every barrio in Looc seems to imbibe. The road was deserted, cows and carabaos dotted the ricefields, lonely trees atop the hills. We barely saw people, but that's probably due to the fact that it's siesta time so they might have been sleeping the heat off. Even the barrio's centro was devoid of kids.

We were told that there's a sanctuary in Buenavista so it's the first thing we asked to the first person we saw. They charged 150 per person for boat use. The sanctuary is located a hundred meters from the shore and can only be reached by a boat, although during low tide, you can simply walk over shallow water to get there. Unfortunately it was high tide that time.
Among the group, I was the only one willing to snorkel and I didn't think I'd enjoy the experience alone so I politely refused the woman who offered us a tour to the sanctuary. She was kind enough to give us direction on how to get to the beach. Our  drivers were brave enough to traverse a bushy trail that led to the beach. One however seemed to be chickening out because he thought the beach was kinda mystic.  I understood what he meant when I saw the place. It has indeed a mystic feel to it. Perhaps it's because of its seclusion and serenity that gave it some sort of a creepy appeal.
 We were greeted by the soothing sound of lapping waves. I immediately took snapshots of the shore, hardly believing that there's a beach like this in Looc. Don't get me wrong, I love Looc but it really doesn't have much to offer when it comes to beaches. 
The lower area of the bay was shadowy, thanks to the leafy branches of old Talisay trees hanging low on the ground where we saw an old man doing some boat work. He paid us no mind even though we said our greetings. Further up, the sun went through its death throes but the scorch was obscured by thick mangroves dotting the shallow area of the shore. The whole area of the beach is pretty much secluded and untended, which adds to its raw appeal. 

And the best thing about it is it's free. 
*Buenavista Beach is a public beach so you can go here anytime. It's a short motorcycle drive from Looc, Romblon. If you want to go snorkeling, you can ask someone from the barangay hall.