I hate playing favorites but I gotta say that among the islands we visited in Caramoan Peninsula, Lahos is the best. The creme de la creme. The finest. The greatest. All superlatives. Ok, I'm raving and I'm overkilling it. But really, the reason I liked it most is pretty simple: I had a swell time there. Well, to be honest, I had a good time at every island we went to, but Lahos has got to be the most enjoyable of the bunch.

Lahus Island

The second day of our island hopping tour was off to a good start after a satisfying but quick visit at Matukad Island. With the weather still as lovely as the day before, everything seemed to be in perfect color - sky was blue, sea a palette of cyan and turquoise, sand was creamy and white. We planned to visit as many islands as we possibly could so leaving Matukad was kind of sad. Our next destination: Lahos (or Lajos) whose white sand was visible from Matukad.

On our way to Lahus

Friends who scored a free kayak thought they could paddle their way to Lahos because of its seemingly short distance but the water that separates the two islands has strong currents. This explains why this island is easily skipped when the weather is not so favorable.

Shades of green and blue

The beauty of Lahos Island is subtle and too personal. It wasn't love at first sight. You see, it does look pretty ordinary and doesn't seem to stand out from the rest. But as you spend more time with it, you begin to discover its hidden charm. There's more to it than meets the eye, however mushy that sounds. As a matter of fact, I didn't realize that I'd come to love Lahos that much. I mean, the sand wasn't as soft as Sabitang-Laya's nor its terrain as photogenic as Matukad's.

Rock formation topped by verdant shrubs.

When the boat docked at its rocky shore, I wasn't sure if I'd find anything special about the island. I thought it was just another island. I wasn't even excited to explore the beach, mainly because it's scorching and there wasn't much shade in the area. But this little sucker proved me wrong.

Beach combers oblivious of the scorching sun.

One interesting thing about Lahos Island, our guide Ivan told us, is it vanishes during high tide, thus the name which means (Lahos or Laho) "vanish" in English.  It has two beaches - one is located at the area where we parked our boat, and the other one which is shorter can be found on the other side. Another distinct quality of Lahos are the two massive limestone rocks separated by a short stretch of white sand.

The white sand between these rocks mounts on what seems to be a small hill or a giant wave. You can barely see the shore on the other side when you're on the other side (that doesn't sound right, lol). We played Frisbee on this sand while waiting for lunch.

Freeze-bee

The group dispersed and ventured on their own. I decided to cool off by dipping in the clear water, some went on to snorkel and others just sat on the sand under the shade. The island wasn't crowded so there wasn't much distraction. Our favorite company was a lone bird (not sure if it's an eagle) circling overhead. An annoying group of people arrived a few moments later - annoying simply because they were acting like some diva, with rattan chairs and big beach umbrella following wherever they would go. Of course, the annoyance was due to the fact that we didn't have those luxury nor could we afford one (haha!).

The unrelenting heat rendered everything in white.

Tired from swimming and playing Frisbee, we all hung out under a shady area of the beach and lazed, shared a few funny stories, laughed hard, basically had a good time, and did some creative photo shoot.

Life was wondrous in Lahus

Friend doing some contemplating.

Sumptuous lunch (a spread of grilled fish, steamed crabs, spicy laing and fresh mangoes and papaya) was served under the trees with a splendid view of calm, clear water and distant mountains in front of us. It was one of the best lunch I had in a while. My stomach was close to bursting.

Once the plates had been cleared, we went right back to the water to take another dip. Then someone decided to jump from the craggy and pointed rocks nearby. Next thing we knew, we were all climbing up and jumping off the limestone rocks. I bet nobody had jumped from those rocks before.

You now perhaps understand why Lahos is my favorite island. It's clear as day that I had immense fun there.

Clear waters.

I didn't feel sad or anything when we left the island. I just felt neutral. It wasn't until the next day, when I was viewing the photos and reminiscing all the fun we had in Caramoan, that I realized I have fallen in love with Lahos. It was indeed a brief and wondrous experience.