"Puerto Galera Long Beach Island " a Province of Mindoro Oriental Travel Page by mlt_t

enjoy the beauty and beaches of puerto galera... it's like going to Boracay but cheaper and affordable price for tourist and local.

You have to see Puerto Galera, Oriental, Mindoro. I have had been here three times. We loved this place and most specially the atmosphere. You will saw many beautiful resorts and lots of fun in store for you? maybe one of this coming summer time we will be going to visit this beautiful place again...it is already in planning stage

When the tide is low along the coast of Puerto Galera in Oriental Mindoro, the children of that popular tourist destination search the beaches for black rice.

Black rice? Yes, it is real, unhusked rice with whole and unbroken grains ? similar to the rice stocked in rice mills and grains warehouses.

The only difference is that this particular rice is jet black and cannot be eaten.

Here is a short story about this ?black rice? according to one of the legends and residents of Puerto Galera.

Once upon a time, according to old folks in the coastal resort town, there was a rich, greedy rice merchant in the trading community.

Although well of and prosperous, this rice trader had no heart and mercy for the poor. All he wanted was amass more material wealth and riches to satisfy his whims and caprices.

One cold night, an old beggar, hungry and shivering, knocked at the merchant?s store and begged for food.
Instead of taking pity, the greedy merchant slammed at the poor, hungry beggar.

Disappointed, the poor beggar warned the rice merchant not to regret if someday his rice bodega, located near the sea, would go up flames.

A few weeks later, as the beggar predicted, the merchant?s warehouse was razed to the ground ? the fire eating up all his rice and other merchandise.

Puerto Galer?s old folks point out that perhaps, after the fire, heavy rains washed away the burned palay and carried it to the depths of the sea.

Thus, during low tide, black grains of rice surface on the shore.

The presence of this strange, black rice on the shores of Puerto Galera ? one of the major tourist destinations of Southern Tagalog ? has baffled researchers and students of the unknown and supernatural.

The black rice has become the town?s no.1 mystery and also one of its major tourist lures.
This short story is coming from the resident of Puerto Galera.