February 2008

From wet Legazpi to catching the ferry in Matnog

A lady of the cloth, taking her comfy front seat at a van terminal bound for Bulan, Sorsogon.

I was already tired and sleepless when I arrived in Daraga, Albay at around 0700H. And God, it was a rather drab morning and wet with the slow but constant drizzle. Nevertheless, I dragged myself to a waiting tricycle before catching a jeepney to Legazpi City where I had a quick breakfast.

This was not the first time that I have been in the city in this kind of weather. But when it’s like this, not seeing Mt. Mayon is depressing. I mean, come on, the only thing that a visitor expects to see here is the majestic cone. But unexpectedly, just before my ride left for Bulan in Sorsogon, the mountain beauty peeked through the clouds, faintly. Its almost indiscernible outline rising into the sky like a bride looking through her veil. For a brief few seconds I was mesmerized before she hid again. Maybe she knew my predicament and consoled me with her appearance? It was enough for me though to see her and have her image cloaked with clouds etched in my mind.

The Philtranco bus terminal in Pasay

philtranco bus terminal.jpg — The lounge area of the bus terminal filled with passengers.

theLOOP It was CHAOS as I excitedly wound my way to the lounge area of the Philtranco bus terminal in Pasay City on the evening of my trip. But what greeted me was the throng of people in various states and disposition as they were awaiting for their bus to arrive. Unfortunately, because it was 30 December and the height of the passenger season, all buses were late for as much as 2 hours.

Philtranco services southern Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao routes with their main terminal in Pasay City along EDSA.
Tel. No.:
+63 2 832 2456
+63 2 833 1369
+63 2 833 5061
(These are their posted numbers and I can’t always assure that they answer)
With all the things going around, I can’t help but observe:

all available seats were filled not only with people but with baggages as well
children running and playing around
leftover food like Jollibee hamburger wrappers and plastics with some soda spilled on the floor
people watching TV patiently trying to make out the sounds above the din while others were animatedly gesticulating, conversing with their companions
many were standing, at the sides, while others, seated silently clutching their bags or texting at their cellphones or impatiently checking the time
the guard doubling as bus announcer complaining to the people not to blame him for the delay but raise it with the dispatcher
various tongues: Bicol, Waray, Tagalog, Cebuano mixed with the laughter, TV, vehicle’s horns and buses’ brakes
a bored female passenger amusing herself with self portraits using her cellphone’s camera

The disappointing first class passenger's lounge.

Travel history: Late 2007 – early 2008

I am updating my travel map as there are new destinations that I have visited. When I did the Luzon – Visayas loop via land and sea, I was able to visit for the first time the Panay provinces of Capiz and Aklan. I’m not a beach person but, thank God, due to some roro schedule foul ups, I forayed in Boracay for just an hour, another first. From Caticlan, I then docked at Roxas in Mindoro Oriental

Doing the Luzon-Visayas Loop: a Masochist’s trip

Luzon - Visayas Loop This is the 2nd of 16 installments of the Luzon – Visayas – Luzon Loop series. Click the image on the right to check out the rest of the posts.

Call it madness, call it a masochist’s trip but, after much ruminations, I finally made it: The Luzon – Visayas – Luzon Loop. Of all the days of 2007, I picked the end of the year holiday rush to head for home in Cebu from Makati and back (after 3 weeks) by land and sea. I intentionally didn’t book any plane tickets so that I will be forced to take the land route.

No doubt about it, the trip itself is a bit brutal, taxing, draining and not for the faint of heart as I had to endure almost 30 hours of no sleep negotiating the Bicol – Eastern Visayas leg and partly clinging my butt on an improvised wooden seat without cushion inside a crowded van just so that I can at least make it to Ormoc on time. But despite all these hardships, it was an experience!

Just imagine:

2,600 kilometers
63 hours of total travel time
3 taxis, 2 cars, 5 vans, 5 buses, 3 jeepneys, 4 tricycles, 2 pedicabs, 3 fastcrafts, 3 barges and 2 pumpboats
P4,700 total expenses for fare, terminal fee and a dorm type accommodation, and
16 provinces

The loop actually traced the following: Makati City – Laguna – Batangas – Quezon – Camarines Sur – Albay – Sorsogon – Northern Samar – Western Samar – Leyte – Cebu – Negros Occidental – Iloilo – Capiz – Aklan – Oriental Mindoro – Batangas – Makati City.

Ready… set… go! Me and my gear.

Tinuy-an Falls in Bislig

The stunning Tinuy-an Falls in Bislig showing its three tiers.

A stunning beauty. That is what I can say of Tinuy-an Falls in Bislig, located in the interior of the vast Picop concession in the province of Surigao del Sur. Dubbed the Little Niagara of the Philippines (why do we always have this penchant in naming places, I don’t know) because it is considered to be the widest waterfall in the country at 95 meters in width. Don’t be fooled of thinking a U-shaped lip with thunderous and voluminous waters surging in the thousands of cubic meters per second like the one found in the US but instead, its a three tiered wonder that from a distance, it just takes your breath away. A fourth level is said to be within the same system but is farther into the rugged forests.

The stunning cascades of Aliwagwag Falls

Aliwagwag Falls in Cateel, Davao Oriental is a wonder. A first time viewer is easily struck dumbfounded, speechless and awed by the spectacular sight. Just imagine, a series of 84 falls forming almost a hundred steps cascading from the forest to the edge of where it enters Cateel River and empties to the coast. The total height of the falls is said to be 1110 ft with varying drops of between 6 to 100 feet and is a declared protected area by the national government.

What’s more, its very accessible as it can readily be viewed along the road connecting this town with Trento in Agusan del Sur. The bridge over the river is a good viewing area to this waterfalls considered the most beautiful in Mindanao. It is also said that there are parts in the forest just near here where one can find the burial grounds of the Mandaya, the tribal group in this area which can be reached by hiking.

The coastal town of Baganga

Baganga, Davao Oriental is the next town north of Caraga. Nothing much here but the rural scenery is beautiful. It is a typical idyllic, Philippine agricultural town along the rugged coastline facing the Pacific Ocean where life is slow paced, unhurried and bucolic. Rice paddies as well as coconut groves dominate the scenery. In the market, fresh fish abounds.

The fastest route to this town from Davao is via Cateel, a town to the north where there’s a road linking it to Trento in Agusan del Sur. Compared to the coastal road via Mati, the highway is well paved until Trento, and safer.