Monthly Archives: June 2012

Antique: A Croc’s Tale

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Our bamboo raft quietly snaked along the clear, emerald waters of the four-kilometer Bugang River in Pandan town, Antique province in the Visayas.

It would drizzle now and then, the sky a white blanket with nary a cloud in sight. It was clearly not the best time to head to the beach, but as our rafter would later tell me, a June weekday like this was the perfect time to take this scenic cruise along, it turns out, the cleanest river in the country (Bugang River has been awarded the Gawad Pangulo sa Kapiligiran [Presidential Environmental Award] for this)

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Out of the blue, however, one of my companions started telling us about Lolong, the croc in Agusan Del Sur recently recognized by Guiness as the largest in captivity in the world. Apparently, we were thinking about the same thing: the river we were cruising at that time would indeed make a good habitat for a crocodile.

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We rounded a curve—something our rafter had done rather effortlessly—and then we saw them: two crocodiles, standing with a woman in between.

They were statues, each about a meter tall, the paint chipped and faded on most parts. Although relieved they were stones, we were nevertheless taken aback–after all, they were standing on a place that barely had any houses around.

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Our rafter would then tell us the tale that he—at 32 years old—had heard as a boy. The three statues were built like a monument on the river bank to remember the tale of Inday Gamay, represented by the lady at the center, and two crocodiles Manunggong and Mandurriao.

Like all battle shrines, this spot supposedly marks the place Manunggong hid Inday Gamay from her husband Mandurriao, who comes after them and duels with Manunggong right where the statues are standing now. While the two crocs eventually died, the woman managed to escape and was never head from again.

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Villagers who pass by the river would stop at the same spot every time to pay their respects. Each time they ferry tourists along the river, the rafters start their narrative as soon as the statues come within sight–and I’m pretty sure everyone had been as surprised as we were. As if to assuage our worried looks, our rafters did qualify that there were no crocodiles in the river anymore.

One thing I do know, with or without crocs: that was one intriguing ride indeed.

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OTHER POSTS FROM MY ANTIQUE SERIES
A not-so-smooth sailing day, and then some
How I got to Antique and more photos while in transit
My attempt to hike the 7 waterfalls of Bugtong Bato

Travel Snaps: Nine hours at sea

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It’s always a delight to try something new whenever I travel. This year, I have tried the Bicol Express, a sleeper bus, and only recently, an overnight ship, among others.

Traveling this way does have its benefits: you tend to take everything ever so slowly without the slightest guilt, maybe even enjoy the sunset (or sunrise) without the usual frantic pace. That doesn’t come everyday for most of us, so it’s certainly something worthwhile, especially for the curious.

The following are some photos I took during a recent nine-hour trip from Batangas to Caticlan onboard 2Go Travel’s Cebu Ferry 3. We took the 8 PM trip, docking at the Caticlan Jetty Port by 6 AM.

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Caticlan and nearby Boracay at 6 AM

Sailing to Caticlan? Boracay is just another ship away

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Let’s face it: flying to Caticlan is so freaking expensive a one-way ticket costs half my sister’s yearly tuition. Kalibo is almost always the better choice for the average Pinoy flyer who wants to get to Boracay with a bit more money to spare for actual enjoyment rather than a plane ride that’s just two hours earlier–theoretically.

Which brings me to another way we average wanderers can reach Asia’s best beach and the world’s second: by ship.

Hours may be long, and the seasick among us may cringe at the thought, but this new traveling experience isn’t as bad as we stereotype sea travel to be (at least for me).

2Go Travel–a venture by Negros Navigation, Superferry, Cebu Ferries, and Supercat–started offering Batangas-Caticlan-Batangas trips only last March, and the vessels servicing this nine-hour route, I found out as I was aboard Cebu Ferry 3 one June weekday, were outfitted to outclass a typical seaborne bunk.

Let me count the ways why:

1. Above average sleeping quarters.

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Cabin-type room which fits four people

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Each cabin comes with a flatscreen and a desk, among others.

The ship provides four classes of accommodations, three of which are airconditioned: the Stateroom, the Cabin, and the Tourist (the Super Value Class, also their cheapest, is non-airconditioned).

We stayed in one of the cabins, which had two double bunks, accommodating up to four people at a time. It was my first time to ride a ship, and I must say I was impressed–the room looked and smelled clean. It also had everything I would normally expect from a hotel room–a private bathroom, flatscreen TV, table and chair, a cabinet, and yes, a large mirror. Of course, each room has four lifejackets as well.

I did sleep quite well, save for one or two instances I woke up feeling nauseous (sleeping while floating needed some getting used to, as did sleeping horizontally on a moving bus and spending 14 hours on a train, the latter I’m yet to write about).

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The airconditioned Tourist Class. All in all, a ship can accommodate about 900 passengers across accommodation classes.

2. Chic common spaces.

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2Go Travel’s lobby bears accents of the brand’s signature magenta.

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Guests can take their meals at this mezzanine lounge.

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Those who may have qualms about traveling by sea may be swayed by the vibrant, chic interiors of this hotel. You have to hand it to them really–as a roll-on, roll-off vessel that transports cargo trucks at the same time, they could simply have opted for dank interiors that remind you of hospitals.

Instead, the lobby has cushioned chairs and three gigantic flatscreen TV sets all around. It looked the way any decent hotel should, and that’s saying something considering what we sometimes have to pay for in other places.

The lounge, on a mezzanine no less, offers spectacular views from outside. The ship’s cafe–which serves full meals–was done in the same tasteful touch as the other spaces in the hotel.

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The hotlel’s cafe serves up reasonably priced food for passengers in a mix of funky and classy.

You can also enjoy cocktails at the bar, which is located at an open deck one level above the cafe. An in-house band plays every night, and lounge chairs are also provided. Between that and enjoying the quiet of your room, I believe the nine-hour cruise to Caticlan would pass by without a hitch.

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The open deck is sure to be a treat when taking the morning cruise. At night, this is where the in-house live band performs.

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3.Great value for money.

2Go’s rates offer great value since a fare computation includes both the cruise fare and the accommodation, and the cheapest one goes for about P460.

To book a Batangas-Caticlan trip, you can use their online booking engine (http://travel.2go.com.ph/) in the same way you would book a flight.

It does offer group packages for at least 10 persons. A cabin-type accommodation would cost P2,100 round trip per person during the lean season (from March 1 to 21 and June 16 to November 15, 2012), and P2,700 during the peak season (March 22 to June 15, and November 16 to December 15, 2012).

4. Best for families and groups of friends.

The accommodation types would naturally compel you to bring in the rest of the gang for some nine or so hours of whiling the time away, alternating between cocktails and TV and plain old staycation. And since 2Go’s group rates are very competitive, provided you have more time than cash to spare, it offers a fairly good deal for families who’ve been wanting to go on that Boracay trip but have been continually thwarted by prohibitive airline rates. Its facilities certainly make group travel the norm rather than the exception, although going solo might not be that bad too.

5. Different take on slow travel.

There may be just two types of people who would go for this cruise: those who are after the value for money, and those who are after the travel itself. Sure, the nine-hour transit, plus the almost two-hour travel from Manila to Batangas, would eat up so much time others wouldn’t even want to hear any of it. But for those who can, regardless of the reason, it’s simply another way to travel. The sheer novelty of it all is so appealing you just have to go for it.

DIRECTIONS FROM METRO MANILA (CUBAO) TO BATANGAS PORT

View Larger Map

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BUT THE DESTINATION ISN’T BORACAY:
A hike to seven waterfalls
A cruise along the cleanest river in the country + a crocodile love triangle
Riding a canoe that won’t please anyone who couldn’t swim
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This trip was hosted by Kairosolutions & 2Go Travel. Thanks for reading!

Eat Like A Local: Baguio City (Olive Magazine Philippines Issue 8)

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Olive Magazine Philippines
Issue 8
Eat Like A Local: Baguio City
Words by Nikka Corsino
Photos by Owen Ballesteros

Olive Magazine PHL Issue 8: Eat Like A Local

Olive Magazine PHL Issue 8: Eat Like A Local

Olive Magazine PHL Issue 8: Eat Like A Local Olive Magazine PHL Issue 8: Eat Like A Local Olive Magazine PHL Issue 8: Eat Like A Local Olive Magazine PHL Issue 8: Eat Like A Local Olive Magazine PHL Issue 8: Eat Like A Local

This piece was inspired by my blog post, Eats More Fun In Baguio.

Malalison Island, Antique 2.0

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(View the photo on Flickr)

It was not the best time to head to Malalison Island off Culasi town in Antique. The waves were very rough, something our large fishing vessel Mai Mai found difficult to navigate. Owing to its size, it was impossible to dock right next to the sandbar that would take us to the rest of the island. Instead, the boat kept a roughly 30-meter distance, which left us with one more unnerving episode of water transfers: we had to be ‘manually’ transported from the big boat to a canoe (and my ‘manually’, I mean the guys had to guide the canoe using a rope from the vessel to a couple of men holding its other end at the sandbar so it won’t veer off its course). But that deserves another photo.

Thanks for visiting!

Travel Snap: Back to school in Boracay

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Pretty cool to study right next to one of the world’s best stretches of white sand, eh? This photo was taken nearly a year ago while on a stroll along White Beach in Boracay Island, Malay, Aklan. It wasn’t the best time to be in the island, as the sun had been elusive and there were intermittent drizzles throughout our three-day stay. Imperfect though the timing may be, all’s good in the life of a child who most probably sees Boracay as just any other beach to grow up next to for a long, long time.

Reasons why you should try Isarog’s Sleeper Bus to Bicol

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There are many reasons why you should not go for Isarog’s sleeper bus to Bicol, or any other bus for that matter.

Between a 10-hour butt-numbing ride inside a freezing cold bus and a 45-minute flight that almost always costs just as much, taking road trips isn’t always comfortable (and let’s not even get to the snoring bus seatmate from hell part).

But as it happens—and as this blog post’s title would suggest—here are some reasons why you should, even just for one time, try giving your butts some break.

But before anything else, an important note to the reader: I am NOT connected in any way to the bus line. This post is an honest review of my experience with their sleeper bus in April 2012, which I’m sharing with you in the hope of helping you. I did not receive any remuneration for this post from anybody and I paid for my bus ticket in full.

1. Wide beds.

Taking this ride might have been the closest I got to a first-class plane cabin, although they don’t serve Dom Perignons here [see what does]. The beds–all 20 of them–are wide enough for two of me to fit in, which is just about the widest I needed for a proper snooze. They’re done in camel-colored faux leather and can be reclined–a much better bargain than pillows. Your bunk is all the space you will get, so you can either place your bags at the end of your bed or at a small gap below the headrest.

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2. No seatmates!

Although this doesn’t guarantee you won’t be hearing snoring episodes from your neighbors, you’re still well away from everyone else and all the possible noise they produce. Each bunk also has a curtain for more peace and privacy, and you’ll have your individual light should you wish to read during the trip.

3. Outlets!

I was beyond joy when I found out each bunk had an electric outlet (thank God for people who think of everything!). I was able to charge my already dying phone, which managed to stay alive long enough until our third day in Calaguas [see Calaguas posts here] a far-off island in Bicol that had no outlets and phone signal.

4. Restroom

This is pretty obvious, but hey, you don’t get that in all 10-hour bus routes here in the country.

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I’ve always despised bus rides for the long hours I spent in them, barely able to sleep and do anything productive in my waking hours. But this one gave me a good seven-hour shuteye, although moving along with it on a horizontal position needed some getting used to at first. It’s a bit on the steep side though compared with other bus trips to Bicol–P1,200 for the lower bunk and P1,000 for the upper bunk from Manila (Cubao) to Naga. But I was more than happy to have slept through the trip–something most probably impossible if we took the regular airconditioned buses, which charge half as much. And besides, we really needed all the rest we could get, because a really long day had been waiting for us.

TIPS:
  • The upper bunk could get a bit colder during the trip than the lower bunk for obvious reasons.
  • They don’t provide blankets, so bring a sarong or jacket.
  • Reserve your tickets in advance as there are only 20 slots in the bus, and they count in the passengers coming from their Pasay terminal too. You may call their Cubao ticketing office (located at the Araneta Bus Terminal) at +6329133551.
  • Payments are also required at their ticketing office before 5 PM on your day of departure (which we found very inconvenient, but whatever). The bus departs daily from the Araneta Bus Terminal in Cubao at 9 PM. You need to be there 30 minutes before your ETD.
  • And yes, no WiFi.

UPDATE (September 9, 2012): Isarog has set up a Twitter account and is regularly posting schedules & other updates. Follow them: @BICOLISAROG
They have a new website too: http://www.bicolisarogtransport.com

This post was inspired by Jack the Scribbler‘s Victory Liner posts [see: why you should take & skip Victory Liner's Deluxe MNL-Baguio-MNL buses].

Check out their Facebook page for more info. This is not a sponsored post.