PART 2 of my two-month Philippine Trip (link to PART 1)
To get to the well-known tourist islands of Cebu, Bohol or Siquijor, we had two choices: 1) fly directly from Palawan or Coron to save time, or 2) ferry from Coron to Mindoro, to Panay, to Negros, and then to the touristy islands. We chose the longer, latter route and, though we gave up time travelling across lesser-known islands, we were very glad we did.
Mindoro
WHAT? Bunkbeds on a ferry? Yep, cracked, plastic bunkbeds with lifejackets for pillows. I gasped, gawked, then closed my mouth, lay down, and pulled out my book. Eight hours of uninterrupted reading and snoozing time, and a free lunch of rice and spicy something. Heaven.
Can't say it was the same for some of our bunkmates who spent the trip hunched over buckets. Poor things! I knew how they felt. My tum was only just starting to get over my horrible bout with gastroenteritis.
Sablayan
From San Jose, Mindoro, we found a van going north to Sablayan where we'd booked a beach resort.
Not for those who want pampering; The Adventure Camp isn't for the holidayer who wants fancy-schmancy with sun loungers around a pool. But it was perfect for us, clean and quiet, with an open-aired restaurant that served good food, AND, best of all, within our budget (< $60CDN/night).
We felt lucky having a nice, clean place to sleep in. Especially after taking a walk across the bridge in Sablayan into a residential area whose claptrap shacks and crowded living spaces broke my heart.
Despite the poverty, though, people were always smiling. Kids high-fived us wherever we went, and always happily posed for a picture.
Back at our 'resort,' the kind, friendly folks running the show were just as friendly and helpful, with ready smiles and lots of time to chat and help us. "You want to visit Sablayan Prison Farm?" the manager asked us one morning. She then called a guy who knew a guy, and pretty soon, we were on our way, princess Caryn in the guest seat of Rudy's tricycle and Aaron perched precariously on the back of the bike.
At the penal colony, our guide introduced us to one of the PDE (People Deprived of Liberty). He was in his 30th year of captivity, he told us. "With two to go," he said hopefully. He was in jail for murdering 3 people, Rudy our guide told us. No way! He had such kind eyes. Clearly, I'm not the best judge of character.
"What the heck?" I asked our guide as we stared out at the prisoners in their canoe, slamming their oars on the water of pretty lilypad-strewn Libuao Lake. "They're fishing. Scaring the fish into nets." he said. "Hungry?"
"Sorry ma'am. There's no one going out to Apo Reef for the next few days," our manager told me the next morning. I'd asked her to find a dive company for me. "Oh no!" I said, so disappointed (Apo Reef, a renowned dive site, was why we'd come to Sablayan). "How about a visit to North Pandan Island instead?" she asked, pointing to the white-sand island we could see at a distance. "Sure!" I said, remembering that I'd contemplated staying there before I found the cheaper Adventure Camp.
And damn. We should have. Why am I so friggin' cheap?! Pandan Island Resort was gorgeous! (and NOT expensive in hindsight - a little more than our budget for a cabin, and budget rooms for less than $50/night).
But oh well, I pretended instead. As if it were mine, I strode into an empty bamboo guest hut, then relaxed on the deck, admiring the surrounding rosy hibiscus and coconut palms. Spotting the hammock in front, I then sauntered over to it, climbed in and lay back, gazing out to the blue ocean. "What a lovely place we're staying at," I said to no one.
Bululucao
From Sablayan, we bussed south, getting dropped off at the Southdrive Beach Resort, a quiet, pretty place on the sea, bursting with bougainvillea and within a half-hour walk from the town of Bululucao.
And walk there we did, but before we did, we checked out the resort's menu. "The backribs are the best," the receptionist told us. So excited, by the time we returned, my mouth was salivating in anticipation. "No, we don't have ribs today," the waitress said. What? Did you not say....no never mind. "How about this? I asked. "No, we don't have that, either. Or that... Finally, we're successful. "Yes, we can get you a double cheeseburger, sir," the server told Aaron. "Isn't this supposed to be a double cheeseburger," asked Aaron when his meal came. "It is, sir. See, there are two pieces of cheese," the waitress answered. My lactose-intolerant hubby just smiled. So funny.
Panay
The port was just around the corner from our resort, and at 8 am we left to buy a ticket to Caticlan on Panay. For $2 more, we got business class - what a deal! If only it was as easy to that on airplanes!
We snuck up to Economy just to see what we missed...
Antique
Aaron booked us a hotel on the outskirts of Antique, 7 hours away from the ferry port. An $80 hotel! What were you thinking, hubby of mine? What a good idea, I said when we arrived. The Vista Paloma was gorgeous! A lovely, bamboo room with a deck overlooking its wonderfully huge pool and, just beyond, the ocean and a long, walkable beach.
And the service. Holy mackerel!
"Do you have sun loungers?" I asked before we turned in for the night. "Yes ma'am," a little girl said. And when we woke up, two four-inch cushy loungers were set up with a little table in between. I felt so spoiled!
We stayed for three wonderful nights!
And then it was time to go. To head further south to Iloilo City's port and the ferry to Bacalod on Negros, the last island between us and the 'popular touristy islands.' We traipsed out to the highway and looked for the bus. And looked. And looked.
An hour went by as we sat in the hot sun, waiting.
But finally, the bus came. A perfect bus. A safe bus. A blessed bus.
Negros
Bacalod
Lonely Planet was full of restaurant recommendations. We hit many of them but absolutely loved the kuchay - delicious pork and veg dumplings with spicy chili sauce - at the Modern Café 365. Curious to see if their halo-halo's were any different than the others I'd tried, I ordered one here, giggling as I dug through its jelly lumps, bananas, beans, cereal flakes, and purple ice cream. Nope, no better. But sweet, cold and oh-so-interesting.
This boiled duck egg with its grey-feathered duck fetus was tempting. NOT! Eek. Nope, no thanks!
Silay
A day trip took us to Silay, a small town a half-hour from Bacalod, and the home of rich sugar barons in the early 1900s. Though shabby now, we were still impressed with these once-majestic ancestral houses with their dark cherrywood floors and ceiling beams. Hungry after a couple hours exploring them, we found icy-cold cataloupe drinks and some traditional sugar and coconut sweets at Silay's lively market.
My feet turned in of their own accord at the door of a tiny beauty shop when they saw the mani-ped sign. Oh man, how many 600p deals like this I’d passed, too cheap to succumb? Nope, not this time. Off with you, Aaron. Come back in an hour. It took two. And, oh my! They were the loveliest two hours I've ever spent; my aching tootsies submerged in a tray of warm water until they sighed with ecstasy, a deep massage of my calves, and my toenails shined up with glittery polish. And then my arms, hands and fingers. For eight dollars! Really? Here, take twelve.
Zamboanguita
Our last stop on Negros was Zamboanguita, a small village in the far south, not far from Dumaguete. Though a bit noisy being so close to the highway, we loved our perfect little cabin at Matteo’s Hus and the delicious breakfasts made each morning by Cleophe, the owner.
With a rental scooter she organized for us, we travelled east to the small town of Valencia, heading inland from there. "I'd live here," I said to Aaron as we wound up the mountainside on a paved road lined with lush, green broad-leaved palms and tropical flowers, the cool mountain air a relief from the never-ending heat.
We took the northern road toward Pulangato falls first, climbing and climbing, past lovely scenes...
Holding our noses as we passed through a smelly section of the road where sulfur gases steamed from vents in the rocks.
And then, the colourful sign and lush vegetation at Red Rock Hot Springs brought us to a full stop for a warm, relaxing dip.
Hungry after all our exploring, Pulangato Falls was a great place to break for lunch. Though its waterfall and surrounding pools were lovely, it seems we were more interested in eating 'cause I have no pictures of this pretty place.
After lunch, we returned the way we'd come then took the road to Casaroro Falls. And what a gem! My mouth agape, I climbed down the steep stairs through the spectacular rainforest, watching the river through giant ferns as we went ever downward.
We crossed swiftly flowing river sections and I found myself crawling with my hands in the water or clinging to my guide's arm. Jeez. When did I become such an old lady?
I saw nothing on the climb back up other than the steep stairs. My lungs wheezed, and my heart pounded in my ears. Gosh, age is a bitch sometimes. Aaron did much better, though that was probably because he was no longer weighed down with his phone. Which was at the bottom of the river.
Our explorations west from Zamboangito the next day found us at the Kukoos Nest, a place our hostess had recommended, her 'peaceful place,' she said. Following Google, we found the place and climbed the steep stairs down. It was just as she'd said, a piece of heaven. A lovely beach on a private bay with calm, blue waters, and a restaurant with all manner of delicious-sounding food,
From the beach, I looked up to see several bamboo cabins perched against the cliff. What a view they must have!
"Darn, wish we weren't travelling so quickly," I said, not for the first time. Or the second.
So, we didn’t go to Cebu from Negros, but because many would have chosen this route, I’m including it in Part 2.
Cebu
Cebu City is huge with almost as much visible poverty as Manila. My heart broke seeing the little families sleeping on the street, naked babies and tiny children sleeping on cardboard. Just as sad was the scantily-clothed girl (or boy), not sure which, sucking gas from a bag.
However, beyond the poverty, we found Casa Gorordo, the ancestral home where four generations of an elite family lived there from the mid 1800s. Now a museum, the current owner, through a provided ipad, takes us through each room, describing the items in each, and her life as a young girl growing up in the house.
In another part of the city, the University of San Carlos Museum surprised us with its extensive collection of tribesmen’s spears, wooden burial urns and caskets, and many more fascinating and unusual pieces.
I will remember Cebu mostly for a meal we had one day after hours of walking through the hot, humid city streets, sweat dripping from every part of my body. Have you ever walked through a rainstorm then had the sun burst through the clouds? That was TGI Fridays for me: caesar salad-to-die-for, delicious deep-fried mac and cheese balls, and whisky-marinated drop-off-the-bone ribs. And the cool air-con ? Heaven.
COSTS: Conversions in Canadian dollars
· San Jose to Sablayan – 2 hours by van for 400p ($10)
· Tour to North Pandan, Mindoro for 600p ($15) for 2 plus 355p/ea ($9) envir tax
· Mindoro (Bululucao) to Panay (Caticlan) – 3.5-hour ferry for 645p ($17)
· Antique, Panay to Iloilo City – 1.5-hour bus for 330-p ($8)
· Panay (Iloilo) to Negros (Bacalod) - 1.5-hour ferry for 550p ($14)
· Bacalod to Dumaguete - 8-hour bus for 585p ($15)
· Dumaguete to Zamboanguito – 1-hour van for 80p ($2)
NEXT TIME WISHES:
· Stay on North Pandan and dive the Apo Reef through the resort’s dive shop.
· Stay in a cliff-side cabana at Kukoo’s Nest.
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