Analgesics, Acrylic and Alibijaban

From my last visit in Alibijaban island last January 2, and having mentioned that I have been busy doing cause projects, my local contact in Alibijaban island has mentioned that they are having problems sourcing medicines from their Rural health center.  So, before I left, I told them I’ll see what I can do.

Just like the rest of my cause projects, travel friends have committed to helping out. We were able to gather funds to buy their 1 year supply of OTC meds. Then, apart from handing out medicines, being an island, I thought of having an activity that will give a bit of awareness to kids about climate change and its effects: How the sea level is rising due to global warming, and looked at the recent calamities as examples of the untoward effects of global warming. We have enumerated and demonstrated ways of slowing down and not contributing to the acceleration of this phenomenon.

As an activity, we asked them to gather island scraps that we can turn into sellable souvenir items to stimulate recycling and entrepreneurship among kids.

Given the limited time and manpower we have in preparation for our activity, and although there were a few older kids who picked up the concept, and chose to use artificial materials such as plastics, etc., majority of them used and painted shells. I have been telling them that the shells are naturally beautiful, and that they are part of what makes the island pristine and beautiful, but I could not quite demonstrate this to them. Again, just like how islanders don’t see how great their islands are since they rarely get out of their environment, they grew up with plenty of these materials that they thought are nothing more than abundance.

It was great nonetheless how the kids enjoyed paintings. So far, this is the second event I am making use of art with kids, and I am so glad to see how kids enjoy it. Henceforward, as I travel, with or without a cause event, i will be bringing my small bag with paints, brushes, pallete, etc; Whenever I see a group of kids, in the street, along the beach, etc i’ll let them play around with these paints .

Groups who are interested in doing an outreach activity in the island, please focus on the kids/neigborhood in the far side (Pulo 2) of the island. I was told these people rarely get attention from anyone because of their distance; However, with the limited manpower that we have, inasmuch as we’d want, we don’t have enough resource to do so. If you have any question, don’t hesitate to buzz me.


see here for a cool sidetrip of your travel to Alibijaban: Talao Talao Rock Formation in San Narciso

From my last visit in Alibijaban island last January 2, and having mentioned that I have been busy doing cause projects, my local contact in Alibijaban island has mentioned that they are having problems sourcing medicines from their Rural health center.  So, before I left, I told them I’ll see what I can do.

Just like the rest of my cause projects, travel friends have committed to helping out. We were able to gather funds to buy their 1 year supply of OTC meds. Then, apart from handing out medicines, being an island, I thought of having an activity that will give a bit of awareness to kids about climate change and its effects: How the sea level is rising due to global warming, and looked at the recent calamities as examples of the untoward effects of global warming. We have enumerated and demonstrated ways of slowing down and not contributing to the acceleration of this phenomenon.

As an activity, we asked them to gather island scraps that we can turn into sellable souvenir items to stimulate recycling and entrepreneurship among kids.

Given the limited time and manpower we have in preparation for our activity, and although there were a few older kids who picked up the concept, and chose to use artificial materials such as plastics, etc., majority of them used and painted shells. I have been telling them that the shells are naturally beautiful, and that they are part of what makes the island pristine and beautiful, but I could not quite demonstrate this to them. Again, just like how islanders don’t see how great their islands are since they rarely get out of their environment, they grew up with plenty of these materials that they thought are nothing more than abundance.

It was great nonetheless how the kids enjoyed paintings. So far, this is the second event I am making use of art with kids, and I am so glad to see how kids enjoy it. Henceforward, as I travel, with or without a cause event, i will be bringing my small bag with paints, brushes, pallete, etc; Whenever I see a group of kids, in the street, along the beach, etc i’ll let them play around with these paints .

Groups who are interested in doing an outreach activity in the island, please focus on the kids/neigborhood in the far side (Pulo 2) of the island. I was told these people rarely get attention from anyone because of their distance; However, with the limited manpower that we have, inasmuch as we’d want, we don’t have enough resource to do so. If you have any question, don’t hesitate to buzz me.


see here for a cool sidetrip of your travel to Alibijaban: Talao Talao Rock Formation in San Narciso

Read More »

9 Days of Nowhere: Palawan to Batangas to Quezon

Limbonis on hammock in front of Port Barton's bay

Coming back home after 7 month of backpacking Southeast Asia, and being so firm about not going back to corporate work (unless it’s my previous company), I got a ticket for Puerto Princesa on Christmas day and Flying back to Manila on New Year.

For some reason, I almost got denied boarding, but somehow managed to make some great excuses so I made it to Palawan.

From the airport, I headed straight to the terminal where I can catch the trip to Port Barton. Unfortunately, there was no more Port Barton bound transport, and so took the San Vicente Trip instead and got off in the San Jose tricycle terminal.

At the terminal, the tricycle drivers were asking P300 for a habal ride for that 20kms remaining to Port Barton.

I got back into my Math. It normally take me 10 minutes for a kilometer walk, so this will take me 200 minutes or 3.3 hours. It’s 4 o clock at the time, and it would take me until past 7pm to get there. Well.. not a very good idea to walk in the jungle dark, especially I have loads of grocery stock in my hands. Then again, there’s no way I will be paying P300 from that point to get there. It would have been only P250 if only I caught the direct Port Barton transport, and after paying P90 to the San Vicente bound bus, my cost is already at P390.

And so I waited. I told the drivers I can wait for another passenger to share the cost, and make it at least only P250 for me. They were fine.

I’m glad that everytime I travel, I always bring out that poor traveler loo (probably even effortless because of the backpacker dress up, my skin, unattended hair style, etc).

A little while later, a driver flagged a van. It was a tourist van en route to Port Barton. I was asked to Board. I paid P150 to get there.. Yipee! It was P240 all in all.. cheaper than expected.

I got to Port Barton and stayed with a friend who recently bought a piece of land there.

Everyday was about waking up, preparing brunch, chopping wood, cooking whatever, harvesting coconuts,waiting for electricity at 5:30, and walking at the beach to find if any place has any crowd, and even making a broomstick out of coconut leaves.

Few days passed, we decided to spend the New Year’s in the city. We did the countdown in the Bay area where there was a 6-minute firework. Unfortunately, the new year wasn’t as lively as everywhere else. We resorted to sleeping it away after giving up on finding a place to drink.

our NYE dinner in Baywalk, Puerto Princesa

Then, a few days ago, I had an invitation from friends to climb Mt Batulao on New Year.

So, without any proper gears, from the airport, I went straight ahead to coastal mall terminal to meet my hike buddies. It was about 6:00pm when we met, stopped by Tagaytay for dinner, and about 10pm when we started the trek. It was muddy, windy, and fiercefully breezy. We camped at #10 and did our drinks right inside the tent.

Mt Batulao photo courtesy of Gen E Sis

After our descend the following day, we head straight to Alibijaban island in San Andres, Quezon. From Nasugbu, we took the jeep to the terminal in Olivarez, then a van to calamba, and then a bus to Lucena. It was around 8pm when we reached Lucena.

From Lucena, compared to my first trip to the island, there are now 3 other companies that service the town. There were 2 buses ready to leave, but decided to wait for Superlines – the supposed bigger company and expected to have better seats.

We also met other San Andres residents who were waiting for the same bus, and recommends indeed that we wait.

It was about 2 hours later when the bus arrived. There were no more buses from the other companies and this Superlines bus don’t look like there’s seats for us. We had to stand in the bus, and could only feel so bad for the kids dumped in any available space.

The conductor said there were people getting off in Burgos, but there were only 2 of them, and around 25 of us stucked in the aisle. It did not even feel like there was space freed out by the 2 passengers who just got off.

It was already in Mulanay when all 4 of us got a seat.

By 3am, we finally reached San Andres terminal. From there, we were going to wait for sunrise and some boats bound for Alibijaban. There were some fishing boats there, but did not want to charter for it would be more expensive that necessary.

We laid our sheets, and sleeping backs, and attempted to sleep in the pave way of the port.

Then, a fisherman passed by and asked where we are bound. We told him ‘towards the island’ and asked if we’d like them to drop us. We said NO need, but he said, we can just pay him P200. That was a good bargain so rephrased our answer to YES.

the group sleeping in the San Andres port waiting for a boat to Alibijaban Island

We could hear the waves right in the port, and I was so worried that my laptop would get wet. I wasn’t really intending to do this straightaway from Port Barton, but it’s just being ME.. totally spontaneous.

It took us probably an hour and a half to get there. The sea wasn’t calm enough so couldn’t run the engine fast enough. I’d fall asleep once in a while, and when I get awakened, looking at sparks of light from the town and from the boats in the island, it doesn’t seem like we are moving. The boatman seem calm though so I was not bothered.

Somehow, we managed to get on the shore by nearly 6am.

We were received by my contact’s family, and the brgy Kaptain. We were escorted to the free space where we can camp the night.

After setting up the tent and my hammock, we decided to take some nap. Afterwhich, we walked onto the shores of the islands with the kids.

Limbonis in Alibijaban Island photo courtesy of Gen E Sis

Water Pump in Alibijaban Island

Alibijaban island

The following day, we set to leave the island before noontime. After brunch, and cleaning the utensils we’ve used, we hitched from the Kaptain’s boat who is bound to town to buy some construction materials. They were actually building some sheds for future visitors.

From town, we thought it would be too early to be bound to Manila, especially that by the time the bus is in Candelaria, and Laguna, traffic would have been irritating to a suicide level. We decided to take a side trip to the beaches of San Narciso.

The beaches we’ve seen just nearby the town of San Narciso were nice except that they were not maintained at all. There was too many coconut husks on the shore that spoil the view of the blue and fine white sand.

We were not so content to settle in these beaches so we took a walk further.

Towards the beach of the next cove, we’ll have to walk back to the main road, or just trek its boundaries. We are used to trekking anyway, so didn’t mind getting onto the wild bush and get off the ridge.

From the ridge, we were also seeing some nice rock formations, and thought about walking all the way there.

my broken slippers from climbing the boulders of Talaw Talaw or Taraw Taraw, San Narciso (photo by Gen E Sis)

Talaw Talaw, San Narciso (photo by Gen E Sis)

The rock boulders surrounded by waters weren’t so bad after all. The water was not so deep, so thought about walking towards them. We climbed all the way up the 2 rocks. Villagers say the area is area is called Talaw Talaw (or Taraw Taraw as others said).

At around past 3pm, we decided to go back to the Terminal so not to miss the bus.

Unfortunately, all the buses that arrived were packed so we waited back to the junction between San Narciso and San Andres. We got the bus there, although again, it was standing.

As we drove further, there were more and more passengers to a point that you can’t even move from the time you find your position in the aisle. There were probably more than 50 of us in the aisle, including mothers with infants. The driver is a big fucking nut.

In Mulanay, I was asking for a refund so I can just sleep in the town and not endure any more of it. Driver refused and I wasn’t wealthy enough to let go of my 200 pesos.

Lesson learned: avoid Superlines! Avoid Superlines! Avoid Superlines. Their drivers are dirt cheap futile.

We were in that situation until Lucena City.

From there I decided to call it a night and attempt to travel back the following day instead. I was already tired.

Limbonis on hammock in front of Port Barton's bay

Coming back home after 7 month of backpacking Southeast Asia, and being so firm about not going back to corporate work (unless it’s my previous company), I got a ticket for Puerto Princesa on Christmas day and Flying back to Manila on New Year.

For some reason, I almost got denied boarding, but somehow managed to make some great excuses so I made it to Palawan.

From the airport, I headed straight to the terminal where I can catch the trip to Port Barton. Unfortunately, there was no more Port Barton bound transport, and so took the San Vicente Trip instead and got off in the San Jose tricycle terminal.

At the terminal, the tricycle drivers were asking P300 for a habal ride for that 20kms remaining to Port Barton.

I got back into my Math. It normally take me 10 minutes for a kilometer walk, so this will take me 200 minutes or 3.3 hours. It’s 4 o clock at the time, and it would take me until past 7pm to get there. Well.. not a very good idea to walk in the jungle dark, especially I have loads of grocery stock in my hands. Then again, there’s no way I will be paying P300 from that point to get there. It would have been only P250 if only I caught the direct Port Barton transport, and after paying P90 to the San Vicente bound bus, my cost is already at P390.

And so I waited. I told the drivers I can wait for another passenger to share the cost, and make it at least only P250 for me. They were fine.

I’m glad that everytime I travel, I always bring out that poor traveler loo (probably even effortless because of the backpacker dress up, my skin, unattended hair style, etc).

A little while later, a driver flagged a van. It was a tourist van en route to Port Barton. I was asked to Board. I paid P150 to get there.. Yipee! It was P240 all in all.. cheaper than expected.

I got to Port Barton and stayed with a friend who recently bought a piece of land there.

Everyday was about waking up, preparing brunch, chopping wood, cooking whatever, harvesting coconuts,waiting for electricity at 5:30, and walking at the beach to find if any place has any crowd, and even making a broomstick out of coconut leaves.

Few days passed, we decided to spend the New Year’s in the city. We did the countdown in the Bay area where there was a 6-minute firework. Unfortunately, the new year wasn’t as lively as everywhere else. We resorted to sleeping it away after giving up on finding a place to drink.

our NYE dinner in Baywalk, Puerto Princesa

Then, a few days ago, I had an invitation from friends to climb Mt Batulao on New Year.

So, without any proper gears, from the airport, I went straight ahead to coastal mall terminal to meet my hike buddies. It was about 6:00pm when we met, stopped by Tagaytay for dinner, and about 10pm when we started the trek. It was muddy, windy, and fiercefully breezy. We camped at #10 and did our drinks right inside the tent.

Mt Batulao photo courtesy of Gen E Sis

After our descend the following day, we head straight to Alibijaban island in San Andres, Quezon. From Nasugbu, we took the jeep to the terminal in Olivarez, then a van to calamba, and then a bus to Lucena. It was around 8pm when we reached Lucena.

From Lucena, compared to my first trip to the island, there are now 3 other companies that service the town. There were 2 buses ready to leave, but decided to wait for Superlines – the supposed bigger company and expected to have better seats.

We also met other San Andres residents who were waiting for the same bus, and recommends indeed that we wait.

It was about 2 hours later when the bus arrived. There were no more buses from the other companies and this Superlines bus don’t look like there’s seats for us. We had to stand in the bus, and could only feel so bad for the kids dumped in any available space.

The conductor said there were people getting off in Burgos, but there were only 2 of them, and around 25 of us stucked in the aisle. It did not even feel like there was space freed out by the 2 passengers who just got off.

It was already in Mulanay when all 4 of us got a seat.

By 3am, we finally reached San Andres terminal. From there, we were going to wait for sunrise and some boats bound for Alibijaban. There were some fishing boats there, but did not want to charter for it would be more expensive that necessary.

We laid our sheets, and sleeping backs, and attempted to sleep in the pave way of the port.

Then, a fisherman passed by and asked where we are bound. We told him ‘towards the island’ and asked if we’d like them to drop us. We said NO need, but he said, we can just pay him P200. That was a good bargain so rephrased our answer to YES.

the group sleeping in the San Andres port waiting for a boat to Alibijaban Island

We could hear the waves right in the port, and I was so worried that my laptop would get wet. I wasn’t really intending to do this straightaway from Port Barton, but it’s just being ME.. totally spontaneous.

It took us probably an hour and a half to get there. The sea wasn’t calm enough so couldn’t run the engine fast enough. I’d fall asleep once in a while, and when I get awakened, looking at sparks of light from the town and from the boats in the island, it doesn’t seem like we are moving. The boatman seem calm though so I was not bothered.

Somehow, we managed to get on the shore by nearly 6am.

We were received by my contact’s family, and the brgy Kaptain. We were escorted to the free space where we can camp the night.

After setting up the tent and my hammock, we decided to take some nap. Afterwhich, we walked onto the shores of the islands with the kids.

Limbonis in Alibijaban Island photo courtesy of Gen E Sis

Water Pump in Alibijaban Island

Alibijaban island

The following day, we set to leave the island before noontime. After brunch, and cleaning the utensils we’ve used, we hitched from the Kaptain’s boat who is bound to town to buy some construction materials. They were actually building some sheds for future visitors.

From town, we thought it would be too early to be bound to Manila, especially that by the time the bus is in Candelaria, and Laguna, traffic would have been irritating to a suicide level. We decided to take a side trip to the beaches of San Narciso.

The beaches we’ve seen just nearby the town of San Narciso were nice except that they were not maintained at all. There was too many coconut husks on the shore that spoil the view of the blue and fine white sand.

We were not so content to settle in these beaches so we took a walk further.

Towards the beach of the next cove, we’ll have to walk back to the main road, or just trek its boundaries. We are used to trekking anyway, so didn’t mind getting onto the wild bush and get off the ridge.

From the ridge, we were also seeing some nice rock formations, and thought about walking all the way there.

my broken slippers from climbing the boulders of Talaw Talaw or Taraw Taraw, San Narciso (photo by Gen E Sis)

Talaw Talaw, San Narciso (photo by Gen E Sis)

The rock boulders surrounded by waters weren’t so bad after all. The water was not so deep, so thought about walking towards them. We climbed all the way up the 2 rocks. Villagers say the area is area is called Talaw Talaw (or Taraw Taraw as others said).

At around past 3pm, we decided to go back to the Terminal so not to miss the bus.

Unfortunately, all the buses that arrived were packed so we waited back to the junction between San Narciso and San Andres. We got the bus there, although again, it was standing.

As we drove further, there were more and more passengers to a point that you can’t even move from the time you find your position in the aisle. There were probably more than 50 of us in the aisle, including mothers with infants. The driver is a big fucking nut.

In Mulanay, I was asking for a refund so I can just sleep in the town and not endure any more of it. Driver refused and I wasn’t wealthy enough to let go of my 200 pesos.

Lesson learned: avoid Superlines! Avoid Superlines! Avoid Superlines. Their drivers are dirt cheap futile.

We were in that situation until Lucena City.

From there I decided to call it a night and attempt to travel back the following day instead. I was already tired.

Read More »

Manila to Quezon on a motorbike with the Iron lady

I and my travel bud Liezl have long time ago spoken about driving the whole country on a motorbike. 

This night, I was going to ask Liezl to join me for a hike in the North, but then, I ended up joining her on this trip. When asked for her plans for the weekend, she told me she bought her bike  already and will be taking the trip on the Saturday morning. 

I got so thrilled, and asked her that we’d do her trip instead, and right at that friday night; Obviously, i got too excited.

We left at around 9pm of Friday, after our self proclaimed send off dinner in Home Depot in Ortigas. I kind of worried a bit when I saw the motorcycle. Liezel bought this second hand motorbike for only P13,000, enough to question how far it can take us. I could just imagine the durability in there although she said she had done some repairs already.

It will also be our first time to take the National highway going south, so had to rely on 3G and google maps for direction.

3 days long weekend or that, and traffic was still congested even late. Trucks, buses, and raging jeepneys on both our left and right; 

An uneasy and frightful ride to get out of metro manila. I wasn’t able to relax until we got to San Pedro.

By late past midnight, we were in Calamba; We decided to stop by to rest our ass and legs at a mini stop for coffee. Being seated, I saw something gine wrong with the exhaust valve. 

There were a few time when we rebounded on some humps in Paranaque, and I think it cause some parts to break. Then again, I told her it’s OK so long as it is not in the engine.
The road wasn’t so greatly paved, and street lighting wasn’t helping. We decided to dock and look for somewhere to call the night. 

The next day, we visited the lake. We were wanting to get to talim island, but we’ve gone past, and far away from the passenger jump off point; going back was a waste of fuel and time, so we decided to drive further.

Our first intended stop was Laiya beach in San Juan. We also checked out some beaches before reaching Laiya, but wasn't so impressed. It was past noon already when we arrived as we had to stop every so often. For meals, rest, and street food here and there.

We’re staying in Laiya for the night, and glad we found some hut with beddings for P300 overnight.

After Laiya, the plan was to have lunch at Silangang Nayon, and then visit Kwebang Lampas, Borawan, and Dampalitan if possible. 

News is reporting some Low Pressure area in the visayas region, and some friends are posting cancellations of their flights. 

Along the Maharlika/National Road, the wind was blowing so strong, that at some point, we’re loosing our balance. We drove quite carefully and slowly and maintained only 30kms/hour speed. Buses and Trucks rage to overtake us, and we feel like we’re going to be flown away. Upon reaching Sariaya, we thought about stopping for a while. Besides, our ass are sore again (as they do every hour of driving).

I am in fancy with the native Sariaya bread, and I told Liezl about it. She stopped the bike in a bakery, but, it seems they don’t have the same exact bread I get from the bus vendors everytime we pass by Sariaya.
On the other hand, they have TORTORYAL, which is not bad at all; I ordered a second.

Just when we decided to leave, we noticed that the tire is flat. Fortunately, there was a vulcanizing shop just 20m ahead.  Then again, it seems it’s a lot more complicated than just patching some hole.

When Mr Tire Technician attempted to screw back some of the joints, the wredge won’t firm up. It’s gone loose due to time and usage. We had to look for a spare part from some other vulcanizing shop which Mr Technician has referred us to.

After an hour, it seems everything’s fixed up. It was already 30mins past lunch at that time, and Mr Technician was rushing to get home for lunch. He didn’t even wait for us to go, assuming everything good to go.

When we left, we noticed the wheel is misaligned. The hood seems straight and yet the tire faces 30 degrees to the right. Some of the by standers came close to look, and it seems some thing has been accidentally rotated. We had to wait until the tech comes back.

At around 1:30 we hit the road again. Asking from the people there, there is some 25 kilometers more to get to Silangang Nayon. Then, Somewhere along the Diversion road, it rained and when had to stop by a convenience store for 30 minutes.

We could not waste any more time, so even if there were still some mists, we thought we have got to leave.
Before 3pm , we were already in Silangang Nayon. I was rushing to see that aircraft that delivers food from the dining areas in the stilts. I felt so fulfilled at getting into some destination I had looked forward to for 3 years now.
The food was served and single serving was good for even 4, I’d say. We ended up taking home half of the food, and available for dinner. 

It was too late to find a boat to the islands. Then again, the long sand bar was looking so enticing, we did not want to leave the town without seeing it. We decided to look for some accommodation close by, so we can be back quick the next day. We lodged in Greenview Inn right in the corner of the National Highway.

We went back the following morning. We drove all the way to the Brgy Bantigue proper where a lot of fishing boats are docked. From that standpoint, I could see another sandbar on my right. We scouted for a boat that will get us to both (final pricing agreed was P500 for both islands).

After a visit to these islands, we decided to drive further. Along the way back to te national highway, we've encountered these makeshift rail transport sytem i've seen in the tv. We thought about oarking and trying the ride.

Looking at the map, it seems the Maharlika hiway would be a long drive compared to the old zigzag road. None of us have ever tried the zigzag road so we didn’t know it would be so hard to maneuver through the incline. I had to get off and manually carry both our bags up just so the motorbike would push.

We got all the way to Atimonan town proper. From here, it was time for me to go back to Manila for my flight to Davao the next day. Liezl also stayed here for the night.  

Amongst the many travelers I’ve known and heard, with her courage, when it comes to adventure, Liezel is that you’d want to join; No hesitations whatsoever. At the time of writing, Liezel is already in the island of Samar. She’ll be driving the motorbike all the way to Dipolog City, her hometown. Just FYI, Liezel has done Europe (1 month) and SEA backpacking (6 months) already. Some of our upcoming plans are hopping on a rented fishing boat for perhaps a month or so, and sail around the Philippines. Hopefully very soon.

I and my travel bud Liezl have long time ago spoken about driving the whole country on a motorbike. 

This night, I was going to ask Liezl to join me for a hike in the North, but then, I ended up joining her on this trip. When asked for her plans for the weekend, she told me she bought her bike  already and will be taking the trip on the Saturday morning. 

I got so thrilled, and asked her that we’d do her trip instead, and right at that friday night; Obviously, i got too excited.

We left at around 9pm of Friday, after our self proclaimed send off dinner in Home Depot in Ortigas. I kind of worried a bit when I saw the motorcycle. Liezel bought this second hand motorbike for only P13,000, enough to question how far it can take us. I could just imagine the durability in there although she said she had done some repairs already.

It will also be our first time to take the National highway going south, so had to rely on 3G and google maps for direction.

3 days long weekend or that, and traffic was still congested even late. Trucks, buses, and raging jeepneys on both our left and right; 

An uneasy and frightful ride to get out of metro manila. I wasn’t able to relax until we got to San Pedro.

By late past midnight, we were in Calamba; We decided to stop by to rest our ass and legs at a mini stop for coffee. Being seated, I saw something gine wrong with the exhaust valve. 

There were a few time when we rebounded on some humps in Paranaque, and I think it cause some parts to break. Then again, I told her it’s OK so long as it is not in the engine.
The road wasn’t so greatly paved, and street lighting wasn’t helping. We decided to dock and look for somewhere to call the night. 

The next day, we visited the lake. We were wanting to get to talim island, but we’ve gone past, and far away from the passenger jump off point; going back was a waste of fuel and time, so we decided to drive further.

Our first intended stop was Laiya beach in San Juan. We also checked out some beaches before reaching Laiya, but wasn't so impressed. It was past noon already when we arrived as we had to stop every so often. For meals, rest, and street food here and there.

We’re staying in Laiya for the night, and glad we found some hut with beddings for P300 overnight.

After Laiya, the plan was to have lunch at Silangang Nayon, and then visit Kwebang Lampas, Borawan, and Dampalitan if possible. 

News is reporting some Low Pressure area in the visayas region, and some friends are posting cancellations of their flights. 

Along the Maharlika/National Road, the wind was blowing so strong, that at some point, we’re loosing our balance. We drove quite carefully and slowly and maintained only 30kms/hour speed. Buses and Trucks rage to overtake us, and we feel like we’re going to be flown away. Upon reaching Sariaya, we thought about stopping for a while. Besides, our ass are sore again (as they do every hour of driving).

I am in fancy with the native Sariaya bread, and I told Liezl about it. She stopped the bike in a bakery, but, it seems they don’t have the same exact bread I get from the bus vendors everytime we pass by Sariaya.
On the other hand, they have TORTORYAL, which is not bad at all; I ordered a second.

Just when we decided to leave, we noticed that the tire is flat. Fortunately, there was a vulcanizing shop just 20m ahead.  Then again, it seems it’s a lot more complicated than just patching some hole.

When Mr Tire Technician attempted to screw back some of the joints, the wredge won’t firm up. It’s gone loose due to time and usage. We had to look for a spare part from some other vulcanizing shop which Mr Technician has referred us to.

After an hour, it seems everything’s fixed up. It was already 30mins past lunch at that time, and Mr Technician was rushing to get home for lunch. He didn’t even wait for us to go, assuming everything good to go.

When we left, we noticed the wheel is misaligned. The hood seems straight and yet the tire faces 30 degrees to the right. Some of the by standers came close to look, and it seems some thing has been accidentally rotated. We had to wait until the tech comes back.

At around 1:30 we hit the road again. Asking from the people there, there is some 25 kilometers more to get to Silangang Nayon. Then, Somewhere along the Diversion road, it rained and when had to stop by a convenience store for 30 minutes.

We could not waste any more time, so even if there were still some mists, we thought we have got to leave.
Before 3pm , we were already in Silangang Nayon. I was rushing to see that aircraft that delivers food from the dining areas in the stilts. I felt so fulfilled at getting into some destination I had looked forward to for 3 years now.
The food was served and single serving was good for even 4, I’d say. We ended up taking home half of the food, and available for dinner. 

It was too late to find a boat to the islands. Then again, the long sand bar was looking so enticing, we did not want to leave the town without seeing it. We decided to look for some accommodation close by, so we can be back quick the next day. We lodged in Greenview Inn right in the corner of the National Highway.

We went back the following morning. We drove all the way to the Brgy Bantigue proper where a lot of fishing boats are docked. From that standpoint, I could see another sandbar on my right. We scouted for a boat that will get us to both (final pricing agreed was P500 for both islands).

After a visit to these islands, we decided to drive further. Along the way back to te national highway, we've encountered these makeshift rail transport sytem i've seen in the tv. We thought about oarking and trying the ride.

Looking at the map, it seems the Maharlika hiway would be a long drive compared to the old zigzag road. None of us have ever tried the zigzag road so we didn’t know it would be so hard to maneuver through the incline. I had to get off and manually carry both our bags up just so the motorbike would push.

We got all the way to Atimonan town proper. From here, it was time for me to go back to Manila for my flight to Davao the next day. Liezl also stayed here for the night.  

Amongst the many travelers I’ve known and heard, with her courage, when it comes to adventure, Liezel is that you’d want to join; No hesitations whatsoever. At the time of writing, Liezel is already in the island of Samar. She’ll be driving the motorbike all the way to Dipolog City, her hometown. Just FYI, Liezel has done Europe (1 month) and SEA backpacking (6 months) already. Some of our upcoming plans are hopping on a rented fishing boat for perhaps a month or so, and sail around the Philippines. Hopefully very soon.

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