Capul Lighthouse

As said in the previous story, when the hi/hello ‘session’ was over, there appeared 2 motorbikes ready to take us “habal-habal” style to the famed Capul Lighthouse. How did this happen? Ah eh… am not really so sure now. Maybe one of my companions signaled at them without me noticing. So off we went to the lighthouse – 4 adults 1 child, 2 motorbikes.

This lighthouse is probably 8 or 9 kilometers from center of town (munisipyo), but what I’m sure of is: our ride took exactly 21 minutes. Yes twenty-one butt-whacking minutes! Or should I call this butt-thumping! It’s like this…

I am not really that comfortable riding habal-habal. I have said that many a blog ago. I do believe it has something to do with the “if you are used to driving, you’re not fine riding” kind of feeling. Well that’s just me. But, if there’s no other choice, or if it’s the only way, or if the “vox populi” dictates so, I do not have any qualms riding habal-habal. But most of my trips (include Bangkok, Hanoi, Phnom Penh, Goa, Gatwick, Guangzhou, Lagos, even Sao Paolo, etc.), I would be the lone passenger. So the more that I would be too uncomfy if there were two of us riding aside from the driver.

On this ride in Capul, when the bikes came, I was too fast selecting the bigger bike (that had an “extension”) so that I would be a bit more comfortable as I could position my butt a bit away from my companion and/or the driver. That extension is a kind of iron grill that protrudes out at the rear of the motorbike. THAT was my error, fault, mistake, blunder!

This was a “bumpy” ride, so my pigi felt like I was in a fraternity hazing hehehe!

The unpaved road is not really that rough – its mostly like hard sand – even nice to cruise on. the problem was, our driver seemed to be zooming through as if he had just a bundle of firewood riding behind him. And I was seated at the “extension grill”. Ouchiest part was when the bike climbed unto a concrete bridge where there was a big  bounce!

But when we reached the lighthouse, ah, my battered buttocks didn’t matter anymore!


Here are more pics:

Part of the way, entering barangay San Luis

I saw a resort! Hmm, didn't catch the name, but ok, listed!

Entrance. Fee is P10-Adults, P5-Children. But no one was around to take our P45!

So we roamed around. You can click each of these pics for a bigger view: We were not able to climb up the tower. Closed. Caretaker not around.

Just the same, the views from the ground are fantastic!You are high up on a hill, overlooking wonderful blue-green seas.

You can even go down to the very edge of this hill by that concrete fence.Feels like Batanes. But you can already clearly see some islets and islands to the north that, I learned, is already Matnog – the southernmost tip of Luzon. Wow!

And there's a long white strip of white sandy beach down there...
If you can see those dots on the water, those are people's heads!They swim carrying baskets. Why? Because they're gathering "lato"!

Well, wonderful place. One local (sitting by that dilapidating building beside the tower) told me it's even grander a view when those big ships of the US Navy pass by these waters. Whoah! I asked how big, he said about as big as this island. Hmmm, maybe an aircraft carrier? I wonder!

Oh, there was some cute incident... somewhere along the dirt road, as we were already riding back to town center from this place, we met a habal-habal riding girl, hair still wet, and waving at our drivers to stop. She was carrying a logbook and those documentary stamps government people give as receipt. She apologized for being late and asked for our entrance fee hehe. And as one of the friends did so, I joked "sana hinintay mo nalang kami dumaan sa bahay nyo"!

I think I need to do a MacArthur (I Shall Return) to this island.

Meanwhile, let's go back to San Antonio.

For a chronology of this trip's stories, click these numbers:

01   02   03   04   05   06   07   08   09   10

11   12   13   14   15   16   17   18   19   20

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