Cebu To Catbalogan By Boat
Another lovely experience!.
I took the 'slow boat' (in the past this was called 'barko', nowadays it's called 'RORO') from Cebu City to Catbalogan City - if only for another feel of "how it was" traveling inter-island, in the good old days of our forebears. Aba oy, malapit nang mawala ito!
Mawawala? Ah eh, I'm just predicting, due to the advent of the "fastcrafts"!
Also too heavy and cumbersome to handle, if I took them on a fastcraft, connecting to a series of UV Express rides with no luggage space. Thus, a ship was my best bet.
Buti nalang, at salamat naman, meron pang ganito these days!
Sounded ideal. But it took me 16+ long hungry hours.
Well, in summary, I can say: I learned many things :)
Tip: many people usually travel anywhere from Friday to Monday.
Good that I had the presence of mind to ask the taxi to wait for me - since I knew it's still far (probably 2 kms), and you walk on city streets - with lots of 'informal settlers'.
That's something to consider when riding the big boats (barko or RORO): their ticket offices are "not actually at the pier". I don't know why "they are unlike the fastcrafts".
As to the "walking at the pier", I've done that (when I had no luggage). It is not really as if me masamang mangyayari sayo hehehe. But you get apprehensive somehow!
Even if you ride the jeeps, it's the same - para kang 'kakatayin' sa mga tingin ng mga aleng maritess, mga manong walang t-shirt at mga batang nakatutok sa phone mo!
Basta! Ganito na lang: remember it is still far. Let your Grab wait!
If you are not aware of this yet, the present system of riding ships in Cebu is: you go to Pier 1, whatever ship you are riding and to wherever, but your ship won't be there.
Do not panic naman. Chill ka lang! Look for the boarding gate of your ship. Its name and voyage number will be written on a gate somewhere. If none, mag-panic ka na!!
Ahehehe! Ask the authorities (the port staff).
Important Note: Listen and Look!
Passengers boarding your bus are not necessarily boarding the same ship as yours.
When a bus stops in front of a ship, staff or the driver will shout out the ship's name and destination/s. Before jumping out, look outside to check if it is indeed your ride.
Orderly di ba? Hahaha bahala you!
At 6PM, boarding started, and I was first to hop on the bus! See? No other people!
Well, there were two passengers up front. That guy standing is a port staff.
But I'm not sure now, if that couple were also destined for the same boat as I was. I can't recall because I just attended to my own business. Andami kong dala eh hehe!
When the bus departed, I took a quick snap (kaya blurred) of where we came from.
Those are the boarding gates (numbered 1, 2, 3, etc.) where buses pick passengers.
It's starting to look a lot like at airports, 'no? Hmm, wala nga lang aircon hehehe!
Eto, as we approached my barko, the now aged "Blessed Stars" of Roble Shipping.
That is her back facing the port by the way. Yes, many ships (RORO) are sometimes berthed that way - since both their front (bow) and back (stern) can be fully opened.
On this RORO, I saw 2 small trucks as load. Note though, that such boats with no, or less 'land vehicles' as load, is trickier for us madlang pipol to walk on, while boarding.
Cargoes (in huge crates) are being moved around (in a rush) by forklifts that seem to have 4th or 5th-gear speed heheh! Drivers won't easily see you behind those crates.
Good I think if there are lots of passengers, as forklift drivers would spot and yield if a stream of people were boarding. With only a few humans walking, di mapapansin.
Eh kung sa likod ka pala ng dambuhalang crate naglalakad? Hiyay! Ma-forklift ka! It is also noisy with engine and steel clanking sounds. Di maririnig ang mga tili mo oy!
Therefore, walk only where the ship's crew tell you, and make it fast.
Greatest of course, if you have a respectable phone, better if a professional camera, that knows how to capture a night scene! As for me, mag-antos - click lang ng click!
Why so? Ahw, even if my photos are horribly horrible, when I see them at a later date, my memory is re-activated, of/at how the scene looked exactly. Nostalgiahin pa rin!
Almost all inter-island ships (called barko or RORO, not the fastcrafts) have departure schedules set at around 7PM. It's always a lovely scene of many vessels sailing off.
The whole Mactan channel gets wonderfully dotted with their lights. It becomes like a busy maritime hub na mala-Singapore or ala-Rotterdam in a mini version. O di ba!
I am not sure though, why 'at around that time', they leave the Cebu piers altogether (yes plural as in ports called Pier 1, 2, 3, 4, etc.) Their lights adorn the channel anyway!
In the past, since somebody told me, I thought the reason was: "so that passengers only sleep the whole voyage at sea". True naman, but I think there's more about that.
Yata. Sige sige, saliksikin yan!
If you're headed somewhere north, northeast or northwest of Cebu, you get to pass under the 2 Mactan Bridges - an interesting 'photo op' especially for young travelers.
Don't judge the scenes via my pics. Point and shoot cameras aren't good at night.
The man in striped shirt was a fellow passenger. He was trying to watch the evening news on those TVs far on the wall. All others you may see were not real passengers.
Not real? Ano sila multo? O eh, buti pa nga ang multo, tahimik!
They were/are students. Apprentice seafarers or probably those who are still on the "observation tour" stage, because I did not see them working. And they were NOISY.
Not just boisterous laughter. Nagsisigawan, nagmumurahan, meron pang takbuhan passing by us the real passengers - as if they were just at their own school grounds.
I overheard, they were once reprimanded by that man in stripes. Tumahimik sandali. Yet when their other companions would come from somewhere, sigawan nanaman.
Note that in terms of voice, size, build, they are not anymore boys and girls but men and women - na di ko alam saan iskwater pinulot. Aside from the sigawan takbuhan habulan, meron pang balyahan of their double-deck beds and hampasan ng kutson.
Eh adults na ang mga iyan. If you were a foreigner, iisipin mong me nag-aamok.
I NOTED: their language was Tagalog, I didn't hear Cebuano, Waray or Ilonggo.
Naisip ko, aren't they trained on proper decorum before being let loose into the public?
Aba, eh kung me mga rabis ang mga ***dot na yan?
Anyway...
Even the hallways were loaded with crates and boxes of whatevers. Heavy pa rin oy!
I said I think I know what these are: at some hallway areas, I saw boxes like these:
The contents made me smile. I think those are called "day-old chicks". Many of them were softly chirping, as if begging. Others were probably complaining of discomfort!
Ah hehehe! I think some others were just wailing for the sake of wailing.
Their cute cacophony sounded like sweet soothing music to my ears!
Kesa naman yung ingay ng mga apprentice!
Other chicks were silent, seemingly oblivious of what was happening outside...
I think they were asleep, or already tired of chirping/complaining to no avail hehehe.
I propped my lens on one of the holes, and it looked like those other cute ones were snuggling up with one another, for a more comfy overnight snooze. Buti pa sila 'no?!
Shhh, hwag maingay, I have a secret to share... I went back to the boxes with noisier more active little chicks, and poked one finger on one of the holes, as if to pet them.
They started pecking on my finger and it tickled hehehe hihihi!
Hush lang, bawal kasi yan I think. They could become contaminated or infected with bacteria from my human hands, that they're not yet resistant to. Kaya, shh lang kayo!
Sekret natin yan!
But come to think of it, the 'quality reviewer and process-improvement expert' in me realized upon arrival, they shouldn't anymore be called 'day-old chicks'. 2 days na di ba!
Cup noodles were selling fast, so I asked for one (out of the 5 cups remaining).
I turned around to see where passengers who got cup noodles were seated. Hiyay, I instead saw some of the apprentices (male & female), about a dozen of them or so.
They were the ones occupying the few seats of the canteen - kulang pa nga, since 4 or 6 lang yata yun, e sandosena sila. Passengers just go back to their beds instead.
Now this: All of them had rice either on a plate or lunchbox. Argh, where from?!
Ah, while waiting for my cup noodles, I approached the more silent type among these noisy apprentices. I asked why I was told there was no rice meal but all of them had.
Haruuy, she told me, most of those were their "baon" (from their apartments or a pier turo-turo). Others chimed-in to tell me that: the boat's kitchen staff cooked "rice (only)" for them, on their onboard rice cooker; they brought all other dishes from the turo-turo.
I even proposed to buy from them. All said "wala na - nakain or kinakain na". Argh!
These "boys and girls" (actually college students, therefore already "men and women") were apprectices of this ship, majority of them from a maritime school in Batangas.
Being so, they were supposed to be like "crew" on this ship, although obviously, they weren't (yet) behaving like so. Their demeanor was more on as if nag-outing lang sila.
The cook and kitchen crew were part of them. Eh ano ba ang i-co-cook ng mga yon? Kanin lang sa rice-cooker para sa mga classmates nila?! Apprenticeship na ba yun?
The canteen staff and cashier were also part of them. Ayun, marunong na sila mag-sukli pag me bumili ng cup noodles! Aw abtik napud pabukal tubig sa takuri! Gino-o!
Hah, let's make that no-"dinner" story short.
With my very hot cup of noodles, I got two Skyflakes, a tiny little pack (6pcs) of Dice Hopia, and a can of coke. Well okay, after I devoured all of those, I got 2 cans of Red Horse Beer and brought them to my bed, if only to make me sleep the hunger away :(
Lesson learned children...
On Roble boats, magbaon ng buong buffet. Samahan pa ng butler waiter bartender!
Apprentices went around to pull upper bed mattresses halfway down at the foot end.
That action positioned the 'mattress head' at the middle portion of the bed. Look...
When they reached my area, I asked one of those apprentices as to what is that for.
He told me. Now I know! Do you?!
I will not change the tense of this paragraph, the one above and the one below. Just so I can preserve that feeling in my present situation - pathetically dire, to dangerous.
Eh walang dinner eh. What if manginig at mangisay na lang ako sa gutom? Hindi pa naman (knock on wood, simba ko), but what if nga nanginig at nangisay nalang ako?
This has never happened to me yet. Ever!
I hope the red horse is taking effect as I've intended. Hoping I'll fall asleep now, and just wake up late in the morning, when this boat is already docked in Catbalogan...
Woke up at about 5AM. Let's say I slept around 10PM, then I must have been asleep for at least 7 hours. Pwede na sana kung hindi ako gutom - mahapdi na ang tiyan ko!
Well I remember, I woke up past midnight, looked out into the darkness of sea.., and dozed off again probably few minutes after that - because, I felt nothing but hunger.
Yes, they were my fellow passengers heheh! Alangan namang me tumilaok sa dagat!
And listening to their "tok-tu-ga-ok" (that is Waray for "cock-a-doodle-doo") they must have all been resting near me! Hmm, I have not seen them since I boarded this ship.
I knew I would. I should!
Here were two of them I saw while walking around the ship after I got up...
Aha, I immediately knew, only the one at the back was part of the chorus! A rooster. The one on foreground is a hen, yata. Ugang, right? Natugaok ba it ugang? Diri diba?
"Ugang" is Waray for Hen or Inahin. I don't know (yet) in Cebuano, maybe InaHen?
Those two were somehow "privileged", since their owner let them out of their boxes to feed them like that... with water. Tubig lang?! Gosh naalala ko tuloy, GUTOM ako!
Anyway, all other manoks, the majority of them, were secure in their individual boxes (some cramped at 2-in-a-box). Just the same, since 5AM, all of them were a crowing.
Yes gad, toktugaoking, sometimes altogether like a chorus, other times as if singing a counterpoint melody! They holler in various tonal and/or melodic styles, I observed!
Me ganun? Yes there is hahaha! There are even "rooster"lings - yung bata pa ba, but already too old to be still considered "chicks". I think they're called "Tarin" in Waray - they also attempt to crow or croak their throats mightily! Comedy relief sila, at least!
Imagine, 6 to 630AM, I did a profound scholarly analysis of the tugaok hahaha!
And I told my royal self: gutom lang yan!
Actually seriously, itanong nyo pa ke Primo, o ke Nicolas, or kahit sinong mahilig sa sabong. Roosters crow differently -- depending on which province they came from!
At least there's a common denominator: most of them crow in the morning, to greet the sunrise. I say most of them, kasi iyong sa kapit bahay namin tumutilaok ng 3PM!
Sunrise behind some islands as the boat crawled slower than a jeep, on a calm sea!
A fantastic new day has dawned on the Philippines Islands again...
I think this one at left (with clouds) was Maripipi Island. I wasn't sure of that though.
The one thing sure was: I WAS HUNGRY. Nothing I could do though. Alangan naman ransakin ko yung pagkain nung mga maiingay na apprentice. Konting hintay na lang!
This would have been such a wonderful view IF I were feeling well hahaha!
Anyway, kahit medyo magdidilim na ang paningin ko sa gutom, I still had a sense of awareness of my geographical bearings. O ha?! Thus, if the big island was Maripipi, the smaller one at right, must have been the now-getting-famous Sambawan Island.
Oh wow!
I tried looking for its strip of white sand, but I guess it is on the other side. Doon sa kabila, east side. That view was the western side. We were (still) about to turn right.
Turn right saan? Haay far at left, the northern side of Maripipi. Malayo pa yun!
I took that photo at 7:02AM. If we left Cebu exactly 7PM kagabi (I think we did), how come we were not there yet? 12 hours and 2 minutes na, Maripipi (Biliran), pa lang?
Since 5AM, I've been sitting, standing, walking, taking photos of what I saw outside. Impatient, uminit na ang ulo ko, "tumaas na ang high blood ko"! That was the feeling.
I know.., if I was not hungry, I would have loved the morning atmosphere and all the views. I would even have wished for this barko to be slower, for these to last longer.
But first things first, I was hungry. Everything else was secondary!
Yet all these time, nothing I could do but to make the best of this "secondary".
So, tingin pa more na lang!
This was when we were passing by the islands and islets, especially Sierra Islands.
Under the morning sun, they were beautiful to look at. I told myself: there must be at least 1 amazing thing to see or experience in those islands. I should visit them one day.
Yes I should. Okay, bucket-listed.
Adi pa... roaming the boat so I could take more photos, I saw this other hallway:
Boxes & Crates more of cargoes going Catbalogan, and probably the rest of Samar.
Oist! On this side, there were still more boxes (two of them are in that picture), of my favorite load on this ship - the "day old chicks"! They were my only "entertainment"!
At 10:52AM, bow side, I saw these 2 crews preparing (di ko alam kung apprentice).
That gave hope to my ever weakening joints, grumbling stomach and irritable mood!
11:06AM, I happened to pass by the aft side, this dude was also getting ready...
Yeah yes, I noted that the views on approach were wonderful. Though my mind was busier remembering that I was about to die of hunger! Saan kakain? Ganun ka-tindi!
Kung tutuusin, "if I were happy", I could even already identify some of those houses!
I'm familiar with many people & places of Catbalogan - the good, the bad or the ugly!!
You pass by those houses and structures when going (leftwards) to the Catbalogan Airport (that has no commercial flights yet), or on to the white sandy beaches of Buri!
If you go further north (on the Maharlika Highway) it goes to Calbayog, Manila etc.
That is called Pier Uno (Pier 1) by locals. But it is not only a pier literally. There's also their land transport hub - yung mahabang building na yan, at the center of the photo.
To the right, there's a palengke where you can always find Alimasag. To the extreme left (not in that picture) is Pier Dos (Pier 2) - I have 'grand' childhood memories there!
Aw here below, I after all caught a photo naman pala of Pier Dos!
Since I was a kid, I didn't really bother to know what kinds of watercraft are allowed to dock there (Pier Dos) and why; nor here (Pier 1) where we were just about to dock.
Docking Operations. Yes, red shirt is a "she", and part of the crew - the apprentices.
The boat turned around so that 'its behind' (stern) was the one that touched the pier.
By the way, hungry as I was, I did not disembark first, because I needed to do this:
I wanted to see (estimate) how many passengers were we on this ship. I saw many of them getting off ahead of me, and I would say around 30 or less. Yeah, that few :)
And a final glance at Roble Shipping's Blessed Stars... reminiscent of this...
In my mind I was saying...
"panulay ka kahinay mo waray pa gud baligya nga pagkaon, madidismayo na ako hit gutom"!
Noontime! That final glance (final shot) was at 11:28AM. So, it took me 16.5 hours. It would not have been an issue if I knew they do not sell "real food" (rice ba!) onboard.
Lesson learned for me and for you my dear readers!
I took the 'slow boat' (in the past this was called 'barko', nowadays it's called 'RORO') from Cebu City to Catbalogan City - if only for another feel of "how it was" traveling inter-island, in the good old days of our forebears. Aba oy, malapit nang mawala ito!
Mawawala? Ah eh, I'm just predicting, due to the advent of the "fastcrafts"!
Why Ride A Ship?
Actually, I was carrying a lot of "baggage" - books, references, handouts and printed materials of many kinds - too delicate if I checked them in on a plane to TAC or CYP.Also too heavy and cumbersome to handle, if I took them on a fastcraft, connecting to a series of UV Express rides with no luggage space. Thus, a ship was my best bet.
Buti nalang, at salamat naman, meron pang ganito these days!
How Long Is This Trip?
I was told this was going to be an 11 to 12 hour night ride, departing at 7PM, where I supposedly would just sleep on the boat and wake up arriving in time for breakfast.Sounded ideal. But it took me 16+ long hungry hours.
Well, in summary, I can say: I learned many things :)
How Did It Go?
Diary-worthy? Pwedeng "adventue story" for future generations. Here's how it went:Buying A Ticket
About 5PM I went to the Roble Shipping main ticket office near Cebu's Pier 4 to buy my ticket to Catbalogan. Not many people were lining up. Well, it was a Wednesday.Tip: many people usually travel anywhere from Friday to Monday.
Ticket Office to Pier 1 is far!
The ticket agent told me I had to 'go now to Pier 1, as boarding will soon commence'.Good that I had the presence of mind to ask the taxi to wait for me - since I knew it's still far (probably 2 kms), and you walk on city streets - with lots of 'informal settlers'.
That's something to consider when riding the big boats (barko or RORO): their ticket offices are "not actually at the pier". I don't know why "they are unlike the fastcrafts".
As to the "walking at the pier", I've done that (when I had no luggage). It is not really as if me masamang mangyayari sayo hehehe. But you get apprehensive somehow!
Even if you ride the jeeps, it's the same - para kang 'kakatayin' sa mga tingin ng mga aleng maritess, mga manong walang t-shirt at mga batang nakatutok sa phone mo!
Basta! Ganito na lang: remember it is still far. Let your Grab wait!
Boarding Gates!
Imaginin mo na lang na parang sa airport "bus gate" ito. And this is "to any ship".If you are not aware of this yet, the present system of riding ships in Cebu is: you go to Pier 1, whatever ship you are riding and to wherever, but your ship won't be there.
Do not panic naman. Chill ka lang! Look for the boarding gate of your ship. Its name and voyage number will be written on a gate somewhere. If none, mag-panic ka na!!
Ahehehe! Ask the authorities (the port staff).
Boarding is via a BUS - always!
On boarding time (parang sa airport din ang announcements), you will be ferried via a free shuttle bus going to where your ship is berthed -usually malayo, at another pier.Important Note: Listen and Look!
Passengers boarding your bus are not necessarily boarding the same ship as yours.
When a bus stops in front of a ship, staff or the driver will shout out the ship's name and destination/s. Before jumping out, look outside to check if it is indeed your ride.
Orderly di ba? Hahaha bahala you!
At 6PM, boarding started, and I was first to hop on the bus! See? No other people!
Well, there were two passengers up front. That guy standing is a port staff.
When the bus departed, I took a quick snap (kaya blurred) of where we came from.
It's starting to look a lot like at airports, 'no? Hmm, wala nga lang aircon hehehe!
Eto, as we approached my barko, the now aged "Blessed Stars" of Roble Shipping.
Actual Boat Boarding - Be Alert!
While port management and the ship's crew ensure people can safely walk from bus to boat, be aware that the place is full of heavy moving things - obscuring us humans.On this RORO, I saw 2 small trucks as load. Note though, that such boats with no, or less 'land vehicles' as load, is trickier for us madlang pipol to walk on, while boarding.
Cargoes (in huge crates) are being moved around (in a rush) by forklifts that seem to have 4th or 5th-gear speed heheh! Drivers won't easily see you behind those crates.
Good I think if there are lots of passengers, as forklift drivers would spot and yield if a stream of people were boarding. With only a few humans walking, di mapapansin.
Eh kung sa likod ka pala ng dambuhalang crate naglalakad? Hiyay! Ma-forklift ka! It is also noisy with engine and steel clanking sounds. Di maririnig ang mga tili mo oy!
Therefore, walk only where the ship's crew tell you, and make it fast.
Departure
As said in previous stories, its great to look outside during departures from Cebu.Pushback Scenes
So many boats starting to "float away" from the Cebu Port are worth capturing.
Why so? Ahw, even if my photos are horribly horrible, when I see them at a later date, my memory is re-activated, of/at how the scene looked exactly. Nostalgiahin pa rin!
Almost all inter-island ships (called barko or RORO, not the fastcrafts) have departure schedules set at around 7PM. It's always a lovely scene of many vessels sailing off.
The whole Mactan channel gets wonderfully dotted with their lights. It becomes like a busy maritime hub na mala-Singapore or ala-Rotterdam in a mini version. O di ba!
I am not sure though, why 'at around that time', they leave the Cebu piers altogether (yes plural as in ports called Pier 1, 2, 3, 4, etc.) Their lights adorn the channel anyway!
In the past, since somebody told me, I thought the reason was: "so that passengers only sleep the whole voyage at sea". True naman, but I think there's more about that.
Yata. Sige sige, saliksikin yan!
Mactan Channel Scenes
Good night views too, while a boat navigates between mainland Cebu and Mactan.
Don't judge the scenes via my pics. Point and shoot cameras aren't good at night.
The Voyage - On Board Experience
Not many things happen on these kinds of barko with more cargoes, few humans!Not the engines were irritatingly noisy
As I said above, on this ship, M/V Blessed Stars, there were very few passengers. In Tourist Class (upstairs, non-aircon), only 4 of us passengers amid hundreds of beds.
Not real? Ano sila multo? O eh, buti pa nga ang multo, tahimik!
They were/are students. Apprentice seafarers or probably those who are still on the "observation tour" stage, because I did not see them working. And they were NOISY.
Not just boisterous laughter. Nagsisigawan, nagmumurahan, meron pang takbuhan passing by us the real passengers - as if they were just at their own school grounds.
I overheard, they were once reprimanded by that man in stripes. Tumahimik sandali. Yet when their other companions would come from somewhere, sigawan nanaman.
Note that in terms of voice, size, build, they are not anymore boys and girls but men and women - na di ko alam saan iskwater pinulot. Aside from the sigawan takbuhan habulan, meron pang balyahan of their double-deck beds and hampasan ng kutson.
Eh adults na ang mga iyan. If you were a foreigner, iisipin mong me nag-aamok.
I NOTED: their language was Tagalog, I didn't hear Cebuano, Waray or Ilonggo.
Naisip ko, aren't they trained on proper decorum before being let loose into the public?
Aba, eh kung me mga rabis ang mga ***dot na yan?
Anyway...
Some cargoes are alive, though not noisy!
Although there were only a few passengers, cargoes occupied everywhere else.
I said I think I know what these are: at some hallway areas, I saw boxes like these:
Ah hehehe! I think some others were just wailing for the sake of wailing.
Their cute cacophony sounded like sweet soothing music to my ears!
Kesa naman yung ingay ng mga apprentice!
Other chicks were silent, seemingly oblivious of what was happening outside...
I propped my lens on one of the holes, and it looked like those other cute ones were snuggling up with one another, for a more comfy overnight snooze. Buti pa sila 'no?!
Shhh, hwag maingay, I have a secret to share... I went back to the boxes with noisier more active little chicks, and poked one finger on one of the holes, as if to pet them.
They started pecking on my finger and it tickled hehehe hihihi!
Hush lang, bawal kasi yan I think. They could become contaminated or infected with bacteria from my human hands, that they're not yet resistant to. Kaya, shh lang kayo!
Sekret natin yan!
But come to think of it, the 'quality reviewer and process-improvement expert' in me realized upon arrival, they shouldn't anymore be called 'day-old chicks'. 2 days na di ba!
There's NO DINNER on board!
About 8PM, I was hungry, so I visited the canteen to look for dinner. OhMyGino-o ko! No meals! Junk food only + cup noodles + some crackers. At least me coke in cans.Cup noodles were selling fast, so I asked for one (out of the 5 cups remaining).
I turned around to see where passengers who got cup noodles were seated. Hiyay, I instead saw some of the apprentices (male & female), about a dozen of them or so.
They were the ones occupying the few seats of the canteen - kulang pa nga, since 4 or 6 lang yata yun, e sandosena sila. Passengers just go back to their beds instead.
Now this: All of them had rice either on a plate or lunchbox. Argh, where from?!
Ah, while waiting for my cup noodles, I approached the more silent type among these noisy apprentices. I asked why I was told there was no rice meal but all of them had.
Haruuy, she told me, most of those were their "baon" (from their apartments or a pier turo-turo). Others chimed-in to tell me that: the boat's kitchen staff cooked "rice (only)" for them, on their onboard rice cooker; they brought all other dishes from the turo-turo.
I even proposed to buy from them. All said "wala na - nakain or kinakain na". Argh!
These "boys and girls" (actually college students, therefore already "men and women") were apprectices of this ship, majority of them from a maritime school in Batangas.
Being so, they were supposed to be like "crew" on this ship, although obviously, they weren't (yet) behaving like so. Their demeanor was more on as if nag-outing lang sila.
The cook and kitchen crew were part of them. Eh ano ba ang i-co-cook ng mga yon? Kanin lang sa rice-cooker para sa mga classmates nila?! Apprenticeship na ba yun?
The canteen staff and cashier were also part of them. Ayun, marunong na sila mag-sukli pag me bumili ng cup noodles! Aw abtik napud pabukal tubig sa takuri! Gino-o!
Hah, let's make that no-"dinner" story short.
With my very hot cup of noodles, I got two Skyflakes, a tiny little pack (6pcs) of Dice Hopia, and a can of coke. Well okay, after I devoured all of those, I got 2 cans of Red Horse Beer and brought them to my bed, if only to make me sleep the hunger away :(
Lesson learned children...
On Roble boats, magbaon ng buong buffet. Samahan pa ng butler waiter bartender!
Mattress Pulling!
I wondered what 'boatkeeping procedure' or 'technical requirement' this was...
That action positioned the 'mattress head' at the middle portion of the bed. Look...
He told me. Now I know! Do you?!
No Choice but SLEEP!
Everythig I wrote above happened before 9PM. Why do I say that? Because it is only 9:17PM as I write this sentence on my notebook, and I have nothing more to write.I will not change the tense of this paragraph, the one above and the one below. Just so I can preserve that feeling in my present situation - pathetically dire, to dangerous.
Eh walang dinner eh. What if manginig at mangisay na lang ako sa gutom? Hindi pa naman (knock on wood, simba ko), but what if nga nanginig at nangisay nalang ako?
This has never happened to me yet. Ever!
I hope the red horse is taking effect as I've intended. Hoping I'll fall asleep now, and just wake up late in the morning, when this boat is already docked in Catbalogan...
16.5 Hours At Sea!
Morning has broken, I was still at sea, so hungry I could eat a whole lechon. Haay!Woke up at about 5AM. Let's say I slept around 10PM, then I must have been asleep for at least 7 hours. Pwede na sana kung hindi ako gutom - mahapdi na ang tiyan ko!
Well I remember, I woke up past midnight, looked out into the darkness of sea.., and dozed off again probably few minutes after that - because, I felt nothing but hunger.
Morning Alarm Clock!
No, I didn't set an alarm for 5AM. I was just startled and therefore awakened, by the crowing of so many roosters I didn't even know were on board. The cute tiny chicks in boxes I saw last night yes. But OMG so many 'tandangs' started crowing at 5AM.Yes, they were my fellow passengers heheh! Alangan namang me tumilaok sa dagat!
And listening to their "tok-tu-ga-ok" (that is Waray for "cock-a-doodle-doo") they must have all been resting near me! Hmm, I have not seen them since I boarded this ship.
I knew I would. I should!
Here were two of them I saw while walking around the ship after I got up...
"Ugang" is Waray for Hen or Inahin. I don't know (yet) in Cebuano, maybe InaHen?
Those two were somehow "privileged", since their owner let them out of their boxes to feed them like that... with water. Tubig lang?! Gosh naalala ko tuloy, GUTOM ako!
Anyway, all other manoks, the majority of them, were secure in their individual boxes (some cramped at 2-in-a-box). Just the same, since 5AM, all of them were a crowing.
Yes gad, toktugaoking, sometimes altogether like a chorus, other times as if singing a counterpoint melody! They holler in various tonal and/or melodic styles, I observed!
Me ganun? Yes there is hahaha! There are even "rooster"lings - yung bata pa ba, but already too old to be still considered "chicks". I think they're called "Tarin" in Waray - they also attempt to crow or croak their throats mightily! Comedy relief sila, at least!
Imagine, 6 to 630AM, I did a profound scholarly analysis of the tugaok hahaha!
And I told my royal self: gutom lang yan!
Actually seriously, itanong nyo pa ke Primo, o ke Nicolas, or kahit sinong mahilig sa sabong. Roosters crow differently -- depending on which province they came from!
At least there's a common denominator: most of them crow in the morning, to greet the sunrise. I say most of them, kasi iyong sa kapit bahay namin tumutilaok ng 3PM!
Sunrise!
Speaking of sunrise, I think this was what the roosters were crazily crowing about!
A fantastic new day has dawned on the Philippines Islands again...
I think this one at left (with clouds) was Maripipi Island. I wasn't sure of that though.
This would have been such a wonderful view IF I were feeling well hahaha!
Anyway, kahit medyo magdidilim na ang paningin ko sa gutom, I still had a sense of awareness of my geographical bearings. O ha?! Thus, if the big island was Maripipi, the smaller one at right, must have been the now-getting-famous Sambawan Island.
Oh wow!
I tried looking for its strip of white sand, but I guess it is on the other side. Doon sa kabila, east side. That view was the western side. We were (still) about to turn right.
Turn right saan? Haay far at left, the northern side of Maripipi. Malayo pa yun!
I took that photo at 7:02AM. If we left Cebu exactly 7PM kagabi (I think we did), how come we were not there yet? 12 hours and 2 minutes na, Maripipi (Biliran), pa lang?
Since 5AM, I've been sitting, standing, walking, taking photos of what I saw outside. Impatient, uminit na ang ulo ko, "tumaas na ang high blood ko"! That was the feeling.
I know.., if I was not hungry, I would have loved the morning atmosphere and all the views. I would even have wished for this barko to be slower, for these to last longer.
But first things first, I was hungry. Everything else was secondary!
Yet all these time, nothing I could do but to make the best of this "secondary".
So, tingin pa more na lang!
More views until arrival!
The approach to Catbalogan was/is actually a bit 'spectacular' that it had me forget my impatience as to which century this godforsaken boat would see its destination.This was when we were passing by the islands and islets, especially Sierra Islands.
Yes I should. Okay, bucket-listed.
Adi pa... roaming the boat so I could take more photos, I saw this other hallway:
Oist! On this side, there were still more boxes (two of them are in that picture), of my favorite load on this ship - the "day old chicks"! They were my only "entertainment"!
At 10:52AM, bow side, I saw these 2 crews preparing (di ko alam kung apprentice).
11:06AM, I happened to pass by the aft side, this dude was also getting ready...
Kung tutuusin, "if I were happy", I could even already identify some of those houses!
You pass by those houses and structures when going (leftwards) to the Catbalogan Airport (that has no commercial flights yet), or on to the white sandy beaches of Buri!
If you go further north (on the Maharlika Highway) it goes to Calbayog, Manila etc.
Arrival - Catbalogan Finally!
11:14AM, I finally saw the Catbalogan Port - formal name is "Port Of Catbalogan"!
To the right, there's a palengke where you can always find Alimasag. To the extreme left (not in that picture) is Pier Dos (Pier 2) - I have 'grand' childhood memories there!
Aw here below, I after all caught a photo naman pala of Pier Dos!
Docking Operations. Yes, red shirt is a "she", and part of the crew - the apprentices.
By the way, hungry as I was, I did not disembark first, because I needed to do this:
And a final glance at Roble Shipping's Blessed Stars... reminiscent of this...
Noontime! That final glance (final shot) was at 11:28AM. So, it took me 16.5 hours. It would not have been an issue if I knew they do not sell "real food" (rice ba!) onboard.
Lesson learned for me and for you my dear readers!
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