Cebu To Catbalogan By Boat

Another interesting trip. I took the 'barko' from Cebu to Catbalogan! Just to get another feel of how it was traveling inter-island, in the good old days of our forebears.

Actually, I was carrying a lot of "baggage" - books, references, handouts and other printed materials - that would be too delicate if I checked them in on an air flight, and too heavy pulling, pushing and lugging along if I took them riding the fast craft connecting to a series of UV Express rides with no luggage space. Thus, the ship was the best choice.

I was told this was going to be an 11 to 12 hour night ride, departing at 7PM, where I would just sleep on the boat, and wake up to arrive in time for breakfast. Sounded ideal. But it took me 16 hungry hours. Well, in summary, I can say: I learned many things :)

Here's how it went:

About 5PM I went to the Roble Shipping main ticket office near Cebu's Pier 4 to purchase a ticket to Catbalogan. I was surprised there were not too many people lining up. Well, it was a Wednesday. People usually travel anywhere from Friday to Monday.

The ticket agent told me I had to go "now", to Pier 1, as boarding will soon commence. At 6PM, I was inside Pier 1. If you are not aware, the present system of riding ships in Cebu is - you go to Pier 1, your ship may not be there, but on boarding time you are ferried via a free shuttle bus that will go where your ship is berthed. Orderly di ba?!

Boarding started at 6PM, and I was first to hop on the bus! See? No other people!

Well, there were two passengers up front...

But I am not sure if that couple were also destined for the same boat. I can't recall now, because I just attended to my own business hehe. That guy standing is a port staff.

When the bus departed, I took a quick (blurry) snap of the "departure area"...

Its starting to look like at airports, 'no? Wala nga lang aircon hehe

Ayan, as we approached my barko, the dear aged "Blessed Stars" of Roble Shipping...

That's her back facing the port by the way. Yes, some ships are like that - open on just one end so heavy equipment can be loaded or used for loading.

Hey, I think I said before in my other stories,

that its interesting to look out of the boat during departures from Cebu. Almost all ships have 7PM departure schedules. So, its like a busy sea lane with so many of them pushing back from the ports altogether! Yes ports, as in plural. That's Pier 1, 2, 3, 4 and so on.

And if you're headed somewhere north, northeast, northwest...

You get to pass under the two Mactan Bridges - a nice photo op for many travelers, though my camera(phone) does not seem to like capturing the real beauty in the dark :(

Oh, on this ship (M/V Blessed Stars), there were too few passengers.

Not even 1/8 of the capacity I think. Very few people. In my class of service (Tourist Class upstairs non-aircon), there were only four of us passengers amidst hundreds of beds! Striped shirt is a passenger. All others you see in that photo are students (apprentice sea farers). And they were noisy. Aren't they also trained on proper decorum?

But the cargoes were too many, I think they made the ship very heavy hehe.

Even the hallways were loaded with crates and boxes of whatever.

At one area of the hallway, I saw a pile of boxes like this...

The contents were cute little darlings, I think those are called "day-old chicks". Many of them were chirping as if begging. Others were probably complaining of discomfort hehe. And I think some others were just wailing for the sake of wailing. Their "noise" was so sweet to my ears!

But others were silent, seemingly oblivious of what was happening outside...

I think they were asleep, or tired of chirping/complaining hehe. I propped my lens on one of the holes, and it looked like these other cute ones were snuggling up with one another for a more comfy overnight slumber.

Shh, 'wag maingay, I have a secret to share... I went back to the boxes with noisier more active little chicks and poked a finger on one of the holes. They started pecking on it and it tickled hehehe hihihi! Bawal yan I think, as they could be contaminated or infected with bacteria from human hands that they are not yet resistant to. Kaya shhh lang kayo!

8PM I got hungry and visited the canteen looking for dinner. OhMyGino-o ko! No meals! Just cup noodles, some crackers and junk food! I could see that the cup noodles were selling fast, so I asked for one (out of the 5 cups remaining).

I turned around to see where most of the folks who ordered those cup noodels were seated. Hmm, a pack of boisterous and hungry youngsters (boys and girls), about a dozen of them or so. But all of them had rice on a plate or lunchbox. Argh, where from?!

So, while waiting for my cup noodles I approached them to ask "why can't I have a rice meal that they all had?! Haruuy, most of those were their "baon" (yep, they brought those from home). Others said the kitchen staff cooked it for them in their onboard rice cooker. When I asked why I couldn't buy some, their quick reply was "for crew only". Argh!

These boys and girls (well college students, they're already "men and women") are apprectices on this ship, many of them coming from a maritime school in Batangas. Being so, they are like "crew" on this ship - the "cook" is one of them, an apprentice too.

The envious part ("irritating" actually) was: they ate at tables where passengers should eat. They had rice meals, they were happy even, boisterous, and I/we the passengers had nothing. Syempre inggit ako, so I thought, the very least that they should do is eat somewhere so that I/we the passengers don't die salivating of envy and real hunger.

Hah, let's make that no-"dinner" story short. Together with my very hot cup of noodles, I got two skyflakes crackers, 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 and brought them to my bed - if only to make me sleep the hunger away :(

Hey, I did wonder what 'procedure' or 'technical requirement' this is...

Did you notice the mattresses are pulled down at the 'foot end'?

Easy to recognize if you look at the 'head end' which is in the middle of the bed. Look...

And I really had to look for someone to tell me why is it so! Now I know! Do you?!

Alright... all those I said above happened before 9PM. Why do I say that? Because it is already 9:17PM as I write this sentence... and I don't have anything more to say. I am constantly glancing out into the sea, as if I can see anything other than the pitch black darkness of the night. I hope the red horse is taking effect. I hope I will fall asleep now and wake up in the morning when this boat is already docked in Catbalogan...



09:58AM / 28FEB2014 Update
My gaaash I am still at sea and I am so hungry I could eat a firetruck!

I woke upabout 5AM, so if let us say I slept at about 10PM last night, then I have at least been able to "slumber" for 7 hours. Or somewhere therearounds since I know I woke up about past midnight, looked out into the 'nothingness' in the darkness of the night of February 27, and dozed off again probably some minutes after that.

No I did not set an alarm for 5AM. I was just startled and awakened by the crowing of so many roosters I did not even know were on board. The cute little chicks in a box I saw last night yes, but OMG so many 'tandangs' started crowing at about 5AM. Yes, they were/are my fellow passengers, and listening to their "tuk-tu-ga-ok" (that's in waray) they are situated just about everywhere around me!

Here are two of them I saw while walking around the ship a few minutes ago...

Ahm, I think only the one at the back is a culprit, right? A rooster. This one in front, I think, is a hen. Ugang, right?! Natugaok ba an ugang? Hahaha! These two are some kind of "privileged" since their owner let them out of their boxes and fed them... water!

All the MANY other manok, are still in their individual boxes (some are cramped at 2 in a box). Just the same, since 5AM all of them were crowing (yes 'tugaok'ing) as loud as they could, sometimes altogether like in a chorus, sometimes as if playing in a counterpoint melody! To the extent I observed, they crow in different tonal and/or melodic styles!

Me ganun? Yes there is haha! There are even "rooster"lings - yung bata pa ba, but not considered "chick" anymore hehe - (called "tarin" in waray I think) who also attempt to crow or croak their throats away! Comedy relief, at least!

I think this is what they were so crazily crowing about...

Sunrise behind some islands as the boat "crawled", slower than a tricycle, on a calm sea!

A new day has dawned on the Philippines Islands...

Am not sure, but I think that is Maripipi Island. Only one thing was sure: I was hungry!

From that time on (5AM), I have been sitting, standing, walking, taking pictures of what I see outside. But how come we are not there yet? They said this is an 11 to 12 hour travel, eh its been 14 and a half, I do not see any hint of Catbalogan yet! Magutom na!



2:15PM / 28FEB2014
To continue my story, the boat finally arrived Catbalogan at 11:20AM kanina. I am writing this final update now that I just finished lunch! Haay Salamat naman!

Anyway, the approach to Catbalogan was some bit of 'spectacular' that it had me forget my anxiety of when the ship was arriving. That is when we were passing by the islands - especially Sierra Islands. Under the morning sun, they were beautiful to look at...

I said to myself 'there must be something or many things wonderful in those islands. I should visit any or all of them one day'. Yeah, I should.

Adi pa... circling the boat so I could take more photos, I saw this other hallway...

Yeah, more boxes and boxes of cargoes bound for Catbalogan, and probably the rest of Samar. Of course, even on this side, there were still more boxes (two, can you see?) of my favorite load on this ship - the day old chicks! They were my only "entertainment"!

At 10:52AM, bow side, I saw those 2 crews preparing...

That gave life to my weakened joints and grumbling stomach!

11:06AM, I happened by the aft side, this dude was also getting ready...

Yeah, I noted that the views on approach were wonderful. Though my mind was busier remembering that I was about to die of hunger! Ganun ka-tindi!

I could even already identify some of those houses!

Yeah, I'm familiar with many people and places in Catbalogan. Those are the houses you pass by when going (leftwards) to the Catbalogan Airport (that has no commercial flights yet), or to the white sandy beaches of Buri! Or even further on a road trip to Calbayog or Manila!

11:14AM, I finally saw the Catbalogan Port! Oh, formal name is "Port Of Catbalogan"!

Yes, but that is commonly called "Pier Uno" (Pier 1) by the locals. Further to the left (not seen in picture) is "Pier Dos" (Pier 2), and I have good memories there as a child!

Docking operations... yes, red shirt is a "she", and part of the crew - the apprentices...

The boat turned around so that its 'behind' is the one that touches the pier.


By the way, hungry as I was, I opted not to disembark first, because...

I wanted to see / estimate how many passengers were on board 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 Blessed Stars... reminiscent of this...

But in my mind I was saying...
"panulay ka kahinay mo waray pa pagkaon madidismayo na ako kagugutom hin duro"!

That final glance and final shot was at 11:28AM. Noontime!