Cebu To Calbayog On Cokaliong's M/V Filipinas Maasin
I have done this before, right? Yep, also on Cokaliong, but that was on M/V Filipinas Dinagat. This time, my ship's name was M/V Filipinas Maasin. So, was it the same?
I would say 'generally the same'. But you know me, every trip is a new experience. It will always have something worth remembering, na dapat isulat. For memory's sake!
Aw ah, te isulat eh!
Yes, like in 2011, I was on my way to Catbalogan, with a fair lot of "props" heheh, so barko was my best way! I actually have no issue with riding a plane to Tacloban but the commute from TAC airport to city, then onwards to Catbalogan is discouraging!
To say the least. It was easier this time (I hope this is not forever), to commute from Calbayog's Maguino-o Port, 21kms to Calbayog City, then 70kms to Catbalogan City.
Here I go!
You can't miss it as you must pass by that single level building (to your right), before you enter the 'pedestrian entrance' to Pier 1. No need to visit their main ticket office.
After probably half an hour, they resumed issuing tickets, manually, advicing us that beds were to be assigned on board. "Just look for the steward", said my ticket clerk.
I just nodded as I knew it wasn't going to be an issue - from previous experience, eh iilan lang naman ang pasahero on these ships to Calbayog. Beds are always aplenty!
Pardon my pictures. As usual, gabi, hirap ang camera at phone ko to do good shots, especially that I took my photos either while walking or already on that transfer bus.
I did not have much time to roam the building, but I noted there's no more "dedicated to OceanJet" section. The passenger waiting areas & gates are now common for all.
I saw that there are now eateries, coffee shops, souvenir shops (the blind musicians and blind massage group are still around), and I saw posters that said 'free wifi'. Nice!
Improving!
Anyway, boarding was 'still the same'. Present your ticket to a crew at the entrance.
*Update 2025* I tried "improving" that picture with AI, and it came out looking like this:
Hahaha the technology is still developing. Look at the 'FILIPINAS MAASIN'. Nausab!
Departure views along Mactan Channel are still the same - great evening skyline.
Yes Tourist Class ito. My ticket said so. I can't recall 'if I was invited' or 'if I requested' to upgrade my class of service while already aboard the ship when it rained heavily.
What I am sure of is: I avoid the air-conditioned section.
This part of the ship was fully enclosed and air-conditioned - which is very "not me"!
I really thought all 'Tourist Class' of all ships are all upstairs and non-airconditioned.
Apparently it is not! Awod ako hahaha!
But I (well, all my belongings) stayed here for the entire overnight duration of the trip.
That therefore, probably only means, for whatever forgotten reason, I liked this hehe!
Ewan ko! Look mi abuela! Me pa-cortina-cortina pang nalalaman ang mga ventana!
As I've said above, everything inside this section of the ship (cabin?) is 'not my kind' of travel accommodation. I mostly like the open mahangin non-airconditioned deck.
Yes I prefer non-claustrophobic areas, with easy acccess to taking photos and videos of the outside scenery. Plus of course, usually me malapit na smoking area hehehe!
Not to mention syempre, near a jump out point during emergencies, simba ko. Kulba! Yet I stayed on. Well at least my belongings stayed in this room as I roamed around.
Examples? Ah eh, the first thing I noted was: amoy paa hahaha! Sori na, kaso yun pa talaga ang unang sumambulat sa ilong ko when I entered this portion of the ship eh!
I'm not that choosy nor unreasonably demanding. Hindi ako maselan. But that's what I noticed when I entered this part of the ship hehehe. Hiyay, ilang medyas kaya yun?
Ayii, imagine the number of people on this section by just looking at the pics above. Those are double decks, so I estimate that to be around 300 people, at full capacity.
How many smelly feet would that be haha! Good there were few passengers today! All I could hope for was that the air-conditioning exhaust systems were very strong.
Yet, still not my type! Kasi, pag me naamoy ka, ibig sabihin, virus or not, they linger! Top that with: crews are not strict with what passengers bring into that enclosed area.
You know a tiktilaok? Hehehe, yes tandang, roosters! Do they really have to be inside this enclosed air-conditioned space? Naku dear Cokaliong management, ang bird flu!
Look to the right of my shoes. That's an already-opened can of SML! Yet my beer was nothing compared to "smelly" (aromatic daw ang proper word) foods that others had.
There was burger steak and fries from Jollibee; there was pork-binagoongan (OMG ang laway ko); there was balut with suka; yung isang ale masangsang ang cologne!
Ay, a 'cacophony' of various odors in an enclosed environment. Haaa-tsing!
Anyway...
In previous boat experiences, we passengers had to line up at some corner, present and deposit an ID to get a bedsheet, go back to our bunks and 'do the bed' ourselves!
Crews who did my beddings told me to do that. They don't suggest leaving those on the floor as they could be scuffed, punted, toed or shoved by others, purposely or not.
New lesson learned. Ganoon pala sa Cokaliong Tourist Class.
I looked at the floor and aisles. No "under the bed" space, as lower beds are literally on the floor. So anything on the aisle could hamper mobility, OR, pwede rin nakawin!
Thus, all your things must be on your bed, including shoes and your used socks! Kaya naman pala... no wonder umaalingasaw ang buong cabin ng amoy medyas hahaha!
Excuse me lang, not from mine. Sure ako dyan!
*Happy Note: When boat is not full, place your things on an adjacent bed.
That means consecutive numbers are NOT together, adjacent or beside each other!
Example: if your bed is #59 (that is probably the upper part of the double deck), and your companion's is #60 (that could be the lower bunk), you will not be together. Da!
Up and down kasi ang takbo ng mga numero.
But there will be another 'bed number' where the occupant's face will be millimeters beside yours hahaha! I still don't know 'bed numbering methods' on passeger boats.
Example? In that pic above, there is Bed 111. Under that (the lower bunk) is Bed 112. Right beside (to the back) would be 113; under that is 114; there's an aisle, then 115.
So, technically Beds 111 & 113 are the adjacent ones, while on the floor Beds 112 & 114 would be 'together'. But 113-and-115 or 114-and-116 are separated by an aisle!
Worth noting for couples, lovers, manag-uyab, families, friends who travel together!
But when in doubt ask your tiketera! Why? Because (still another example) look at the photo before that last one. We see 59, so below that would be 60. On the other side (blue backpack) would be 61 and 62 under it. Yet why after the aisle 111 ang sunod?
Makabuang! O sige, pag-aralan yan. Pag naka-sakay tayo uli ng barko!
There is also beer, softdrionks, juices, instant coffee (3-in-1), instant tea and bottled water. Compared to Blessed Stars and Filipinas Dinagat, this one was well-stocked!
And as you can see, that's a croaking machine at left. O sige na nga, videoke na kung videoke talaga gusto mong itawag dyan. It is ordinarily called video-singko in VisMin!
Yet I actually liked those 2 consoles after the bidyo-singko. Good old arcade games na hinuhulugan din ng coins! Kaso, puro fight games na. Wala nang Space Invaders!
Syempre wala na rin yatang Pacman. But I didn't really check. Glance lang hehehe!
This place is called a Salon [Dining Salon] - I overheard the crews using that term.
O di ba sosyalin ang tunog? Dining Salon - parang ala "cruise ship" or "old era hotel"!
Well, as I looked around, there really were hints of the old era style - like those seats, or the lights on the wall, or that coffered ceiling over the bar. But, style intent lang yun.
Proof? Look at the placement of those freezers and other containers. Plus this:
That dude in stripes is a crew member. What was he doing? About to cook rice. Da!
That, middle of the salon, is where they keep their rice supply. Bakit? And, if you look between his feet, there is the kaldero where he was scooping rice to (from the sack).
I looked in that "bar" and looked around, but I didn't see a stove or anything like that. Kaldero naman kasi yan, hindi rice cooker! So I asked "asa man na lung-agon dong".
He said "sa ubos". He told me further they have a pugon down there, where they use firewood and/or coconut husk as fuel. I initially wanted to see that, but nalimtan na!
Not a plethora though hehehe, and this is another important notable note: buy yours as soon as you've boarded. Why? Because in a moment, it'll be wiped out - mahurot!
The guy in charge told me, those rice-meals are pre-made (pre-cooked) on-shore, and they only load 'a fraction of passengers booked', to avoid wastage. So, unahan lang!
There was corned beef, etc., but this time that fried chicken appealed to me.
Would have been nice, right? Medyo me romantic ek ek pa. Viewdeck dining - diba?!
But after that photo, I immediately returned to the dining salon and ate that chicken amid the croaking of two drunkards, na nag-aagawan pa ng microphone, gino-o ko!
Why the return? Umambon pa after a heavy rain. Plus and this is important, all those seats were like sprayed with a thin coat of soot not easy to spot with the naked eye.
'Aso' in Cebuano or Waray means smoke (usok). But, he actually meant "soot" which I think is 'agiw' in Waray but not in Cebuano or Tagalog. Basta parang black dust yan.
Where from? The huge tambutso of the ship, because the viewdeck is just behind it.
Here comes science again: I did my unicameral inquiry and investigation again hehe, just to know really, how/why the 'snowflake-like' black particles cling to those seats.
Amazing discovery but worrisome reality! Exhaust from the big engines normally go up and out as smoke into the air where the boat passes. Then keber na for us, right?
However, when it rains or drizzles, the smoke gets wet, where its particles bind with water in some kind of condensation. These 'newly-wetted particles' bump into each other due to air movement. Dahil basa, nagdidikitdikit sila - that's called flocculation.
So they become lumps na para nang snowflakes (na itim). Because of that, they get heavier, so instead of floating in air (as smoke), they fall faster - many unto the ship.
Now, bakit naman dyan sa mga tables & chairs pa sila lumalanding? Kasi white ang mga yon kaya doon natin sila nakikita. But in reality, they land all over the viewdeck.
Nge! In fact, my sources told me, some are carried by the wind into open sections of the barko. Pag naamoy mo daw ang usok, sila na yan, di pa nga lang nagdidikitdikit.
Inside your lungs na sila mababasa at mag-flo-flocculate. Minsan sa ilong pa lang.
MyGaaash! Kinilabututan ako! Anyway...
There were more beds there, non-airconditioned. I thought the lowest floors are for vehicles since this is a RORO. Bakit may mga tao? So that was not the lowest floor?
Ada masusugad! I got confused. Was I at the 3rd level? Kay, masusugad ngani!
Maybe next time, I should roam the entirety of a ship I'm riding on - all levels and all sections. Easier said than done hehe, kasi p'ano mga gamit ko, eh I'm always alone.
My inner mind doesn't seem to want to forget my previous boat trips to these areas.
Come to think of it, the sky is actually more spectacular with those clouds!
I asked a crew who incidentally passed by as I watched that mesmerizing scene, he said that's Maripipi. In my mind, I said "where is Sambawan? Shouldn't it be seen too"?
Aw, maybe it was on foreground, but it was still a bit dark to see. Or maybe we have already passed-by-it, and already circled to the north of Maripipi. So I tried googling.
Google maps was not even responding yet, when I heard a tok-toga-ooook! Syempre I rushed to where that came from! This rear area, but all roosters were in boxes! Yet,
I saw containers containing a lot of pigeons. As in probably more than a hundred or maybe even more! Ta, nakalimutan na ang manok, even the boxes of day old chicks!
This was something new. So, goodbye google maps, goodbye manok, goodbye cute little day-old chicks (aw 2 days na)! The so many pigeons commanded my attention!
I stood around bird watching, trying to count them (I got lost), waiting for someone in charge who could answer my many questions. A youngish man came so I asked him.
Hah, overwhemingly something new for me - Pigeon Racing!
Anyway, I remember...
The birds come from various places; they were (this time) traveling to a release area called a liberation point; once cages are opened, they will each find their way home.
How does one win, eh iba-iba naman pala ang home nila, therefore distances flown are not exactly the same? That guy smiled, na parang sinasabi ang tanga-tanga ko!
Hahaha ganun na nga! Masusugad! But I learned from him anyway, that all pigeons have GPS transmitters on one leg. Their speed from release to home is measured. Wo!
High-tech pala yan. I also learned that depending on the racing club, sometimes the stakes are in millions! Wa! Maybe I should learn more about those races soon hehe!
Not that I'm (at all) interested in raising or racing them, but the whole story could be nice to be aware about. It's a Pinoy activity anyway, it must be worth knowing more.
I got so unperturbedly fascinated by that new learning, that I almost forgot sunrise.
Ayun na, mataas na si haring araw, nakatago lang sa likod ng masukal na kaulapan!
Eh I'm not a fan of coffee. I only drink it socially heheh - you know, kung nakikibagay.
Yes me ganun, ako yun! Call me the bad egg in the basket, call me deviant whatever, but it felt like ako lang yata sa barko ang hindi nag-kape. Bumili pa ng Coke hahaha!
And OMG what a sight! You see the 3 big kettles? They were very busy boiling water for the long line of passengers ordering 3-in-1 coffee (some even with 'cup noodles')!
Yes I wondered: how satisfying is it having coffee and cup-noodles in the morning?
We wouldn't know if that was because of pilot's skills - or even lack thereof hahaha! Basta it takes time, so continue your 3-in-1 coffee and/or bulalo flavored cup noodles!
Oh well, this trip (excluding time at pier) took me about 15 hours.
I would say 'generally the same'. But you know me, every trip is a new experience. It will always have something worth remembering, na dapat isulat. For memory's sake!
Aw ah, te isulat eh!
Yes, like in 2011, I was on my way to Catbalogan, with a fair lot of "props" heheh, so barko was my best way! I actually have no issue with riding a plane to Tacloban but the commute from TAC airport to city, then onwards to Catbalogan is discouraging!
To say the least. It was easier this time (I hope this is not forever), to commute from Calbayog's Maguino-o Port, 21kms to Calbayog City, then 70kms to Catbalogan City.
Here I go!
Where to buy tickets
From previous trips, I came to know that Cokaliong also has a Ticket Office outside of Pier 1 (in front of the gate) together with ticket booths of Oceanjet, Lite Ferry, etc.You can't miss it as you must pass by that single level building (to your right), before you enter the 'pedestrian entrance' to Pier 1. No need to visit their main ticket office.
Hiccups do happen!
Their "system" was down when I arrived at the ticket window. Da! They said "offline", and it took some time before they made their next move! Maybe a "state of shock"?!After probably half an hour, they resumed issuing tickets, manually, advicing us that beds were to be assigned on board. "Just look for the steward", said my ticket clerk.
I just nodded as I knew it wasn't going to be an issue - from previous experience, eh iilan lang naman ang pasahero on these ships to Calbayog. Beds are always aplenty!
Terminal 1
After getting my ticket (P990 tourist class + P25 na ang terminal fee) I went inside the terminal that now looks a little better than before. Newly renovated. Air-conditioned!
I did not have much time to roam the building, but I noted there's no more "dedicated to OceanJet" section. The passenger waiting areas & gates are now common for all.
I saw that there are now eateries, coffee shops, souvenir shops (the blind musicians and blind massage group are still around), and I saw posters that said 'free wifi'. Nice!
Departure
The transfer buses aren't anymore the big clunky ones, but smaller newer coasters!Improving!
Anyway, boarding was 'still the same'. Present your ticket to a crew at the entrance.
Departure views along Mactan Channel are still the same - great evening skyline.
On Board M/V Filipinas Maasin
This was definitley better than Roble Shipping's M/V Blessed Stars. I'll say, maybe a bit similar to its sister M/V Filipinas Dinagat. Yet as I always say 'every trip is unique'.Beds (are these the "teheras" now?)
They looked brighter clean than M/V Blessed Stars or even M/V Filipinas Maasin.Tourist Class is air-conditioned?
Maybe I was on a different 'class of service' this time? Maybe. But, I wasn't very sure about that heheh! What I recall is Roble's Tourist Class is non-aircon. This one was!
What I am sure of is: I avoid the air-conditioned section.
This part of the ship was fully enclosed and air-conditioned - which is very "not me"!
Apparently it is not! Awod ako hahaha!
But I (well, all my belongings) stayed here for the entire overnight duration of the trip.
Ewan ko! Look mi abuela! Me pa-cortina-cortina pang nalalaman ang mga ventana!
Yes I prefer non-claustrophobic areas, with easy acccess to taking photos and videos of the outside scenery. Plus of course, usually me malapit na smoking area hehehe!
Air-conditioned sections are not 'very well' ventilated
Not (yet) used to riding local boat cabins of this type, there were things I found weird!
I'm not that choosy nor unreasonably demanding. Hindi ako maselan. But that's what I noticed when I entered this part of the ship hehehe. Hiyay, ilang medyas kaya yun?
Ayii, imagine the number of people on this section by just looking at the pics above. Those are double decks, so I estimate that to be around 300 people, at full capacity.
How many smelly feet would that be haha! Good there were few passengers today! All I could hope for was that the air-conditioning exhaust systems were very strong.
Yet, still not my type! Kasi, pag me naamoy ka, ibig sabihin, virus or not, they linger! Top that with: crews are not strict with what passengers bring into that enclosed area.
Air-conditioned sections are not just for humans!
Look at that Bed No. 59 in the picture above. Behind that, below that blue backpack, in front of that huge wall clock, there was a "double-box" containing two tik-tila-oks!You know a tiktilaok? Hehehe, yes tandang, roosters! Do they really have to be inside this enclosed air-conditioned space? Naku dear Cokaliong management, ang bird flu!
You may also dine in here!
People are allowed to bring-in and eat/drink anything on their beds. Here's proof:
There was burger steak and fries from Jollibee; there was pork-binagoongan (OMG ang laway ko); there was balut with suka; yung isang ale masangsang ang cologne!
Ay, a 'cacophony' of various odors in an enclosed environment. Haaa-tsing!
Anyway...
No lining up for bedsheet and blanket!
I appreciated it, that they distributed those yellow and green "beddings" - at least on this section of the boat! Crews came to our beds with those, where they themselves "installed" them. Installed? Ah basta, kung ano man ang correct term dyan heheheh!In previous boat experiences, we passengers had to line up at some corner, present and deposit an ID to get a bedsheet, go back to our bunks and 'do the bed' ourselves!
Do not leave anything on the floor!
Did you notice in that last pic above, even my shoes and socks were up on the bed?Crews who did my beddings told me to do that. They don't suggest leaving those on the floor as they could be scuffed, punted, toed or shoved by others, purposely or not.
New lesson learned. Ganoon pala sa Cokaliong Tourist Class.
I looked at the floor and aisles. No "under the bed" space, as lower beds are literally on the floor. So anything on the aisle could hamper mobility, OR, pwede rin nakawin!
Thus, all your things must be on your bed, including shoes and your used socks! Kaya naman pala... no wonder umaalingasaw ang buong cabin ng amoy medyas hahaha!
Excuse me lang, not from mine. Sure ako dyan!
*Happy Note: When boat is not full, place your things on an adjacent bed.
Adjacent Beds
Another new lesson learned, at least for me. Bed numbers on boats aren't the same as seat numbers on planes - because of the "up" and "down" locations of bunk beds.That means consecutive numbers are NOT together, adjacent or beside each other!
Example: if your bed is #59 (that is probably the upper part of the double deck), and your companion's is #60 (that could be the lower bunk), you will not be together. Da!
Up and down kasi ang takbo ng mga numero.
But there will be another 'bed number' where the occupant's face will be millimeters beside yours hahaha! I still don't know 'bed numbering methods' on passeger boats.
Example? In that pic above, there is Bed 111. Under that (the lower bunk) is Bed 112. Right beside (to the back) would be 113; under that is 114; there's an aisle, then 115.
So, technically Beds 111 & 113 are the adjacent ones, while on the floor Beds 112 & 114 would be 'together'. But 113-and-115 or 114-and-116 are separated by an aisle!
Worth noting for couples, lovers, manag-uyab, families, friends who travel together!
But when in doubt ask your tiketera! Why? Because (still another example) look at the photo before that last one. We see 59, so below that would be 60. On the other side (blue backpack) would be 61 and 62 under it. Yet why after the aisle 111 ang sunod?
Makabuang! O sige, pag-aralan yan. Pag naka-sakay tayo uli ng barko!
A Respectable Dining Area!
I would have called it a restaurant. There's some food, though not the usual cuisine you'd expect from restaurants or turo-turos on land. More on snacks and quick bites.
And as you can see, that's a croaking machine at left. O sige na nga, videoke na kung videoke talaga gusto mong itawag dyan. It is ordinarily called video-singko in VisMin!
Yet I actually liked those 2 consoles after the bidyo-singko. Good old arcade games na hinuhulugan din ng coins! Kaso, puro fight games na. Wala nang Space Invaders!
Syempre wala na rin yatang Pacman. But I didn't really check. Glance lang hehehe!
This place is called a Salon [Dining Salon] - I overheard the crews using that term.
Well, as I looked around, there really were hints of the old era style - like those seats, or the lights on the wall, or that coffered ceiling over the bar. But, style intent lang yun.
It's not a kitchen but...
The place is used in modernist uncultured uncivilizedness hahaha!Proof? Look at the placement of those freezers and other containers. Plus this:
That, middle of the salon, is where they keep their rice supply. Bakit? And, if you look between his feet, there is the kaldero where he was scooping rice to (from the sack).
I looked in that "bar" and looked around, but I didn't see a stove or anything like that. Kaldero naman kasi yan, hindi rice cooker! So I asked "asa man na lung-agon dong".
He said "sa ubos". He told me further they have a pugon down there, where they use firewood and/or coconut husk as fuel. I initially wanted to see that, but nalimtan na!
There is food!
Anyway.., compared to my previous boat rides, at least this one has this "Salon" and most importantly, aside from cup noodles, they have real meals available on board!
The guy in charge told me, those rice-meals are pre-made (pre-cooked) on-shore, and they only load 'a fraction of passengers booked', to avoid wastage. So, unahan lang!
There was corned beef, etc., but this time that fried chicken appealed to me.
View Deck Dining!
This was suggested by a crew when I said the videoke was too loud. Sugod agad!
But after that photo, I immediately returned to the dining salon and ate that chicken amid the croaking of two drunkards, na nag-aagawan pa ng microphone, gino-o ko!
Why the return? Umambon pa after a heavy rain. Plus and this is important, all those seats were like sprayed with a thin coat of soot not easy to spot with the naked eye.
Air Pollution even at sea...
How did I know? With the tissue that came with my chicken and coke, I wiped-dry a seat; that tissue paper turned black. Hiyay! I asked a crew what it was, he said 'aso'.'Aso' in Cebuano or Waray means smoke (usok). But, he actually meant "soot" which I think is 'agiw' in Waray but not in Cebuano or Tagalog. Basta parang black dust yan.
Where from? The huge tambutso of the ship, because the viewdeck is just behind it.
Here comes science again: I did my unicameral inquiry and investigation again hehe, just to know really, how/why the 'snowflake-like' black particles cling to those seats.
Amazing discovery but worrisome reality! Exhaust from the big engines normally go up and out as smoke into the air where the boat passes. Then keber na for us, right?
However, when it rains or drizzles, the smoke gets wet, where its particles bind with water in some kind of condensation. These 'newly-wetted particles' bump into each other due to air movement. Dahil basa, nagdidikitdikit sila - that's called flocculation.
So they become lumps na para nang snowflakes (na itim). Because of that, they get heavier, so instead of floating in air (as smoke), they fall faster - many unto the ship.
Now, bakit naman dyan sa mga tables & chairs pa sila lumalanding? Kasi white ang mga yon kaya doon natin sila nakikita. But in reality, they land all over the viewdeck.
Nge! In fact, my sources told me, some are carried by the wind into open sections of the barko. Pag naamoy mo daw ang usok, sila na yan, di pa nga lang nagdidikitdikit.
Inside your lungs na sila mababasa at mag-flo-flocculate. Minsan sa ilong pa lang.
MyGaaash! Kinilabututan ako! Anyway...
More people downstairs!
I did not know this (maybe because I just followed crews' directions during boarding?). But, walking back to the area where my assigned bed was, I saw stairs going down.
Ada masusugad! I got confused. Was I at the 3rd level? Kay, masusugad ngani!
Maybe next time, I should roam the entirety of a ship I'm riding on - all levels and all sections. Easier said than done hehe, kasi p'ano mga gamit ko, eh I'm always alone.
The morning after...
No alarms nor anything, probably just excitement, I woke up in time for amazement.That magnificent sunrise!
I didn't conciously plan to watch, but my inner clock probably already anticipated this.
My inner mind doesn't seem to want to forget my previous boat trips to these areas.
Come to think of it, the sky is actually more spectacular with those clouds!
Aw, maybe it was on foreground, but it was still a bit dark to see. Or maybe we have already passed-by-it, and already circled to the north of Maripipi. So I tried googling.
Google maps was not even responding yet, when I heard a tok-toga-ooook! Syempre I rushed to where that came from! This rear area, but all roosters were in boxes! Yet,
This was something new. So, goodbye google maps, goodbye manok, goodbye cute little day-old chicks (aw 2 days na)! The so many pigeons commanded my attention!
I stood around bird watching, trying to count them (I got lost), waiting for someone in charge who could answer my many questions. A youngish man came so I asked him.
Hah, overwhemingly something new for me - Pigeon Racing!
Pigeons on a race!
I said overwhelming because I asked so many questions and that dude answered all of them naman, BUT, I didn't write them. Now I have forgotten many details. Haruuy!Anyway, I remember...
The birds come from various places; they were (this time) traveling to a release area called a liberation point; once cages are opened, they will each find their way home.
How does one win, eh iba-iba naman pala ang home nila, therefore distances flown are not exactly the same? That guy smiled, na parang sinasabi ang tanga-tanga ko!
Hahaha ganun na nga! Masusugad! But I learned from him anyway, that all pigeons have GPS transmitters on one leg. Their speed from release to home is measured. Wo!
High-tech pala yan. I also learned that depending on the racing club, sometimes the stakes are in millions! Wa! Maybe I should learn more about those races soon hehe!
Not that I'm (at all) interested in raising or racing them, but the whole story could be nice to be aware about. It's a Pinoy activity anyway, it must be worth knowing more.
I got so unperturbedly fascinated by that new learning, that I almost forgot sunrise.
Breakfast available (I think)!
Then I smelled coffee. That meant the canteen, dining salon pala, must have already opened (they operate 5AM 'til 12MN), so I found my way there to get... Coke hahaha!
Yes me ganun, ako yun! Call me the bad egg in the basket, call me deviant whatever, but it felt like ako lang yata sa barko ang hindi nag-kape. Bumili pa ng Coke hahaha!
And OMG what a sight! You see the 3 big kettles? They were very busy boiling water for the long line of passengers ordering 3-in-1 coffee (some even with 'cup noodles')!
Yes I wondered: how satisfying is it having coffee and cup-noodles in the morning?
Arrival takes time!
Lesson learned: on seeing Port of Maguino-o, don't get excited. Mga half hour pa yan!
Oh well, this trip (excluding time at pier) took me about 15 hours.
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