Kalanggaman Departure Issue: Reservation

5:35AM, I was at the Palompon Eco-tourism Office. No people yet, other than a couple (husband and wife) who arrived ahead of me - I was actually behind them as they walked by the park into this building. We could see staff already inside, preparing for the day.

I was thinking "how could their first trip be at 6AM, eh, there are only 3 of us passengers here, and it is almost 5:40AM". Anyway, like the couple, I strolled around as we waited.

The counter eventually opened (the woman there motioned for us to approach her).

So, we paid our fares, and we were told to wait at this area. Nice building ha?!

There are "things to buy" (souvenirs) on display... no 'tindera' yet though!

Not only local products or T-Shirts are on sale, they also have some 'last-minute' items you may need before going to the island such as sunglasses, hats, water. Even snacks!

Now, now... exactly 6AM, a platoon of beautiful people (mga yayamanin) arrived...

They came in various kinds of vehicles. I counted, and I think there were more than 20 of them. Hmm, the perplexing thing for me was they went straight to the dock, and their 'alalays', boatmen and tourism personnel were helping them board a boat.

So, I went to the counter and asked "miss, is that the first boat? should I already go and board"? The woman answered "ah dili pa na ang imong boat sir, reserved na sila"?

That got me a bit "insultedly surprised". But I tried to calm down and asked "kinsa na sila", (baka naman mga taga office of the... y'know... basta "office of the..." in this country, even just office of the barangay captain, they can jump a line). The casual answer was, "day tourists sir". So I said "parang ako, day tourist, di ba? Bakit sila nauna?"

This woman (not looking at me) so naturally casually answered me with "aw okay na na sir, kay naka-reserve na sila gahapon". She probably did not know yet that I was piqued. Therefore I asked too, "di ba you told me yesterday afternoon that you do not accept reservations, eh bakit sila naka-reserve? As far as I know, I should be third on that boat after this couple" (as I pointed to the husband and wife who came ahead of me).

Woman took a pause, she grappled for what to say, then answered me with something like "just our courtesy to people traveling in groups". It started to heat my royal blood! I retorted with "so, for people not in groups wala kayong courtesy, di nyo nirerespeto ang oras ko at oras ng mag-asawang yan, ganun ba yun? You should put up a billboard, or you should have told me yesterday, saying that if you are not traveling in groups, there is no assurance you can ride a boat EVEN IF you came first, because this town respects and gives courtesy only to people traveling in groups"! High-pitched na ang royal self haha!

Na-alarma na si inday with my discourse hehehe! She answered with "its okay sir" again, and continued with "ang sunod nga boat kay mu-depart na na in a while, kay duna nay 14 nga naka-reserve". Now the royal blood was starting to boil... she just added salt and kalamansi to the injury! The next boat (capacity: 30) already had 14 reserved!

So I retorted again (medyo nagtataray na ang inyong Dear PT hehe) "tan-awa, you also accepted reservations for another 14, and you told me yesterday afternoon bawal magpa-reserve! What if a group of 16 comes now, di na pud ko kasakay kay you will give courtesy to that group? Sinabi mo sana chance passenger lang if traveling alone". Yawa!

I could see she started to panic when I ended my sentence with "Yawa"! She was not any more as jolly when she opened this counter, and she was not anymore looking at me.

In a mix of Bisaya, Tagalong and English (nahawa yata sa akin) she said something like "sir, please don't be mad at us if our procedures are questionable, but rest assured, you will ride this next boat, and it will be in just a while". In just a while is how I translate her specific words when she said "dili magdugay". I rested my case.

To tell the truth and nothing but the truth... I was trying my best to temper my (angry) emotions. Aba, I was the visitor here. You would not know what they can do to you, right? Eh kung itulak ako sa gitna ng dagat, and I have no companions! Or pakainin ako ng... whatever. Basta, mahirap na! I (unsuccessfully) tried to keep my voice low and calm.

But true to her words... (Sunday kasi ngayon), in no time, there were enough passengers in groups of two or three or four or five, who came to also take the ride, thus, the second boat was full to capacity, with me and the couple who were ahead of me.

We were asked to write our names on the passenger manifest...

Ayan, all names of the 14 "reserved" passengers were already written by one hand.

And beside it, the manifest of the first boat that just left...

Also written by one person. No reservations daw. Actually, I now recall, when I asked yesterday afternoon, that woman said "bawal ang reservation". Bawal ka han im pu***?!

After that manifest writing, we still waited, so I had time to take more pics...

I don't know if those are rented out here and used just in this area too, or rented here and brought to the island. I did not anymore ask because I was not interested (for now). 

Anyway, at 6:43AM, the second boat, with me on board, departed for Kalanggaman.

And let's talk about that next!

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