Iloilo Ortiz Wharf to Guimaras Jordan Wharf

Ortiz Wharf.
In 3 minutes, the ticket booth went from zero to eight passengers lined up to buy their tickets. Whoa!

Remember the last picture in my last story? Let me put that back in here for reference ...

I took that that picture as the manong taxi driver was writing my receipt. And, as I said in that story, it was 7:14AM. He pointed to me that yellow shack with a green roof (see the red arrow) to be the ticket booth for rides to Guimaras. See that? No people queued, right?! I just got off the cab and walked to it.

7:17AM, I reached the shack and, ayayay pila na! Where'd all these people come from?!

I did not come from somewhere far, right? OMG how swift they come (and go)! Imagine, I just got off the cab, made that few steps, and there were already 8 people ahead of me. This early in the morning!

I realized, the Saturday morning crowd has already started, argh! This early! But this was a "bearable" line for me. Fast in fact, because the line was constantly moving. That meant the ticket issuance must be simple and fast, no frills nor unnecessary whatevers. Unlike how it is done in other ports where you write your "bio-data" before a ticket is issued hehehe! This is faster than the Muelle Osmeña process.

Hey, this is THE boarding pass! Cute! At just about 3 inches or so in length...

The ticket lady specifically told me not to lose it, as that is what I give to the boatmen upon boarding. And of course I wondered where was my ticket. You know, the thing that might/can/will/should serve as receipt?! This was a "boarding pass", not a "ticket". Hmm, hello BIR?! Very opposite the taxi driver!

Anyway, I went with the flow. After "buying a boarding pass" they walk to this tent...

Walk din ang aking kamahalan hehe! I saw them writing things on those red desks. What? Autograph?

Aw sus, that is the passenger manifest pala, just like this one. No, this was not for my boat!

This was the manifest for another boat not boarding yet (reason why it is still blank). This was on that table at the right edge (near the motorbike) of the above picture. I took this pic for convenience, since my boat's manifest was already busy with people lined up to write their details. Besides, I don't wanna catch people's names in my photos. Private info yan. Tedious blurring them for this blog's purposes!

BTW, they have a slightly different 'form' here (than most that I have seen elsewhere)...

Children's names (middle column, partly covered by the pen) are written beside (to the right of) the *presumably* parents' names (left column). Isn't this more complicated when counting passengers?!

There's already an "AGE" column, di ba? Ah bahala sila. Walang basagan ng trip, hehe!

Anyway and alright, I was done with the manifest, now what?! I knew I was already by the water's edge (see 4th picture above with the motorcycle), but where was my boat? There are no directional signs in this place, so, "go with the flow" again ang My Royal Highness hehe! No pre-departure lounge hehehe!

Ah, by the edge of this barangay hall (yes, this building on the left), you turn left to see this...

Whoa, it was still some walk, but I just liked it - under the gentle early morning sun! Our boat was over at the end of this narrow pavement (red arrow). How did I know that? Go with the flow again hahaha!

My boarding pass said "Francis Ivan", but when I started looking at the boat names, there was Francis Ivan I, Francis Ivan II, Francis Ivan III, who knows there could be Francis Ivan IV, VI, VIII or XXVIII! So, I just followed other passengers, silently grinning, saying "Linti Francis Ivan ko, diin ka man man man"?!

But wait... as I followed other passengers going to our Francis Ivan, I caught a glimpse of this...

The morning calm... so serene... I could see a portion of Guimaras... the golden sun shining at boats on the blue sea... a gentle breeze... Ambot lang if that approaching boat is also named Francis Ivan!

And I found my dear Francis Ivan! How did I know this was it? Ah, very easy - "go with the flow" and...

My boarding pass color matched the boat's floor color - Apple Green! Hahaha, seriously?! Yes, as in!

Yes to "Apple Green"! Though honestly seriously, it was easier just following other passengers hehehe

There! My boat (gali) was Francis Ivan III - I pronounce that as "Francis Ivan Ai Ai Ai"! Found at last!

Hey Look: bikers and their bikes also ride these boats. I counted 4 or 5 on this trip...

I asked one of them, she told me they like biking on the new paved roads of Guimaras. Hmm, exciting!

The ride.
Okay, I boarded my dear Francis Ivan Ai Ai Ai. It's free-seating. Sit where you want! So, I opted to sit at the last row. Why? Because it feels "crowded" in the middle area, too many eyes looking at me hehe!

Shhh, it's a 'secret technique' I have come to 'devise' in the course of my many commuter boat travels.

Oh you wanna know about that 'secret technique'? Really?! I will tell.., ah maybe later!

Hey, wasn't that a nice people-watching vantage? The shot above, I mean. We haven't departed yet, so I could see the comings and goings, until all passengers were on board, and until we finally departed!

Ah, on foreground, do you see the guy in 'apple green' shirt? He was standing on the boat's hull, and he was no other than our "driver"! The 'apple green' on the sides are the "aisles" where you walk in or out.

Here's a shot while the boat was pushing back. Very orderly and well-behaved passengers, right?

That guy still standing up at the bow is.., you guessed it... from the color of the shirt... a boat crew. He checked if those two standing bikes were firmly secured - but 2 or 3 others were lying flat on the floor.

Oh, unlike in Boracay and many places elsewhere, passengers here are not required to don those life-vests. Those are instead just placed conspicuously on the seat backrests. They can incidentally serve as some kind of 'backrest cushion' to your tired, ageing vertebrae. Otherwise, they're uncomfortable!

I thought this was like in airplanes - where we are shown how to don a vest and told where these are, so we know where to grab them, in case needed. But, passengers are not asked to wear them pronto - because it makes us either feel uncomfortable or look stupid, or both, right?! But here, there was no "demo" done. The vests are just there hanging on every backrest. I think they assume you know, hehe!

Hello Coast Guard, MARINA or Tourism, explain the double standard please?! Why do we have to wear life-vests in many port crossings, eh dito hindi naman? Get your acts together, this is just one country! Hopefully you'll make this THE standard, as most of those vests are dirty and our clothes get stained!

Anyway, this ride takes just about 15 minutes. But I saw wonderful sights, like this...

Over there, where we came from is Iloilo City's seafront area viewed from my left (back)!

Still to my left as we cruised... that would be the Iloilo City Port area...

Red arrow points to what would be the mouth of Iloilo River called Parola Port (I think)!

Here's some trivia...
I thought this trip could have been as short as just 5 minutes if only my boat immediately "flew"! I felt its engine had the capacity to run faster! I sensed that as this boat backed out of the pier, and while maneuvering to its designated "flight path"! Flight path daw o! Haha, ano ini, edroplano o polopokter?

Ah, I itched for an answer to that "hunch", so I asked the 'pilot' why he was not revving up as much as his engine can. So I learned: there is a rule (law?) by the local MARINA about it. He educated me that, there are designated portions in this sea lane (a good part of the trip actually) where boats observe (must observe) a certain maximum speed. Yes, me ganun! Parang NLEX hehe! Naka-CCTV din kaya?!

I prodded more, to know why it is so, what might be the reason for such a rule. And I came to know, that if boats rev up their engines to the max (or a certain speed, whatever that is), they would create big waves, that will in turn crash and batter houses or other structures at the shoreline. He intimated to me that small waves in the middle of the sea, become big when they reach the shore. Whoa! I just learned tsunami science here! I had to go to Guimaras to learn that lesson, live! Travel is education.

That reminded me why fastcrafts, even the Cokaliong and Roble ships, go slow as soon as they enter the Mactan Channel in Cebu. Ah yes, even the Pasig River Ferry when it was still 'alive'! For a very long time, I really thought ship captains were just giving passengers a chance to do their pictorials hahaha!

Anyway, this was the view to my right as we approached the island...

Red arrow points to the Guimaras RORO Port (for bigger ships). Green arrow points to that headland I knew was something I wanted to see but couldn't remember what! I frantically searched google maps!

Looking left again, we could already see our destination... the Jordan, Guimaras jetty port...

Blue arrow points to a magnified view of the tourism establishments, while yellow arrow points to the pier where we would be docking said the pilot. Wohoa! Good Morning Guimaras, here I come again!

Anyway... and then we arrived... look at how everyone awkwardly duck, going out of the boat!

The aisles (on both sides) are a bit elevated from the floor, so all you passengers bend when moving. Their boats here have very low roofs. Uncomfy, if I may just say hehe! This is very back-ache friendly!

Anyway.., so, I finally arrived at the town of Jordan, Guimaras. What's next? That's next!