Good Morning Bislig! Sunrise at Baywalk

6:09AM souvenir shot of a jolly tour group at the Bislig City Baywalk.

Very early morning, I visited this thing they call "Bislig Baywalk" due to a request by one of you my avid readers. Why early morning? Because I was told by the 'requestor' that the sunrise view in this place is purportedly fantastic. Plus, I also needed to see Tinuy-an Falls as early as I could, to avoid the crowds.

So how did this early morning roam go? Well, interesting enough, but the sun did not cooperate :(

Look! At 5:41AM, I was already on a tricycle fording the empty streets of Mangagoy, in Bislig City..,

One thing new I learned last night - hotel staff told me we have to be out early. You'll see "why" later!

In no time I was already approaching the (confusing) Brgy. Poblacion of the city - from Mangagoy..,

Yes that's Ocean View Park, but I did not dream of climbing up there at 5:44AM as its a private place!

I actually giggled as I passed this hospital. Look, the directional lights are even still on. Gabi pa!

I was also amused that I was enthusiastically roaming at such an "unholy hour". This is very "not me"!

I told my self "just go on, for a change, bakit yung sa Mt. Sinai kinaya mong hatinggabi ang alis"! Ayan!

I arrived at the place, and I thought I was just on time - before sunrise. Eh di naman nag-rise ang b...!

Anyway, I saw that this place looks / feels good. Breezy, with clean surroundings. Mala- Roxas Blvd!

That strip of fog (not yet smog) in the distance actually look splendid! Isn't that the Mangagoy area? 

And kudos to the city management for sprucing the area up with nice amenities like these..,

Plus that I💖BISLIG thing (pictured above). It makes the place worth visiting (for photo-ops, at least)!

Mr. Sun did attempt to be spectacular. I stayed a while, standing-by perchance to catch the show..,

But overzealous cloudy-clouds seemed more determined to posses my early morning complaisance :(

So I looked elsewhere while waiting for a "spectacular" sunrise - even if I doubted there would be.

Like across the road, I learned that this place is only 28 kilometers to Hinatuan..,

That means I passed by this road last night. Hey their city hall is just around that curve (to the left).

While on the other side of the kilometer marker, I could see people have started trickling by..,

This point is just 28 kms to Lingig, the southern-most town of Surigao Del Sur before Davao Oriental. Then that would already be Boston, then Cateel.., ah the memories of Typhoon Pablo - unforgettable.

Hey hoy, I again saw a "live" skylab zooming-by, full with passengers and cargoes. Amazing!

It is actually not considered really full, since there is no passenger in front of the driver hehe! But look at the feet of everyone on board. Ah ,so that is where feet should be, IF seated on the motorbike itself. But if seated on the wooden planks (where the sacks are loaded in that pic), you just dangle your feet!

A puzzle: how do you get on or off in the above situation? What goes first, cargoes or human?

Here is another skylab! This time, it is carrying mostly cargoes, and one human (behind the driver)!

The load seems to be giant basketfuls of produce. Or is it? I'm just guessing, actually. At other times I have seen unbelievable loads like a fridge, a wedding cake, big chunks of logs (not even timber, logs)!

Still on the same side of the road (across the beautiful baywalk), there is this wonderful setup..,

A 24x7 roadside sari-sari store selling snacks, candies, coffee, noodles and other interesting things! It is open all the time just across the baywalk's rest areas, thus, a favorite of truck drivers and travelers.

What sort of "interesting things" are sold at this store? Well, for one, look at the right edge of the table (behind bamboo post). Aside from bottled water and Coke, there's also Tanduay and Emperador Light!

Behind those drinkables are two thermos bottles where you get your hot water for coffee or noodles!

On the left side are your election paraphernalia! Hehe, am joking, that's "Balut" pampalakas ng tuhod!

Mind you, the owner, a traffic officer of the city (can you see him in his light-blue uniform back there?) told me this is more of an honesty store. Just get what you need and drop your payment on the table!

He in fact left me alone, as he rode on a motorbike saying "help your self" (in English)! I hollered to ask "saan ka pupunta"? And he shouted "duty, alas syete"! E, it was only 6:19AM, napaka-punctual naman!

Hello sunrise, nasaan ka na?! I kept waiting but those clouds did not seem to want to leave just yet :(

In fact, the darker ones at left looked like rain. So I left, even aborted my plan to walk to their city hall.

I even shot some video clips - ready to capture the beautiful sunrise na sana..,So, better luck next time. It happens.., sometimes mapaglaro ang mga ulap sa kalangitan.

At 6:37AM, avoiding the rain, there I was, re-entering Barangay Mangagoy from Barangay Poblacion..,

Are you still confused about Mangagoy and Poblacion Bislig? Well, I am not anymore haha! Just think of it as Mangagoy means "downtown", for indeed it is. Anything and everything you expect to find in a city's center (other than the city hall) are in Mangagoy, as that is the urban district of Bislig. Period na!

Yes period na, so you as the visitor/tourist do not complicate things in your brain!

But if you really want to hear more (if this gives you peace of mind) - the malls, department stores, the good old (and new) hotels, inns, restaurants, bus terminals, habal-habals, trikes, are ALL in Mangagoy.

Period! But if you were like me (yesterday), you would probably want to know about "poblacion", right?

Okay.., Poblacion Bislig, I discovered is a barangay next to, but about 6kms away, from Mangagoy. It is home to 10% of Bislig's population, while in Mangagoy is where more than a third of Bislig people live.

What is in poblacion? Their government offices. And the baywalk where I just came from (above). Of course there are also hotels and businesses there. But the economic center of the city is Mangagoy.

Oh, speaking of economic center.., I saw this while the tricycle traversed Mangagoy streets..,

No I did not enter, it was only 6:39AM, and I was rushing to be back at Casa De Babano for breakfast!

Why the hurry? Ah I said it above, my itinerary 'demanded' a very early departure to Tinuy-an Falls.

So let's go there next.

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