Philippine Travel Notes

I knew that Calatrava was the next town going south after Toboso . I also knew it is still part of Negros Occidental, so I must see it! How did I know these? Ah, I previously asked even while still in Escalante ! Thus, while in Toboso , the next questions my wandering brain had to tackle were "how far is Calatrava from here, how long does it take going there"? Easily answered, I just asked folks at the public market. Most of them told me it takes some 30 minutes to about an hour, if the bus keeps stopping! So, GoRa! It was a short scenic 23-peso ride. My ticket said from KM115 to KM131, so just 16 kilometers (yata)! The road is hilly (not mountainous) than places I traveled along since yesterday . Oh yes, I saw horses! I even saw hills similar to Bohol's Chocolate Hills , but wasn't sure if it was Calatrava or still in Toboso ! After exactly 32 minutes on the bus, here I was, standing in front of the Calatrava Municipal Hall . This is by the roadside. Bus stoppe

This topic started with this article Hmm, we almost missed these two towns named Calatrava. First is this town at the northern edge of Tablas island in the province of Romblon (Region 4B – MIMAROPA). This is a mainly fishing and farming community with nary a hind of urbanity. But so many things beckon. One is the intrigue about “Tinagong Dagat”. Its not a lake, its just about 10 meters from the sea, but everything in between are crags and foresty cliffs. Locals claim that the salty water that teem with abundant marine life, rises when the tide is low and ebbs when the tide is up. But how could I prove since I could never be in two separate laces at the same time! Not to mention there is a fantastic and affordable island resort nearby. The other Calatrava is a big town in the province of Negros Occidental (Region 6 - Western Visayas). It is actually some kind of a suburb as it is sandwiched by two cities – Sagay on the north and San Carlos on the south. The Tanon Strait makes for a