Philippine Travel Notes

Intrigued by the buzz among FB friends.., today.., once and for all.., I went with a hilarious group of fun loving jump-shooting friends, to see and experience what this fast-getting-popular island has to offer! Well.., not really all of the island. Quite literally, just the shifting sand bar! Why? Eh, the play in our 'very young' hearts persisted. This was quite a contrast to the usual 'see and feel everything in one sweep' solo backpacker mindset of your aging Pinoy Traveler! We dropped at one end and forgot about time! So here's my story... This is not an easy destination. Even if/as you prepare. First, there's only 1 regular commuter trip a day from Naval, the Biliran province capital. That happens only at 12 o'clock noontime! Well okay, that would actually technically be two trips, since there are two boats. BUT, according to their published regular schedules (parang ang dami 'no?), that they of course follow, they leave at exactly the same ...

This is not at center of town. But I had nothing to do at the very center of Naval, Biliran anyway! Plus, it being my first time to Naval - where I didn't know anyone (so I thought) - I had to rely on info I got from web sources (although few). This place was most recommended anyway, so I went for it! That simple! Oh, I often do this when information is bleak – I called this place up (while I was still in Ormoc), not to get a room, but just ask a few questions. I "listen" for "attitude" to help me decide! It worked this time! I compared all information gathered about accommodations in Naval, then I decided Marvin's was for me! Mind you, this place has no restaurant, the kind you would expect from most hotels. But I learned they cook food for guests! That was important for me. Why? Because nga the place is far from center of town! I even liked this setup - cook only when someone wants to eat - not so much food is wasted! What else did I know before I arri...

After Tinago, it was a choice if we should go back to Naval via this new cross country road and call it a day or go back to Caibiran then continue circling the island via the circumferential road. Ah, a hard decision. But when I checked the time, it was nearly 4PM, and I surmised the sun would already be down and out while we were still on the road to probably just Cabucgayan or the town of Biliran. So I decided we better head straight for Naval via this cross country road! Well good we did, because the views along the way are also wonderful! Nice countryside sceneries once more! Oh, this photo is blurred as one hand was on the motorbike while the other was on the camera. But I took this photo because the second passenger is lugging two big tire interior tubes! And they were already wet! If they were just on the way to Tinago, fine with me. But I suspected there is somewhere else in these mountains that is probably another haunt of locals. Hmm, another waterfall? Or a river that is...

This is the bigger waterfall and most popular in the province. Yeah, the area has been a bit spruced up, thus, even if it is also far from the main road, easier to approach than this morning's Bagongbong Falls. Tinago Falls is somewhere in the lower-middle portion of Biliran Island (part of Caibiran). There are no nearby communities, so one really has to 'commission' special transport for a visit. But my driver told me some folks come to this place riding tricycles. Gosh! If this is your only purpose, don't do what I did by circling the top half of the island first before heading this way. This waterfall is just probably some 15 or more kilometers from Naval via the cross-country road. Not sure about that but I strongly believe it cannot be a 20km stretch. Ah, the drop is high and strong. But unlike waterfalls in many other places in this country, that very area where the water pounds earth has no barrier ropes nor anything like that. And (at least during my visit), ...

This is true everywhere in this country anyway – politicians putting up big and expensive signages just to announce that they sponsored this and that or those and these. As if their constituents really owe it to them. Anyway, this one caught me curious. He/She or probably the political rival, had the face covered with a patch of some white material. Plus, some writings on the lower portion of that “billboard” was 'covered' with white paint. Don’t you wonder why? I do. Whatever the case or circumstances, my take is, it would have been easier to tear the whole ugly eyesore down. It just distracts motorists anyway. Let me attempt to translate what is written… “Our concreting of the Cross Country Road is finally done. We did in 2 years and 5 months what has not been done in a long period. My promise has been fulfilled” This is at the cross country road in Biliran island/province from the town of Naval to Caibiran. Putting such an “announcement” is rather too forward if ...

I said I already had lunch at Marvin's so I asked the staff where might I go for dinner to see and experience more of Naval especially at night. They immediately started offering suggestions, but I did not seem to like the places just listening to their descriptions. So, I clarified saying I wanted to go where the common folks (children to grandparents) of Naval would go to for dinner. In fact I summarized that to "saan ba madaming kumakain pag gabi"! Their consensus was I should go visit a place with a name that sounded like "wilowisa"! So I took a trike and told the driver to bring me to "wilowisa". Voila, I arrived at the place to realize that its name is actually WELUISA. But yes, I discerned, how else would anyone pronounce it fast but "wilowisa", right?! WELUISA is not your new spanking fast food joint (there is none yet in Naval)! It is an eatery, a bakery and a store for almost everything about eating. See the sign? They also sell...

I don't have so many words to say here, so let me just show you images instead. But this was "the life"! I was sitting by a table at the water's edge deck of Marvin's Seaside Resort. Eating my bacon-and-egg sandwich plus coke, no music, just the little waves splashing and little black birds singing as they converged unto a single coconut tree (also inside the resort). Dreamy afternoon... Nice place to do nothing :) For a chronology of stories on this Biliran travel, please click the following: 01   02   03   04   05   06   07   08   09   10   11   12   13   14   15  16  17  18  19 ISSN 2512540.875-1858

Done with the church, municipal building, capitol and “provincial park”, I went for their public market. But even the way there on a tricycle was good enough a view to me, the visitor. I saw the imposing gate of NSU (Naval State University), the church again, and many old houses reminiscent of how this country was in the olden days! What was I to do at the public market? Nothing really. Just to see how things are, since you would not expect a tourist (that’s me!) to buy anything fish or meat or vegetable from there, right? And I know too that most markets are busier during mornings. So on this Saturday afternoon – almost sunset – I was already happy to see a few vendors still there. And first time for me to see (and poke at) that kind of red fish. Those are not cooked yet but, the vendors told me this is their natural color – orangy, pinkish, reddish! Am not even sure if their outer “skin” are also called scales since they’re real hard shells comparable to that of the janitor fish al...