Philippine Travel Notes

After Poro, we proceeded still on the motorcycle to the island town of San Francisco. Island town? So how were we able to do it on a motorcycle. Ah don’t fret yet… San Francisco is connected to Poro Island via some kind of a causeway. It’s a fairly new concrete highway lined with colorful plants traversing lush mangrove forests! Remember Tagbilaran to Panglao? It’s a similar road. Only here you don’t get to see much of the sea on both sides as there is an abundantly growing and well-protected mangrove plantation. Entering town via a bridge, we stumble upon their public market beside the transport hub also beside a wide expanse of newly built garden/park along the breakwater called ‘Baywalk’. This must be a wonderful place late in the late afternoons. I liked watching the sea water transfer from one side of the island to the other via that bridge. The rush becomes a bit faster than normal as the water’s natural flow was hindered a bit by the causeway, so it funnels through this outlet...

From Tudela, we moved forward to the town of Poro and in just about 10 minutes, including a brief stop by the seaside highway with majestic views, we were already by the entrance to the town’s pier. Whoa, so that is where I arrived at last night via the fastcraft. Its bigger than Tudela’s and has more sprucing up underway. There are wire-mesh fences and gates, parking spaces and perched on a street-island even some kind of a slender pillar with a clock on top that is obviously new but non-functional. The clock said 08:35 but I took that pic at exactly 10:34. Unless Poro follows a different time zone hehehe! there was a boat (probably a RORO) docked at the time we passed by, so at least this is a real functional port and in use! We went to see the church. My my, they have an interestingly old looking church. Not too big like Boljoon or Bantayan but I thought it was already huge for the population of this town. The bell tower that is a separate structure standing beside the church is ...

Tudela proper is not that far from Bukilat Cave. It took us just a mere 15 minutes of leisurely drive on the motorbike. And Tudela is one fine town I like. Its rural. The noisiest thing you hear anywhere (if you can call it noise) are just old motorbikes that need repair. Too many old houses! Though they don’t really look grandiose or imposing, I noted that there are quite a number of houses here that were probably erected sometime during the Japanese or American occupation. They’re just there standing silent and still… still serving the purpose for which they were erected… to provide a happy home to some of the longtime residents of the town. Not rustic but serene… not modern but complete! Heading to see the town’s church, we chanced upon some kind of a flea market. It was! And I learned it happens only once a week in the area that starts at the front gate of the church. It traces an L-shaped row of stalls with everything one might need. In this “taboan” encounters, there were sta...

My Tudela visit started at Bukilat Cave. As you can discern from my previous post, we circled the island clockwise from My Little Island Hotel over at Brgy Esperanza in Poro. That’s why we entered the town of Tudela from Bukilat which I know is not the normal way of tourists. Well, as mentioned before, I am not a “cave man”, I am just another son of a beach! Therefore, Bukilat was not really something I will jump with joy about. But I went in since my driver and guide Randy said it was a very famous attraction. Indeed it is, I discerned that just by looking at the many signage and the big wide tarp near the entrance. As we walked to enter, a shirtless dude came running and he was trying to put his shirt on as he ran towards us hehe. Ah, he was in charge of collecting the entrance fee. Just a 10-peso coin really. And only I was charged. Yes, you all probably know that in this country, like anywhere else on the globe, tour guides and/or drivers are free-of-charge to various places that...

Planning Session of Sorts! “Sir, there is none”! That was the reply I got when I asked what modes of public transport were there from the hotel to center of town. “Well then, aren’t there motorcycle rentals or habal-habal rides?” was my next question. The answer… “ah you can arrange that at center of town sir, there are a lot”! Exasperated, I exclaimed “but how can I arrange that at center of town if there is no ride from this mountain?”! Gosh my voice was reverberating in the restaurant all the way to the lobby and probably out into the pool hehe! No no no, I was not throwing my weight around, even if I could. We were bantering. The hotel crews gathered around me while I enjoyed my free breakfast “alone” at My Little Island Hotel. I still owned it, remember?! Alona, the front desk girl for the morning then said “but Randy will take you there, sir”! And I retorted with “which means I need to pay for that van, correct?”. But before anyone could respond, Randy told me his motorcycle migh...

Yep it’s a hotel called “My Little Island Hotel” located in the town of Poro, Cebu. And yes that is in the island also named Poro, part of the Camotes Islands! That is the first and only hotel in the island so far. Oh yes, you can check-out their website via this link as I probably am not telling you things that are already said in that website! How’d I get there anyway? Fault of the fastcraft hehe! The thing is, the craft’s schedule is not so tourist friendly. Imagine arriving at night, so you just look for accommodation even if it will still charge you a whole day’s fee. And it being night-time and your first time in a remote island, you wouldn’t wish to travel the distance to some resort or check-in at a so-so never heard of inn, right? Thus, the choice was My Little Island Hotel. They’re not cheap, but at least they fetch you from the port. Arrival Emerging from the small fastcraft, I scanned the number of people standing at the pier and the vehicles parked there. Well, I immediat...

It was a confusing start. I zoomed-in and zoomed-out Cebu Island on my Google Maps but could not find Camotes! Where are they? Aysus, I found out they’re nearer to Leyte Island than mainland Cebu! Then there was Pacijan, Poro and Ponson, and there is Poro, Pilar, Tudela and San Francisco! Just where was I supposed to start? Some say go via Ormoc, some say via Danao others say via Cebu’s Pier 1, some say Pier 3 and still others say via Ouano wharf? Hah! I even went to that travel office in Mandaue (towards old Mactan Bridge) to ask more about Camotes and scout around for tours and accommodations. Part of the dialogue was… Me: What else should I visit in Camotes? Clerk: Sir, aside from the beaches, there are caves and beautiful Danao Me: Ah yes, I will go to Danao City after Camotes Clerk: No sir, I mean Lake Danao Me: But that’s in Ormoc, I just want Camotes Clerk: Yes sir, in Camotes Me: ha?! Well, there I learned that Lake Danao in Ormoc is different from Lake Danao in Camotes! When I...

Every good trip has to end and there is always that reluctant goodbye. This was my case in Ozamiz. I was so slow in preparing to go and was indeed uninterested in going back to the airport hehe. But a zero-fare flight is a zero-fare flight, any attempt to extend it means thousands of pesos. So I took a trike and went for the Ozamiz Airport. Thanking the trike driver, this was it I told myself and I managed to merrily hop towards departure area. What I encountered next was an unbelievable sight I could not easily fathom. OMG! I silently asked myself “is this where I am going to check-in?, is this an airline? Is this an airport?”. My goodness, what an ugly sight. Entry requirements Together with other passengers, I had to present my ticket and ID to a guard by the perimeter gate OUTSIDE of the Airport and the queue was literally under the sun. My God! See that picture? Those were two passengers ahead of me presenting their documents to the guard. And to think they are “dressed” pa naman ...