Travel
Gorio's Philippine Travel
Saturday, June 30, 2007
CUBAO TO DAVAO part 2
Traveling from Cubao to Davao by bus through the Maharlika Highway
Busy Tacloban, Modern Tacloban
Wednesday – May 24,2006 Afternoon
Tacloban is the capital of Leyte and is the center of trade in Eastern Visayas. I immediately went to the c terminal to inquire about the bus schedule to Davao. I was informed that it is expected to arrive from Manila at 7 pm but I can not be assured of a space in the bus as it was reported to be full.
So I decided to recharge my energies in the city for the rest of the afternoon, checked into a pension house, took a bath, grab a Chowking fastfood meal, took a quick nap, and made a quick city tour. In the evening, I went back to the bus terminal and waited for the Philtranco bus to Davao.
Tacloban Cathedral
Fishing trade post
The Philtranco Bus arrived late at 9 pm and very full to capacity. I begged the conductor to let take me in and he said if I was willing to stand up as there was no more space even in the alley. I took the challenge and we left at 9:45 pm with me standing in the middle of the alley with persons behind and in front of me. The bus was so full, there were even passengers in the cargo bay at the back and more standing at the door. I was told that there was a Boy Scout Jamboree in Davao so many passengers were bound for that city. The drive to Liloan, the southernmost tip of Leyte was uneventful in the middle of the night despite the cramps I suffered from standing for 4 hours and not being able to sleep.
Thursday – May 25,2006
We reached Liloan at 2 am and immediately scrambled to find a bench to sleep and rest my aching legs. The ferry arrived at 4 am and left at 6 am. We crossed famous the Surigao Strait, scene of the fiercest battles during WWII, in 4 hours.
Lipata,Gateway to Mindanao
Arriving at Lipata the gateway to Mindanao and the cleanest port I’ve been to in the country in Surigao early in the morning was very refreshing.
Disembarking the ferry and boarding the bus was quite efficient and orderly. My fellow passengers were now anxious as they were now near their various destinations and they have been on the road for 2 days already. I finally managed to get a seat and I started to enjoy the trip again. The road from Surigao to Butuan is relatively in good condition.
We arrived at Butuan at 2pm for a brief stopover and when we left it, the bus was already half empty. From then on, the road to Davao became very rough, I have traveled on this same route several years ago and it hasn’t changed, the highway was littered with huge craters probably caused by big logging trucks that ply this route. By this time, the Philtranco bus seemed to stop at every town along the way to drop off each passenger. By 4 pm, we reached San Francisco, Agusan del Sur, a town that thrives on logging industry. After Agusan, the roads improved. I wonder when will they repair this portion of the Pan-Philippine Highway?
A near empty Philtranco bus as we near Davao
At Monkayo, Compostela Valley, we had an early dinner at 6pm. This is also where I received a text message on my cellphone that informed me that a friend’s son died in a car accident in Texas. I felt at a loss since I knew this boy since birth and has always been a caring lad to the elders. He always makes “mano” to me after mass every Sunday when he was still here. As we resumed our drive to Davao, I couldn’t Ryan’s death off my mind. At 8 pm we were at Tagum City, Davao del Norte, we were only about five passengers remaining in the bus. The bus finally reached Davao at 9pm, a 24 hour trip for me from Tacloban and a two day trip for those who boarded from Manila. For most of the remaining passengers, they will still have to find connecting bus rides to other parts in Mindanao but for me, it’s time to find a nice hotel.
I went to the BAGOBO HOUSE HOTEL along Duterte st. in dowtown Davao. Unfortunately, a boy scout jamboree was happening during that week which made all of the regular rooms occupied and so I was offered the only room available, the suite. At P1000 a night ($21 at P46-$1 exchange rate) it was still a bargain. Their regular single room rate is P620/night ($13.40) could have save me some bucks but I was too tired to go around the city to look for a cheaper room. Before going to bed, I did email some friends in the US from a nearby internet café to inform them of Ryan’s death and searched the internet for more news about the car crash. Apparently, a very drunk Caucasian lost control of his truck and slammed into Ryan’s car. The photo of the Ryan’s wrecked car was a heart breaking sight. I felt so sad too for his parents, my good friends. I retired to my bed with Ryan in mind and have completely forgotten the recent ordeal I went through, standing for 4 hours in the bus the night before and the bumpy ride along the rough roads of Agusan.
Davao’s nightlife is a clone of Manila, offering a variety of entertainment. There are Videoke bars as well as live band music venues for music lovers. Numerous restaurants aim to satisfy different tastes. Malls also abound for shoppers and mall rats. I also noticed a number of 24-hour internet cafes. But that night, I was just too tired to sample the nightlife and at 11pm, I was already fast asleep in my hotel room.
Friday - May 26, 2006
Instead of returning to Manila, I decided to take a bus to Cagayan de Oro via the BuDa Highway (Bukidnon-Davao) which I have heard of so much before. The remarkable improvement I noticed since my last trip here was that the most of the intercity buses are new and air-conditioned. I boarded a brand new Rural Transit bound for Cagayan de Oro. We left at 9:30 am. The ride was pleasant all throughout as there were no rough roads encountered.
Colorful Bukidnon boundary welcome
The province of Bukidnon have been strictly enforcing this measure to prevent the entry of foot and mouth disease that may ruin their cattle and animal industry. So upon reaching the provincial boundary of Bukidnon, we were all asked to board down the bus and to pass through a foot bath while the bus was sprayed with disinfectant. To ease the passengers’ discomfort, local residents sell various attractive native accessories such as bracelets, necklaces
The zigzagging roads offered a breathtaking view of Davao del Norte mountain ranges. This reminded me of my father’s old stories of how they evacuated from Davao to Cagayan de Oro on foot during the onset of WWII. He said that they crossed the mountains for days, surviving on what they eat along the forests of Davao del Norte (which I imagined to be very lush then). How I wish that he was alive today so that I could have taken him along on this trip and retrace their evacuation route then.
The BuDa Highway (Bukidnon-Davao) is well paved and is very convenient for travelers. The towns in this region have centralized transport terminals where bus, jeepneys and tricycles pick up or drop off passengers. The state of these terminals for me somehow reflect the status of the town as these are the gateways to the respective towns. So the first impressions are derived from here, especially on how the clean are the toilets. And it seems that life in these terminals comes to life whenever a bus arrives. We ate lunch at exactly noon in Quezon, Bukidnon. And for the following towns thereafter, we would be stopping for every 30 minutes to pick up and alight passengers. At 1 pm we were at Maramag, at 1:30 we were at Valencia, which had a new bus terminal and so the toilets are very clean.
We arrived at Malaybalay at 2:30pm. About 10 years ago, when I went to this place, the highway was still mainly a gravel road. Malaybalay is home of the famous Benedictine Monastery of Transfiguration which has a very good boy’s choir. The monks there also plant coffee which they sell to guests. I suggest a short visit to this monastery to experience the splendor of the place and see the last work of National Artist Architect Leandro Locsin, the monastery’s chapel.
The Monastery of Transfiguration of the Benedictine Monks in Bukidnon
Driving onwards, we crossed the Bukidnon mountain ranges via the Kennon road of the South, the scenic road along Mangima Canyon. Along the way is the famous Del Monte Pineapple plantation at Manolo Fortich which is said to be one of the biggest in the world and which I would recommend for future travelers for a tour if they happen to come to this place. You will surely be offered a taste of it sweet pineapples. For sports buff, they take pride of a world class golf course.
The vast plantation of Del Monte Pineapple in Manolo Fortich is a must see
An interesting museum in Valencia
We finally arrived in Cagayan de Oro, under a slight drizzle, at 4:30 pm. I immediately checked in at Pearlmont Inn in nearby Limketkai Mall. The rooms are clean and the tariff is cheap at P1050 with free bearkfast. I did some “malling” at nearby Limketkai and forgot that SM already had a mall near Lumbia. At last I was eating mall fastfood again, making my life back to normal. Going around the city is convenient with brand new aircon taxies. At dusk, I went to the St. Augustine Cathedral to offer thanksgiving prayers for a safe trip so far and prayed for more blessings for the coming days.
The St. Augustine Cathedral in Cagayan de Oro
My travel around Mindanao is quite refreshing. Despite the rough roads of Agusan, the scenic and well paved Buda highway somehow made up for it.
(I wish to express my sincerest gratitude to BOB MARTIN of Mindanao.com for allowing me to use some of his photographs of Bukidnon. I strongly recommend visiting his web blog and gallery to see the many facets of Mindanao. Thanks Bob.)
(end of part 2)