Travel
Gorio's Philippine Travel
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
CUBAO TO DAVAO Part 1
Traveling from Cubao to Davao by bus through the Maharlika Highway.
I had wanted to make this trip long ago but somehow never had the time to make it. Traveling by bus and ferry, meeting the local residents, seeing the native way of life…this is the adventure that I have wanted to undertake for years. I have been to the Northern part of the Maharlika Highway, reaching as far as Pagudpud in the North. Now I want to travel South and the opportunity arises.
At the center of a busy commercial area of Araneta Center, the Ali Mall Integrated Bus Terminal comes to life early in the morning as buses from the south starts to arrive, bringing travellers into Manila. At mid-morning, the terminal turn almost chaotic as activities center on the departing buses for the south; air-con and ordinary buses bound for Bicol, Samar, Leyte and even Iloilo. This would go on until the evening. This is where varied cultures of my country mix. This is where my adventure begins.
Tuesday-May 23, 2006
I boarded the brand new Chinese-made bus of Silverstar Shuttle and Tours bound for Tacloban on the morning of May 23 for the 10 o’clock trip.
My Higer Silver Star Bus
Despite some delays, we left Manila in a relatively moderate traffic along EDSA. But a 20 minute stopover at Silverstar’s main terminal in San Pedro, Laguna started to irritate some of the passengers. It was already 11:20 when we left the San Pedro terminal and finally went into cruise speed along the South Luzon Expressway. The bus’ brand new suspension made the trip along the south road very comfortable, hardly noticing the bumps along the road. My excitement on this trip was peaking up. I was seated in the rear of the bus (being the last passenger to check in) and beside a girl bound for Tacloban. Despite my inability to understand or speak ‘Waray’, a warm smile exchanged meant that we will be friendly seatmates for the next 24 hours. Most of the passengers are going home after a vacation in Manila. A couple have just returned from aboard, anxious to see their loved ones in Samar.
As rice fields dominate the landscape of the Northern Philippines, tall and thin coconut trees line up the roadside from Batangas up to Quezon Province in the South.
At 1 pm, we passed by my father’s hometown of San Pablo, Laguna.
We arrived at Lucena at 2 pm for a 30 minute lunch stopover.
Afternoon showers fell along the way as passed by the shoreline of Gumaca. I always liked this portion of the Maharlika Highway , where the Pacific Ocean is located on your left while a mountainside is on your right. But I dread the situation if there was a typhoon, I can only imagine mighty waves pounding the concrete breakwater.
At 5 pm, we stopped by the junction at Calauag, Quezon to refuel its 220 liter tank indicating that this is the half way point of the bus’ journey.
By this time, the rigors of travel already started to affect me as I slept along the way in Bicol despite the rough and zigzagging roads.
At 9 pm we had dinner somewhere in Bicol.
Matnog, the Exit point from Luzon
Wednesday - May 24,2006
As we resumed our travel, I again continued my sleep until we reached the Matnog ferry terminal, the exit point from Luzon, at 1 am.
Alighting from the bus to get our ferry tickets, it was a bit inconvenient for passengers to be roused from their sleep and get down from the buses and wait endlessly to board the ferry. Despite the hospitality of the local vendors who generously offers the passengers cheap but hot coffee and other snacks, being awaken at 1 am and made to fall in line to get tickets is very uncomforting.
Our ferry departed at 2:49 am and all us, passengers from all the buses who boarded the ferry, searched the ferry for every available chair to grab a quick sleep before arrival in the next port.
Fortunately, the San Bernardino Strait, which divides Luzon from the Visayas, was perfectly calm and ideal for ferry crossing. Early morning crossings at San Bernardino Strait affords one with a spectacular sunrise view. Always a pleasant way to start the day. But unfortunately this time we docked at Allen, Samar still in the darkness at 4 am.
The portion of the Maharlika Highway in Samar runs along the western coast. Roads along Samar are rough and in a sorry state of disrepair, mainly due to years of neglect by the concerned authorities.(Yesterday though ,Oct. 17, Pres. GMA ordered the rehabilitation of the highways in Samar for a cool P2 billion cost)
We reached Calbayog City at 6 am for a breakfast stopover.
The pedal pushers of Calbayog, Samar
Calbayog City as well as Catbalogan features old- style pedal-powered tricycles. Unlike their noisy counterparts in Luzon, the dominant tricycles quietly lords it over the city streets of Calbayog and Catbalogan.
They cruise the city streets in complete silence. Chaotic but noiseless...Always an interesting sight.
By this time half of the bus’ passengers have alighted , and most of them are now in casual conversation. Me, I had to simply smile to tell them politely that I don’t speak their dialect.
San Juanico Bridge
Roadside sceneries in Samar are combinations of rice fields and a few coconut trees, Mountain ranges on the left with the sea on the right. Peaceful as it seem, the island has a painful history of conflicts. It seems that Samar is in a constant rebellion; then, against the Spanish and American colonizers; now, leftist rebels against the government.
I know that I am leaving Samar island once the roads improved.
Upon reaching the majestic San Juanico Bridge, I am now ending my first phase of my adventure.
I arrived in Tacloban at 12 noon and unboarded my bus.