The Crater, the Sea and Taking Chances

(This is an account, a very long one, of my trip from Bulusan's crater to Southern Leyte's Limasawa, then to Kalanggaman Island in Palompon.)

We weren't late for the bus ride.

We had three minutes before departure, but somebody had already taken my spot. He asked if we could switch seats so he could be seated next to his wife. I didn't mind, for I was just happy I made it on time. Besides, he looked like he had drooled over the place. So, I took his seat, took off my shoes, pulled up the leg rest and reclined. The bus slowly started off seconds after. Eight hours was a real long time to travel on a bus, but I was glad for the lazyboy seat.

I ran through my itinerary again. I had to be sure I had enough time and budget for the 9-day trip. From Bulusan Volcano, we would head for Carigara through Samar and Tacloban, then to Limasawa, and finally back up north to Sambawan island before heading for Cebu for some barbecue. This was going to be difficult. I would have to be on the run, skip some meals and probably sleep at terminals to realize the plan. I palpitated, but not sure if it was because of anxiety or excitement.

Eight hours later, we arrived in my first destination- Naga. This was the first day- the extra day that we could spend however we wanted. I thought of Matnog and island hopping, then go back to Irosin to stay the night before climbing Bulusan. We tried, but this was also the moment I learned to not measure the time of my travels by kilometers but through the mode of transportation and the driver. It’s never as easy as time equals distance over rate and believing everyone can or will drive faster than 60km/hr.

So, we ditched Matnog and found ourselves in Irosin, at a store along the highway at noon. We could have gone directly to the hot spring resort and get some rest. Instead, we went around town in the hope of finding a better, cheaper place for the night. We got to the public market, warding off tricycle drivers asking where we were going. One of them was persistent. I didn't want us to be rude, so I went with the conversation. We were climbing Bulusan, I said, but not until tomorrow. We were just looking for a place to sleep in tonight. 

Perfect, he said. We could stay in his place and he could take us to Bulusan tomorrow. He had extra rooms for us, and his family was out of town. He added, it would be cheaper for he wouldn't be charging us for the stay. He could use some company...

The city has taught me to second guess free lunches. It has taught me that kindness from strangers is a myth. The only way to get through each day is by being smart. And for years, this had seemed to be true. For years, kindness had been nothing more than an idea that if encountered on the road would be very difficult to understand. 

And it was difficult to understand why the driver would help. And because of that, I was suspicious, but my friend was quick to gesture a no. I hesitated. I studied the man for a second, as if that would help me figure him out. I remembered how many of my decisions had been about taking chances and how they turned out fine in the end. I knew the danger, but I said yes, and thanked him.

Masacrot Spring

His place is homely, modest, typical of a house in the country, but not exactly something of somebody who lives in poverty. For one, it is gated. Another, it has four rooms and a bath tub. I caught myself looking at the place and then back to him and his motorcycle. I thought, weird. He gave us his spare key, but before he left us that afternoon to go on with his pasada, he said, casually, I feel you guys can be trusted with the house. I thought, weirder.

But like us, he must have felt uneasy leaving us in his house because two hours later, he came back and asked us if we would like to go around town. There was a spring that's turned into a pool nearby that we could go to, and if we'd like, we could visit Bulusan lake after if there was time. I would be crazy to say no.

Masacrot spring gave a temporary relief from the sun and my apprehensions. Bulusan lake, on the other hand, basked in mystery with the sun blocked by the surrounding mountains. The water told a more convincing tale of violent eruptions in being placid. I doubt its haunting beauty would be enough to convince me I would have a good night sleep later.

Bulusan Lake

That night, we bought some beer, as thank you for letting us stay in his place. He recounted how, when he was young, he also tried his luck in Manila. He tried for four years only to go back home and settle down. The city was not for him. The smog, the noise and the poverty were more than enough to kill a man's dream. Since then, he never looked back...

I understood him. I thought I could live in a place like Irosin and be intoxicated by its slow pace, but the city has taken over me. I could not leave its drying hunger and flooding thrill. My goodbyes would always only be temporary. I believed I had gotten wiser in its noise.

I didn't sleep well that night, thinking Tonton (the driver) would barge into the room anytime and stab us to death. I slept without a pillow, and without a blanket even with the cold to make sure I didn't slumber. Kindness was a myth. 12 am...3am...and then it was time to get up.

No one barged in.

Shame. This was what I showered for the morning I got up. I had stayed longer in the bathroom than necessary to wash away my cynicism, afraid anyone would see it on me.

Before we left for the volcano, in an attempt to salvage myself, I asked Tonton if we could stay one more night in his house when we get back before heading for Carigara, I also asked if he could bring us to Matnog port on Black Saturday. With my pride deep down in my gut, I heard him say yes, of course. I had wanted him to say no.

----*----

Bulusan Volcano

Bulusan Crater

Bulusan could erupt anytime. We were not allowed at the summit longer than 15 minutes. But it was a good thing Mayon was quiet, or we'd never be allowed there even for a second. It is believed that if Mayon acts up, Bulusan is sure to follow.

I was doing the climb with people I'd meet for the first time, thankful that I was given the chance to tag along with a group. These were people who made the hike more interesting and the night at the campsite livelier. And to be honest, they were a good diversion from never-ending thoughts about the leeches.

We left the volcano feeling accomplished. especially after having a very good view at the crater even when the weather was predicted to be bad. Seeing Mayon’s peak at volcano’s summit was unforgettable.

Matnog Port

 We stayed another night at Tonton’s place, and took this last night in Sorsogon to see how people there commemorate Good Friday. I took pictures of the procession. The Christian tradition is still very much alive there. People walked the streets together with statues of Christ and the Virgin Mary. They walked out of the church, around and through the town, and then back to where it all started. Much like the stories of many of the country’s faithful.

The morning we left for Matnog port, Irosin felt cool to the skin. The kind one would wish for in an unforgiving warm and humid summer afternoon. I could just be feeling sentimental, having spent three days in Sorsogon, but it felt like leaving home, leaving an ideal. I said my good-byes to Tonton thinking, we’d probably never see each other again, but his kindness would never be forgotten.

Aboard the ship, as it left the port of Matnog, I could see Bulusan volcano towering over Sorsogon. Quiet.

---*-----

Sorsogon-Samar-Tacloban-Carigara

I wanted to see more of Samar but nine days was not enough to make a stop in this island. All I could remember is the heat, the lovely coastline and how fast the driver drove. We only stayed a few minutes in Catbalogan to grab something to eat. Then, the excitement over finally seeing San Juanico bridge overwhelmed me. I would have to settle for seeing the view on the van to ensure that we made it in time for the last bus to Carigara, where we would stay the night.

I was ready to be disappointed thinking that the bridge would just be another metal structure that connects two islands. I thought I would see something artificial, devoid of aesthetics. I was wrong.

It was around sunset when we passed through San Juanico, snaking its way from Samar to Leyte over the calm strait. At first, I saw the welcome sign, then I saw a kid asking his mom how long the bridge was, if it were longer than the bridge downtown, if it could be walked from end to end. I saw my old geography book. On its page, under the header, Magagandang Tanawin, is a picture of the country’s longest bridge. I had never thought I could see it this close. I had never thought it was going to be as beautiful as it was bathed in the setting sun, surrounded by the greens of the two islands, shining as red as it can ever be over a beautiful body of water. I wished, and I still do, I had gotten off the van and walked my way to the other side. I wished, and I still do, I could tell her how right she was about this majestic bridge. 

Tacloban

Two kilometers is both short and long. Passing by San Juanico was like eternity compressed to a few minutes. Time stopped for as long as your eyes are open, but the moment you blink you are on the other side.

We arrived in Tacloban at dusk.  If the typhoon in 2013 left a trace on this city, it was not noticeable to me. It looked just like any other city. Busy. 

But I noticed it in their smiles- like that of a heartbroken lover determined to move forward, to forget, to forgive, and believing that time will make it easier to bear.

I left Tacloban not really understanding how it must have been for people who have lost their loved ones and homes at the same time. Right after Yolanda had left thousands dead, I wanted to be there as part of volunteer groups, but work prevented me. I should have. As we could not stay longer in the city, we got on the bus and left for Carigara.

Carigara Boulevard

Carigara had all been nothing but a story until I got there. It used to be just memories of ducklings on a pond, of a boy falling off a tree, of friends swimming at the beach of black sand and of a festive homecoming on Easter Sunday. It used to be just a story of a father being proud of a son entering the country’s premier state university and of a mother putting a hankie on her son’s back for the sweat. Several friends are from this town. And their stories had formed pictures in my head.

That night, Carigara appeared to be a quiet town. Its boulevard is a perfect place for grilled meat, seafood, beer and fresh sea air. I wanted to see if the stories were true, but with the little time we had, I only found the delicious rice cake (suman) the morning I woke up.
Then, we left and continued on to Limasawa.

Carigara- Limasawa- Kalanggaman

Dakdak resort, Limasawa

It took 6 hours from Carigara to Padre Burgos in Southern Leyte, and I feared we had missed the boat going to Limasawa. It did not matter. I believed the trip would end well no matter what, considering how it started. Besides, I had my tent and I could always camp somewhere.  

But it was not just the long ride that made Southern Leyte impressionable. It was also the fact that I could not find a store that sells cigarettes. I found out later that smoking is banned anywhere in the province.  Though I smoke, I welcome this move by the government there.

I had planned to see the church in the cave in Monte Cueva and the underground river in Maasin. Again, we ran out of time. Instead, we waited for the only boat ride to Limasawa that day. On Sundays, there is only one trip to the island at three.

There was nothing to do in Limasawa except revel in the silence of the town. I checked out the park where the first mass was held and hired a motorbike to take us from one end of the highway to the other.  The island’s history and its quiet atmosphere could heal a mind that’s bombarded with anxiety and all kinds of noise.

We left Limasawa after two days and decided to go back north to Palompon. We shared a boat to Kalanggaman with a group celebrating a friend’s ordination. We were not sure we could find a group to take us with them to the island. Still, we took the chance for the other choice was head for Cebu and wait 3 more days for our flight back home.

Kalanggaman island

We camped in the island just for a night, but what I would give to stay a week for the fine sandbar, the clear blue-green water and the sunset. I could only hope it would not have the same fate as Boracay or, recently, Sagada. I don’t believe in keeping beautiful places such as Kalanggaman hidden as some would have, but I am hoping people will be sensible enough to care for places like this.

The next day, we took the van and pushed our luck further. We thought we still had some time to make it for the last boat ride to Camotes. But luck, like time, either does not exist or has limits. Maybe, it was all coincidence, a consequence of being at the right place at the right time.

So, we booked  a ticket for a ferry back to Cebu. Then, after  barbecue, seafood and a massage, it was time to go home.

Home-Bound

Limasawa

When I travel, it is not to seek adventure. It is mostly to detach from the life that I have chosen to live, even if it is just for a while. It is a way of stepping out of myself and assessing what I have done so far.

I do not dream of being on the road forever, nor do I think that adventures always go with a packed bag. Every day is an adventure, whatever it is I choose to do.

What traveling does for me is show me again how I do not control everything. It shows me how to let go some and let the turns of events take their course. It reminds me that whatever decision I take, I will have to stand by it. And it is fine to make mistakes and be ready to accept them and move on. I would not have seen Kalanggaman had I decided to be stubborn and went for Sambawan still. More importantly, it shows me that there are always people out there you could ask for help, who could make the journey easier, and that kindness is not a myth.

We arrived at the airport with ample time to spare. Nobody took my seat. And as the plane took off, I remembered how I was not able to follow much of the itinerary I created for the trip.

And, how glad that made me feel.

Dakdak, Limasawa

Travel Notes:

Manila to Naga
- We went to Sorsogon via Naga, taking the 9pm RSL (lazyboy) bus.
- There are also buses that will take you directly to Sorsogon.

Fare: 1000
Travel Time: 8 hours

Naga to Irosin
Terminal: Naga Terminal

Travel Time: 5 hours
Fare: Php 250 (bus)

- We took the bus bound for Matnog, which passes by Irosin.
- I recommend you also check out the beaches/islands of Matnog.

Irosin to Matnog
Travel Time: 30-40 minutes
Fare: Php 200

- The tricycle fare really depends on how you haggle with the driver.

Matnog to Carigara
Boat fare to Allen: Php 120
Terminal Fee: Php 30

Map of the trip

Travel Time: 1 hour (but because it takes time to dock the ship, you also need to wait an hour before
you could get off)
- Based on what I know, there are supposedly ships leaving every hour from Matnog to Allen (checkout this blog here for more information). On holidays, there might be fewer ships.

Van fare Allen to Calbayog: Php 100
Travel time: 1.5 hours
Van fare Calbayog to Catbalogan: Php 100
Travel time: 1.5 hours
Van fare Catbalogan to Tacloban: 120
Travel Time: 2 hours
Bus fare Tacloban to Carigara: Php 50
Travel time: 1 hour and 15 mins

- There are no vans/buses that go directly from Allen to Tacloban, so we took vans from one city to another. Take Grand Tours. They drive fast and safely.


Carigara to Limasawa
Bus fare (Carigara to Ormoc): Php 55
Travel Time: 1 hour

Van fare (Ormoc to Maasin): Php 130
Travel time: 2.5 hours

Bus fare (Maasin to Padre Burgos): Php 30
Travel time: 1 hr (but could be faster if you take the multicab)

Boat fare to Limasawa: Php 50
Travel time: 1 hour

Limasawa to Kalanggaman
- We took the same route, as the one we took from Ormoc to Limasawa, so travel time and fares are the same.

Van fare (Ormoc to Palompon): Php 130
Travel time: 2.5 hours

- Kalanggaman travel expenses and other info, please check the post here.

Palompon to Cebu
- From Palompon, we went back to Isabel to check if there are boats going to Camotes. Sadly, there are none.

Jeepney fare (Palompon to Isabel): Php 40
Travel time: 1 hour

Van fare (Isabel to Ormoc): Php 70
Travel time: 1 hr

- From Ormoc, we took the Supercat.
Ferry fare: Php 760
Travel time: 2.5 hours

Note: If I could do this trip again, I would head for Kalanggaman from Carigara first, then down to Limasawa. Then from Maasin, I'd get on a ship to Cebu. I would have saved time and money.