Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Maldives for the filthy thrifty traveller



I am awaiting my landing in Manila as I write this post; We have just completed our trip to Maldives.

As I have posted in my fb status a while ago, Maldives doesn't seem to fit the trip of an adventurer, but rather holiday seekers. Then again, with the beauty of its beaches, it is still a great place to check out.

After 6days (inclusive of 2 nights in KL for the connecting trip from Manila-KL-MNL), I spent a little less than P15,000 for the whole trip (about $340 including some $60 shopping in KL). This must be very tight, but for travellers like me, this is almost outrageous already.

Here's how to keep the budget low in Maldives.

Currency: There are money changers in the airport at 15MVR=$1, but it's best to change only what is needed til you get to Male. In Male, money changers deal at 15.42MVR to a USD.



From the Ibrahim Nasir airport in Male, take the public ferry to Male. Cost is 15MVR or the equivalent of 1USD$.

If Maafushi is in the itinerary, it will be best to do this ahead as the ferry to the island is only once a day. Departure time is 3pm, and cost is 22MVR. 



You risk missing your flight back in case you leave/miss the trip back to Male on ur final day in Maldives. The boat leaves maafushi early 7:30am daily (except fridays where there are no boat schedules). Passengers also flock at some days, like saturday, so mindful of being in the ferry station ahead of even 7am.



The terminal to Maafushi is on another side of the island in the Vilingili Terminal (called so because it is right opposite vilingili island). You may either walk (about 0.5-1hr walk) or if you're ok paying for cab, it will be 25MVR (some would ask for 30MVR and may ask for more if there are bulk baggages). Motorcycles are also very common as it is a very small island, with quite narrow roads. I think the ratio is almost 1 motorbike for every maldivian. In case you're that much into savings, you can approach some riders and ask to be dropped. 


If you're travelling in group, you may also want to haggle on these pick up vans that are for public commute too. For our group, we paid 40 mvr from vilinggili port to hulhumale port.

Accomodations in Maafushi normally cost US$75 a night (exclusive of the service charge, 8% GST, and US$8/pax/night bed tax). Don't be surprised if after getting your bill, you realize you are 30% more from what you thought of paying. In my case, i did a pre-booking as I thought I might be asked in Immigration (but wasn't). I booked at Picnic Inn at US$190 per triple room for 3days2nights (surcharges exclusive) and it came with breakfast and 1 time candlelit beachfront dinner on our first night. Also, When we arrived, instead of lodging in Picnic Inn, we were brought instead to a newer resort called Water breeze (said to be owned by Picnic Inn too). It has only 5 rooms, so we had it all to ourselves.







We also thought of camping instead (as we could see that the bulk of our expenses is actually on accomodation and bed tax) but our resource persons could not confirm if it is possible. Apparently, it seems it is OK. There is a public area for visitors in Maafushi, and there don't seem to be any restriction. The other venue for good camping is picnic island. This used to be a private island but has been abandoned and sold to another. They now allow trips to this island for $5/pax. 



Talking about trips, as we are in a huge group of 12pax, we managed to get our island hop tour (picnic island and sexy beach with lunch) for $25 per pax (exclusive of $5 entrance to picnic island). We got this from Arena Lodge (where 2 from our group of 12 are booked).



Talking food, apart from the meals provided in the hotel, you may be spending around $3- or more. 

From our arrival in Vilingili port, we went straight to Vilingili island. The fare to this island is 3.50MVR.  The only accomodation available in this island is SEAHOUSE. They have 3 public beaches with the one with watersports being the best i've seen. Windsurfing was at $35 per hour for a lesson, and $120 to rent a jetski. There's no public transpo in the island because it is very small.








For our 3rd night, we booked at Luckyhiya hotel. It seems this is the cheapest hotel in the city. We were actually thinking about cancelling our reservations in Male, and sleep instead in hulhumale but we were afraid that we may not be able to find a vacancy. It turned out there are a lot of options, and cheaper rooms in Hulhumale at $46 per night for triple sharing inclusive of taxes. Meanwhile, for those who'd rather stay in Male, i've encountered some ads for daily room rentals. 



Ferries to Hulhumale are available overnight, every 15mins. Fare is 5.50MVR per way. In Hulhumale, there is a bus that goes to the neighborhood but destinations are walkable.





Hulhumale will also be very convenient as it is only a bus away from airport. A bridge has been made connecting the island to the airport.

Amongst the islands we visited, it seems Hulhumale is the most developed. Commerce may be in Male, but Hulhumale looks quite organized.


Recommended ITI for 4Days 3 Nights 

Day 1: Arrival before 3pm, and Ferry Ride to Maafushi
Day 2: Island Hop to Picnic Inn, and Sexy Beach
Day 3: Trip back to Male (vilingili) and side trip to Vilingili island. Take Ferry and trip  to Hulhumale around after noon.
Day 4: Hulhumale and departure

You may want to add up more days, perhaps, 6days 5N to be able to enjoy the islands.


see here for some photos of a typical menu in the Maafushi island


I am awaiting my landing in Manila as I write this post; We have just completed our trip to Maldives.

As I have posted in my fb status a while ago, Maldives doesn't seem to fit the trip of an adventurer, but rather holiday seekers. Then again, with the beauty of its beaches, it is still a great place to check out.

After 6days (inclusive of 2 nights in KL for the connecting trip from Manila-KL-MNL), I spent a little less than P15,000 for the whole trip (about $340 including some $60 shopping in KL). This must be very tight, but for travellers like me, this is almost outrageous already.

Here's how to keep the budget low in Maldives.

Currency: There are money changers in the airport at 15MVR=$1, but it's best to change only what is needed til you get to Male. In Male, money changers deal at 15.42MVR to a USD.



From the Ibrahim Nasir airport in Male, take the public ferry to Male. Cost is 15MVR or the equivalent of 1USD$.

If Maafushi is in the itinerary, it will be best to do this ahead as the ferry to the island is only once a day. Departure time is 3pm, and cost is 22MVR. 



You risk missing your flight back in case you leave/miss the trip back to Male on ur final day in Maldives. The boat leaves maafushi early 7:30am daily (except fridays where there are no boat schedules). Passengers also flock at some days, like saturday, so mindful of being in the ferry station ahead of even 7am.



The terminal to Maafushi is on another side of the island in the Vilingili Terminal (called so because it is right opposite vilingili island). You may either walk (about 0.5-1hr walk) or if you're ok paying for cab, it will be 25MVR (some would ask for 30MVR and may ask for more if there are bulk baggages). Motorcycles are also very common as it is a very small island, with quite narrow roads. I think the ratio is almost 1 motorbike for every maldivian. In case you're that much into savings, you can approach some riders and ask to be dropped. 


If you're travelling in group, you may also want to haggle on these pick up vans that are for public commute too. For our group, we paid 40 mvr from vilinggili port to hulhumale port.

Accomodations in Maafushi normally cost US$75 a night (exclusive of the service charge, 8% GST, and US$8/pax/night bed tax). Don't be surprised if after getting your bill, you realize you are 30% more from what you thought of paying. In my case, i did a pre-booking as I thought I might be asked in Immigration (but wasn't). I booked at Picnic Inn at US$190 per triple room for 3days2nights (surcharges exclusive) and it came with breakfast and 1 time candlelit beachfront dinner on our first night. Also, When we arrived, instead of lodging in Picnic Inn, we were brought instead to a newer resort called Water breeze (said to be owned by Picnic Inn too). It has only 5 rooms, so we had it all to ourselves.







We also thought of camping instead (as we could see that the bulk of our expenses is actually on accomodation and bed tax) but our resource persons could not confirm if it is possible. Apparently, it seems it is OK. There is a public area for visitors in Maafushi, and there don't seem to be any restriction. The other venue for good camping is picnic island. This used to be a private island but has been abandoned and sold to another. They now allow trips to this island for $5/pax. 



Talking about trips, as we are in a huge group of 12pax, we managed to get our island hop tour (picnic island and sexy beach with lunch) for $25 per pax (exclusive of $5 entrance to picnic island). We got this from Arena Lodge (where 2 from our group of 12 are booked).



Talking food, apart from the meals provided in the hotel, you may be spending around $3- or more. 

From our arrival in Vilingili port, we went straight to Vilingili island. The fare to this island is 3.50MVR.  The only accomodation available in this island is SEAHOUSE. They have 3 public beaches with the one with watersports being the best i've seen. Windsurfing was at $35 per hour for a lesson, and $120 to rent a jetski. There's no public transpo in the island because it is very small.








For our 3rd night, we booked at Luckyhiya hotel. It seems this is the cheapest hotel in the city. We were actually thinking about cancelling our reservations in Male, and sleep instead in hulhumale but we were afraid that we may not be able to find a vacancy. It turned out there are a lot of options, and cheaper rooms in Hulhumale at $46 per night for triple sharing inclusive of taxes. Meanwhile, for those who'd rather stay in Male, i've encountered some ads for daily room rentals. 



Ferries to Hulhumale are available overnight, every 15mins. Fare is 5.50MVR per way. In Hulhumale, there is a bus that goes to the neighborhood but destinations are walkable.





Hulhumale will also be very convenient as it is only a bus away from airport. A bridge has been made connecting the island to the airport.

Amongst the islands we visited, it seems Hulhumale is the most developed. Commerce may be in Male, but Hulhumale looks quite organized.


Recommended ITI for 4Days 3 Nights 

Day 1: Arrival before 3pm, and Ferry Ride to Maafushi
Day 2: Island Hop to Picnic Inn, and Sexy Beach
Day 3: Trip back to Male (vilingili) and side trip to Vilingili island. Take Ferry and trip  to Hulhumale around after noon.
Day 4: Hulhumale and departure

You may want to add up more days, perhaps, 6days 5N to be able to enjoy the islands.


see here for some photos of a typical menu in the Maafushi island
Read More »

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Batanes on the cheap



Having been travelling for a while, I fairly have a grasp of my regular spending; On the average, I spend P1000/day or less for destinations in the Philippines.

A few friends have gone to Batanes before I did, and before I took the flight, I was kind of alarmed at what I have been hearing. I have 6days and 5nights to spend, and what I have intended to spend was only P5,000; and as usual, I did not ready myself with prior reading.


We had a few places on our target, but not really arranged in such scheduled fashion. For our first day, we did the ivana tour in the morning, while waiting for the trip to Sabtang at 1pm, and then proceeded with the sabtang tour.





In the port, we were approached by some tricycle driver offering tour/transpo to our target locations. The asking wasn’t so within our kind of backpacking, so we asked instead for how far the destinations are.




 The village of Chavayan is 9kms away, and we thought it’s fairly walkable. Besides, with the stunning view everywhere in Batanes, a slower walking tour will give it the best. 




It took us only 2 hours to get to the village, and almost half of this was even spent taking pictures, climbing heights and daring cliffs, doing jump shots, etc. Our curiosity takes us always on detour from the main road to the skirts on the coast. We also hitched from passing motorcycles for probably 1 to 2 kilometers of the path.




On Sabtang day 2, From Chavayan, we hitched again from an almost empty van that’s touring a couple around. This got us up to Morong beach. From there, we walked again all the way to the village of Nakamwan. This village is just 4-5kilometers away from Sabtang centro/pier.  This village is the jump off to the Vuhus island (we took a P250 ride though on the way back aiming to catch some boat going back to Batad, so we can catch the early morning boat to Itbayat; though we missed it after all.)



The boat trips would normally have a connecting trip with the jeeps to the towns. Instead of taking special tricycle trips, we took these instead. The spots are close to each other, and are mostly walk away from the village/town centers. You may take the jeep, get off at the villages, and then just walk around. In fact, I was surprised that a tour to the rolling hills and lighthouse in Basco costs P700 from town center, whereas If my estimate is correct, it took us only 15-30minutes (max) to get there from town center.


Meantime, we missed the boat trip to Itbayat. We would have cancelled the itbayat trip, but thinking of what we’d spend anyway in basco if we spend an extra day, considering the lodging, food, etc, we might as well pay for the more expensive plane ride to Itbayat. Also, we planned to take plane anyway for the return trip, so instead, we can probably take the plane to Itbayat, and then, the boat, on the way back to Basco.


I called Skyjet and was told that only 1 seat is available for that day’s flight. I did not want to give it up, so walked to the airport, and told the staff that we’d wait and play chance. Luckily, another passenger can’t make it (or at least that’s what we were told; though I am also at a belief that she was asked to postpone to another flight). 







In the airport, we also met Efren, a native of Basco but now works in a school in Itbayat. We ended up staying at his P250/month rented house (and mind you, he pays P500 per month for his cable service for 1 standard 14 inch TV), served and ate local cuisine, and had an instant tour guide, all for free. We were even introduced to the faculty who were all very welcoming and happy to know there are people visiting their town. 




For Day 5, we have some friends coming over. I asked them for where they intend to stay, and our friend’s friend who is with them, has another friend who arrived in Basco the same time as we did; This 3rd degree friend has relatives in the town, and that’s where everybody else will be staying. Me and John ended up crashing in their circle. Free accommodation and very cheap dinner cost for this day.



In the town of Mahatao, we visited, the Diura fishing village through hitchking too with the passing trucks. They are rather service vehicles for road constructions around the town. We were served some fresh bukos too by some locals of the village. 




Majority of every Batanes traveller’s expenses would be in Sabtang. First of all, there is a P200 registration fee they charge for every visitor. For food, it is a standard. Every lunch/dinner served would be P400 per meal per head (and a P25 serving charge per serving per head), and P200 for the breakfast (and imagine a Lucky Me pancit canton + 1 boiled egg for that P200 breakfast). Should’ve bought a canned good from the store instead.


All in all, I spent P4,986 for 6days/5nights in Batanes including the flight from Basco to Itbayat. It could have been cheaper have we been informed about Sabtang, and had we taken a boat for both ways instead of a flight on one.


Below are contact numbers of accomodations as of March 2015

Name Address Contact No
Amboy's Hometel Basco 0920 910 3492
Batanes Sea Side Lodge Basco 0921 229 0120
Bernardo's Hotel Basco 0917 512 5346
Midtown Inn Basco 0921 367 7933
DDD Habigat Lodging House Basco
Martin's Inn Basco 0919 222 8898
Atunay Homestay Basco 0939 918 6506
Babat Homestay Basco 0919 987 0806
Berlen Lodge Basco 0920 478 44003
CMJ Homestay & Tour Service Basco 0999 990 7548
Jarvan Homestay Basco 0917 883 4428
Marfel's Lodge Basco 0908 893 8404
My Father's Inn Basco 0999 995 8253
Necy's Inn Basco 0999 999 4231
Novita House Basco 0928 239 7629
Pajudpud Homestay Basco 0907 282 8642
Villa Bella Ivana 0929 443 6866


Having been travelling for a while, I fairly have a grasp of my regular spending; On the average, I spend P1000/day or less for destinations in the Philippines.

A few friends have gone to Batanes before I did, and before I took the flight, I was kind of alarmed at what I have been hearing. I have 6days and 5nights to spend, and what I have intended to spend was only P5,000; and as usual, I did not ready myself with prior reading.


We had a few places on our target, but not really arranged in such scheduled fashion. For our first day, we did the ivana tour in the morning, while waiting for the trip to Sabtang at 1pm, and then proceeded with the sabtang tour.





In the port, we were approached by some tricycle driver offering tour/transpo to our target locations. The asking wasn’t so within our kind of backpacking, so we asked instead for how far the destinations are.




 The village of Chavayan is 9kms away, and we thought it’s fairly walkable. Besides, with the stunning view everywhere in Batanes, a slower walking tour will give it the best. 




It took us only 2 hours to get to the village, and almost half of this was even spent taking pictures, climbing heights and daring cliffs, doing jump shots, etc. Our curiosity takes us always on detour from the main road to the skirts on the coast. We also hitched from passing motorcycles for probably 1 to 2 kilometers of the path.




On Sabtang day 2, From Chavayan, we hitched again from an almost empty van that’s touring a couple around. This got us up to Morong beach. From there, we walked again all the way to the village of Nakamwan. This village is just 4-5kilometers away from Sabtang centro/pier.  This village is the jump off to the Vuhus island (we took a P250 ride though on the way back aiming to catch some boat going back to Batad, so we can catch the early morning boat to Itbayat; though we missed it after all.)



The boat trips would normally have a connecting trip with the jeeps to the towns. Instead of taking special tricycle trips, we took these instead. The spots are close to each other, and are mostly walk away from the village/town centers. You may take the jeep, get off at the villages, and then just walk around. In fact, I was surprised that a tour to the rolling hills and lighthouse in Basco costs P700 from town center, whereas If my estimate is correct, it took us only 15-30minutes (max) to get there from town center.


Meantime, we missed the boat trip to Itbayat. We would have cancelled the itbayat trip, but thinking of what we’d spend anyway in basco if we spend an extra day, considering the lodging, food, etc, we might as well pay for the more expensive plane ride to Itbayat. Also, we planned to take plane anyway for the return trip, so instead, we can probably take the plane to Itbayat, and then, the boat, on the way back to Basco.


I called Skyjet and was told that only 1 seat is available for that day’s flight. I did not want to give it up, so walked to the airport, and told the staff that we’d wait and play chance. Luckily, another passenger can’t make it (or at least that’s what we were told; though I am also at a belief that she was asked to postpone to another flight). 







In the airport, we also met Efren, a native of Basco but now works in a school in Itbayat. We ended up staying at his P250/month rented house (and mind you, he pays P500 per month for his cable service for 1 standard 14 inch TV), served and ate local cuisine, and had an instant tour guide, all for free. We were even introduced to the faculty who were all very welcoming and happy to know there are people visiting their town. 




For Day 5, we have some friends coming over. I asked them for where they intend to stay, and our friend’s friend who is with them, has another friend who arrived in Basco the same time as we did; This 3rd degree friend has relatives in the town, and that’s where everybody else will be staying. Me and John ended up crashing in their circle. Free accommodation and very cheap dinner cost for this day.



In the town of Mahatao, we visited, the Diura fishing village through hitchking too with the passing trucks. They are rather service vehicles for road constructions around the town. We were served some fresh bukos too by some locals of the village. 




Majority of every Batanes traveller’s expenses would be in Sabtang. First of all, there is a P200 registration fee they charge for every visitor. For food, it is a standard. Every lunch/dinner served would be P400 per meal per head (and a P25 serving charge per serving per head), and P200 for the breakfast (and imagine a Lucky Me pancit canton + 1 boiled egg for that P200 breakfast). Should’ve bought a canned good from the store instead.


All in all, I spent P4,986 for 6days/5nights in Batanes including the flight from Basco to Itbayat. It could have been cheaper have we been informed about Sabtang, and had we taken a boat for both ways instead of a flight on one.


Below are contact numbers of accomodations as of March 2015

Name Address Contact No
Amboy's Hometel Basco 0920 910 3492
Batanes Sea Side Lodge Basco 0921 229 0120
Bernardo's Hotel Basco 0917 512 5346
Midtown Inn Basco 0921 367 7933
DDD Habigat Lodging House Basco
Martin's Inn Basco 0919 222 8898
Atunay Homestay Basco 0939 918 6506
Babat Homestay Basco 0919 987 0806
Berlen Lodge Basco 0920 478 44003
CMJ Homestay & Tour Service Basco 0999 990 7548
Jarvan Homestay Basco 0917 883 4428
Marfel's Lodge Basco 0908 893 8404
My Father's Inn Basco 0999 995 8253
Necy's Inn Basco 0999 999 4231
Novita House Basco 0928 239 7629
Pajudpud Homestay Basco 0907 282 8642
Villa Bella Ivana 0929 443 6866
Read More »

Monday, February 17, 2014

Manila to Quezon on a motorbike with the Iron lady




I and my travel bud Liezl have long time ago spoken about driving the whole country on a motorbike. 


This night, I was going to ask Liezl to join me for a hike in the North, but then, I ended up joining her on this trip. When asked for her plans for the weekend, she told me she bought her bike  already and will be taking the trip on the Saturday morning. 

I got so thrilled, and asked her that we’d do her trip instead, and right at that friday night; Obviously, i got too excited.

We left at around 9pm of Friday, after our self proclaimed send off dinner in Home Depot in Ortigas. I kind of worried a bit when I saw the motorcycle. Liezel bought this second hand motorbike for only P13,000, enough to question how far it can take us. I could just imagine the durability in there although she said she had done some repairs already.




It will also be our first time to take the National highway going south, so had to rely on 3G and google maps for direction.
3 days long weekend or that, and traffic was still congested even late. Trucks, buses, and raging jeepneys on both our left and right; 

An uneasy and frightful ride to get out of metro manila. I wasn’t able to relax until we got to San Pedro.

By late past midnight, we were in Calamba; We decided to stop by to rest our ass and legs at a mini stop for coffee. Being seated, I saw something gine wrong with the exhaust valve. 



There were a few time when we rebounded on some humps in Paranaque, and I think it cause some parts to break. Then again, I told her it’s OK so long as it is not in the engine.
The road wasn’t so greatly paved, and street lighting wasn’t helping. We decided to dock and look for somewhere to call the night. 

The next day, we visited the lake. We were wanting to get to talim island, but we’ve gone past, and far away from the passenger jump off point; going back was a waste of fuel and time, so we decided to drive further.










Our first intended stop was Laiya beach in San Juan. We also checked out some beaches before reaching Laiya, but wasn't so impressed. It was past noon already when we arrived as we had to stop every so often. For meals, rest, and street food here and there.




We’re staying in Laiya for the night, and glad we found some hut with beddings for P300 overnight.










After Laiya, the plan was to have lunch at Silangang Nayon, and then visit Kwebang Lampas, Borawan, and Dampalitan if possible. 





News is reporting some Low Pressure area in the visayas region, and some friends are posting cancellations of their flights. 

Along the Maharlika/National Road, the wind was blowing so strong, that at some point, we’re loosing our balance. We drove quite carefully and slowly and maintained only 30kms/hour speed. Buses and Trucks rage to overtake us, and we feel like we’re going to be flown away. Upon reaching Sariaya, we thought about stopping for a while. Besides, our ass are sore again (as they do every hour of driving).

I am in fancy with the native Sariaya bread, and I told Liezl about it. She stopped the bike in a bakery, but, it seems they don’t have the same exact bread I get from the bus vendors everytime we pass by Sariaya.
On the other hand, they have TORTORYAL, which is not bad at all; I ordered a second.




Just when we decided to leave, we noticed that the tire is flat. Fortunately, there was a vulcanizing shop just 20m ahead.  Then again, it seems it’s a lot more complicated than just patching some hole.




When Mr Tire Technician attempted to screw back some of the joints, the wredge won’t firm up. It’s gone loose due to time and usage. We had to look for a spare part from some other vulcanizing shop which Mr Technician has referred us to.

After an hour, it seems everything’s fixed up. It was already 30mins past lunch at that time, and Mr Technician was rushing to get home for lunch. He didn’t even wait for us to go, assuming everything good to go.

When we left, we noticed the wheel is misaligned. The hood seems straight and yet the tire faces 30 degrees to the right. Some of the by standers came close to look, and it seems some thing has been accidentally rotated. We had to wait until the tech comes back.

At around 1:30 we hit the road again. Asking from the people there, there is some 25 kilometers more to get to Silangang Nayon. Then, Somewhere along the Diversion road, it rained and when had to stop by a convenience store for 30 minutes.

We could not waste any more time, so even if there were still some mists, we thought we have got to leave.
Before 3pm , we were already in Silangang Nayon. I was rushing to see that aircraft that delivers food from the dining areas in the stilts. I felt so fulfilled at getting into some destination I had looked forward to for 3 years now.
The food was served and single serving was good for even 4, I’d say. We ended up taking home half of the food, and available for dinner. 












It was too late to find a boat to the islands. Then again, the long sand bar was looking so enticing, we did not want to leave the town without seeing it. We decided to look for some accommodation close by, so we can be back quick the next day. We lodged in Greenview Inn right in the corner of the National Highway.



We went back the following morning. We drove all the way to the Brgy Bantigue proper where a lot of fishing boats are docked. From that standpoint, I could see another sandbar on my right. We scouted for a boat that will get us to both (final pricing agreed was P500 for both islands).


























After a visit to these islands, we decided to drive further. Along the way back to te national highway, we've encountered these makeshift rail transport sytem i've seen in the tv. We thought about oarking and trying the ride.




Looking at the map, it seems the Maharlika hiway would be a long drive compared to the old zigzag road. None of us have ever tried the zigzag road so we didn’t know it would be so hard to maneuver through the incline. I had to get off and manually carry both our bags up just so the motorbike would push.








We got all the way to Atimonan town proper. From here, it was time for me to go back to Manila for my flight to Davao the next day. Liezl also stayed here for the night.  





Amongst the many travelers I’ve known and heard, with her courage, when it comes to adventure, Liezel is that you’d want to join; No hesitations whatsoever. At the time of writing, Liezel is already in the island of Samar. She’ll be driving the motorbike all the way to Dipolog City, her hometown. Just FYI, Liezel has done Europe (1 month) and SEA backpacking (6 months) already. Some of our upcoming plans are hopping on a rented fishing boat for perhaps a month or so, and sail around the Philippines. Hopefully very soon.



I and my travel bud Liezl have long time ago spoken about driving the whole country on a motorbike. 


This night, I was going to ask Liezl to join me for a hike in the North, but then, I ended up joining her on this trip. When asked for her plans for the weekend, she told me she bought her bike  already and will be taking the trip on the Saturday morning. 

I got so thrilled, and asked her that we’d do her trip instead, and right at that friday night; Obviously, i got too excited.

We left at around 9pm of Friday, after our self proclaimed send off dinner in Home Depot in Ortigas. I kind of worried a bit when I saw the motorcycle. Liezel bought this second hand motorbike for only P13,000, enough to question how far it can take us. I could just imagine the durability in there although she said she had done some repairs already.




It will also be our first time to take the National highway going south, so had to rely on 3G and google maps for direction.
3 days long weekend or that, and traffic was still congested even late. Trucks, buses, and raging jeepneys on both our left and right; 

An uneasy and frightful ride to get out of metro manila. I wasn’t able to relax until we got to San Pedro.

By late past midnight, we were in Calamba; We decided to stop by to rest our ass and legs at a mini stop for coffee. Being seated, I saw something gine wrong with the exhaust valve. 



There were a few time when we rebounded on some humps in Paranaque, and I think it cause some parts to break. Then again, I told her it’s OK so long as it is not in the engine.
The road wasn’t so greatly paved, and street lighting wasn’t helping. We decided to dock and look for somewhere to call the night. 

The next day, we visited the lake. We were wanting to get to talim island, but we’ve gone past, and far away from the passenger jump off point; going back was a waste of fuel and time, so we decided to drive further.










Our first intended stop was Laiya beach in San Juan. We also checked out some beaches before reaching Laiya, but wasn't so impressed. It was past noon already when we arrived as we had to stop every so often. For meals, rest, and street food here and there.




We’re staying in Laiya for the night, and glad we found some hut with beddings for P300 overnight.










After Laiya, the plan was to have lunch at Silangang Nayon, and then visit Kwebang Lampas, Borawan, and Dampalitan if possible. 





News is reporting some Low Pressure area in the visayas region, and some friends are posting cancellations of their flights. 

Along the Maharlika/National Road, the wind was blowing so strong, that at some point, we’re loosing our balance. We drove quite carefully and slowly and maintained only 30kms/hour speed. Buses and Trucks rage to overtake us, and we feel like we’re going to be flown away. Upon reaching Sariaya, we thought about stopping for a while. Besides, our ass are sore again (as they do every hour of driving).

I am in fancy with the native Sariaya bread, and I told Liezl about it. She stopped the bike in a bakery, but, it seems they don’t have the same exact bread I get from the bus vendors everytime we pass by Sariaya.
On the other hand, they have TORTORYAL, which is not bad at all; I ordered a second.




Just when we decided to leave, we noticed that the tire is flat. Fortunately, there was a vulcanizing shop just 20m ahead.  Then again, it seems it’s a lot more complicated than just patching some hole.




When Mr Tire Technician attempted to screw back some of the joints, the wredge won’t firm up. It’s gone loose due to time and usage. We had to look for a spare part from some other vulcanizing shop which Mr Technician has referred us to.

After an hour, it seems everything’s fixed up. It was already 30mins past lunch at that time, and Mr Technician was rushing to get home for lunch. He didn’t even wait for us to go, assuming everything good to go.

When we left, we noticed the wheel is misaligned. The hood seems straight and yet the tire faces 30 degrees to the right. Some of the by standers came close to look, and it seems some thing has been accidentally rotated. We had to wait until the tech comes back.

At around 1:30 we hit the road again. Asking from the people there, there is some 25 kilometers more to get to Silangang Nayon. Then, Somewhere along the Diversion road, it rained and when had to stop by a convenience store for 30 minutes.

We could not waste any more time, so even if there were still some mists, we thought we have got to leave.
Before 3pm , we were already in Silangang Nayon. I was rushing to see that aircraft that delivers food from the dining areas in the stilts. I felt so fulfilled at getting into some destination I had looked forward to for 3 years now.
The food was served and single serving was good for even 4, I’d say. We ended up taking home half of the food, and available for dinner. 












It was too late to find a boat to the islands. Then again, the long sand bar was looking so enticing, we did not want to leave the town without seeing it. We decided to look for some accommodation close by, so we can be back quick the next day. We lodged in Greenview Inn right in the corner of the National Highway.



We went back the following morning. We drove all the way to the Brgy Bantigue proper where a lot of fishing boats are docked. From that standpoint, I could see another sandbar on my right. We scouted for a boat that will get us to both (final pricing agreed was P500 for both islands).


























After a visit to these islands, we decided to drive further. Along the way back to te national highway, we've encountered these makeshift rail transport sytem i've seen in the tv. We thought about oarking and trying the ride.




Looking at the map, it seems the Maharlika hiway would be a long drive compared to the old zigzag road. None of us have ever tried the zigzag road so we didn’t know it would be so hard to maneuver through the incline. I had to get off and manually carry both our bags up just so the motorbike would push.








We got all the way to Atimonan town proper. From here, it was time for me to go back to Manila for my flight to Davao the next day. Liezl also stayed here for the night.  





Amongst the many travelers I’ve known and heard, with her courage, when it comes to adventure, Liezel is that you’d want to join; No hesitations whatsoever. At the time of writing, Liezel is already in the island of Samar. She’ll be driving the motorbike all the way to Dipolog City, her hometown. Just FYI, Liezel has done Europe (1 month) and SEA backpacking (6 months) already. Some of our upcoming plans are hopping on a rented fishing boat for perhaps a month or so, and sail around the Philippines. Hopefully very soon.
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