Subic Beach, Matnog, Sorsogon: The Cheapest Ways to Get There.

Marso na! Summer is here! I’m pretty sure you already have plans for the 2013 Summer season, and let me add to your list a beautiful destination located in the province of Sorsogon. It is a semi-pink colored sand beach at Calintaan Island, in the town of Matnog. The beach is called Subic Beach. It is currently being promoted by the provincial government as another tourist destination in Sorsogon. The province of Sorsogon is well-known for Butanding in Donsol town and Mt. Bulusan in Irosin town, but there are really a lot of beautiful places in Sorsogon and one of them is Subic Beach.

Subic Beach, Matnog, Sorsogon

Since Subic Beach is already known to many tourist, and since this destination is already drawing a lot of tourist especially during long weekends, the boat rental fee have already soared from cheap to a little bit expensive compared to the boat rental fee 3 to 5 years ago. But don’t worry, you can still enjoy this beautiful beach without spending a lot. Maraming paraan para hindi mabutas ang inyong mga bulsa.hehehe! Ika nga, kung gugustuhin, maraming paraan.

I’ve been to this beach for two times already. Last December pumunta kami ng Subic kasama ko mga kaibigan ko pero yung unang beses kong pagpunta sa Subic Beach, solo lang akong pumunta sa isla, at sa mga kalapit na isla ng Subic Beach. I rented a big boat for 1,000 pesos ata and that boat could accommodate up to 50 passengers. But now, it would be impossible if you can rent a boat for that amount. Medyo mahal na ang bangka sa Matnog. It would cost you around 1,500 to 3,000 pesos to rent a boat in Matnog. Pero kagaya nga ng sabi ko, you don’t need to worry kasi marami naman paraan para makapunta ng Subic Beach without spending a lot of money.

location map of Subic Beach, Matnog

location map of Subic Beach, Matnog

Let me now guide you on how to reach Subic Beach the cheapest way around. If you’re coming from Manila, just ride a non-airconditioned bus bound for Matnog, Sorsogon. The Matnog town is the jumpoff point to the Visayas area. A ferry ride connects the mainland of Luzon to Northern Samar and the rest of Visayas and Mindanao. The non-airconditioned bus fare from Manila to Matnog ranges from 400 to 600 pesos. It is a 12 to 15 hours bus travel so iexpect nyo na mamamanhid ang mga puwet nyo at magiging matigas ang mga buhok nyo dahil sa byahe, alikabok at hangin.hahaha!

Upon arriving at Matnog town proper, you can proceed to the public market and look for the barangay hall near the public market. From there, makikita nyo na ang pantalan. You can ask for passenger boats that are bound for Bon-ot. It is a barangay near the Calintaan Island. Ask them if they are going to drop by Barangay Calintaan. The fare ranges from 20 pesos to 30 pesos. You can also ask the locals for the passenger boats that are bound directly to Barangay Calintaan, which is about 15 to 25 minutes walk going to Subic Beach. The boat fare is 15 to 25 pesos. The travel time from Matnog town proper to Subic Beach is 30 to 45 minutes. Subic Beach is located in Barangay Calintaan which is located in Calintaan Island. To go back to Matnog town proper, you can just ask the boatmen for the boat schedule of the return trip to the town. Usually ang mga residence ng Barangay Calintaan ay may mga sariling bangka and pwede ka naman makisabay sa kanila pabalik ng town. But for the passenger boat schedule, usually they only have one to two trips per day, one during the morning and one during the afternoon.

Matnog port

Ang usual na ginagawa ng mga tourist na gustong pumunta ng Subic Beach ay magrent ng bangka sa may pantalan near the public market. The boats that you’ll be renting for Subic or for island hopping are being managed/coordinated by Barangay Camcaman so you’ll need to go to the Camcaman barangay hall to negotiate for a boat. The barangay hall is located just beside the public market. Please remember that the Matnog port/pier is different from the pantalan. The Matnog port/pier is the bigger port na may mga barko na papuntang Allen, Northern Samar. Ang pantalan naman ay nasa katabi lang ng Matnog Public Market. Sa pantalan naman doon dumadaong ang mga bangka going to the coastal barangays of Matnog and to the island of Capul, San Antonio and to San Vicente town, which are all part of Northern Samar province.

the sand of Subic Beach, a white sand with crushed red corals

Another cheap way to reach Subic Beach is to go to the nearest barangay near the Calintaan Island. From the Matnog town center, you can rent a tricycle to Barangay Poropandan. It is about a 20 to 30 minutes tricycle ride. From that barangay, makikita mo na ang Calintaan Island or Barangay Calintaan. Just rent a boat at Barangay Poropandan, which can cost from 300 to 400 pesos. From that barangay, it will only take about 10 to 15 minutes boat ride to reach Subic Beach.

If you don’t want to rent a tricycle, then just look for the tricycle terminal where passenger tricycle ply the route of Barangay Poropandan. It is near the public market. The fare is 20 to 30 pesos. You can also look for the jeepney plying the Barangay Poropandan route. The jeepney terminal is located near the town church. The fare range from 20 to 30 pesos. From Barangay Poropandan, just rent a boat to Subic Beach, which will cost around 300 to 400 pesos and it is just a 10 to 15 minutes boat ride. The jeepney travel time from Matnog town proper to Barangay Poropandan is 20 to 30 minutes.

Subic Beach, Calintaan Island, Matnog

Subic Beach, Matnog, Sorsogon

So there, naishare ko na sainyo ang mga paraan para marating nyo ang Subic Beach. But for me, mas maganda kung madami kayong pupunta ng Matnog para maenjoy nyo talaga ang lugar at madami kayong maghahati hati para sa boat rental fee. Mas maganda kasi kung mapuntahan nyo pa din yung apat na isla sa Matnog. The advantage of renting a boat from Matnog town proper ay mas madami kayo na pwedeng mapuntahan kagaya ng Tikling Island, which is only about 15 to 20 minutes boat ride and also you can visit Juag Marine Sanctuary, which is about 20 to 30 minutes boat ride from Matnog town proper or 10 to 15 minutes boat ride from Subic Beach.

So ayan, alam nyo na kung paano pumunta ng Subic Beach ng hindi masyado nabubutas ang bulsa at wallet nyo.hehehe! Enjoy your beach vacation sa Subic Beach, Matnog!!!

Mayon ATV Adventure and Matnog trip: My 2012 Year-ender.

It has been more than two months since my last post. Grabe, ang tagal ko na palang nawala at mukhang tinubuan na ng mga lumot ang blog ko.hahaha! Anyway, I’ve been doing a lot of things for the last few months and kunwari busy busyhan din ako so I wasn’t able to post anything here, and also I’ve encountered a few depressing moments sa buhay ko kaya ayun, tinamad magkwento at magsulat ng kung ano ano.hehehe!

So how are you guys? How’s the weather there? Is there anything else I can help you with? Pang call center na mga tanong lang.hahaha! So heto na nga, magkukwento na ko ng adventure ko. I want to share this adventure story in Mayon and Matnog.

 

the river trail

Last December, me and my friends did a very awesome adventure (opo, ganyan na katagal na nangyari ang adventure na ‘to, December pa. hahaha!) Our adventure was an ATV adventure at Mayon’s lava trail in Legazpi City. A friend of mine invited me to try this ATV ride and then I also invited some of my friends in Manila. We met at Legazpi Grand Central Terminal. Me, our tour guide and one of my friend was at the terminal as early as 8am, and we waited for 3 of our friends to arrive and we ended up waiting for them for almost 3 hours. Our initial plan was to start our ATV ride early in the morning so that we will not be very much exposed to the heat of the sun, however, due to the late arrivals of some of my friends that were coming from Manila, we ended up starting our ATV ride at around 11am. Luckily, it was somewhat a cloudy day kaya hindi naman kami masyadong nasunog sa araw at nagmukhang roasted beef.hahaha!

After my 3 friends arrived from Manila, we ate our brunch at an eatery in Grand Central Terminal. After our brunch, we then proceeded to the ATV ride drop off point, which is also where the ATV tour operator site is located. The rate for the ATV ride is 1,500 pesos per person which is good for almost 3 hour ride. It also includes the transfer from the Legazpi Grand Central Terminal to the drop off point or the ATV site. The tour operator can also pick you up at any location within Legazpi City and  then bring you to the ATV site.

you'll end up wet, muddy and sandy and happy

At the ATV briefing area, our guides informed us about the basics of ATV ride. They also informed us about the rules and what to expect in the adventure. After we paid the fee of 1,500 pesos per head, we then waited for a few minutes and then we finally rode the ATV. The Mayon's ATV adventure is different compared to the ATV ride in other location in the Philippines. The ATV ride in Mayon is actually somewhat a little bit extreme or let me say really off-road-ish. The trail is a river trail and a lava trail so most of the time you’ll end up wet, muddy and dusty.  You’ll cross a river, some large stones, a dusty road, a bumpy trail, a mud pool, a sandy trail, a coconut grove, a pine tree-lined trail, a community, et cetera. There are a lot of different sceneries that you’ll pass by while doing the ATV ride. It is really an adventure. It is an adrenaline ride. The ride ends up at the 2006 lava wall, and you can hike the rocky wall and you’ll be rewarded with the magnificent view of Mayon Volcano, downtown Legazpi and the Albay Gulf. Unluckily, we weren’t able to view the magnificent beauty of Mayon since it was a cloudy day and Mayon was hiding behind the clouds. There is also a zipline at the lava wall so if you don’t want to walk again back to the end point of the ATV trail, you can just ride the zipline, and of course there’s a fee for that zipline, I think it was 300 pesos for the zipline ride.

time out muna. nakakapagod magdrive

We just spend around 1 hour at the lava wall because it was already late in the afternoon and we were already hungry after riding the ATV for almost 2 hours. We then decided to go back to the drop off point and we then rode the ATV for another one hour. We use a different trail to go back to the drop off point and it was a short trail and part of the trail was already a paved road. Pagdating namin sa drop off point, nagbihis na kami at nagpahatid na kami sa tour operator papunta sa First Colonial Grill in Daraga City para makakain na kami at matry ng ibang kaibigan ko ang sili ice cream. At Colonial Grill, we ordered our meal and several flavour of ice creams but the sili ice cream wasn’t available at that time because the waiter informed us na tunaw pa daw yung ice cream. Masyado kaming mapilit kaya kahit tunaw pa yung ice cream sinabi namin na magoorder pa rin kami kahit one scoop lang in order for us to taste the sili ice cream but it was a bad move, hindi pala masarap ang sili ice cream kapag tunaw dahil masyado mong malalasahan ang anghang ng sili. Ayun, hindi nga namin naubos yung one scoop kahit 5 pa kaming tumikim.hehehe!

lava wall

view of Legazpi City and the Albay Gulf

After having our early dinner at First Colonial Grill, we then hurriedly travelled to Grand Central Teminal in Legazpi to catch a bus going to Sorsogon City. We were going to spend the night at Rizal Beach located in Gubat, Sorsogon, which is about 3 hours travel by bus from Legazpi City. We arrived at around 8pm at Sorsogon City and we rode a jeepney bound for Gubat town. From Gubat town proper, we then rented a tricycle to bring us to Rizal Beach Resort. We were so tired from the long travel and from the ATV ride that we just decided to drink a few bottles of beer and then off we went to sleep.

Bailey's ice cream, malunggay, tinutong na bigas and lemon flavor

On the second day of our adventure, we were greeted by a cloudy sky and I was somewhat saddened by the sight of the Rizal Beach. Sobrang iba na ang itsura ng Rizal Beach compared to ten years ago. Kinain na ng dagat ang beach. Wala na yung dating ganda ng Rizal Beach. So hindi na kami nagtagal sa resort kaya we just decided na pumunta na lang sa ibang lugar. We were discussing amongst ourselves on where to go next. We really don’t have a fixed itinerary and that’s why we have a flexible schedule. We can go to any place that we want to go. Pinagpipilian namin ang magwaterfalls hopping, cold spring hopping and going to a beach. And after a careful and thorough reviews and some intellectual debate (parang mga judges lang sa contest.hahaha!) we then decided na pumunta na lang sa Subic Beach na located sa Calintaan Island.

subic beach at Calintaan Island, Matnog

After checking out from the hotel, we then rode a jeepney bound for Sorsogon City and then from Sorsogon City, we then rode a jeepney bound for Matnog. It took us about 1.5 hours before we reach the town of Matnog. After eating our lunch, we then searched for a boat that we could rent going to Calintaan Island. However, the rate was too expensive kaya ang ginawa namin, we just look for a tricycle going to Barangay Poropandan, which is the nearest barangay to Calintaan Island. We rented a tricycle for 150 pesos for a one way trip and the travel time from the town proper to Barangay Poropandan was 30 minutes. From Poropandan, the Calintaan Island is just a 15 minutes boat trip. We rented a boat for 350 pesos for a round trip boat ride. We just stayed in Subic beach at Calintaan Island for 2 hours and after exhausting ourselves from swimming, we then decided to call it a day. Bumalik na kami sa Poropandan and while in the boat, my friend texted the tricycle driver to wait for us at Poropandan. From Poropandan, we then travelled back to Matnog town proper and then we rode a bus to Daraga City. From Daraga City, we rode another bus bound for Naga City. Our travel adventure ended there. Nakauwi na kami sa kanya kanyang bahay at magsisimula na naman na magipon para sa sunod na gala.hehehe!

All in all, it was really an awesome adventure, especially the ATV adventure at Mayon’s lava trail in Legazpi City. Even though it was expensive (I consider 1,500 ATV rental fee as expensive lalo na kuripot ako.hehe!) the ATV ride was really worth it. Sobrang worth it kahit mahal kasi nagenjoy talaga kami. Gusto ko nga ulit ulitin ang pag ATV ride sa Legazpi kung sakaling may manlilibre saken.hehehe! Eh ang kaso, wala naman ata gustong manlibre. But anyway, you guys should try visiting Legazpi City and try the Mayon’s ATV adventure, and then after the ATV ride, visit the pink sand beach of Subic located at Calintaan Island in Matnog town, Sorsogon Province. Masasabi ko na in the Bicol Region, you will never run out of adventure. By the way, here’s the link to the ATV operator in Legazpi City.. http://mayonatvtour.com/  Sya nga pala, hindi po nila ako binayaran para ipromote sila. Kusang loob po ang pagpromote ko sa kanila dahil okay naman ang service nila. Yun lang po. Hehehe! That’s it pansit! Byes!

On my way home. Davao City to Camarines Sur.

For the past few days, me and my friends have visited some of the best destination in the CARAGA Region. We’ve visited a lot of beautiful places. I’m pretty sure I’m going back to this region to visit and explore other beautiful beaches, coves, islands, caves, waterfalls, et cetera. There are still a lot to visit in CARAGA Region. So far, we’ve visited the Surigao City’s Basul Island and Mapua Pebble Beach. We’ve also visited the Bucas Grande in Socorro. We also visited Hinatuan’s Enchanted River and Bislig City’s Tinuy-an Falls. We did a lot of adventurous stuff. We did a lot of funny things. Sumakay ng skylab or that habal habal na may katig. Madalas din kami naiiwan ng mga last trip ng bus so we always ended up looking for other means of transportation in order to reach our destination.

At Butuan City terminal

So now, tapos na ang bakasyon namin. My friends already left the beautiful island of Mindanao at bumalik na sila ng Manila. But for me, I still need to travel by land and by sea para makauwi sa bahay ko. So I started my travel back home sa Ecoland Terminal sa Davao City. I arrived at the terminal at around 9pm and since I still need to finish some online job, hindi muna agad ako sumakay ng bus at nagtrabaho muna ako online habang nasa bus terminal. There are lot of buses going in and out sa Ecoland Terminal. Pero sa oras na 9pm na, mga papuntang Butuan and Cagayan De Oro na lang ang karamihan na nakapark sa terminal.

Anyway, my plan was to ride a bus from Davao to Surigao City, and then from Surigao City, I’ll ride a ferry at the Lipata Port in Surigao City to Benit Port in San Ricardo town in Southern Leyte, and then from there I’ll ride another bus bound for Tacloban City, and then from Tacloban City I’ll ride a van bound for Allen, Northern Samar. However, at around past 9pm, there are no more bus bound for Surigao City, and there are only bus bound for Butuan. I said to myself that I’ll just ride the last bus for the evening that is bound for Butuan City and then from there, I’ll transfer to another bus bound for Surigao. The estimated travel time is 8 to 10 hours and I don’t want to arrive so early in the morning in Surigao City and that’s the reason I decided to just wait for the last bus bound for Butuan.

Bachelor bus terminal at Butuan City

So while at the terminal waiting for the last Butuan bound bus, another Bachelor bus parked at the other bus lane. Ang nakalagay sa bus signboard ay ORMOC. Oh, lucky me! A bus that will go straight to Leyte. So I just said to myself that I will just ride the bus bound for Ormoc para mabawasan na ang bus transfer na gagawin ko. So I rode the bus and it left the Ecoland Terminal at around 11pm. I paid around 690 pesos for the non-airconditioned bus. Yun ang pamasahe from Davao City to Sogod, Southern Leyte. Sa Sogod na lang kasi ko bababa kasi yun ang junction going to Tacloban and Ormoc. I just slept most of the trip kasi medjo kulang din yung tulog ko for the day. The bus arrived at Lipata Port in Surigao City at around past 10am. I was hoping na tinatarget nung bus driver na makahabol para sa 10am ferry  schedule ng Montenegro RORO pero hindi pala. Nagstopover pa kasi ito ng matagal sa Butuan City at nagstop over pa malapit sa port para maglunch break. And because we weren’t able to make it for the 10am ferry schedule. We then ended up waiting for the 2pm schedule.

Lipata Port, Surigao City

At the Lipata Port, I just surf the internet to kill time. There’s nothing much to do in Lipata Port. I was still sleepy and I was a little bit tired but I don’t want to sleep baka kasi maiwan ako ng barko.hehehe! There’s one thing that I observed sa pamasahe sa barko. Kung ang sinakyan mong bus ay isasakay sa RORO at tatawid ng ibang port, you have that option na ihiwalay na lang ang bayad mo sa ferry at huwag ipasama sa computation ng bus conductor. Pwede din naman na sabihan mo ang conductor na isama na sa babayaran mo sa bus fare yung charge ng ferry fare per person. But here’s one thing that makes me wonder, yung bayad ng ferry from Lipata port to Benit port in San Ricardo ay 140 pesos lang. Pero kung ipinasabay mo na ang bayad mo sa ferry sa bus conductor, sisingilin sayo ng conductor ay 210 pesos and that’s almost a 70 pesos difference. At ang ibibigay din na ticket ng shipping line sa conductor ay 210 pesos, at ang ticket na ito ay sya rin ibibigay ng conductor sa pasahero. So kung ikaw na lang ang pipila sa shipping line office, mas makakatipid ka ng 70 pesos. So I wondered kung para saan yung 70 pesos na patong. May komisyon ba ang conductor?  But anyway, hindi na ko nagtanong pa at bumalik na lang ako sa pagtulog sa barko.

Benit Port, San Ricardo town, Southern Leyte

Passengers lounge of Benit Port, San Ricardo town, Southern Leyte

After an hour and 20 minutes later, we arrived at Benit Port and the bus then continued its trip to Ormoc, but another unexpected stopover occurred. Nagkape muna ang bus driver and conductor sa Liloan. I was already getting worried because as I know, masyadong maaga ang mga last trip sa Leyte and I might end up na maiiwan na naman ng byahe from Sogod to Tacloban City. By the way, after we arrived at Benit Port, I saw these other Bachelor Bus that is bound for Tacloban and I told the driver na lilipat ako ng bus pero iniwan ako nung Tacloban bound bus kaya hindi na ko nakatransfer. Akalain mo, tinakbuhan ang pasahero. Tsk! Tsk! Anyway, I arrived at Sogod at around 5pm and as I expected wala ng bus at van papuntang Tacloban. I tried to ask around if there are buses at the Sogod-Liloan junction na dadaan papuntang Tacloban, but all locals said there’s none. So I just waited for the buses that will pass Sogod that are bound for Manila but the two buses na dumaan won’t allow passenger to ride their bus if the passenger is not bound for Manila. Lugi daw kasi sila kasi yung dapat upuan ng pasahero na papuntang Manila ay ibibigay na nila sa papuntang Camarines Sur lang. Kaya ang resulta, I ended up spending the entire evening at Sogod Terminal and just waited for the first trip of the van bound for Tacloban which is 4am.

Near Benit Port. I'm still 190 km away from Tacloban.

So ayun na, and that was already Wednesday. It was Monday evening when I left Davao City and I’ve been travelling for more than 24 hours now. So we waited for the van to reach its maximum seating capacity and by around 5am, we already left Sogod. The van has a seating capacity of 18 person na dapat sana 15 lang. I paid 150 pesos for the van fare and 2 hours later, we then arrived at Tacloban City. Hindi ko na nagawang magikot ikot pa sa Tacloban because I have that goal na makarating ng Camarines Sur before Thursday or that’s before 12midnight. Ala Cinderella lang.hahaha!

From Tacloban City, I rode a bus bound for Catbalogan City in Samar Province. It’s a 3 hour bus ride but if you’re riding in a van, it would only take 2 hours but it is 70 pesos more expensive. I only paid 80 pesos for the bus fare but for a van, it would cost 150 pesos. I arrived at Catbalogan City at 10am and I just took some pictures ng plaza nila and the provincial capitol of Samar province. After taking some pictures, I then proceeded to the van terminal bound for Calbayog City. Gusto ko na sanang dumiretso na ng Allen port but naisip ko na sayang naman kung hindi pa ko magikot ikot ng Calbayog City, which is 2 hours away from Allen town na lang. So I rode the van for Calbayog City and I paid 90 pesos. An hour and a half hour later, I finally arrived at Calbayog. Nagikot ikot lang ako sa town proper at pinicturan ang simbahan at city hall nila and then naghanap na ko ng sasakyan papuntang Allen but just my badluck, 1pm pa daw ang mga van. And it’s only 11:30am and I don’t want to waste time waiting for the van.

City plaza of Catbalogan City

The provincial capitol of Samar Province, Catbalogan City

So naghanap ako ng ibang paraan and there was a jeepney bound for Allen. Sumakay na ko sa jeepney kahit na alam ko na medjo mabagal na mode of transportation yun but at least hindi ko kailangan magsayang ng oras sa paghihintay. I paid 80 pesos for the jeepney but since medjo maaga pa, I decided na magdrop by muna ko sa Spice of Life Beach in Barangay Buenos Aires, Victoria town, Northern Samar, which is just a mere 15 minutes ride na lang going to Allen.

Calbayog City Cathedral

city hall of Calbayog City

Spice of Life Beach. a.k.a Spice Beach. Victoria, Northern Samar

Medjo matagal nga yung byahe ng jeep at napaidlip na din ako. It took around 2 hours bago nakarating yung jeep sa Victoria. Kung van, it would only take 1 to 1.5 hours of travel. Since the beach is just near the national highway, I don’t need to ride another vehicle. I just walk straight to beach and I was kinda tempted to swim but I don’t have that luxury of time. A few minutes later, after taking some beach shot, I left the beach and then rode a tricycle to Looc Port, Allen town. It’s just a 15 minutes tricycle ride and I only paid 15 pesos. By the way, there are two ports in Allen town. One is called Dapdap Port and the other one is Looc Port. But most passengers going to Matnog, Sorsogon or those bus going to Manila uses the Looc Port. It is much larger compared to Dapdap Port.

I left Looc Port at 4pm and I arrived at Matnog Port, Sorsogon at 5pm. The fare for all ferries plying the Matnog Port to Allen Port route are all the same at 120 pesos only. The travel time is 1 hour to 2 hours depending on the sea condition. From Matnog port, dumaan muna ko sa Matnog public market para magtanong tanong ng mga boat rate for Capul, San Antonio and San Vicente, which are towns in Northern Samar. May mga bumabyahe kasi na mga banka sa Matnog going to those towns.

ferry bound for Allen, Northern Samar. 

the busy Matnog Port, Sorsogon Province

finally! I'm back in Luzon

Tikling Island. You'll pass this island if you're bound for Allen or Matnog

After ko magtanong tanong ng information, I then rode another bus bound for Camarines Sur, and then after 4 hours of travel passing the province of Sorsogon and Albay, I finally reached CamSur. I then transferred to a motorcycle or habal habal para makarating na sa bahay. So I did reach my goal of arriving before 12 midnight or bago pa maging Thursday. So far, medjo nakakapagod yung byahe ko pauwi. It took me almost 2 days of travel para makarating ng bahay, from Davao City to Camarines Sur. Masasabi ko na isa yun sa the best travel experience ko. The longest travel so far. My CARAGA Trip was so worth it. Kahit nakakapagod, exciting pa rin. I covered 4 provinces in Eastern Visayas Region and 4 provinces in CARAGA Region. Sayang at kulang yung pera at oras ko. Sana nacovered ko rin yung Biliran province and Eastern Samar province para nakumpleto ko na ang buong Eastern Visayas Region. But anyway, there’s always a next time to visit another province. For now, I need to save again for those long vacations and I need to replenish my zero balance piggy bank.hahahah! Thanks for reading this verrrrrrrrrry long story.hahahah! Oh, hindi ba sumakit ang mga mata nyo?hahaha! Til next time!

My First-Hand Experience on the Samar and Leyte Transportation System

This month, I did the longest travel of my life, an eight day island hopping on the grandest scale. Why am I considering this an island hopping on the grandest scale? Well, it’s because I island hopped from the island of Luzon, to Samar Island, to Leyte Island and then to the island of Mindanao. Isn’t it grand right?hehehe! Anyway, a few days ago, I travelled from Camarines Sur all the way to Davao. Actually, hindi naman talaga diretso ng Davao ‘coz me and my friends visited some tourist destination in CARAGA Region before heading out to Davao City as our final destination. I travelled from Camarines Sur to Surigao City and it took me 1 and a half day for that travel. I started Wednesday morning at 7am and I arrived at Surigao City at around 2pm, Thursday. My return trip was way much longer because I travelled from Davao to Camarines Sur. I left Davao City on a Monday evening, 11pm, and I arrived at Camarines Sur at around 10pm Wednesday. I will also be making other entries for those travels and vacation in CARAGA Region and I will just focus here about my experience on the transport system in Samar and Leyte.

Ferry/RORO plying the route Matnog to Allen

First of all, there won’t be lots of pictures here, kaya kung picture ang hanap nyo, malamang madidisappoint kayo.hehehe! Anyway, to start with my stories, I travelled for 4 hours from Camarines Sur para makarating sa Matnog Port in Sorsogon Province. This port is the jump off point to Visayas. From Matnog, there are several ferries that ply the Matnog-Allen route. Allen is a town located in Northern Samar. There are two ports in Allen. One is called Looc Port and the other one is Dapdap Port. The Looc Port has more ferries operating on a daily basis compared to Dapdap Port. The two ports are just about several kilometers apart. I think more or less 3 to 4 kilometers. The Dapdap port is the port being used by Montenegro Shipping Line while the Looc Port is being serviced by Santa Clara Shipping Line and some other shipping companies. There are no fixed schedule for ferries servicing the Matnog Port and Allen Port. The ferries leaves whenever there are sufficient number of cargoes or trucks or buses that boarded their ships. According to one ship personnel, kahit daw madami na ang pasahero kung hindi naman daw puno ng truck and bus ang barko nila ay hindi naman daw agad sila umaalis.

Matnog Port, Matnog, Sorsogon

Matnog Port, Sorsogon Province

The travel time from Matnog to Allen is just 1 hour and the fare for all ferries/RORO is 120 pesos plus terminal fee of 11 pesos. By the way, the travel time also depends on the weather. If the sea is somewhat rough, it could take about 1.5 to 2 hours of travel. Upon arrival at Looc Port in Allen, you have several transport option to travel to different parts of Samar and Leyte Island. The Samar Island is comprised of 3 provinces, namely:  Northern Samar, Samar, and Eastern Samar. The Leyte Island is comprised of 2 provinces: Leyte and Southern Leyte. These two islands, Samar and Leyte, are linked by San Juanico Bridge. Another province is also linked to Leyte Island, and that province is Biliran. These provinces comprise the Eastern Visayas Region, or Region 8. O ayan, may konting geography lesson pa kunwari.hahaha!

Anyway, from Allen, or from Looc Port, you have several transport option to go to your destination in Region 8. You can either ride a passenger van, a jeepney or a bus. The fastest way of course is riding a passenger van. Unlike in some parts of the country, some of the passenger vans plying the Allen to Tacloban to Ormoc route doesn’t wait for the van to be on its full capacity. The seating capacity for most of the van is 15 passengers but they usually depart at the terminal when they have at least half of the seating capacity. In Allen, there are several van companies that have routes to the major cities in Region 8. These are: Duptours van, D’ Turbanada Transport, The Grand Tours, and Van Vans. These passenger vans have routes from Catarman, Northern Samar to Tacloban, Leyte. They also have trips from Allen to Calbayog, Calbayog to Catbalogan, Catbalogan to Tacloban, and they also have vans bound for Ormoc and Naval, Biliran Province. Compared sa ibang probinsya na puno na ang van bago umalis, these vans in Samar and Leyte doesn’t wait na mapuno ang van bago umalis ng terminal kaya pwede nyo din sila parahin and for sure kung may bakante hihintuan din kayo. The rates for these passenger vans vary. They don’t have the same rates, the other van companies has cheaper rates for some destination while some are much more expensive. You can ask them if you want to know their rates or you can ask the Iocals if they know the fare.

Nautical Highway

I wasn’t been able to get all the contact numbers for all the van companies. I only have the contact numbers for Grand Tours and D’Turbanada Transport. For Grand Tours, their contact numbers are (055) 300-2151 and +639177008071. Their last trip from Allen to Tacloban City is 5pm, but if there are less passengers that will travel to Tacloban, ginagawa ng driver hanggang Catbalogan City na lang sila and you’ll have to transfer to their van that has the Catbalogan City to Tacloban City route. For D’Turbanada, their contact numbers are: +639287891636 or 09064621145. The D’Turbanada van last trip to Tacloban from Catarman and passing Allen is 9pm. Most of these passenger vans, D’Turbanada, Grand Tours, Duptours and VanVans, have Toyota HiAce fleets kaya magkakahawig lang mga itsura nila. Lahat sila kulay puti lang. Ang pangalan lang sa harap at sa gilid ang magdidifferentiate kung anong kumpanya sila.

I’ve tried riding all those 4 passenger van companies and wala naman masyado pagkakaiba. But the Grand Tours are a bit more expensive compared to others but they also have a much more beautiful terminals compared to other van companies. If you’ll be travelling from Allen to Tacloban, then better ride a van because it is much faster but it is much more expensive compared to riding in a bus. The van travel time from Allen to Tacloban City is 5 to 6 hours and the fare ranges from 300 to 350 pesos. If you want a cutting trip, then you can ride a van from Allen to Calbayog City, which is about 1.5 hours of travel for 100 pesos, then ride another van from Calbayog City to Catbalogan City, which is about another 1.5 hours of travel for 80 pesos and then from Catbalogan, you can ride another van to Tacloban City, for a fare of 150 pesos and a travel time of 2 hours.

If you’re bound for Eastern Samar province and you’re coming from Allen, pwede kang bumaba sa Buray, that’s the junction going to Borongan, Eastern Samar. If you’re coming from Allen or Calbayog, the junction is about 20 to 30 minutes ride from Catbalogan City.

There are also buses and jeepneys connecting the different cities and provinces in Region 8. You can ride a bus from Allen to Tacloban but it could take you about 6 to 8 hours of travel. It’s a cheaper option but it would take much longer time to reach your destination since madaming stopover and laging pumipick-up ng pasahero ang mga bus. You can also ride a jeepney from Allen to Calbayog. Riding a jeepney could also take longer travel hours but it is somewhat cheaper. If you’ll be riding a van from Allen to Calbayog City, it would only take about 1.5 hours of travel but if you’ll be riding by bus or jeepney, it could take about 2 to 2.5 hours of travel.

From Allen, you can also ride those buses that are bound straight to Davao City. These are the buses na makakasabay mo sa ferry/RORO. These buses are from Manila that are bound for Surigao City or Davao City. Southern Leyte is also the jumpoff point to Mindanao.  You can ride a ferry at Liloan Port to Lipata Port, Surigao City or you can ride a ferry at Benit Port in San Ricardo town to Lipata Port, Surigao City. The route via Benit is much shorter. If you want to go to Lipata Port, ride a bus bound for Sogod town and then transfer to a mini bus or jeepney bound for Liloan. You can also ride a van at Tacloban terminal that is bound for Liloan. The travel time from Tacloban to Liloan is about 4 to 5 hours by bus and 3 to 3.5 hours by van.  The first trip of bus bound for Sogod, Baybay, Bato and Maasin is 3am. The travel time from Liloan Port to Lipata Port in Surigao City is 3 to 4 hours, depending on the sea condition.

Benit Port, San Ricardo, Southern Leyte

Passenger Lounge, Benit Port, San Ricardo, Southern Leyte

Montenegro Ship at Benit Port, San Ricardo

There’s a faster way to travel to Mindanao via Southern Leyte. The nearest port to Lipata Port is the Benit Port in San Ricardo. The travel time from Benit Port to Lipata Port is just about 1 to 1.5 hours and it is much cheaper compared to those ferries at Liloan Port.  To go to Benit Port in San Ricardo from Tacloban, you can ride a bus bound for San Ricardo or you can also ride a bus bound for Sogod, and then from Sogod, transfer to a mini bus bound for Benit, San Ricardo. The travel time for bus from Tacloban to Benit is 5 to 6 hours. The travel time from Sogod town to Benit, San Ricardo is about 2 to 2.5 hours. There are also passenger vans bound for Benit from Tacloban.

Passenger Lounge, Lipata Port, Surigao City

Lipata Port, Surigao City, CARAGA

Lipata Port, Surigao City

In most part of Leyte and Southern Leyte, the buses, vans and jeepneys last trip going to other town is as early as 5pm. So if you don’t want to be stuck at a certain town at ayaw mo matulog sa terminal at gasoline station, kagaya ng nangyari sa akin, be sure to catch the trip before 5 pm. You can also rent a motorcycle or habal habal but they’re going to charge you a little bit expensive. They call it pakyawan. You’ll have to pay for the seating capacity of the motorcycle, which is 3 to 5 passengers, plus you’ll need to pay for their return trip since they won’t get any passenger when returning to their town terminals.

There are also buses that are bound to Manila from Davao or Southern Leyte or Leyte but most of the time, they won’t allow you to ride the bus if you’ll be travelling to short distances only, that means travelling within Samar and Leyte islands only. Lugi daw kasi sila kasi yung uupuan mo daw ay pwede na nila ibigay sa mga pasahero na mapipick up nila na papunta ng Manila. Bachelor Bus has daily trips from Ormoc and Tacloban that are bound to Surigao City, Butuan City and Davao City. So that’s it pusit! Those are the information that I can share for you regarding the transport system in Samar and Leyte Islands.

Tikling Island, Juag Fish Sanctuary and Subic Beach at Calintaan Island, Matnog, Sorsogon.

Matnog is a town located at the southern part of the Bicol Region. This town is part of the Sorsogon Province. Matnog is also the jump-off point to the Visayas area from the mainland Luzon. If you are travelling by land and on your way to Samar or the Visayas or even to Mindanao, you’ll be passing by the Matnog port. There are RORO or ferries plying the Matnog-Allen route. The RORO or ferries operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The port of Matnog is a busy port. Several ferry companies operate the Matnog-Allen ferry route. Most of the ferry leaves the port every 2 hours.

Matnog Port, Sorsogon Province

Subic Beach at Calintaan Island, Matnog, Sorsogon

Aside from being known as the jump-off point to the Visayas area, Matnog is also beginning to gain popularity in the tourism industry. Many tourists are now visiting this town because of its beautiful islands. One of them is Calintaan Island, which is just a 30-minute boat ride from the town’s public market. The island has a barangay or a community and they also have 24 hours electricity coming from the mainland. Calintaan Island is just near the mainland that a long electrical wire connects the island’s electric supply from the mainland. This island also has a beach that has fine white sand with crushed red corals, therefore giving its sand a different hue. The beach is famously called as the Subic Beach. Yes, you read it right, the town of Matnog also has its own Subic, and it is much better compared to the other famous Subic Beach in Zambales province.  The Subic Beach is not that commercialized compared to other beaches in the Philippines. There is a resort in Subic Beach but they don’t have big facilities or accommodation. They only have open cottages for rent and these are nipa huts. If you are planning for an overnight stay and you want a more comfortable accommodation, better bring a tent and a sleeping bag.  Also, you need to bring an insect repellent.

The sand at Subic Beach is a mixture of white sand and crushed red corals

Subic Beach, Calintaan Island, Matnog

The other attraction near the Subic Beach and near the port of Matnog is the Juag Fish Sanctuary. There are lots of fish in this sanctuary. Just pay the entrance fee and then you can now swim and snorkel with the fish. This sanctuary is on a lagoon so it’s just on the shallow part of the sea near Calintaan Island. You can also visit the Parola. This is the old lighthouse in Calintaan and it is located in the middle of the sea.

The Parola or the old lighthouse near the Calintaan Island

The other island near the Matnog port is the Tikling Island. This is just a 20 to 30-minute boat ride from the Matnog’s public market and also it is just a mere 30-minute boat ride from Subic Beach, Calintaan Island. This island is just a small island. There is no resort in the area but there are some open cottages in the island. The small island is a private island and you need to ask permission from the caretaker. The island boasts a fine white sand beach but the beach is not that kid-friendly because there’s a sudden drop in depth by the shore. From the island, you can visibly see the passing ferries from the Matnog port.

Tikling Island, Matnog, Sorsogon

If you want to visit these destinations, you can rent a boat from the port near the public market. Don’t go to Matnog port because that port only serves the ferries that ply the Matnog to Allen, Samar route. The smaller port near the public market is where you can rent a boat for island hopping. The price for the boat depends on the capacity of the boat. The usual price for the boat rental ranges from 1500 to 3000 pesos. The small port near the town’s public market is also where most of the small and large pumpboats and fishing boats are docked. There are also several large boats that ply the Matnog-Capul route. Capul is an island municipality of Northern Samar. There are also passenger boats that ply the route Matnog-San Vicente. The town of San Vicente is also an island municipality of Northern Samar.

entrance gate of Matnog Port

the location of Tikling Island and Calintaan Island, Matnog town, Sorsogon

Location of Matnog, Sorsogon

How to get to Matnog:

By plane:

Cebu Pacific, Air Philippines, Philippine Airlines and Zest Airways have several daily flights to Legazpi Airport. From Legazpi Airport, you can ride a taxi or a tricycle to the central terminal. From the central terminal, you can ride a bus bound for Sorsogon City. The travel time from Legazpi City to Sorsogon City is about an hour. And then from Sorsogon City, ride a jeepney going to Matnog. There are also passenger vans in Legazpi City that are bound for Matnog, Sorsogon. The travel time is about 1 to 2 hours.

By Bus:

From Manila, there are several buses bound for Bicol region. Ride a bus that is bound directly for Matnog or you can ride a bus that is bound for Samar. There are a number of bus terminals in Cubao, Quezon City, that have buses bound for Matnog and Samar. There are also bus terminals in Pasay City, near Pasay Rotonda. The usual travel time from Metro Manila to Matnog is 11 to 13 hours. Most of the buses that are bound for Matnog are ordinary buses or non-airconditioned buses. If you want a more comfortable bus ride, then you can ride an airconditioned bus bound for Legazpi City and then from Legazpi City central terminal, transfer to a bus bound for Matnog or bound for Sorsogon City and then from Sorsogon City, ride a jeepney bound for Matnog. You can also ride a passenger van from Legazpi City to Matnog, Sorsogon. I already forgot how much the fare was for the jeepneys and buses. But the fare for the airconditioned buses from Manila to Legazpi City ranges from 600 to 1000 pesos.

By Train:

The PNR has a regular train schedule for the Manila-Ligao City route. The train departs at Tutuban Station in Manila every 6pm and arrives at Ligao City at around 6am the next day. The usual travel time is 10 to 12 hours. And then from Ligao City, you can ride a bus bound for Matnog, Sorsogon. Usually these buses are coming from Manila and most of these buses pass by the town of Ligao mostly in the morning. From Ligao City, you can also ride a jeepney to Legazpi City and then at Legazpi City central terminal, ride a bus bound for Matnog or you can ride a bus bound for Sorsogon City and then ride another jeepney bound for Matnog. You can also ride a van from Legazpi City to Matnog.