Trip to Mindoro and Aklan

Day 1
I was with my aunt and kuya when we visited Mindoro. It was my first time to visit the island and the birthplace of my aunt – Naujan, Oriental Mindoro.

Our journey started at JAM Liner station in Taft Avenue near Buendia. We left Pasig around 3:00 AM and was at the bus station around 4:00 AM. We left the bus terminal around 4:30 AM to Batangas Port. The signage on the bus says CALABARZON Batangas Port. We arrived around 6:20 AM and missed the Fast Craft (6:00 AM) bound to Calapan Port. We opted for the 7:00 AM RORO ship from Star Ferries – the Starlite Annapolis.

It was my first time to ride a Roll-On Roll-Off (RORO) ship – the one that carries both passengers and vehicles (trucks, bus, cars). The fare was around P400 with P30 terminal fee (which is free for Senior Citizens). We left Batangas Port around 8:00 AM and arrived at Calapan Port around 11:00 AM. It was raining due to storm Falcon (who’s already outside the PAR but is affecting the Habagat). From the Port of Calapan, we rode a tricycle to the town proper – around P100 fare. We ate lunch at Chowking Calapan before riding a jeep to the quiet town of Naujan. The jeepney terminal is just besides the public market.

We left Calapan City around 11:30 AM and arrived there about 12:30 PM. My aunt is very happy to be able to visit her birthplace. We visited the Bonifacio Monument at the heart of Poblacion, Naujan as well as the Municipal Hall. We would love to visit the Simbahang Bato but it’s about 8 kilometers away from the town center, by tricycle. We decided to head back to Calapan City.

I convinced my aunt to ride the Fast Craft at Puerto Galera on their way back to Batangas Port. It was both our first time to be at Puerto Galera. From Calapan City, we rode a jeep. It was a 1 and a half ride from the capital of Mindoro Oriental (Calapan City). We left around 3:30 PM and navigate a route that is zigzag like a trip to Baguio. It seems that we passed a mountain range before arriving at Poblacion, Puerto Galera.

However, a local tricycle driver and female personnel from the municipal hall informed us that the 6:00 PM Fast Craft trips were cancelled due to heavy rains brought about by Habagat and Typhoon Falcon. They recommended to spend the night at one of the resorts near the beach. We rode a tricycle and headed to White Beach Resort. A room with 2 queen size bed were offered to us at P1,200/night from the usual P1,500. It was right beside the famous White Sand Beach of Puerto Galera. After a dinner of Beef Caldereta and Nilaga, we doze off to dreamland.

Day 2

We woke up early the next morning and left the resort at 4:00 AM. We went to Balatero Pier (the one nearest White Beach Resort) to catch a Fast Craft but all trips were cancelled by the Coast Guard. According to the personnel from the 3 shipping lines – Fast Craft can’t dock at the Batangas Port due to heavy rain / waves. It was 6:00 AM. There was a 9:00 AM trip from Calapan City back to Batangas Port via RORO but I decided to stay behind and just spend the day at Puerto Galera and nearby towns.

I explored Poblacion, Puerto Galera and visited the nearest church, municipal hall and market. Poblacion already have 7-11 and other establishments that can be seen at a barangay in Manila. There’s even a Xentro Mall being constructed nearby. Instead of visiting Muelle Pier and Sabang Beach, I decided to go south again and visit the next town.

I stopped by Tamaraw Falls which is located right beside the street after a 30-minute ride from Puerto Galera. It’s a small waterfall with a grotto and a park. Nothing fancy but it’s worth the stop.  I rode a jeep again and drop off by the San Teodoro Public Market. Their municipal hall is being constructed and there’s a church dedicated to the Immaculate Conception nearby. It was a quiet town.

I went back to Calapan City and stopped by the City Library and the Sto Nino Church. I then rented a tricycle to bring me to the Capitol Building, the City Hall, and Rizal Monument (he’s sitting and writing something on a desk).

Since we already visited Naujan, I rode a jeep to Victoria instead. It was about 2-hour ride from Calapan City. It’s also a quiet town like San Teodoro. I visited the church, public market and municipal hall. I didn’t see a Rizal Monument but instead, it was _ that has a statue in front of the new building. I also learned that there are no more jeepney route from Victoria to the other towns south. A local guy from the nearby jeepney terminal informed me that the route “died” a few years ago and was replaced by van (UV express). I rode a van from Victoria to Pinamalayan City.

Pinamalayan City is a busy place. I dropped off by the National Highway and rode a tricycle going to the town proper (near the sea front). The streets are wide, and it has all the establishments from Jollibee to Metrobank. There are ancestral houses in front of the City Plaza, which is huge and has a very interesting mural dedicated to the revolution/heroes of 1896. There’s a Rizal Monument with a rainbow bridge behind.

I went back to the Pot of Gold monument at the National Highway and rode a van to Roxas town. It’s another quiet town but they have a Jollibee. I took a photo of the Sto Nino Church, which is a beautiful church, and some ancestral houses nearby. Some are being sold. There’s a Ceres Terminal near the public market and I was tempted to book a ticket to Cubao (I’m sure it will be another RORO ride at Calapan City to Batangas). I already went to the municipal hall where a statue of Rizal is located.

A staff approached me and asked if I’m doing a documentary. He said I should seek a permit. I told him I’m promoting the town on my blog – but if they want that, then I won’t take any more pictures. This is the first time that I was ever approached by a municipal stop and ask to get a permit (to take a picture of a public building). I guess there’s a political issue in this town.

Roxas has a port that offers RORO trip to Caticlan in Aklan (Panay Island). Since I had a bad experience with the customer service of Starlite Ferries (who won’t reply in time when asked about their trips), I decided to take a RORO at the next town of Bulalacao.

The trip to Bulalacao from Roxas is very similar to my trip from Calapan to Puerto Galera – zigzag road but with a view of the sea. It was almost 6 o’clock when I reached the sleepy town of Bulalacao. The van took us straight to Bulalacao Port. It won’t accept ticket reservation until 7:00 PM so I rent a tricycle for P60 to take me to the town hall, church and market. They have no Rizal Monument at their plaza.

Bulalacao Port is constructed with the help of the Philippine Port Authority (PPA). The trip to Caticlan Port is roughly P460 with a P30 terminal fee. The RORO is new and is operated by FastCat. Our departure time is 10PM so I had some time to eat, take a bath and sleep at a nearby cafeteria.

Day 3

It’s almost 1:30 AM when our RORO reached the port of Caticlan. We left Bulalacao Port around 10:00 PM last night. Compared to the RORO ship we rode in Batangas Port, which has sleeping bunker beds, this RORO ship from FastCat only has seating area at the top most deck (Economy). Even though it’s not fully occupied, I can’t lie on the bench because it has “separators”.

There’s a nearby 7-11 where I had a quick breakfast. The staff asked me a few questions as part of a survey. He asked where I came from and where am I headed to. I initially plan on tour the towns of Aklan but since I’m already in Caticlan, I might as well visit the world-famous Boracay Island even just for a few hours.

There are no boats in Caticlan Jetty Port that is heading to Boracay. I was advised that due to Habagat, the boats are in the nearby port of Tabon. It’s about a kilometer away from Caticlan according to Waze. I decided to walk towards Tabon Port. After the 6 months rehabilitation of Boracay, one of the changes they made in making a trip to Boracay is that you must show a proof of hotel accommodation. I used the Agoda app to find myself the cheapest hotel/inn in Boracay. I found one for a dormitory type (6 beds in 1 room, double-deck) for around P400 located in Station 2.

Since it’s before 6:00 AM, the price of the ferry doubled to P50/person. The environmental fee is P75 and terminal fee is P25. My co-passengers were mostly Korean (or Chinese). The boat trip was about 15 minutes to Boracay Jetty Port. There were e-Tricycles there, but I decided to hire a habal-habal for P100.

I was at the inn along Boracay-Bulabog Road around 4:00 AM. I toured the area and was able to visit Stations 1-2 before sunrise. All the establishments were already closed but I enjoyed the sight of the sea (the moon was bright). Sunrise side of Boracay is the Bulabog Beach where most of the fishing vessels are docked. I took some pictures of Boracay Sunrise along with some Koreans (or Chinese). After that I went back to Stations 1-2, Willy’s Rock and Boracay Church. I returned to Caticlan Port around 7:00 AM.

From Caticlan Port, I rode a tricycle going to Malay Town Proper where the municipal hall and church is located. I was surprised with the absence of jeepneys unlike in Iloilo province. I’m planning to travel each town (Nabas, Tangalan, Makato and Numancia) on my way to Kalibo where I have a flight to Manila at 8:00 PM.

I just took the van from Caticlan to Kalibo for P100. It was almost a 2-hour ride. I had lunch at Jollibee Kalibo and then take a tour of the nearby Kalibo Church, Museum and plaza. The museum entrance fee is only P50 and the display were beautiful, specially the paintings. I rented a tricycle to take me to the Capitol Building (Kalibo is the capital of Aklan), City Hall, Kalibo Freedom Park, and Rizal Monument.

From Kalibo, I took a special trip of tricycle to New Washington, Aklan. The capacity of the tricycles in Aklan is 9 including the driver. Tricycles are wider than the ones in Pasig City. The tricycle driver told me the old name of New Washington (I forgot) before it was changed. He told me that a president of the US visited the place years ago and as a sign of gratitude they renamed the town to New Washington. The driver also told me that Jaime Cardinal Sin has a house in the Poblacion near the church. I took a picture of that along with the church, municipal hall and Rizal Monument.

From the brochure I got from the museum, I learned that there’s a resort in New Washington with a Christmas theme. It’s called Sampaguita Gardens. The entrance fee is P25 and there’s a nice view of the sea. There’s also a house where you can find all sorts of decorations for Christmas. For P25, the place is awesome. It’s very Instagram-friendly.

Around 3PM I was back at Kalibo. I rode a jeep to a sleepy town called Balete. I took a picture of their church, new municipal hall, old town hall, the Rizal Monument and an art gallery called Basura Garden (walking distance from the municipal hall). I met the artist of the place who also teaches art to students. I felt that I was in one of the art studios of Angono.

By 6:00 PM I was at Kalibo International Airport. It’s a small one but has a coffee shop and an expensive souvenir shop. The Cebu Pacific plane was on time and by 10:00 PM I was back to the urban jungle of Manila.

I will post more pictures of each of the places I've mentioned here. Please stay tune

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