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A cross country adventure 3 days and 1,010 kms to Ormoc 2
Source: Manila Bulletin
Author: Pinky Concha Colmenares
Date: 2001-06-25
 
Slowing us down were the many detours due to road work. Last year, we had sped through the stretch that wound through a mountain range crossing into Sorsogon City and leading to Matnog, the last point in Luzon island.



We reached Matnog pier at 8:05 a.m. Advance planning by the Home Team, this time connected by Chris Datol (who covers all Philtranco events), paid off. The Matnog office of Philtranco was expecting us and had assigned Leo to assist us through the documentation and boarding.



The Philtranco ferry is larger than the Princess Ferry we boarded last year. Yet we had no seats when we reached the passengers’ area located above the hull where the buses and other vehicles were. Anjo and I sat on the only empty space in front of the open air segment where you could view the roofs of all the trucks parked under the section.



Everyone in the ferry seemed to have traveled that way because they knew where to sit or when to buy their food from a canteen inside the airconditioned passengers area. We went around a few times looking for a place to sit down and perhaps to drink coffee. Aris found a staircase where no one wanted to sit. The steps were oily but we laid out a newspaper we meant to read. Black garbage bags were sitting on the last step, so we just looked the other way.



Five very wet boys were squatting on the ledge, asking us to throw a peso coin into the sea for them to dive and retrieve. One of the boys suddenly pulled his head back laughing, his face and body covered by the vomit of a kid on the upper deck. The boys and I had seen the sight but did not say anything until days later when we were reviewing the journey. At that moment, we were trying to ignore all the gory details that would destroy our hunger for breakfast.



Despite this ambiance, Anjo opened a can of vienna sausage; Aris shared some bread with the kids; and I sipped my 3-in-one Nescafe coffee mixed in hot water of dubious source. That was breakfast.



Towards the middle of the journey, a man wearing the crew uniform invited us to join them in the upper deck, near the navigators’ room. There, we had two benches to ourselves, shaded by a roof for the remainder of the trip. Encouraged by cleaner surroundings, we opened our bag of food again and began to eat our crackers and cheese.



We drove off the ferry in Allen, Samar, at 10:50 a.m. We were now in the Visayas and our trip meter read Km. 612. At the roadside leading out into the highway is a sign which said: Tacloban – 247 kms. (There are other signs showing the distances to the major points of Samar but campaign posters covered them.)



We decided to forego eating until we reach Catbalogan. It is important that you do not stop too frequently in Samar, or take too long in your meal stops. Darkness descends faster in the countryside where there are no street lights and the towns are far between.



We had lunch in Catbalogan, at a restaurant named Jonette Foodhaus at San Roque Street. We were actually looking for a resto where we ate last year but after three tries, we stopped at the best looking one. Jonette is a small restaurant serving limited fare. The management was kind enough to sense that we were long-distance travelers, allowing us to use the family toilets inside an adjacent residence.



The decision to drive on to cross Samar as fast as we can served us well. The heavy rains came somewhere in the middle of Hinabangan and Calbiga, slowing us down. The mean road cuts in that highway leading to the San Juanico Bridge will also slow you down. But you will need daylight to negotiate some portions where the road had been transferred to cross a hill.



Follow the small “Road Closed” signs which at first will challenge your sense of direction. Take the new road which now crosses a hill and are very slippery during rainfall.



We arrived in Palo, Leyte by 5:30 p.m., passing the San Juanico Bridge while the light was just perfect for a pictorial. Naturally, we paid our respects to the Shrine of a fulfilled promise. The General’s statue looked golden against the fading light of the day.



MacArthur Park Resort nearby was our last stop for Day Two. There, we had our first real luxury rest complete with a very hot bath and wide comfortable beds.



Day Three: Tacloban to Ormoc



Day Three was a lazy day. The ferry that would take us across Ormoc Bay to the Camotes Sea and Cebu Island would leave at midnight of Wednesday (Cebu Ferries schedule for this trip is on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays.) Instead of swimming in the pool, the team decided to drive to Ormoc early so that we could have lunch there.



This time I insisted on driving because I knew the winding road ahead and the trip would only take about two hours, even with my driving style. Even with a tire change in Jaro town, we were in Ormoc by lunch.



I did not actually burst a tire but the boys had already seen a cut from yesterday’s drive through the mean roads of Samar. I insisted on stopping to have the tire changed because if it became flat while I was on the wheel, our rules said that I would have to change it!



We had 12 hours in Ormoc, so we checked in at the Hotel Don Felipe. After another disappointing room, we vowed to take time to check and smell the rooms before booking them.





 

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