Manila to CDO in 3 days: My Poor Attempt to Chronicle the Trip
Almost 1400 km on land and who knows how many nautical miles, this was a trip that I thought would never happen. Road trips are economically and physically taxing and being the perennial homebody that I am, I'd rather catch a few z's, kick some alien butt on my PSP, see a nice movie in the comfort of our home or just read a good book. This time around though, I felt like I needed to just get out and go. So I went for it. The fact that Lino (Trip Boss)and I had been talking about doing this for some time and that he would be taking care of everything from the vehicles to our lodging made my decision much easier. Dex (Dr. Schumacher) and I were in between jobs so all we had to shell out was sustenance and our...ahem...highly developed pro driving skills.It was a cold Saturday morning when The Trip Boss, Danica Patrick (Stella), Dr. Schumacher and I went on our sleepy but merry way. We were on the SLEX around 3 a.m. and Dr. Schumacher was first on the helm of Everest I. Ever the speed demon, Dr. Schumacher was eager to floor the accelerator of the vessel to showcase his Formula One prowess and display his oneness with the road. I was able to sway his urges early on (that didn't last, of course) so we were doing under a 100 km until we made our way out of the SLEX with The Boss trailing behind driving Fortuner 2 with Danica riding shotgun. We reached Lucena City around 6 a.m. and after maybe a couple more hours made our first scenic stop somewhere en route to the Gumaca town proper to stretch our legs and take in the fresh air.
Reaching the town proper, we unwittingly (I saw an old church and thought maybe it's something historic) made our way to the Cathedral of San Diego De Alcala and took a rather modest number of pictures because we simply didn't know back then that we were in the presence of the oldest and biggest Catholic church in the province of Quezon (from WOW Philippines website).
I was behind the wheel after we had brunch and if only Everest I could talk, he'd surely say "don't let that maniac drive me again" because Dr. Schumacher had a pissing contest earlier with another lunatic on the road. I don't remember who started it but neither driver wanted to back down and wouldn't let the other pass him. I felt like I was talking to a rabid dog who's seen a small animal run by as Dr. Schumacher ignored my instruction to slow down for my own safety. I don't condone reckless driving but Dr. Schumacher won that race hands down. Danica was driving Fortuner 2 at that time and I thought that she wouldn't be able to keep up, I was wrong because man, she CAN drive.
It was already near mid-afternoon when we caught sight of Mt. Mayon and thought that maybe we should make the stop and take some pictures. The images below were taken in the Cagsawa Ruins and unfortunately, only the foot of Mt. Mayon was visible in the pictures. Too bad really.
It was already near mid-afternoon when we caught sight of Mt. Mayon and thought that maybe we should make the stop and take some pictures. The images below were taken in the Cagsawa Ruins and unfortunately, only the foot of Mt. Mayon was visible in the pictures. Too bad really.
It was almost sundown when we reached Matnog where a barge will ferry us to the other side. I think it was 6 p.m. when we officially left the island of Luzon and headed for Samar.
Rose and Jack on the Titanic? heheh!
Thankfully, the barge ride didn't make any of us queasy as we sailed on calm waters for about an uneventful hour. It was really dark when we disembarked from the vessel and a light drizzle as well as bad, unlit roads welcomed us upon our arrival. Dr. Schumacher was driving again and the unfamiliar and bad road conditions didn't deter him from driving the way he usually does. After two hours or so, we reached Calbayog and spent the night there in a nice enough motel and that sums up how our first day of driving went.
The Boss served breakfast in bed and after dispensing with the morning pleasantries (read: bathroom/toilet business) and switching vehicles, we went on our way around 9:30 a.m. Wohooo! We were en route to Tacloban. Our second day was underway and driving Forturner 2 was sweet but the ride was a different story, I think it's safe to say that Everest I gives a smoother ride.
IF anyone asks me if I have gone "off-roading", I can honestly say that I have because the roads the night before could be considered the Uberbahn compared to the roads from Calbayog leading to Catbalogan. The unpaved roads were so bad that even monster trucks and mammoth buses were brought down to their knees by the craters and crevices. Yes I'm exaggerating but only a little bit. It was rough road to the nth degree. I had fun at first because I get to drive a on roads it's supposedly built for but after doing the look-out-for-moon craters -and-mounds then evade and recover maneuver numerous times, it gets physically and mentally tiring.
After going through and I can't remember how many kilometers from Catbalogan, we were back on paved roads and we knew that meant we were nearing the famous San Juanico Bridge that connected Samar and Leyte.
The Boss served breakfast in bed and after dispensing with the morning pleasantries (read: bathroom/toilet business) and switching vehicles, we went on our way around 9:30 a.m. Wohooo! We were en route to Tacloban. Our second day was underway and driving Forturner 2 was sweet but the ride was a different story, I think it's safe to say that Everest I gives a smoother ride.
IF anyone asks me if I have gone "off-roading", I can honestly say that I have because the roads the night before could be considered the Uberbahn compared to the roads from Calbayog leading to Catbalogan. The unpaved roads were so bad that even monster trucks and mammoth buses were brought down to their knees by the craters and crevices. Yes I'm exaggerating but only a little bit. It was rough road to the nth degree. I had fun at first because I get to drive a on roads it's supposedly built for but after doing the look-out-for-moon craters -and-mounds then evade and recover maneuver numerous times, it gets physically and mentally tiring.
After going through and I can't remember how many kilometers from Catbalogan, we were back on paved roads and we knew that meant we were nearing the famous San Juanico Bridge that connected Samar and Leyte.
SAN JUANICO BRIDGE
Can we take pictures here? Yeah, knock yourselves out.
Too bad we left our fishing poles
When he's not drivin' he's filmin': Doc S's video of the bridge.
It was almost 3 p.m. when we stopped over at a local McDonalds in Tacloban for sustenance but The Boss informed us that if we don't make the 6 p.m. barge in Liloan, we might have to spend the night there and take the first barge the following day. After a lengthy discussion, we decided to try and catch the 6 p.m. barge and not take our sweet time getting there. After seating the fastest drivers on the helm we made our way to Liloan and since Dr. Schumacher and Danica were given free reign as to how fast they can go, I was virtually given front row seats to a car rally and drifting hybrid ride. So after throwing all caution out the window and with total disregard for our own personal safety and others, we were able to make it on time with minutes to spare. If we arrived a few minutes later, we might have stayed in the terminal for the night because other vehicles would have taken our place. I only have this to say, Doc and Danica can drive REALLY fast. We got on the barge, got ready for the 3 hour trip and left for Surigao, essentially from Visayas to Mindanao.
On barge no. 2 from Liloan to Surigao
Barge ride 2 was a little different from barge ride 1 in that it was longer and the sea was uneasy. The barge rocked to and fro, side to side quite a bit one hour or so into the voyage and it felt like the waves were getting bigger and stronger...so much so that I was secretly looking for the life preservers. I couldn't locate any. It was a good thing that my exhaustion overpowered my fear of the ship sinking so the rocking boat lulled me to sleep and I snored my way to Surigao.
It was a pleasant surprise that when we made our way out of the barge we were welcomed by the well lit, nicely paved roads of Surigao. Good thing The Boss has an aunt who resides in that quaint part of the country so our 2nd day ended with us sleeping comfortably and hassle-free.
It was a pleasant surprise that when we made our way out of the barge we were welcomed by the well lit, nicely paved roads of Surigao. Good thing The Boss has an aunt who resides in that quaint part of the country so our 2nd day ended with us sleeping comfortably and hassle-free.
The city hall and their version of Rizal Park is situated in the vicinity of where we stayed for the night. Yup, acted like tourists!
Nice shirts
The 3rd day started with a hearty breakfast and after taking care of business we were off to Butuan.
We drove on nothing but beautifully paved roads and bridges all the way to our last stop before reaching CDO. McDonald's was again our nutritional choice in Butuan and at that time I told myself that I wouldn't touch another burger with a 10-foot pole but I downed a Big Mac anyway. It sure was tasty. After that quick break we were on the road again, eagerly anticipating the end of the 3 day road trip which will officially end in a few hours. The drive was uneventful, bordering on boring but important thing was we were all safe and sound as we arrived in CDO around 7 p.m.
Personally, I felt that our arrival was a bit anticlimactic and the saying that "Life is about the journey and not the destination" somehow came to mind.
Personally, I felt that our arrival was a bit anticlimactic and the saying that "Life is about the journey and not the destination" somehow came to mind.
