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Boracay Via The Nautical Highway
Guest Traveler: Noel Amo
My wife and I decided to go to Boracay this summer via the nautical
highway. Sure, it was a long trip. But for people with a lot
of time and short in cash, and taste for adventure, this route
is the best way to go to Boracay.
The trip is divided into five parts: 1. Manila
to Batangas City (Bus), 2. Batangas City to Calapan City, Oriental
Mindoro (Roll-On, Roll-Off ship or Ro-Ro for short), 3. Calapan
City to Roxas,Oriental Mindoro (Bus), 4. Roxas to Caticlan (Ro-Ro),
and Caticlan to Boracay (pump boat).
Not familiar with the route, we bought our
tickets at Philtranco bound for Caticlan for P780 per person
(exclusive of the P320 fare for the two Ro-Ro ships we took).
We thought that we didn't have to get off the bus when it rolls
on the bus. We found out later that we have to alight the bus
and sit or lie down on the seats/beds provided in the ships
and ride again the bus once it rolls off the ship. My advice
to those who would choose this mode of transport is to get a
Philtranco ticket only up to Roxas (which costs about more than
500 pesos) and get a Ro-Ro ticket at Roxas bound for Caticlan
for P210. Once in Caticlan, you pay a terminal fee of P20 and
P17.50 fare for the pumpboat bound for Boracay. There are three
boat stations in Boracay, 1,2 and 3. So, make sure what boat
station the resort you will be staying is near.
Being on a tight budget, we surfed the internet
to searched for inexpensive accommodations and then booked our
eservations online. We decided on Casa Camilla (http://pages.zdnet.com/asiabill//id1.html),
which is near boat station 3. The place is relatively near the
talipapa (the place where you can buy souvenirs and groceries/
provisions) and also a water filling station.
The long trip was worth it. Upon reaching Boracay,
we immediately checked in the resort and headed straight to
the beach afterwards. There were lots of green algae on the
water by the beach. But as you head out to the deeper part of
the sea, the algae thins out. We spent our first night just
lying on the beach in front of the resort and had dinner in
our room eating the provisions we brought.
The following morning, a Sunday, we had breakfast
at a local carinderia before going to church. It was quite a
distance from our resort so we decided to take a tricycle (P30/special
trip). We found out that there is only one Catholic church in
the whole of Boracay so we had no choice. After the mass, we
again went to the beach for a dip. The church is near the Pearl
of the Pacific Beach Resort and the grotto (a rock/coral on
the beach with an image of the Virgin Mary on top). We decided
to go on an island-hopping trip after lunch. We (5 adults and
a baby) rented a pumpboat for P900. The itinerary was Club Panoly,
Puka Beach, snorkeling near the Crocodile Island (P10/person),
Crystal Cove (entrance-P70/person) and some more snorkeling.
After the 4-hour trip, we were dropped by the
pump boat near the resort and had some time to rest before having
dinner. Before dinner, we went to the talipapa for some souvenirs
and pasalubongs. There are lots of restaurants to choose from:
Chinese, Filipino, Italian, German, Mexican, etc. Buffet dinners
are offered ranging from P175 to P185. We chose to have dinner
at a restaurant, which offered buffet and with a live and starting
at 9PM.
On our last day, we got up early, took a tricyle
bound for the beach in front of Friday's Beach Resort. This
part of the beach has the finest sand in Boracay and boat free
waters. The area was cordoned off so that boats cannot land
on the beach in front of Friday's. We spent our last few hours
swimming and snorkeling. Finally, we had to return to the resort
to prepare to go home.
We were the last passengers to board the pump
boat at round 12:30 before it left for the Caticlan port. When
we got to the port, we only had a few minutes to board the ship
before it left for Roxas. The ship was almost full when we got
there so we decided to stay at the canteen. There were long
benches there and it was airconditioned. I think this was the
best place to stay because we had time to nap and the place
was cool. The trip took about 5 hours to reach Roxas. When we
reached Roxas, a van was waiting bound for Caticlan. We were
the last passengers again to board the van. After about 2 hours,
we reached Calapan, where we rushed to the Ro-ro about to leave
for Batangas City. Another two hours and we were in Batangas
City taking an aircon bus going to Cubao. We got back to Manila
at about 3:00 AM.
Totally exhausted, we got home, thinking our
next summer vacation next year: Coron, Palawan or a longer stay
in Boracay again!
Noel and Vangie love traveling.
Together with their 2-year-old daughter, they try to visit as
many places in the Philippines as their finances would permit
them. You may try checking out their website at www.amo.8k.com.
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