From Boracay to Puerto Galera via Romblon

It has been said that a picture is worth a thousand words. Borocay is an excellent example of this wonderful saying, and our pictures are a perfect illustration.

We moved into Melinda's Garden / Orchids. This nice, quiet and comfortable place has a friendly owner who offers a great budget price of P500. Our main interest was a Yapack II, a legendary dive spot about 30 meters deep. I was hoping to find a strong current with lots of sharks. My expectations were mixed as someone told me that no sharks had been seen in the area for the past two months still, I wanted to see this place. Even though I didn't see any sharks, watching the sudden exodus of many fish, one could not help but ‘feel’ them. I'm convinced they were there, but to see them you'll need a strong current and a crazy dive guide. We were lucky to be there in the ‘off season’ as the crowds were small. There are many discos and restaurants, but if you like to party, you'll have to come during the high season (from October through Easter).

After several days we left to visit Romblon; a small white spot on every travel map. Our plans were to take a day ferry to Puerto Gallera. The trip would have taken us via Santa Fe (Tablas) and Odiongan to Batangas. We asked some people in Borocay for ship schedules, but nobody, including Swagman Travel, had this basic information. It was our challenge to find the schedules on our own. We started our trip at 8PM Tuesday. The boat from Caticlan to Santa Fe departed a half hour late because they were waiting for enough passengers to make the trip worthwhile FOR THEM. This is not an uncommon occurrence in the Philippines. Until the boat reached Batangas, we were the only 2 foreigners on board. Being a typical banca (outrigger boat), it is probably not very comfortable in rough seas. On this day, we were lucky.

The boat passed by Carabao Island. This is a typical Philippine island with a costal cliff in front of a white beach. The trip to Santa Fe lasts about two hours and is quite interesting. The pier at Santa Fe is a flurry of activity with people helping passengers disembark and move luggage and belongings. It looked very safe. We were struck with nostalgia when we saw the method of transfer from the boat to the pier. First someone swims to the boat with a rope that is used to pull a smaller boat to the banca. The passengers got into the smaller boat and transferred to the pier. From here, we transferred to an already waiting jeepney. The trip costs about P150 and is beautiful. You travel through the hilly countryside with nice palms and occasional views of the ocean. This trip is much more interesting than flying from Borocay to Manila.

The port area of Odiongan is located a bit outside of the town center, but the ship is visible miles before reaching the port itself. There is a small restaurant at the port that serves no alcohol. One note, the comfort rooms (toilets) were under construction. There is a small market beside the pier where you can purchase food and other items for your trip. I decided to buy a couple of bottles of Tanduay Rum. This local brew is one of the best in the world and costs less than P100/bottle.

The ship reminds me of a Mississippi steamer without the paddle wheels. The furnishings are Spartan on all three decks consisting of bunk beds, only. Your P200 ticket is good for a bed for the 10-hour trip. This was a surprise as we thought the trip lasted only four or five hours. Tickets are not easy to purchase. This is due to the awful procedures at the ticket counter. There is absolutely NO discipline and people fight their way to the window. Luckily, the do have a passenger list.

We arrived around 2PM and boarded at 3:30. This was to reserve a bed. There are many boys around the ship diving for Pisos and other items tossed into the water by the passengers. During the wait for departure, we amused ourselves watching a huge bald and tattooed man directing the loading process. He seemed to be the ONLY authority and did a good job of controlling the chaos. We thought we were lucky because we had a bed on the top deck in a corner in the aft portion of the ferry. No such luck. On the first deck they placed a pig truck and erected ‘temporary quarters’ for the animals. The odor was much more noticeable than the lovely sea air. I was really happy to have the rum as it made sleeping much easier.

For security, we put our locked equipment suitcases on the inside of our beds and above our heavy backpacks. We thought this was a good arrangement. I don't know how it could have happened, but my friend’s toilet bag was missing after that trip. Amazing.

We reached the Batangas port at 1AM where we looked for a special ride to Sabang beach. Because the pier at Batangas is VERY DANGEROUS at night, you I need to you are better off getting a room at the hotel in Batangas City. After the long trip, I must have been a little silly because I actually followed a tout who was offering a van to Manila. He told me that his brother offer special rides to Sabang tonight, so I followed him in the slum area around the pier.
I hope you've enjoyed this little description of our trip. Watch out for part four of Single Adventure Tour 2000.