Pinoy Wandering Boy: Roaming Around Romblon

Carabao Island: Of Bumpy Boat Ride, Unspoiled Beach and Friendly Locals

Tuesday, May 28, 2013Ryan Mach

It was a lovely day. The sun's out. The sky's bright and clear. The sea was calm. What could possibly go wrong?

The boat ride from Sta. Fe in Tablas to Carabao Island doesn't take more than an hour. This I know too well because I've taken the same trip a year ago when I went to San Jose with a friend. The only difference was we took a passenger pump boat which was way bigger than we had this time. But otherwise, it was the same route and it was also summer.

Romblon | Toploading in Sibuyan

Thursday, May 02, 2013Ryan Mach

Precariously perched atop a crowded jeepney on a beautiful Saturday morning, we traversed our way from the sleepy town of Cantingas to the scenic village of Espana in Sibuyan, Romblon toploading style.

[Local teenager helping my friends to get on top]

Getting to the roof of the vehicle already full to the brim, so to speak, was no mean feat as we had to scramble our way up, dodging passengers whose heads and arms peeked outside the window and ultimately settling our butts in on the hard metal, sharing cramped space with local passengers, bags and sacks of fruits and vegetables. When the engine started to rev up, we anticipated a bumpy yet exhilarating ride while holding on for our dear lives.

Roaming Around Romblon Sibuyan

Romblon | Sunset Watching in Azagra

Monday, April 29, 2013Ryan Mach

"One loves the sunset when one is sad," said the Little Prince in Antoine de Saint Exupéry's most beloved story. If that were true, then we might be as well a bunch of sad, emotional and sorrowful souls who simply happened to be in a pretty lonely place on a peculiar afternoon waiting for the dying sun. Could be very poetic if that was the case. But we were far from moping.

Tired, yes; but lonely, no. Spending a whole afternoon in the gorgeous island of Cresta de Gallo made us all a little worn out. Still, when our tour guide asked us if we wanted to watch the sun set in Azagra, a small sleepy town nestled at the foot of Sibuyan mountains and ringed by Sibuyan sea on the west coast, we couldn't say no. A little downtime couldn't possibly hurt.

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Romblon | Cresta de Gallo: A Beautiful and Remote Island

Sunday, April 28, 2013Ryan Mach

There is a small island sitting off the coast of Sibuyan in Romblon. It's called "Cresta de Gallo." We went there one summer and I was incredibly stunned by its beauty. Without sounding biased, I can say that it's one of the best islands I've seen. The photos don't lie, it's really a looker.

The scenic sand bar of Cresta de Gallo

Getting to the island is not easy. For starters, you'll have to board a ferry from Batangas to Romblon, then hop on another boat to the island of Sibuyan, Romblon's second largest island next to Tablas. There is a shipping line that sails directly to Azagra but it's got a reputation for being unsafe. Regardless, taking this ferry can save you a lot of time and money. Just don't say I didn't warn you. From Azagra, you need to rent a boat that will take you to the island. It's a half-hour ride, one hour tops if the water's choppy.

Seeing the island for the first time, I felt some sense of pride for my province. I never knew that such a lovely island existed. But then again, I was born and raised in Tablas, a few miles away from Sibuyan. In fact, I haven't been to this part of Romblon until that summer when I and my friends went on a backpacking trip around the province.

Struck by the beauty before my eyes, I welcomed my travel companions rather theatrically, exclaiming "Welcome to my province, Romblon!" with the most ecstatic voice I could muster, complete with hand gestures. But alas, they didn't notice the act (at least I think they didn't), which was fortunate because I looked rather awkward. Whether my travel mates were smitten by Cresta de Gallo, or they simply found my scream intrusive, I have no idea. Regardless, they paid me no mind, as if I hadn't shouted at all. And I can't really blame them for being speechless.

Approaching the island

Roaming Around Romblon

En Route to Cresta de Gallo : Elusive Lunch and Diminutive Trike

Sunday, April 28, 2013Ryan Mach

My stomach groaned in disagreement when the group decided to take lunch in Cresta de Gallo, a small island off the coast of San Fernando, Sibuyan, Romblon. Well, I had no problem per se with having lunch in Cresta de Gallo. It's just that I felt like someone or something had been intent on taking my lunch away!

Lunch had been pretty much elusive that day. En route to Cantingas River Resort aboard a crowded jeepney, we were promised by our guide that the food was ready. When we arrived at the resort, there was no lunch in sight. It turned out that it was waiting for us on the beach. So we settled our stuff in and hopped on a small trike which took us to Azagra, a fishing village about 4 kilometers from Cantingas. The trike was too small, it was a wonder how 10 people, including the driver, were able to fit inside.