Romblon Archives - Page 2 of 5

Dam, Dalipi River and DENR Substation at Magdiwang, Sibuyan Island, Romblon

February 26, 2013 by Josiah Leave a Comment

After warming up on the hiking tour of Sanctuary Garden Resort in Magdiwang, Sibuyan Island, Romblon we decided to do what the lady on the restaurant suggested to hike to the DENR Sibuyan Substation passing by a dam and Dalipi River. We first asked some of the staff there on how we could go to the places, they told us a series of complex directions and waypoints that I easily disremembered. They also suggested that we could hire a guide for 500 Pesos to accompany us, unfortunately, we were going low on funds. Good thing that Dazl and Jessica was here. But if all else fail there’s still the option of wearing my clothes inside-out to catch the locals attention and ask them for directions.

Dam near the Sanctuary Garden Resort

I thought that the Dam would be more than a couple of hundred meters away from Sanctuary Garden Resort but it was just less than 100 meters away. The clear waters from the Dam and the people already swimming on it was really inviting! I wanted to swim but I can’t as we still needed to continue walking. I thought that maybe I could go back later in the afternoon after our hiking trip to take a dip at the cool waters of the dam. But that did not happen.

Sanctuary Garden Resort in Magdiwang, Sibuyan Island, Romblon

February 25, 2013 by Josiah Leave a Comment

When we arrived at Ambulong Port in Sibuyan Island, Romblon for the second time, we were planning to visit the tourist spots of the Municipality of Magdiwang. First things first we needed to look for a place to stay so we could rome around without being restricted by our bags. Dazl already had a plan to stay at Sanctuary Garden Resort and so Jessica and I followed her commands. We negotiated first with a tricycle driver and agreed on a price of 45 Pesos per person for the 15 minute ride to the resort.

Tricycle at Ambulong Port

We passed by the National Highway and saw Mount Guiting-Guiting. According to one of the locals that we talked with on our first trip to Sibuyan Island, he told us that Mount Guiting-Guiting always had a cloud covering it, therefore if we saw the peak of Mount Guiting-Guiting we would eventually marry someone very soon. So if you’re looking for the girl or boy of your dreams maybe you want to try your luck on Sibuyan Island.

View of Mount Guiting-Guiting from the road

Going back to the tricycle ride, we finally arrived at the Sanctuary Garden Resort and I quickly liked the welcoming spacious garden of the resort. On the left was a big pavilion which is their restaurant. On the upper parts of the hill at the back of the restaurant there were rooms. At the farther side there were big houses made from wood and stones.

Comfort Rooms and Houses

February 24, 2013 by Josiah Leave a Comment

When we were doing our Motorcycle Tour around Banton Island in Romblon Province I saw a sign stating the statistics of Barangay Balogo. I found the number of Comfort Rooms a bit funny. Growing up in the city where a house usually has one or more comfort rooms, I always thought that when a house was built a Comfort Room would automatically come with it. I found the answer to my ignorance in the Waste Management Seminar of Northern Palawan Provincial Hospital in one of the islands in Taytay, Palawan.

Statistics Board of Barangay Balogo in Banton Island, Romblon

When the participants were asked on what were their common/major environmental problem, one of the participants answered that there were only a few Comfort Rooms in their town. This leads to citizens urinating and defecating anywhere there is cover. Nature could handle a certain amount of excrement to decompose, but for a community it’s too much.

Motorcycle Tour around Banton Island, Romblon

February 21, 2013 by Josiah 1 Comment

The afternoon that we arrived at Banton Island in the Province of Romblon, we inquired on how we could go around the island. Ate Osing of A & A Lodging House told us that we could rent a Single for us to go touring around the island.

In the Municipality of Banton, roads are designed only for motorcycle, that is why most of their roads only has a width of less than 2 meters. Some of the residents have their own motorcycles, but for people like us that do not have one, the Single would be our faster means of transportation other than walking.

The Single is a motorycle that has an extended railing at the tail to accommodate more people. That’s why a Single could accommodate Dazl, Jessica and me plus the driver… plus a possible person to be seated in front of the driver. On other parts of the country the Single is popularly called Habal-habal.

The next morning we negotiated with the driver and agreed to pay hime 500 Pesos for him to tour us around the island. Here’s how our motorcycle tour around Banton Island went.

9:12 AM – Start of Tour via Single

Roads along the shore

Mossy Road around Banton Island

Journey to Cajidiocan, Sibuyan Island, Romblon

January 6, 2013 by Josiah Leave a Comment

It was the day after our adventure on Cobrador Island. The plan was to move from Romblon Island to Sibuyan Island to visit a waterfalls in the municipality of Cajidiocan.

The ferry, Maria Querubin, was arriving around 6:30AM from San Agustin, Tablas Island and will be leaving for Ambulong Port in Magdiwang, Sibuyan Island at around 7:30AM. According to the locals of Romblon Island once the ferry docks, it will not take long for it to leave, that is why we should be ready to board when the boat arrives.

We heard a loud honk signalling the ferry’s arrival. Goods were unloaded and loaded. We went inside through the slippery stomach of Maria Querubin. The smell was of industrial oil. Then up through the stairs to the passengers area. (10 Pesos/person terminal fee)

I don’t know if its a general thing for ferries, but I noticed on all the ferries that I rode, not only in Romblon, people would place their stuff on seats and even if there are other passengers that are standing, they would not remove their stuff from the seats. I wish people would be more considerate to others. There’s really nothing you can do but to be an example or ask them kindly for you to be seated.

The locals were right when they told us that the boat will be leaving immediately as it left before 7:30AM, earlier than its scheduled departure.

It was a calm trip in the month of May 2013. Got to see a different perspective of Romblon Island. Story’s of dolphin sighting emerged but they were not seen. It was a 2 hours and 30 minutes journey. Time well spent for getting to know more of Dazl, Pam and Marky. (228 Pesos/person from Romblon Island to Magdiwang, Sibuyan Island)

The boat arrived on Ambulong Port in Magdiwang, Sibuyan Island. A port made of concrete with the nearby land full of mangroves. The mangroves gave a good impression on me. If a port where many people pass by still has a lot of mangroves then it shows a glimpse on how well preserved the inside is.

Ambulong Port in Magdiwang, Sibuyan Island, Romblon

We went down and asked the jeepneys lined up in the port on where they were going. Some to San Fernando. Some to Cajidiocan. We thought of not riding it yet but there were no longer any jeepneys left. So we boarded and paid 120 Pesos/person for an hour trip to Cajidiocan. 😐