“To awaken quite alone in a strange town is one of the pleasantest sensations in the world.” – Freya Stark

2:00am-

The alarm from my phone woke me up. I didn’t place it near me so I got up and pressed the stop button. My friends began to fix their things. Yes, it’s way too early. But then we needed to catch the 5:30 am boat ride to Caramoan.

2:45 am

We left Sampaguita Tourist Inn and took a tricycle to Filcab Van Terminal, which is located in front of SM Naga City. One may opt to walk since Sampaguita Inn is just a few blocks away. But since we’re bringing other things with us, we rode a trike. It’s just 10 minutes away and the fare is only Php 8/person.

2:55 am

The trike dropped us at the Filcab Van Terminal. Everything seemed dark except for one area that was lit. There were two vans in the lighted area. One of the van drivers woke up when he heard the trike. He opened the door of the van and let us put our things. We’re the first passengers during that time. We waited.

3:15 am

No one seemed coming. I asked the consensus of the group if they’re willing to rent the whole van, which can accommodate 14 passengers. We’re only four. The fare for each passenger costs Php 120 and that multiplied by 14 would be Php 1,440.00. If we divided it by 4, we have to share Php 360 each. Not painful to the pocket. And our goal is really to catch the 5:30 am boat ride or else our schedule would not go as planned.

3:30 am

We’re still four in the van. So we decided to go with plan B: rent the whole van. The driver agreed to take us to Caramoan for Php 1,200. And so we shared Php 300 each.

3:38 am

I looked at my watch as the van departs the Filcab Van Terminal. Yipee! we have the van all to ourselves. Angge found her way at the back seat and slept. Darkness was everywhere. I closed my eyes but my mind was already awake.

5:00am

The van stopped. We were in Sabang.I opened my eyes and saw locals peeking at the van. I was at first, surprised but remembered my previous researches. They were porters. When the van driver opened the door, they started asking if we have baggage. We politely declined since our things were manageable.

5:10am

It was freezing cold as we walked to a small office where we signed our names on the manifesto. After signing, the sight on the other side was inviting me to come near the waters. I walked towards the shore and saw the magnificent Mayon Volcano with the stunning horizon of orange and indigo hues as its backdrop. What a scenery! The water was so calm. No words can best described what I saw but my photos. I started clicking away.

5:20 am

Joseph called us. It’s time to board the boat. Good thing, there was a plank to walk on. Previous research stated that porters carry the passengers to the boat when it’s low tide.

5:30 am

The boat left Sabang. And so off we go to our journey to Caramoan. The MV Harry (the boat) has a capacity of around 30 people if i’m not mistaken with my estimate. If you want to still gaze at her majesty, the Mayon, then sit on the right side of the boat. Others began sleeping again. After all, it’s a bed weather day.

It’s going to be a two-hour ride as what researches said. I want to be accurate so I used my timer from the moment we left Sabang.

6:45 am

One of the boatmen started collecting the fares. It’s Php 120 per passenger. I’m glad I woke up from the nap and captured the green hills which reminded me of those in Palaui and in Batanes. Wow. The sun was up. Thank you Lord for the sunny day.

7:17 am

I stopped my timer. The boat finally docked at Guijalo Port. Total travel timeof from Sabang to Guijalo Port is 1 hour and 40 minutes. Welcome to Caramoan! The painted words said it all.

A woman seated on the side of the port called our attention. I saw the tarpaulin saying that tourists should pay for the environmental fee. Each of us shelled out Php 30 . Before leaving the counter, I asked the woman about the fare for the trike. She said Php 20 each.

One of the drivers invited us to hop on to his trike. We agreed. It was a 20-minute ride from Guijalo Port to West Pen Villas, our home in Caramoan. The driver asked for Php 150. I politely said, “Pero sabi po nung taga munisipyo, 20 each lang po so dapat Php 80 po.”

The trike driver then replied (looking at the staff at the inn), “Ganun po talaga ang rate namin.” The staff at West Pen nodded. And so we just paid so as not to have further discussion anymore.

When the driver asked if he could take us to our next destination, Bikal Port, the gateway to the islands. I declined. “Hindi nalang po.”

IMPORTANT NOTES:

*Travel time- Naga to Sabang: 1 hour 30 minutes

*Travel time- Sabang to Guijalo: 1 hour 40 minutes

*Boat schedules from Sabang to Guijalo: 5:30 am, 7:00am, 9:00 am,11:00 am, 1pm

*Boat schedules from Guijalo to Sabang: 7:00am, 8:00 am, 9:00am, 11:00am

*Globe cellular signal is weak in Sabang and Caramoan.

*Sun cellular signal is surprisingly strong in Sabang and in Caramoan.