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March 14-31, 2018
March 14 (Wednesday)
Driver gets enough rest the whole day.
12 midnight: Leave for Legazpi

March 15 (Thursday)
9:00am Arrive in Naga City
Visit Basilica Minore de Penafrancia
Breakfast (from our baon)

*Basilica has a vast open space, perfect place for breakfast eating your baon.
*Try Bigg’s Restaurant if you don’t have baon.

10:00am Drive to Legazpi

12:00pm Lunch at Sumlang Lake, Poblacion, Camalig
1:30pm Visit Cagsawa Ruins
2:00pm Visit Daraga Church
2:30pm Visit Lignon Hill
3:00pm Hotel check-in

*For dinner, try Waway’s Restaurant Legazpi (Buffet, wide selection, affordable yet offers authentic
Bicolano dishes).
REST EARLY

March 16 (Friday)
2:00am Drive to Port of Matnog, Sorsogon
5:00am Get RORO tickets (Choose from Fast Cat, Santa Clara Shipping, Montenegro Shipping).
6:00am RORO trip from Matnog to Samar:
Port of Allen (For Montenegro Shipping)
Jubasan Port (For Santa Clara Shipping)
San Isidro Port (for Fast Cat)
8:00am Drive from Samar Port to Tacloban
2:00pm Check-in@Hotel. Suggestion: Go Hotel

*The key here is to get to Samar Port the earliest possible time. Travel time from Samar to Tacloban is
six hours, passing through vast rice fields, mountains, and seaside (most houses are far from each other,
so you wouldn’t want to drive this road in the evening).

If you have extra day/s to spare, visit the following:

Yolanda Memorial marker
Palo Cathedral
Mac Arthur’s Leyte Landing Memorial
Lake Danao in Ormoc (highly recommended)
Kalanggaman Island in Palompon, Leyte (highly recommended)

March 17 (Saturday)
7:00am Drive to Liloan Port in Southern Leyte
10:00am Buy RORO Ticket
11:00am RORO trip to Surigao City
1:00pm Touchdown Lipata Port in Surigao City. Drive to Butuan
5:00pm Check-in@Hotel. Suggestion: Watergate Butuan

*Liloan Port is the best option. Fast Cat takes this route. Other companies such as Montenegro Shipping
can be found at San Ricardo Port, further down southern Leyte.

March 18 (Sunday)
9:00am Drive to Dahilayan, Bukidnon
2:00pm Check-in@Hotel. Suggestion: Pinegrove Mountain Lodge
*Try their baby back ribs, chocolate de batirol, fried chicken. Highly recommended.

March 19 (Monday)
9:00am Drive to Monastery of Transfiguration at Malaybalay, Bukidnon
*Church design by National Artist for Architecture Leandro Locsin, property managed by
Benedictine Monks.
11:30am Drive to Davao City
*Be prepared for steep climbs and zigzag roads.
4:30pm Check-in@Hotel. Suggestion: Red Planet Hotel

March 20 (Tuesday)
Free time in Davao City
-San Pablo Cathedral
-People’s Park
-Philippine Eagle Center
-Eden Nature Park
-Jack’s Ridge
-Samal Island
-Mount Apo

March 21 (Wednesday)
10:00am Drive to Mati
2:00pm Check-in@Hotel. Suggestion: Kalapyahan Hotel
*Try skimboarding.
*Other option is to put up Tent in Menzi. Menzi is a Local Government managed area where
you can put up tent and spend overnight. It has a very nice beach front. Menzi can get really
crowded on weekends though (common bathroom for everyone).
*This beach is good for skimboarding but not for swimming. Waves can be very strong.
*Try to wake up early morning. Sea Turtles go here to lay eggs. It might be your lucky day, just
 like what I experienced. Sea Cows (Dugong) can also be found in this area.

March 22 (Thursday)
8:00am Drive to Alwagwag Falls, Cateel
12:00pm Swim time
2:00pm Drive to Cateel Town Proper
2:30pm Check-in@Hotel. Suggestion: Edar’s Place
*Walk around their plaza and their baywalk. There’s this one carinderia in the market that sells
fried chicken. Super sarap, people line up, patiently waiting for their fried chicken ;)

March 23 (Friday)
9:00am Drive to Tinuy-an Falls, Bislig
11:30am Enjoy the falls, have lunch. Paluto is quite expensive (400 for the whole chicken, you decide
kung anong luto. We asked for adobo, and tinola, we also ordered fish.)
1:30pm Drive to Hinatuan Enchanted River
3:00pm Swim @ Enchanted River
4:30pm Ride a boat (5 min), check-in at Rock Island Resort (150 pesos boat charge)
*This is where I tasted the best Banagan (Lobster). For dinner, I ordered a Lobster. I didn’t
know they have this “nursery” at the side of the island. So yeah, somebody swam to take my lobsters.
Fresh catch, literally! They also have shrimps, lapu-lapu, blue fin, etc. I got ecstatic. Best dinner!!!

March 24 (Saturday)
7:00am Went for island hopping. Visited Sibadan fish cage and swam with Brenda, the friendly Manta
Ray. Hopped for around three islands for only 500 pesos. Sulit naman.

Upon check-out, boat charges 150 pesos as you go back to Hinatuan proper.
11:30am Drive to Surigao City
5:00pm Check-in @ Hotel. Suggestion: Hotel Tavern Surigao. This hotel is a stone’s throw away from
Eva Macapagal Port, gateway to the famous Siargao Island.
*For dinner, go to EJ’s Restaurant (Just beside Hotel Tavern.)
*Walk to port and buy your tickets going to Siargao Island. I recommend JP Shipping. JPs’
vessel can reach Siargao in 2 ½ hours, compared to Montenegro’s 4 hours.
*If you will bring your car to Siargao, call Montenegro shipping early. They have two trips per
day going to and from Siargao.
*If you will leave your car at Hotel Tavern, they will charge you 100 pesos per day.

March 25 (Sunday)
5:00am Walk to Eva Macapagal Port
6:00am JP Shipping’s M/V Angel 2 leaves for Siargao Island. It’s a Fast Craft and literally flies like an
angel.
9:00am Touchdown Siargao Island
*Port is at the Municipality of Dapa. Most resorts usually offer free transfers. In case you don’t
have, you can rent a tricycle for 300 pesos going to Municipality of General Luna.
*For hotel booking, I suggest you go for hotels located in General Luna. That’s where all the
 surfing action is.

March 26 (Monday)
Island Hopping in Siargao (Guyam, Naked, and Daku Islands. Rate is at P1,500.) Buy fish,pork, veggies,
etc. at the market, found just beside the boat station. Daku island people offers “paluto”.

March 27 (Tuesday)
Early morning: Go to Magpupungko pool (best to go at low tide), go to Sugba Lagoon if you still have
time.

March 28 (Wednesday)
Go surfing!!!
4:00pm Trip back to Surigao City
Check-in@Hotel

March 29 (Thursday)
6:30am Drive to Lipata Port
8:00am RORO trip to Liloan, Southern Leyte
11:00am Drive to Tacloban
2:00pm Check-in @ Hotel

March 30 (Friday)
8:00am drive to Jubasan Port, Samar (Santa Clara Shipping)
2:00pm RORO to Matnog, Sorsogon
3:30pm Drive to Legazpi
6:30pm Check-in @ Legazpi

*For Good Friday, only Santa Clara Shipping has scheduled trip.

March 31 (Saturday)
8:00am drive back to Manila
8:00pm Home sweet home 

Important notes for this cross-country road trip:

1. The longest/tiring trip in this journey is the one going back home, Legazpi-Manila. (approximate 12
hours, 500km). The journey from Manila to Legazpi is still exciting. Haha.
2. As much as possible, don’t drive at night in Visayas and Mindanao area. Houses are far in between.
Vast rice fields and mountains will make it hard for you to ask help in case of any breakdown.
3. Visayas and Mindanao have the best and well maintained highways in the country.
4. For navigation, use Google maps instead of Waze. Google map uses less battery energy. But prior to
taking this trip, buy a printed map and study the routes. You will thank me later 
3. DON”T RELY ON EVERYTHING GOOGLE MAPS WILL POINT YOU.
 For your safety and convenience, stay in the highway (Asian Highway/National Highway).
 The ONLY routes you can go off the Asian Highway are the following:
LUZON
o Tiaong By Pass Road (to avoid town proper)
o Candelaria By Pass Road (to avoid town proper)
o Pagbilao Diversion Road (So you can avoid Tatlong Eme/Bitukang Manok)
 For me, it’s challenging to drive Bitukang Manok at night. Albeit shorter, better to err on
the side of safety as road is very steep. It’s safer to take Bitukang Manok during
daytime, going back to Manila. There will be a lot of traffic volunteers at daytime, just
give them coins.)
o Rolando Andaya Highway (This road, (Calauag-Sipocot Road) is the shortcut road to
Naga. Following Asian Highway will lead you to a longer route-> Daet).
o Sorsogon Diversion Road
VISAYAS
o Calbayog Diversion Road (to avoid town proper)
o Gandara Diversion Road (to avoid town proper)
o Catbalogan Diversion Road (to avoid town proper)
MINDANAO
o Butuan-CDO-Iligan Road
o Claveria Road (Shortcut from Butuan to Cagayan de Oro. Crossing through Mt. Balatukan
and Mt. Mangabon Natural Park allows you to skip 10 towns in the National Highway
Route.)
o Sayre Highway (Road going to Bukidnon)
o Davao-Buda National Highway (Road to Davao)
o Surigao-Davao Coastal Road (Road to Dahican Beach in Mati then to Cateel and Bislig)
o Compostela-Cateel Road (Road to Aliwagwag Falls in Cateel)
o Farm to Market road going to Tinuy-An Falls in Bislig
o Road to Ennchanted River (I don’t know the name of the road 
 By going to Legazpi and back to Manila, NEVER take the shorter route that will skip Naga City
(Provincial road passing through towns of San Fernando, Minalabac, Bula, and Nabua). I took the
shorter route back to Manila and my Starex almost did not make it (traversing all the muddy dirt
roads and steep climbs, my Starex slid at the side of the mountain even if I stepped on the
break, causing some family panic (not picnic).
 Wherever you will spend the night in Legazpi, when it’s time to push towards Matnog Port in
Sorsogon, always stay at Asian Highway/Maharlika Highway/Pan-Philippines Highway except for
Sorsogon Diversion Road. I DON’T recommend that you take the Bicol 640 Road and
Banquerohan-Bariis-Sogoy-Sorsogon Boundary Road. (Because I don’t have a good feeling about
it )
 The road from Bukidnon to Davao City is 283km (almost 7 hours) of mountains and zigzag roads.
Make sure your car is fit for this trip.

Jose Emmanuel H. Ramos

Planning started December 2017
Executed March 2018
 RORO Crossing from Matnog to Samar

Agas-Agas Bridge in Sogod, Southern Leyte (Tallest Bridge in PH

San Juanico Bridge, Tacloban (Longest bridge in PH)

Naga City

Mati Beach
Bukidnon
Aliwagwag Falls, Cateel

Tinuy-An Falls, Bislig

 Enchanted River, Hinatuan

Swimming area at Enchanted River

 Cloud 9 Tower, Siargao Island

The Villa I rented for my parents (Siargao Island)

aaaa
"Money will come and go. We all know that. The most
important thing in life will always be the people in this
room. Right here, right now."
- Dom Toretto, Fast & Furious Five