Traipsing Taipinoy 09 - Visayan Voyage (Part 1)

The flight back from Taipei was serene; the weather was brilliant, a complete turnaround from the turbulent flight to Taiwan. And looking back on the emerald isle with the towering cumulus over the central range makes the perfect fairytale ending to a terrific trip.

Farahdi joined us, finally, at NAIA Terminal 3 after what seemed to be an eternity – our plane got slightly delayed in Taipei and she had arrived 2 hours before that. I’m sure Aly was also anticipating that moment because he had had a ‘tough’ time living alone with me for 2 weeks. The 3 of us hailed a cab a headed own straight to Pasay to catch a bus to Baguio (P445/pax). By 6pm, we were on our way to the cordilleras, the second time for Aly and I. We reached in the dead of the night, at 2am to be exact, and we had no choice but to camp at the 24-hr Dunkin Donut outlet at Session Road. It was painful; we waited for the bus to Kabayan which were told would start operating at 5am but the first bus never came until 10am. Thankfully, we paid a visit to the Muslim stall like before (2 weeks earlier to be exact) and the ‘home-cooked’ halal food somewhat lifted our spirits for the day. The ride to Kabayan (P223/pax) took us another 6 hours and after what seemed like an endless road, we arrived at the safety of Coop Lodge in the heart of Kabayan Town (P200/pax per night). Nothing fancy there, just basic accommodation amenities which did not go down too well with some of us, but that was to be expected.

The next day at Kabayan was what we had been waiting for. We hired a guide, Mr Timmy (P800) to take us to Pongosan Caves near sitio Bongao where 5 mummies resided. It was estimated that they had been there for centuries and they surely did not make it easy for us to pay a visit. The 7km walk was the easy part; what was not so easy was the last 45min climb to the cave entrance. The trail was steep and poorly-maintained with overgrown grass and toppled branches which made for an agonizing ascend. But it was worth it. Timmy was kind enough open the coffins to allow us an up-close-and-personal experience with the remains of the deceased. We scrambled back down to Bongao and then returned to Kabayan to call it a day. Rewarding as it was, we were exhausted after battering the terrain – our sandals (except Aly’s Tevas) took the toll and we had scars of grass-lashes to prove of the ordeal. We took the 5.30am bus out the next morning, but not before an ‘eventful’ night where we nearly burnt down the entire lodge – we disposed of smouldering cigarette butts in the wastepaper bucket by mistake.

Back in Manila, we checked into Malate Pensionne in the backpacker’s district. It was Lonely Planet’s pick but we had to complain that it was a complete sauna and the beds were infested with bugs. I slept on the floor the second night. Anyway, what was to be the highlight was Taal Volcano. We took the bus (P123/pax) from Baclaran for a 2-hr ride to Tagaytay. The view from the ridge was breathtaking, owing to brilliant light of the summer sun. We took a package (P1500) for a transport to and from Talisay (the lakeside town) and the return bangka trip to the island itself. I was more than peeved to learn that the locals had abused municipal recommendations to enforce a mandatory guide on all visitors (P500 for a guide was no joke). Get this, the trail was well-worn and leisurely that the chances of anyone getting a cardiac arrest on the way up and down the crater is far from remote, what more getting lost. Aly and Farahdi hired horses for the experience but cash-straped, I had to decline. I did the climb in 30 minutes, faster than the horses, with my own guide panting behind me. For all the differences in opinions that day, all of us agreed that the view from the top, though beautiful, was a bit of a let down. I had expected a boiling lake of sulphur and smoke billowing from the still-active vents, the ones you’d imagine in Arnold’s Total Recall. What greeted us was unsettling serenity instead. Then again, we dare not ask for too much. As I reached the starting point of the climb, I glanced at all the tired horses whose lives were banished to overwork. The gatekeeper joked that they will only retire when they die. Uncalled for, I think. All in all, Taal is beautiful (Aly would disagree because the rice terraces were more sublime), and I’m proud to boast that I actually ascended and descended a live volcano. But on a personal note, unless you have a voracious appetite for equestrian meat, walk the talk.