PKP: Aurora RoadTrip – Mobile Edition
The road to hell is paved with good intentions.
Ok, so you have four idiots who want a roadtrip, a Hyundai Getz (digs?), and two JPEG images of Nueva Ecija and Aurora maps as your guide. What do you get? A stressful but really enjoyable venture into the unknown.
The PKP team decided to go to Aurora province in Eastern Philippines for their first trip of the year. No one really knew how to get there, no reservations were made for the accommodation, and no one has a slight idea on what to expect on the trip. The only thing we knew is that we wanted to go to Aurora with Lily (the Getz).
After meeting somewhere in Quezon City, we started our adventure by going to the North Luzon Expressway and the SCTEX. We left the expressway at La Paz, Tarlac and then proceeded eastward towards Nueva Ecija. At lunchtime we arrived at Cabanatuan City and ate at one of the restaurants along the National Road. Frankly the meals they offered were not delicious.
Start your engines! Boss Erol driving the first stretch.
Moving on, we were deliberating whether we will go to the Pantabangan Dam or not in northern Nueva Ecija, but in the end we decided not to go in order to save time and to ensure that we arrive at Aurora before nighttime. Since we are not going to the dam, we headed towards Palayan (the capital) to take the Bongabon route towards Aurora.
But as we drove our way through Nueva Ecija, we noticed that we are headed towards the town of Talavera! The path we are taking is opposite the path towards Palayan. But since Cabanatuan is already far behind, we decided to push through and proceed to the northern route towards Aurora, via Pantabangan town.
Lily parked at Pantabangan
We stopped somewhere in Pantabangan, ate some local isaw, and then continued our journey. The dam area is visible but we decided not to go there because we may not have much time.
Ihaw at isaw sa Pantabangan
After hours of driving and after passing through a one way road above a dam, we finally reached Aurora province. It is already getting dark and the cool breeze is starting to chill us so after some picture taking, we continued on towards Baler, where we will spend the night.
The roads in Aurora near the border to the other provinces are really rough. They are not made of cement/asphalt but it looked like someone just dumped small rocks and clay and then they called it a road. Lily, the faithful and still reliable Getz had a hard time navigating through rough terrain and uphill slopes. Really, we should have brought a 4x4 vehicle. It will make things much easier.
We finally reached Aurora province!
At 7 pm, we are still driving in the rough road. The road passes through the Sierra Madre mountain range so it is full of zig-zag turns. At around 7:30 pm we finally arrived at the town of Maria Aurora, where we asked for directions on how to get to Baler. Luckily, from Maria Aurora, the road is already paved so the drive went smoothly.
After arriving at Baler, we refueled and then asked for directions on where we can spend the night. They pointed us to Bay's Inn resort, located just in front of the beach. Perfect. It was already dark so we just ate our dinner at the resort, drank 3 liters of Red Horse and then went to sleep. I was surprised that the food there is quite cheap compared to other resorts I have been to.
Hindi pa ako lasheng....
The next morning, the view of the beach is really tempting. There are many surfers who enjoyed the waves. That was the first time I saw the Pacific Ocean from a beachfront.
After eating our breakfast, we decided to try surfing. No one really knew how to do it, but the surfers looked like they were really enjoying themselves so why not give it a try? We rented two surfboards for 200 Php/hour each. Cheaper compared to the surf boards in Zambales. And the waves here are really nice too. Sweet.
Normally, you would want to hire an instructor if you still do not know how to surf. But we decided to do it the PKP way by doing it ourselves. In short, nag urag-uragunan lang.
The waves are really violent, and I mostly found myself being tossed under the water. I had a hard time positioning the board because the waves keep on coming and coming. If a wave crashed on you and you are still recovering another will surely come and hit you again. Luckily the water is quite shallow else I would have drowned then. A tiring but definitely fun experience.
Erol and Lily quality time
At around lunchtime we checked out of the resort, and headed back home. Since we do not want to experience the rough road to Pantabangan, we headed towards the Bongabon route instead, hoping that the roads there are better.
Bridge somewhere in Aurora (Baler - Bongabon)
We were wrong. For me, it was worse than the Pantabangan route. Not only is the road rough, but it is also very narrow, and the side that we are driving is the side where the cliff is! One wrong move and we will plunge in the forests below. Cool. The town of Bongabon is 77 kilometers away, not that far, but that is if you are not driving at 20kph.
WTF Dead End?
After some rough experience in the road, we were greeted by a broken bridge! WTF, a dead end?
Crossing the wooden bridge of death
We asked a local who is passing by and he said that we can use the makeshift wooden bridge to cross the stream. Nice. We got out of the vehicle to make it lighter or else we risk breaking the wooden bridge.
Collapsed bridge en route to Bongabon
I was wondering what the hell happened to this bridge. It looked like it was bombed or something. Which reminded me, there are numerous reports of the New People's Army operating at Aurora province.
Slow and steady
The wooden bridge looked tough anyway, and Lily made it to the other side safe and sound.
One wrong move and the trip is over.
If the bridge collapsed and we wrecked the car, I have no idea how we are going to go back home in Manila. This place is very remote and there are only a few trucks going through this road. My guess is the trucks are not passing through the wooden bridge but they cross the stream directly.
Toti the Explorer doing his job
After we made it to the other side, we moved on. But since the road is really f***ed up, our navigator had to sometimes guide the car or else we risk being stuck in the mud or falling in the cliff.
The entire scenario
It was already dark and we are still driving in the mountain pass. There were no electric posts guiding our way, but only the sound of insects and the rustling of leaves at night. There were a few houses then and there, and I was amazed at how they were living their lives in this remote area without electricity. We passed by a DENR checkpoint, they pointed their flashlight at us and let us pass. Maybe they were there to report any illegal logging activities happening in Aurora.
After about 5 hours of navigating the rough mountain pass, we finally arrived at Bongabon. From there, the road is paved again so going back to Cabanatuan did not pose much of a problem. Our navigator instructed our driver on how to drive in a provincial highway at night. Cool.
9 pm. We finally arrived at Cabanatuan City and had our dinner.
Dinner at McDo Cabanatuan City
Throughout the trip Lily was really reliable even though there were several accidents, like hitting the bottom of the car at a parking lot, hitting it again in the rough road, driving while the hand brake is still on, and others. We were lucky we were not involved in a major accident while driving, especially since we are only using a small car.
It was already midnight when we arrived at Manila and got back home. My entire body is aching the next day and I had a fever after that, but all in all, the trip is really rewarding.
It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end - Ernest Hemingway
PKP: Traveling in a Different Way
I really love to travel and explore new places. The more difficult the journey is, the more satisfying it is to finally reach the destination. It is only by seeing for ourselves what the "outside" world looks like that we gain a wider understanding of the "why"s and "how"s in our own lives.
In this post I will state my views on each of the items written by Paulo regarding his experiences in traveling.
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By Paulo Coelho
When I was very young I discovered that, for me, a journey is the best way to learn. I still have this pilgrim’s soul to this day, and have decided to relate some of the lessons I have learned, in the hopes that they will be useful to other like-minded pilgrims.
Avoid museums.
This advice may seem absurd, but let us reflect a little together: if you are in a foreign city, isn’t it far more interesting to seek out the present, than the past? Usually, people feel obliged to go to museums, because ever since they were small they have been told that traveling is a search for this type of culture. Of course museums are important, but they require time and objectivity - you need to know what it is you want to see there, otherwise you will come away with the impression that you saw several things which are fundamental to your life, but cannot remember what they were.
Before traveling to another place, you must first study at least a part of what you will expect when you reach there. Part of the excitement in a journey is finally seeing face to face what you only saw previously in post cards, books, magazines, and other materials. But it is not good to focus only on famous tourist spots, but instead try to find and discover your own "tourist spot".
Frequent bars.
Unlike museums, this is where the life of the city can be found. Bars are not discotheques, but places where the people gather to have a drink, pass the time, and are always willing to chat. Buy a newspaper and observe the bustle of people coming and going. If someone speaks to you, strike up a conversation, however banal: one cannot judge the beauty of a path merely by looking at its entrance.
This depends on the culture and environment of the place that you are staying. Make sure you follow all of the community rules and policies so as not to get into trouble. The "bars" mentioned above does not necessarily mean the ones that only open at night, but rather the places where locals gather together and share their stories, probably near the market, a park, or a transportation station.
Be open and forward.
The best tourist guide is someone who lives there, knows everything, but doesn’t work at a travel agency. Go out into the street, choose someone you wish to speak to, and ask him or her for directions (where is such-and-such a cathedral? Where is the post office?) If this bears no fruit, try someone else - I guarantee that in the end you will find excellent company.
This is related to the previous item, where communication with the locals is a very rewarding experience. We had several experiences where strangers helped us find our way home, provided us with transportation, or let us eat lunch at their home when we had nowhere else to go. It is these types of interaction with the people that the journey becomes a rewarding and unforgettable experience (much more than the famous tourist spots).
Try and travel alone, or - if you are married - with your spouse.
It will be harder work, no one will be looking after you, but this is the only way of truly leaving your country. Group travel is just a disguised way of pretending to go abroad, where you speak your own language, obey the leader of the pack, and concern yourself more with the internal gossip of the group than with the place you are visiting.
Again it depends on the place you are going. Generally, safety is the top priority when you travel outside your "comfort zone". Although traveling alone really gives you the chance to discover your inner strengths, as much as possible, find a companion (unless you are prepared to make that journey your last).
Don’t compare.
Don’t compare anything - not prices, nor cleanliness, nor quality of life, nor means of transport, nothing! You are not traveling in order to prove you live better than others - your search, in fact, is to find out how others live, what they have to teach, how they view reality and the extraordinary things in life.
Observing how other people live their lives can be an eye-opener for you.
Understand that everyone understands you.
Even if you don’t speak the language, don’t be afraid: I have been in many places in which there was no way of communicating with words, and I always found support, guidance, important suggestions, even girlfriends. Some people think that if you travel alone, you will go out into the street and be lost forever. All you need is the hotel card in your pocket, and - should you find yourself in extreme circumstances - take a taxi and show it to the driver.
Yes, most people will understand you, but some will definitely take advantage of your situation for their own profit. If this is the case, make sure you have lots of extra cash to spend during unexpected expenses/situations.
Don’t buy much.
Spend your money on things which you won’t have to carry: good theater, restaurants, walks. Nowadays, with the global market and the Internet, you can have everything you want without having to pay for excess baggage.
Try to buy only small items that you can easily carry and make sure that you cannot buy it elsewhere! It is a bit frustrating to buy a "souvenir" item just to find that you can buy it at home from one of the souvenir shops. Do not take flora or fauna as souvenirs! Your memories with the place is the greatest souvenir you can have, so make sure you make good ones!
Don’t try and see the world in a month.
It is better to stay in one city for four or five days, that visit five cities in a week. A city is like a capricious woman, who needs time to be seduced and reveal herself completely.
In today's busy world, more often it is impossible to take it slow and savor the place. The farther the place or the more difficult it is to go to your destination, the longer your stay should be. No one wants to go to a faraway place only to get back home very tired and all of the good times spent in the journey gone because of it.
A journey is an adventure.
Henry Miller said that it is far more important to discover a church no one has heard of, than go to Rome and feel obliged to visit the Sistine Chapel, with two hundred thousand tourists shouting all around you. Go to the Sistine Chapel, but also get lost in the streets, wander down alleyways, feel free to look for something, without knowing what it is. I swear you will find it and that it will change your life.
The most important thing when you travel: find your own tourist spot!
Namimiss ko ang…
- sunset sa Anawangin
- masamang espirito ng Gran Matador habang nagpapatugtog ng mga kanta ng Eraserheads sa cellphone
- paghuli ng bato at pagbuhol ng tali habang nangingisda sa Silanguin
- pag-snorkel sa mga patay na corals ng Boracay
- pagbili ng dried mangoes at iba pang pasalubong sa cashier na pari sa loob ng isang monasteryo sa Guimaras
- halo-halo ni Mang Pending
- pagkain ng tanghalian sa ilalim ng arkong bato sa tabing dagat, ang pag-ulam sa lobster at iba pang putahe habang umiinom ng Coke
- ang paglakad ng mahigit dalawang oras at pagtawid sa dalawang bundok habang hinahanap kung nasaan ba yung "gate" na sinasabi ng isang "engkantada" na siyang daan papunta sa Big Falls
- paglublob sa tubig na hindi mo alam kung gaano kalalim dahil madilim sa loob ng Sumaging
- hinayupak na "tour guide"/sindikato sa Boracay na dahil sa kanya ay muntik na kaming mabugbog ng mga bangkero ng parao
- pag-iikot ng mahigit anim na oras sa buong Batan gamit lamang ang bisikleta
- putik na nagpahirap sa amin sa pag-akyat sa Iraya
- pag-road trip at pag-akyat sa Pinatubo nang bumabagyo
- mga insektong nangungutya habang kami ay naliligaw sa "Marlboro Country"
- poste ng kuryente na humati sa bisikletang hiniram ko lang nung ako'y sumemplang
- pagtulog sa damuhan habang nanonood ng mga bituin sa Camp O'Donnel
- mga baka na may sungay
- gutter sa kalsada na nakapitan ko, kung hindi dahil dun sa gutter ay wala din itong blog
WTF is this?
Marvs is an electronics engineer who does web applications for a living.
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