Day 417: Tagaytay - Sabang Beach

May 24 - Awaken at 6:00, nominally prepared for the complexity of today’s transport. First, a tuk-tuk from the front entrance of Cityland to the Olivares bus station for 60 pesos. Then cram into a minivan to Calamba for 360 pesos. This minivan is the roughest bit, as a bunch of luggage gets piled in beside me and has to be held off myself and the old woman across from me every time the brakes are applied. There is a lot of recent housing and road construction in this region, with glitzy advertising for utopic homes and high rises. It is like a scaled-down version of the road from Giza to Alexandria.

We don’t actually drive into Calamba, but to a bus station along the nearby N-S highway. This is a relief, as I didn’t want to wade into town traffic just to drive back out again. We have already spent part of the morning moving in the wrong direction, making a big out-of-the-way ‘V’. But that is the route I was told to expect. The bus at Calamba is a large one that takes a while to fill, then we are off for 400 pesos to the port of Batangas. I note that the fee collector asks everyone if they are going either to the bus terminal or port.

The bus stops conveniently in dirt lot very close to the pier. The road from here is in poor repair and lined with tiny shops. Touts shout out destinations and direct people to ticket offices. When one asks if we are going to Puerto Galera, I duck in and buy the tickets. Unfortunately, Odette counts as full fare here, so the damage is 1860 pesos.

Based on the condition of this road and shops, I am fully expecting a crude port facility. Even the entry gate (where we inexplicably have to pay another 150 pesos to access the building) looks like some crude setup I’ve seen a hundred times in Africa. Even the ‘expeditors’ (who just repeat more loudly what the ticket vendor says to me and watch way too closely when I pull out and count money) are about the same. The one thing different is that they give up quickly when I ignore the pleas for ‘tips’.

The port building is brand-spanking new and air-conditioned. We let ourselves get sucked inside despite not knowing if there will be any real food for sale. Our fears are unfounded, as there are several places serving burgers, shwarmas, and more Filipino-style food.

But first, are obligated to pay ANOTHER fee, this one I guess is to access the departure lounge area (90 pesos). After this, get my real ticket (the vendor outside just gave me a page with QR code). Get some food and go through a second security checkpoint.

The departure lounge is a vast room, sterile and uncomfortable, but good enough to wait for a boat. And the restrooms are still in good shape. There is a lot o ferry traffic here; in the hour we sit around, six different ferries pass through.

Ours is the M/V Island Calayan, a small vessel that goes a lot faster than the huge ships we took in Indonesia. It is comparable to the ferry we took from Butterworth to Penang. It leaves just after 13:00, more or less on time. We are all enclosed inside, so nothing much to see on the way. Pass the headland of Luzon on the east side and cross Batangas Bay, through a strait, and come ashore on the island of Mindoro.

This part of Mindoro is mountainous, but not in the same way as Luzon. I cannot detect anything resembling a volcano in profile or on the topographic map. We don’t come directly into Puerto Galera like I thought, but rather at a place west (Balatero Port). This is a bit unwelcome as it just means more distance in a tuk-tuk (I had inquired about transport and was told tuk-tuks were about all I could hope for).

The odd thing about this island is the entry procedure. First, residents and tourists are separated into two lines. Then, we are asked if we have accommodation reservations. Fortunately, Janet can pull that info up on the Booking.com app. Then we are sent to the second line, where we pay 240 pesos ‘environmental tax’ for being on these shores. After all the other ‘fees’ today, it seems a bit much. I have a lot of trouble believing that we are paying for our ‘environmental impact’ by presumably funding green energy, waste cleanup, and the like.

Then, nicely bookending today’s transport, on to the forest of tuk-tuks. 250 pesos to our hotel (argued down from 300). Sabang Beach is a fair distance away, over 20 minutes drive. Our place is down a dirty alley lined with shops and is decent enough once we get in the door.

Total cost door to door (including all the ‘fees’) was 3410 pesos, or US $62.

Sabang Beach, the town, doesn’t have a lot going for it. It is obviously built around the tourist trade, as there are many hotels and fancy restaurants. But the streets are crowded with people and tuk-tuks and everything not newly constructed looks a bit run down. The big deal is to rent a motorbike, we are offered many by the time we make it to the shore.