commute tips
Showing posts with label commute tips. Show all posts
Showing posts with label commute tips. Show all posts

Fifty-foot Divine Mercy statue at Divine Mercy Hills in El Salvador, Misamis Oriental

The 50-foot statue of the Divine Mercy at El Salvador and its surrounds.

One of the things my sister said we must do in Cagayan de Oro is to visit the Divine Mercy Hills. The Divine Mercy Hills is located in El Salvador, Misamis Oriental. It has a 50-foot statue of the Divine Mercy, which is recognized to be miraculous. There are specific schedules when people can go up the stairs to visit the very heart of the statue. (*Note: The photos in here, aside from the watermarks, are not processed or edited.)

To make the most out of our limited time, I decided to schedule us to attend the mass at 8am in Divine Mercy and hopefully get to go up the heart right after the mass. We left CDO by 7am after having breakfast at Missy Bon Bon, and just made it a minute before mass started. We woke up later than we were supposed to, but if traffic was really bad we wouldn't have made it.

Documented miraculous events happened here.

How to go to El Salvador from CDO:

1) Ask your hotel how to get to Bulua (Bull-wah) Terminal. From our hotel, we took a cab because we were advised that we would need to take several jeepney rides to get to the terminal. We paid the cab about P100+. Cab drivers also give receipts if you ask them.

2) From Bulua Terminal, go straight to the nearest bus liner you will see and ask if they will pass by the Divine Mercy. There will be a lot of barkers asking you where you want to go, but to be on the safe side we just went straight for the bus. We also wanted to avoid unnecessary fees. We paid P78/person for the bus fare.

3) The bus driver/conductor will drop you off at the highway. Cross the road to where you'll see men in motorcycles. You can walk all the way to Divine Mercy (which can be quite tiring as it is uphill) or you can ride the motorcycle for P20/person per ride, if you're only one passenger. If there are two passengers, the fare is only P10/person per ride. If you think you can't fit in one motorcycle, then just tell them you want to take two motors. Do not take chances and don't insist on having three people (fourth, if you count the driver) riding one motor. Better to be on the safe side.

4) The motorcycle driver will drop you off at the entrance of Divine Mercy Hills. Ask him for his number so you can text him to get a ride back to the highway when you're done.

The altar at the Divine Mercy Hills.
The church at Divine Mercy is simple on the outside, but the altar is very beautiful and befitting Christ. It actually reminded me of the altar in Opus Dei schools/chapels. There are no electric fans or air con inside, and the air doesn't quite get inside the chapel (or maybe that's just part of our luck during this trip), so we kept fanning ourselves the entire time. It didn't help that we sat in the middle of the Church, right below the center of the roof, which had this huge hole and was just covered with a canvas, which probably added to the lack of air in the Church.

There is a place to the left of the entrance where you can light up candles. Kids will swarm you and sell you candles for P5/piece. Each candle has a different color and supposedly have different meanings. Choose a kid from whom you will buy and the other kids will usually desist. Or you can do what my friend did which was to buy a candle from each kid, which took a looong time. When you're lighting a candle, don't take photos or selfies anymore. Other people who light up candles get distracted or might even be offended.

Skirts galore.
Wear/bring a skirt to Divine Mercy if you're female. You can either wear it over your jeans or just really wear one on your visit. It's hard when riding a motorcycle so I just sat sidesaddle (which is not recommended if you're not used to riding that way or riding a motorcycle). If you don't want to wear a skirt or if it's too hassle for you to bring one, there are ladies at the entrance who will loan you skirt to wear and you cannot remove while inside the premises. But my sister and I wore skirts because the skirts were not very fashionable and we might not look good in the photo ops! I mean hey, you're on vacation, might as well look good in every photo, right?! Chichi just brought a skirt sarong and wore it over her jeans. I don't totally agree with the Divine Mercy Hills' dress code and think it's unfair to females (some men were able to get in just wearing shorts) and I don't know why we have to wear skirts, but I respect their rules and I wanted to get in so I complied.

One of the things that I found striking during the mass is that the priest who held the mass (and the other priests who assisted him) are foreigners. He said the mass in Bisaya but his homily was in English. While I was grateful for that, I don't know how well that works for the locals. After the mass, there's a short orientation for those who want to go up to the heart. Unfortunately, due to lack of time, we had to leave already and we didn't get to go up to the heart. But we still enjoyed the view and we felt at peace and calm just by being there.

The "rays" are actually the stairs to go to his heart.
Aside from the 50-foot miraculous statue, there is also free water available that is said to have healing properties. People actually bring bottles of water (one had like a 1 gallon jug with him) to have a drink and take it home with them. Since I'm little miss OC traveler who researches the place for several months prior to a trip, our trio each had a 1L bottle. There are several faucets so you don't have to wait too long if you want to have a sip. Just a warning: there's a taste to the water, which my sister said was the taste of mountain water. I have a sensitive stomach, but I decided to trust the Lord that I won't get sick and drank almost the whole bottle. I saved a little for my parents in Manila. I told the security at the airport that it contains water from the Divine Mercy and they didn't confiscate it (I think they're used to people like me because there was a huge box of confiscated bottles at her feet). For the record, my tummy stayed bug-free!

And when you're done staring in awe at Jesus or enjoying the serenity of the place, the view right before you go down is equally gorgeous. I definitely felt doubly blessed standing at that place, looking over the sea and cluster of trees, with Jesus at my back.

To get back to Cagayan de Oro:

1) Text your motorcycle driver to fetch you. The way back is another P10 or P20.

2) If you see a bus bound for CDO (or ask the conductor if they're going to drop you off at CDO. If not, there might be a jeep right at the motorcycle terminal that's bound for Bulua Terminal. I forgot how much it was but it's definitely way cheaper than the bus.

The gorgeous vista just adds to the charm.
3) When you get to Bulua Terminal, find your jeep/cab/bus to take you to your destination in the city. What we did was ride a jeepney that dropped us off along the main road, and from the main road, we just took a motorela to our hotel, which cost us P7/person.

I think that throughout our whole Camiguin-CDO trip, this was the only trip that went off almost without a hitch. This was our one true adventure because we were able to go there despite little knowledge on how to actually go there and gamay knowledge of Bisaya. We didn't have a local tour guide and just had to believe that we'll be safe throughout the trip. Despite having very little sleep and almost boneless bodies, we made it. And when we got there, we knew it was worth it.

Have a nice day :)
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A series of unfortunate events: How to commute to Camiguin - Survivor Philippines edition


Our first glimpse of Camiguin, while aboard the roro.
Hello there! So I went to Camiguin, and so much has happened, so this will be a series of posts about my trip. The first day was definitely the most epic, with a series of unfortunate events that eventually led to my self-improvement (really!). Sometimes, the best lessons come when you least expect it. And the results are usually worth it. We had a series of unfortunate events, but due to my months of planning ahead, we were able to get around every obstacle thrown at us. Also, it helped that I traveled with great friends and we just laughed throughout everything. (*Note: The photos in here, aside from the watermarks, are not processed or edited, unless they came from my Instagram, which I will note.)

We booked our flights last June, so we were able to get the air fare for cheap. We left on Friday, September 20, and by Thursday, September 19, everything was solid and planned out, from our itinerary, to our commute time, to the places we'll sleep in. We were ready, we had our budget down and our money in our wallets.

Then the first news came in: Oceanjet cancelled our trip from Macabalan Wharf to Benoni Port. Benoni is the fast craft that leaves from Macabalan, Misamis, to Benoni, Camiguin. The trip via Oceanjet takes about two hours. We really wanted that option since it's closer to Laguindingan Airport, and we wanted to get to Camiguin before lunchtime since our first day is jam-packed.

Early sunrise over Manila
How to go to Camiguin via Macabalan Wharf/Oceanjet:

1) Book your tickets for Oceanjet via Luzviminda Travel and Tours. According to sir Angelo of LTT, Oceanjet just lets passengers book through tour companies, and not directly anymore. They will contact you with the price, and how to pay. Tickets are non-refundable if you cancel, but they do become refundable if Oceanjet is the one who will cancel due to bad weather. A one-way ride is P990 plus a P20 terminal fee.

2) From Laguindingan Airport, take a taxi right outside the arrival area. If you don't have a map of Camiguin with you, pass by the Visitor's Information Area where the nice man behind the desk will give you a free map. You can also ask him for directions where to ride, and which vehicle will take you to where you want to go.

3) Present your Oceanjet e-ticket, and ride the ship, which is scheduled to depart Macabalan Wharf at 8am.

So, we had this planned out, but Oceanjet cancelled around 8pm, Thursday. I immediately scrambled to find the clearest instructions to get to Balingoan Port instead, where ferries are usually scheduled to leave every hour.

Based on my research, we have several options to get to Balingoan: Take a taxi, which would cost us thousands because taxis apparently don't like following the metered fare if you arrive from the airport; take a bus to the highway then another bus to CDO, then a jeep to Agora terminal, then a bus from Agora terminal to Balingoan; or a shuttle from the airport to CDO, then a jeep to Agora terminal, then a bus from Agora to Balingoan. If that sounds confusing to you, I was just as confused as you are. Since we have the earliest flight out of Manila, we were thinking we could catch the 10:15 ferry to Benoni, and get to Camiguin before noon. Our schedule will be a delayed, but at least just for an hour. Or so we thought. Really.

We got to NAIA 3 by 4am, for our 5:20am flight. Boarding time was schedule for 4:55am. Please note: You do not have to pay a terminal fee anymore, coming from Manila. This should already be incorporated in your plane fare. No tax as well, that just applies to international flights. We had breakfast and then we rushed to our assigned gate, where we found a lot of travelers waiting already. It was 4:50am. We boarded the plane before 5:20am. Our flight was delayed, and instead of arriving by 6:55am as scheduled, we arrived past 7am. By this time, I was already praying that we'll arrive in time to catch the 10:15 ferry, since the next ferry is scheduled to leave by noon, which is much too late for us already.

When we arrived at the airport, the guy behind the visitor information area said we can take the shuttle right outside the arrival doors and we can go down straight at Agora terminal. Yes!, I thought excitedly, we can make it on time!
Agora terminal - you can buy food and water. The CR is also clean!

How to go to Balingoan from Laguindingan Airport:

1) You can take the taxi, but we took the shuttle by Glorymer (0917 882-9384/0922 866-1591/ 0922 893-8684). They currently have a promo rate of P199, down from P249. You should pay the exact amount, cause they won't give you change if you pay P200. And when you're traveling on a tight budget, every peso counts, believe me.

2) Get off the shuttle when you arrive in Agora terminal and go straight for the buses with the sign Butuan (pronounced as Boot-wan). There will be a lot of people crowding you, selling you snacks, and porters trying to get you to ride a shuttle or other buses. Take the air con bus for a comfortable ride - we took the Bachelors Tours bus - the yellow one in the photo). It's only P148/person to go Balingoan. Tell the conductor to drop you off at Balingoan, otherwise you might end up in Butuan!

3) The bus will drop you off at a terminal, and you have to ride a motorela for P7/person. The driver will drop you off at the port, at the place that is currently selling tickets. There are several ferries from different ferry companies, but they are not open at all hours.

Unfortunately, the trip took longer than expected and we arrived at Balingoan Port by 10:30am. The ladies at the booth for M.V. Kalinaw said they don't have tickets to sell anymore, and...they're not sure if the captain will still push through with the 3pm ferry ride.
Things that were happening at that time:
1) Several trips the day before, Thursday, were cancelled due to bad weather, so the travelers ate up a lot of the seats for the Friday ferries.

2) There was a convention in Camiguin, and three schools were there.

3) Due to the storm in the country, there were huge winds that made crossing the sea to Camiguin quite dangerous and potentially unsafe.

The people at the port told us that we should have visited the week before, since they were actually scrambling for passengers! I guess you could say we picked the perfect time to visit Camiguin...

There was one last booth and trip that we could take - our last chance, you could say - to take the 1:45pm ferry by Super Shuttle Ferry 6. Since it was before 11am, I decided the three of us should just take turns standing in line for tickets and eat lunch. Based on all the blogs I've read, getting a ticket for the ferry is pretty straightforward. We were not expecting any trouble at all. There were only a few people in line, and no one was muttering around, complaining.

The booth was supposed to open at 1am, but the news came they will open at 12:30pm instead. I was second in line, but there were five rows. The people were rattling on the door of the booth to open up and sell us tickets already. I was smack in the middle, and everyone was speaking in Bisaya, and I could not understand anything! I kept asking people around me what was happening and why do the people keep holding on to their IDs. Then the manifesto was brought out (it's the list where you write down your name so in case something happens, they know you're on the boat and they can track you or maybe pay your family if you die(?) due to negligence) and there was a mad scramble by everyone to get their names on the list. I thought that if you get your name on there, you're assured of a ticket. I mean, everyone was just pushing and screaming and shoving. The porters wrote down several names, and I really thought I wouldn't get a chance anymore. And I was on the second row, for crying out loud!

I finally had my chance, after several attempts, and got lines number 50, 51, 52. I thought, okay, so our names are there now, we finally have a seat. Finally! This was at 1PM. Then the people started shoving their money forward to the booth. It was utter madness. I was not able to stand up anymore, I was just moving from side to side because of the crush. And all that time, I didn't know what the deal was since we were on the list anyway. I just pushed my arm forward and body forward, since I really felt the guy behind me starting to become happy pressed against me, if you know what I mean. After about five minutes of the shouting and shoving, I got the best news ever (say it with sarcasm): the tickets are gone. WHAT?! Are you kidding me?! I wanted to scream. I was in line for two hours (I knew my two other companions might get crushed from the rush or they'll just get debilitating migraines), I was dizzy, and I felt like fainting, and we were all smelly since we were under the heat of the sun for three hours. It seems like they prioritized the porter, and they only sold a margin of the tickets.

At that moment, I wondered what would happen if the ship sinks, and my name's on the manifesto, and then they'll show the names on TV and my parents will see our names and they'll panic...but nevermind that. I ran to the first booth we went to when we arrived. The two ladies were screaming at the other travelers. I stood in front of them and said quietly, "ma'am, wala na po ba talagang ferry? (ma'am, are there really no more ferries?)" The quiet voice (probably coupled with my blouse whose button has come undone due to the shoving, my messy hair, and my huge eyes), worked like a charm. The ladies immediately quieted down and spoke to me gently, "ma'am, 2pm pa po malalaman eh, magttext pa po ang kapitan. Sasabihan na lang namin kayo. (ma'am, we will find out by 2pm, the captain will text us. We will just tell you.)" They let me stay right in front of their booth, so that I can instantly buy tickets if the 3:30pm ferry ride will push through. This was 1:30pm.

My companions and I were already making plans to just go to Bukidnon if we can't go to Camiguin, and just forgo our downpayments to our tour and lodging. Then 2pm rolled around, and yes, there were tickets! The people started screaming again and shoving and pushing, and I was about to get crushed, when the lady shouted at me to just go to the side and she'll give me my tickets. When I finally got my tickets, the porters around the booth actually congratulated me! Hahahaha definitely an epic moment.

How to go to Benoni port, Camiguin, via Balingoan port by ferry:

The sunset in Camiguin, while aboard the roro.
1) Once you arrive in Balingoan port, go to the open booth, write your name on the manifesto, and pay your ticket. A one-way ticket costs P170. Make sure you know which ferry you will ride on and the time of your ride, since there might be other ferries at the dock.

2) In one of the booths before you enter the gates, you have to pay P2.25. I'm not sure what that is for.

3) Enter the gates, and go to the Balingoan Port building, not to the seats outside the building. You have to pay P2.25 for the terminal fee.

4) Get your bags scanned with the x-ray machine, and enter the terminal. There are no air cons or fans, so make sure to bring a fan if you'll be waiting long. If you're really lucky, you don't have to wait long.

5) Get on the roro when passengers are finally allowed to board. Keep your ticket on hand, as there will be people who will check it.

6) Get off the roro when passengers are allowed to leave. Look for your guide if you already have a tour booked. We booked with Kuya Teddy Pabuluan (0939 244-0521/0906 491-2604). You can also hire a motorela (P1500) or jeep (P1700), with driver.

Our ferry was scheduled to leave by 3:30pm, but we left by 4:30pm. I was texting my mom, and she said to enjoy the sunset in Camiguin when we get there. I laughed because at that exact moment, I was already watching the sunset aboard the roro. I previously imagined myself catching the sunset in Camiguin...but not aboard the roro. Oh well, it was still such a beautiful, beautiful sight! We finally arrived in Camiguin before 7pm.

And right before we got there, brownout ensued throughout the whole island. Aren't we just lucky?

But that's a story for another day.

Don't forget to read more of our adventures in Camiguin over the next few days.

Ciao!

Tips for traveling around the Philippines:
  • Arm yourself with lots of patience, humor, water, wet wipes, tissue, and the best hand sterilizer you have - like Sterilium (call ma'am Cora at 824-1562 for Sterilium). Also, do put on mosquito repellant.

  • Don't forget your hat and fan. It can get awfully hot, and terminals are not always equipped with electric fans or air conditioning units.

  • If your roro has a third floor (the first floor is for the vehicles, the second and third floors are for passengers), get a seat on the third floor to avoid getting wet from the waves. A native of Camiguin whom I met along the way said the secret is to sit on the middle so you won't get dizzy. I easily get seasick but I didn't get seasick, and I was sitting near the railings. I finally figured out that the trick is to watch the rolling sea and waves. For some reason, it helped me not to get seasick. If you easily get seasick, then forearm yourself with anti-motion sickness meds.

  • If you do not speak the dialect, just say "I'm sorry, I only speak English" or "Hindi po ako nakakaintindi ng Bisaya/other dialect (I do not understand Bisaya/other dialect, depending where you are)." But then again, they'll probably read from your blank look that you don't understand what they're saying, and they'll talk to you in English or Tagalog.

  • Filipinos are usually capable of speaking English, and if you're in a famous tourist spot, chances are the people around you know how to speak English or Filipino. Talk to people until you find someone who can converse with you in a language you will understand. If your first language is not English/Filipino/one of the local dialects in the country, make sure you know how to speak English, at least, or get a translator.

  • Places in the Philippines are usually pronounced as spelled, or they will correct you if you pronounce it wrong, so don't be afraid to ask people how to get there. To be safe, ask the security guard or people at the ticketing booths or vendors.

  • Most places only accept the local currency - Philippine peso - so make sure you already have your foreign currency changed. And check first with your hotel/lodgings if they accept traveler's check. Also, make sure you have coins - pesos and centavos - and small bills if you're going to commute. You'll be the one on the losing end if the person you're paying has no change.

  • Don't be afraid to talk to the locals or ask them for directions! We Filipinos are usually friendly and helpful by nature. But also make sure to keep your wallets/passports/money in safe places. If you're going to the beach and you'll be commuting, keep your fancy jewelry at home.
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