The Paved Road Connoisseur - Luzon Leg Part 6

Cement or asphalt? Mixed? Before or after election? Administration or Opposition? When you travel close to 1,800 kilometers of the Maharlika Highway or the Pan-Philippine Highway you will be an expert on what would be the best material for paving roads. and if you have traveled from the Northern Philippines all the way down South many times over you would also know when the best time to travel is so that your brain remains intact at the end of the trip and your vehicle is still road worthy! If you follow Philippine politics and are very observant then you also would know who is close to the current administration and who is not!

I would go for asphalt anytime though I have to qualify that. It would make for the smoothest travel if and only if they follow the required thickness for the expected load of vehicles traveling. Unfortunately most of our asphalt paved roads seem to have an expiry date! And they all seem to deteriorate at exactly the same time all over the country. Around 1 year before election date which is every 3 years. And cement which is supposed to be more durable actually has the same expiration date. The Philippines is situated in the ring of fire and the Maharlika or Pan-Philippine Highway is in the Eastern coast facing the Pacific. Using cement is not practical at all. Sections would detach from each other and cracks would dot the pavement due to the earth's movement. The National Government has been repaving this highway for decades and we are supposed to have the best engineers in the world yet we still have one of the worst Main Artery road in Asia!

During this trip I was expecting that the section of the Highway in the Province of Samar would be the worst. It always held that distinction for me based on my previous road trips. I was so surprised to find out, that was no longer the case.The section from Lucena to Naga now holds that distinction, a total surprise considering this connects two very progressive cities.

The best and most well maintained would be from Legaspi all the way to Sorsogon and the port of Matnog the gateway to the Visayas. I remember two straight stretches at least 5 kilometers long sandwiched between rice fields. You have to be wide awake at these parts though or else you just might doze off as the drive would be too relaxing.

If you plan to make this road trip you won't need a 4X4. A small car would still do but if you are in a bit of a hurry a vehicle with bigger tires would be a necessity. A pick-up truck would be perfect for hauling various knick-knacks, fruits, and souvenirs along the way and the smell of which won't bother the passengers inside. I still feel bad not being able to buy the tasty Vinegar in Quezon Province.

Depending on your car's fuel efficiency it is safe to assume you would utilize One and a half full tank of gas by the time you board the Ferry from Matnog to Allen, Samar. Matnog is 650 kilometers away from the city center of Manila. Refill for a full tank at Naga or Legaspi City and you would be assured to reach Tacloban City with enough to spare. Cash is still king in the province, your plastic may in fact stay in your wallet as soon as you leave the island of Luzon. Gasoline prices though will be very expensive in Samar and Leyte compared to Luzon. Expect to pay 10% to 20% more! The ferry will charge you roughly Php 2,000 (46US$) for the transport of your vehicle and 4 passengers. It will be a short trip across, around one and a half hours only. If you left early from Naga like I suggested you would be able to take the 12:30 pm ferry even with the Mt. Mayon pictorial and a comfortable breakfast in Legaspi City. The ferry would leave the Matnog port every 2 hours. If you want to reach Tacloban City early in the evening you have to take this 12:30 boat ride.

Like I previously mentioned in my past blogs the road signs are very visible and clear. The metric system is in use and the language is in English. Beware though in the City of Iriga. The right turn sign in the middle of the city that says "To Legaspi" is actually placed after the street that you are supposed to take! I actually ended up in a one way street opposite 2 huge trucks and a cabal of police officers very much ready to issue me a traffic citation. An apologetic smile and clear explanation of why I ended up there got me off the hook. If you are a foreigner, then good English with an accent will even get you an escort back to the right way. If you look Filipino however please don't even try using that slang it will just get you into more trouble, they're used to family members or relatives who work for call centers speaking that way :-).

It took me 6 articles to finally leave the island of Luzon but in fact it will take just 12 to 14 hours drive. It is highly suggested that in a road trip like this, one should take his/her own sweet time. Take as many stops as you can. Stretch as many times as possible. Open your car windows because this is one of those rare moments.

Mt. Mayon "Sadok of Luzon" - Luzon Leg Part 5

I don't want to confuse my readers. I am back in Manila now. In fact it's been more than a week since I got home. In between though some articles had to be prioritized and my kids recently started their new school year. Though the sequence of my blog has been altered I intend to post the full version of the snippets I have kept throughout my road trip at that time and hopefully get you all back in the time line I originally wanted to set.

Salakot Photo courtesy of Ninh Nguyen's blog

Sadok - is the Sorsogon Province's term for the Filipino word Salacot. Neither “hat” in English nor "sombrero" in Spanish will ever translate to Salacot. Much would be lost in the translation if these two words were used. Salacot is never an English cap or a Spanish gorra. Salacot refers to the peculiar broad-brimmed headgear, mostly conical in shape, worn by Filipinos as they work in the fields and the sea. Lacking words for it, Salacot is already in Spanish and English dictionaries as filipinism, or words they borrowed from us ( Source Elmer I. Nocheseda - avid Salacot collector ); Sadok is also one of the most popular restaurants serving batchoy ( hot noodle soup popular in Ilo-Ilo City ) in my Hometown "Cannery" in South Cotabato, Philippines.

Sadok is what came to my mind the first time I saw Mt. Mayon suddenly bursting into view as we were headed to Legaspi from Naga. Maybe because I was headed home hence the restaurant's logo which is this headgear, popped in my head. I have no idea if the Salacot or Sadok was patterned after this perfectly shaped Volcano because you would see workers by the roadside planting rice wearing Salacot. 

 

Bettina: "Most Unforgettable!"

Ever reliable Roland

The symmetry of Mayon, rather (risking reverberation and cliché here), the perfection will surely take your breath away! The road ahead of me suddenly had numerous vehicles parked on the side of the road with passengers taking countless photos. The smiles were of genuine awe. In my daughter's words even if we weren't even half way of our journey, "Dad, this is the most unforgettable part of this trip!". I have seen this Volcano many times, even at night with flowing lava aglow but every time I can't help but feel so proud that this stands on Philippine soil. The Cagsawa Ruins will be a few kilometers before you reach the city of Legaspi. This is the perfect spot for taking pictures. There's even a river just before you reach the ruins that adds more beauty to the natural setting. The road leading to the ruins is narrow and could easily be missed despite the numerous signs before it. Best to be here early before the souvenir stores open or else you will be pulled in all directions except the view of the ruins itself. Don't bring a drunk friend or a war monger because they sell bolos, balisongs or batangas (butterfly blade popular in the Philippines), and itaks here. These are all variations of knives that are actually sold sharp! A bit of trivia on the etymology of balisong: "While the meaning of the term balisong is not entirely clear, a popular belief is that it is derived from the Tagalog words baling sungay (literally, "broken/folding horn") as they were originally made from carved carabao and stag horn. These knives are also referred to as "fan knives", "click clacks" and "butterfly knives". (Source: Ever reliable Wikipedia - the blogger's best friend).

The Cagsawa ruins is what is left of a Franciscan church destroyed in an 1814 eruption of Mt. Mayon. Yes this beauty is an active volcano and can be very destructive. Contrary to popular belief it did not bury the whole church nor is this a really tall bell tower. See an attached photo again from our reliable source Wikipedia. The facade is clearly shown with the church entrance still both very visible. 

This is a place to visit at least once in your lifetime especially if you are Filipino. Showing this to your kids early on will also instill in them appreciation for our own natural wonders and that God did not only bless the countries that National Geographic, Discovery and History Channel keep on featuring.There is something about natural wonders that stimulates the soul and refreshes the weary. Couple it with viewing the ruins and you will surely get the message that you are not gonna be here for long. So better get started with that bucket list.


Back to Sadok my favorite restaurant growing up, I also remembered my good friend Kimo the eldest son of the owners Nonoy and Lucy Pido, who was one of my childhood best friends. On the road I kept on chuckling with the thought that he would would have enjoyed FaceBook and all new social media the most. He died pre-ipad, pre-iphone and pre-facebook. But he was most active during the VHF radio days. He would drag me late at night to meet new found friends on what used to be called eyeball sessions. I was really easy to convince because his Dad's batchoy was really delicious and getting it for free doubly so! He was deft in coordinating/operating communication traffic on a fairly limiting technology of PTT (Press-To-Talk) and two-way communication. Surely he would have been an early adapter of new social media. 

I then realized that indeed in any trip, it is the journey not the destination. Driving on a long stretch of road with natural wonders around you, you also travel down memory lane further enriching the experience and the pictures can't even tell half of the story!