Without any concrete plan, I took a van from Calbayog going to Catbalogan City. I still don't know what to expect or see there. I didn't even bother to book for an accommodation. All I know is I'll be spending the night there. I just want to be there... I want to experience Catbalogan City...
It was an easy 1 hour travel. I reached Catbalogan City at around 1:00 PM. From the Van terminal, I walked towards the city center to find any decent accommodation where I could stay for a night. Luckily, after a few minutes of walking under the sweltering heat of the sun, I found El Roman Pension House.
It is conveniently located at the city center, across Mercury Drug and beside Jollibee. An overnight stay costs 100 pesos with a single bed, a fan and common toilet and bath. Just right for a budget traveler like me. Hehehe!
After settling my things, I went out to have lunch and explored the city by walking around.
Catbalogan Public Market
Centro Shopping Center
Samar Provincial Capitol Building
The Obelisk
Samar Justice Building
St. Bartholomew Church
Pieta ParkWhile I was resting for a while at the park, I asked some locals on where I could go for a nice dip. I asked, Where's the beach? Are there any resorts nearby? A lady suggested Kinabut-an Spring. Wow! Sounds good! I asked for directions on how to get there. They were very helpful in giving me directions. Salamat po! Due to my excitement, I wasn't able to ask them how far it is. Hehehe!
It was already 3:30 PM, I am a bit worried that I cannot make there on time. But I still went on, hoping that it is just nearby. So, even without any idea on how near or far that place is, I decided to give it a try. I went back to the pension house to get some clothes for swimming. I took a jeepney bound for Buray (25 PHP) then told the driver to let me know if we're already there.
An hour later, we reached Buray in the town of Paranas, some kilometers south of Catbalogan. So, I asked the lady on the jeepney with me for directions on how I can get to the spring. She told me that I need to ride a habal-habal to get there which will take another 30 minutes. She also told me to watch for the time as it would be difficult to get a ride back to Catbalogan when it's already dark.
With that advise, I paused for a while to think what to do next. Should I go or not? It's already 5:00 PM and it's starting to get dark. After a few minutes of weighing things, I decided to just go back to Catbalogan. I guess it's not yet time for me to swim at Kinabut-an Spring. Haizt! Maybe next time! ^_^
This is part of my trip to Samar and Eastern Samar that happened last October 14-16, 2011. Samar and Eastern Samar are the 41st and 42nd provinces on my list and it also marks my completion of setting foot on all the provinces in Eastern Visayas (Region 8). Join me as I discover some of the beautiful sights of Samar and Eastern Samar as well as the people I've met as I continue my journey through the provinces of the Philippines! | |
 Map By: Wikipedia |
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Na miss mo yung spring..
ReplyDeleteuu nga naman.. gabi na kasi para mg swimming.
and take note, your going to the extreme here.
@Simurgh - oo nga eh... if only i have more time... Thanks Francis! :)
ReplyDeleteHaha. Saya naman ng adventure na to. Only goes to show that it's not always about the destination, especially if the journey's exciting in itself. Hehe.
ReplyDeletesana pagpunta ko ngayon april sa leyte mapuntahan ko toh...and yong ibang pinuntahan mo...^_^
ReplyDeletethanks Brian! go go go! ^_^
ReplyDeleteyes indeed! it doesn't matter how many sites you visited, what matters is how you enjoyed the journey... thanks Cedric! :)
ReplyDeleteHow sad.. yung sa Hinabangan na spring (15-30 mins from buray) nalang sana yung pinuntahan mo. Pareho lang naman silang cold spring pero mas practical yung sa Hianbanagn kasi nasa highway yung daan papunta dun. Anyway, nasa Catbalogan ka na lang, sana sa Buri Beach (white sand) or sa Bangon falls ka nalang pumunta. Mas madali pa.
ReplyDelete@anonymous - i didn't know about Hinabangan... sayang nga eh.. maybe that's a reason for me to come back... thanks po... :)
ReplyDeleteWhoa dami mo ng napuntahan sir.. btw, taga dito ako, usually magpapakyaw ka ng motorcycle papuntang Quinabut-an spring nasa 200-300 pesos ata yun balikan para siguradong makakabalik ka, stop ka ng crossing sa Buray antay ng bus o jeepney pabalik ng Catbalogan o kaya papuntang Tacloban meron yan until 9-10pm.
ReplyDelete