Articles tagged with: bike
“Sir, Can You Move Your Bike?” – and Doug Gets Hulkified
While I waited, I had the perfect vantage point to watch all the young street boys swarming over the boat and diving into the water to retrieve coins. On the first ferry I’d taken, the Penafranca, this hadn’t happened. I’d actuallly seen a sign inside the ferry saying this activity was not allowed. At the Matnog ferry terminal, it was still common, and it was …
Frantic Ferry – The Trip to Samar
I had checked out the ferry terminal when I first arrived in Matnog, and I learned that there were at least three different ferry companies operating. They all charged the same for the trip – 120 pesos – and a ferry left every 35 minutes. On that day, the ferry terminal was practically empty, and there were no line-ups at the ticket windows. I hoped …
Day Three and Matnog’s Still-Hidden Charms
The next day, my last day in Matnog, was an odd sort of day. I spent the morning writing in my journal and drinking coffee and hanging out at the resort. This was not quite as relaxing and enjoyable as it sounds as the skin on my legs around my knees was so itchy and sore that I wanted to scream at times. Plus, I …
“Where’s my spoon and water bottle?” Robbed in Matnog
Charmless Matnog was not, however, finished with me, and I rode my bike back to my improvised campsite in the Richwell Beach Resort walled compound to find that I had been robbed. True, the robbers had not gotten away with much, but it was still quite annoying. They had taken a few things that I’d left out on the table with my campstove. They took …
The Hunt for Food in Matnog Continues
My first night in Matnog at the Richwell Beach Reort did little to ease my pain. There was a restaurant at the Resort and I had been assured by everyone that I could order what I wanted. But when I tried to do that, I found it impossible to fight my way through the vagueness once more. Our conversation (if you can call it that) …
Spewing Out Words – The Matnog Tourist Information Office
Once fortified with food (I struggled through my fish head as best I could), I stopped by the tourist information office. I could either catch a ferry across to Samar right away or the next morning. Or I could do a bit of exploring around Matnog first. I wanted to see what the tourism people had to say about this, and, taking my courage in …
Matnog – Trying to Uncover Matnog’s Charm
As much as I enjoyed the ride to Matnog, I have to say that it took some time and effort to uncover Matnog’s charm – if, in fact, I ever did. This was not an unusual occurrence. Some towns just work. Things go smoothly and they strike me as pleasant places. I set off as Doug the Hunter/Gatherer and, with a bit of effort, I …
The Road to Matnog – Leaving Bulusan Volcano Natural Park
The access road didn’t seem quite as steep going down as it did going up. Perhaps I had just been too tired at the end of the day when I arrived to handle it. It felt good to be on the move again and surprising people with my sudden and, apparently, outlandish appearance. Once at the intersection and on the main road, the jeepney and …