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…
Category: Legazpi to Matnog
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“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…
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“Pass the Brownies and Pepsi” – Island Hopping in Matnog
Once I’d paid all my fees, I left the tourism office and followed the Filipino woman and a boatman out into the street. She walked up to a big white van that was crammed with people. I thought I was expected to get inside the van, but I knew the…
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The “Foreigner Price” in Matnog
I woke up full intending to make the best of the day. Matnog was not going to defeat me. I was going to be flexible and I was going to go with the flow. I was not going to impose my Western ideas of logic and common sense. I would…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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,…
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Jungle Night Noises – Camping at Bulusan Volcano Natural Park
It turned out that the camping area was more of a myth than reality. It wasn’t a camping area as such. They just allowed people to put up their tent on a small grassy patch right beside the park buildings. That was fine with me, and I decided to stay…
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Coast Road Paradise – Cycling from Sorsogon to Bulusan
I’m very happy to report that my next day of cycling – tough as it was, and it was very tough – was far more pleasant than my first. It was different because I quickly managed to turn off the main highway and follow a coastal road. Following the coast…