Visiting the bamboo farm in San Andres under the scorching heat was a bit tiring so instead of going directly to the municipality of Calatrava for the next adventure, we return to Odiongan and decided to have an early dinner at Riverside Place near the office of DOST.

Riverside place is the newest Asian Fusion Restaurant in Odiongan after Orient’s Cuisine, which is popular of their bento and sushi’s. We are handed the menu and we decided to order set of sushi’s but unfortunately no available sushi’s at the moment because they are just about to steam rice, so we I asked the server what is the best meal in their menu, and she pointed out the bento for ₱99 per box and that’s what we ordered and we waited 20 minutes for it to be served along side a pitcher of iced lemon tea.

The table wasn’t so spacious for the big bento lunch box, it was hard for five of us to eat properly. Nevertheless, the place is cozy and relaxing.

Riverside Place is open from breakfast to dinner and they do deliveries, take reservations and takeouts.  If you are hungry and wanted to try something different for a cheaper price pay them a visit at the address below. Their soup is a classic.

RIVERSIDE PLACE
130 J.P. Laurel St., Odiongan, Romblon, Philippines 5505
Facebook page – https://web.facebook.com/riversideplaceodiongan/
Mobile No. – 0998 391 5979

Disclosure: This is NOT a sponsored post. Above written post was my own personal opinion and experience and might be different from yours.

One lazy afternoon, my mother told us to get ready and since I have thought we are just going to town, I replied, I am ready.  She asked if I am sure because I am just wearing a house dress, so I asked back if where we are going.  Well, it turns out, she is bored and she has something in her mind.

It was been a long time we are planning to visit the Bamboo Farm in San Andres, so that’s where we went together with our cousins, it was a good thing we brought them because if we didn’t we maybe lost our way. We made a right turn to the Sunflower Farm but it turns out it was a wrong turn, it should be next one.

We reached a point, where there are two roads and we don’t know which one to take. Gladly, the people were helpful and they told us to go on the road going upward, my sister driving the big bike asked our cousin to interchange since it was too big for her and she can’t reach the ground just in case something happened along the way.

Unexpected, but the road is concreted. It has been just a  challenge that is going upward, the view along the way is astonishing because you can see things below, the sea, houses and the streets.  We really don’t know where to stop, but gladly we found a group of people ahead of us, they are taking photos in the bushes which looks like bamboo to us.

It was disappointing because the bamboo farm wasn’t the way it looks to be in photos, it wasn’t cared of.  I think we visited in a wrong time of the year, we should not visit in summer.

Nothing much to do, we left the farm and went to downtown San Andres to feel cool by eating Halo-halo for ₱25.00 only. It  is a popular Filipino dessert with a mixture of shaved ice and evaporated milk to which various ingredients are added, including boiled sweet beans, young corn, coconut, camote, banana plantain, ripe jackfruit, sago, gulaman, fruits, leche plan and yam ice cream. It is served in a tall bowl.

Loveland Beach Resort wasn’t hard to find and after staying for a few minutes, looking around and snapping some pictures we headed to Looc and back to Odiongan where we decided to have an early dinner at Greenfields Garden Resto-Cafe, my cousins didn’t eat yet at this restaurant, so we brought them here.

Since it was still very early, no diners yet, except from us. The food we ordered was served within 20 minutes, we ordered their famous baby back ribs, bulalo soup, sizzling sisig, extra rice and their red ice tea. It was quite funny because both of our cousins ate very slowly, we are already finished eating and they were still finishing their food.

What’s disappointing with them was they ate like a cat, they almost didn’t finish eating their baby back ribs so what more the sizzling sisig that we have to ask to be wrap so we can bring it home.

What’s entertaining, how my oldest cousin E ate his baby back ribs, we have to tell him that it is okay to detach the ribs one by one, he is trying to do a masterpiece eating just the meat without detaching the ribs (lol) which made us all laugh at him.

We hurried home after eating early dinner, my cousins and their team will have  a championship game for the Inter-Purok Basketball Tournament.

Greenfields Garden Resto-Cafe
Barangay Tulay (near Petron), Odiongan, Romblon
OPENING HOURS: 2:00 PM – 10:00 PM
CONTACT: 567-6258

Disclosure: This is NOT a sponsored post. Above written post was my own personal experience and might be different from yours.

My mother been infected with “wandering virus”, she is always the first one who will tell us to do road tripping, if she found something new to visit around our island she will surely be the first one to get ready. My father had been telling us not to wander alone because he worries that we might meet bad people or accident along the way and there will be no one to help us. To ease this worry, my mother decided to asked our second cousins to travel with us so in case we have  a flat tire along the way there will be someone to help us find a vulcanizing shop so we let them used our other bike.

Our destination? The beach resort that went trending in Facebook because of the long bridge going to the ocean which is  made of bamboo. Yes, it is Loveland Beach Resort in the Municipality of Ferrol, a private residence, but however people are welcome to visit the beach and the pier.

It took us less than one hour from Odiongan, the road going to the resort isn’t concreted, it is mixed of rocks and mud, it will be a bumpy ride but it will be worth it.  When we arrived there were men working, we asked them, where to go, if there will be an entrance fee or sort of things to do, but it looks like there were none because they just tell us to go.

At the entrance, you’ll read Pier 68 and a welcome sign. You will pass along the mangroves before seeing the beautiful view of the ocean and the sturdy bridge. It looks like Libertad Mangrove Forest was inspired from Loveland Beach Resort.

There are two men busy working along the bridge, they are changing the old bamboos to a new one.  Nearing the end of the bridge there are two shades that could be used for swimming haven and when we visited there are a set of kids who swam like fish and a foreigner enjoying the water.

When you walked farther, you will end up in a closed door, but behind that door was like a private hall that could be used for a barbecue party, there was also some boats in docked.  We really didn’t take long, we just snap some photos and walked back to the entrance, it was scorching hot because we visited the place mid-afternoon.

We have been planning to visit Loveland Beach Resort but it was bit far from our town so when we found out about the mangrove forest nearby, we head on to Brgy. Libertad without knowing where it was, all we know there should be a tarpaulin alongside the road, a landmark that the mangrove forest was in that place.

We easily found the place,  before we can call out for someone, an elderly woman came out and I have asked if we are on the right place, we are indeed. We are asked to write in the logbook and paid for the entrance fee that cost ten pesos per person.

There was a cute bridge made of unknown wood at the middle of the healthy mangrove trees, it was heading to a place that looks like a fish pond where there is a turf with TV and if you will continue walking you will be heading to the sea, there was a shade on each side.

Nothing much to see, it was a good place to unwind and escape the busy life in downtown. We stayed a  bit, and I went down the salty water for my photo to be taken and I think it was a bad decision because I maybe disturbed unknown being there because when we are nearing the turf with a TV my sister calls me to take her photo and when I went to her, my android phone jump into the salt water, I immediately went down and I still wasn’t  able to save it, it dies.

Starving, we went to Jollibee Odiongan to eat snacks and it was so forgetful of me to bring my phone at a repair shop, so they can drain the water. It was saddening because it wasn’t cheap and it wasn’t easy to buy. If I would known, what will happen I didn’t go to Libertad Mangrove Forest that day.

Every time we (my family) do road tripping around the island and every time we passed by at the Municipality of San Agustin I always felt amazing looking at Mt. Payaopao from a distance. The mountain looks so majestic to me, it was surrounded by water and a community on one side. It was my dream to reach the summit one day and see things below, so when I saw a newly establish mountaineering group in Facebook conquering Mt. Payaopao, I immediately joined them.

[Taken a few years ago during our family road trip]

Romblon Baktas Mountaineer planned a revenge climb to Mt. Payaopao since a lot of new members wasn’t able to climb the summit, but due to bad circumstances (bad weather) I wasn’t able to go with them, we are told it was really slippery when they climb due to frequent raining days before the scheduled climb.

On the group first anniversary, another climb was made to Mt. Payaopao (April 15, 2018), since the group was created during their first climb at the said mountain, this time no matter what, I did sure I can climb with them.  Since the municipality of San Agustin is about two hours drive from our town and my family doesn’t want to wait very long for me in the town, they asked my younger cousins (second cousin and a cousin in-law) to be my driver and go hiking with me, which they did.

Mt. Payaopao (also known as Tablas Summit on old maps) at the northeastern extremity of the island, is the highest peak on the island at 2,182 feet (665 m) high and the second highest in the province (after Mount Guiting-Guiting).

Just like before, we all assembled in town and just like before it was Filipino time, we all agreed to meet at 4:30 in the morning, but as expected most of the joiners came late, imagine how long we waited in town. Anyway, my mother and sister went with us at the jump-off and they left when we started walking to the trail. Unlike any other mountains we have climbed, we started climbing through concrete steps which I think almost 200 of them, I lost count eh.

Climbing Mt. Payaopao is harder than our last climb, it was all going up, flat plains were not a normal occurrence. I felt so tired within minutes, especially I am carrying a heavy backpack, my cousins wanted to carry my bag, but I declined to their offer, well that’s me I seldom asked for help. I will do things on my own until I can do it.  My hiking buddy Anna wasn’t able to go because her mother didn’t allow her,  she sounds sick as well when we called her on her phone.

The trail wasn’t that bushy, it has been just  slippery when you are nearing the summit maybe because of the fog during early morning, it was a good thing there are ropes that serves as a guide or help when going up. We reached the summit after two hours and 30 minutes, the summit wasn’t that spacious for many of us. We rested for a bit, ate some snacks, take photos and chit chatting, and then as expected, we introduced each other again and saying the reason why we climb, this is for the benefit of the new joiners.

We’ve been resting for a bit when I can’t find my younger cousins, I have asked someone and I was told they were at the other end so I went looking for them and that’s where I found that they are looking in a mesmerizing scenery. It was very beautiful, so astonishing, I think other hears me exclaiming or they got curious what to see at the other end, they follow and that’s where we took so long taking photos of each other. It turns out, it was the firs time they saw the view even it was their second or third time at the summit, because it was just this time that there was a clearing and the guides clean the bushes in the summit.

We spend a lot of time, waiting for a clearing because we can’t see the view when clouds are on the way. Our group president already called us many times to go down, because the first group whom wasn’t able to see the view we saw already descended to the guide’s house.

We hurriedly went down the peak it is past lunch already, the first group who descended might get bored waiting for us and eat lunch ahead of us. Adrenaline rush, everyone is rushing especially one of the guide which is left to us, a young boy who threw himself between the trees like a monkey.  It took us one hour to reach the guide house, it was planned to have a boodle fight, but it was quite hot to eat in an open space, we ate in groups and afterwards have a customary group photo with the anniversary cake, which others have fun wiping the icing to each other.

Within minutes we reached the jump-off, where we found a few of us got lost and wasn’t able to reach the guide’s house so they have been starved waiting for us to descend, and since we are the first one to descend we waited for a bit to the others and since it is getting late in the afternoon and we still need to travel back to Odiongan a few of us left already after asking permission and bidding goodbye to others.

And before we went out the national road I have asked my cousins to go to the port to have a photo of Mt. Payaopao in a distance just like how the first photo above was taken. I am surprised to see that the port was already improved after which, we decided to take another route, round Tablas passing other municipalities going home.

Two years passed, my older cousin and her own family went home again for vacation but this time they are with her husband who just went out from the army,  they have been living far away from the clan since her husband was assigned to his province and days before their vacation ended they organized a family outing.  It was also two years ago when she came home with her kids, after the death of our old aunt that there was a family outing at Sato Beach Resort.

For a change, the family outing was made possible at Mountain Spring Resort when it should be at Mablaran Falls, my family went so I did, but instead of leaving together with them we just followed, we went to town market to buy some stuff because I don’t think it is nice to show up at the resort without bringing anything with us.

Mountain Spring Resort was located in Brgy. Rizal, Odiongan Romblon just a few minutes away from the downtown. A lot of things changed at the resort, way back in College when our institute held the Acquaintance party there was only one small pool then and the place wasn’t big and spacious like today.

Today, there are three pools. The old one, the kids pool and the larger pool for adults complete with slides. The cottage near the kids pool was rented by the clan and since the place wasn’t rented exclusively, aside from us there are also families, group of friends and kids who enjoyed the pool.

Me, not knowing how to swim stays in a corner but most of the time I am in the kids pool, playing with my second cousins (1x) removed, teaching them how to swim (according to me, hahaha). But when the water in the kids pool became so itchy, I decided to say in the bigger pool. I guess the kids started to pee in the pool without leaving out of the water.

Mountain Spring Resort is a hectare of land converted into a farm resort for tourists who are looking for a peaceful place to relax and unwind. It has also a large hall that can be used for seminars, birthday and even wedding celebration. They have a karaoke machine for people who’d like to sing between dipping in at the pool, they have shower rooms and plenty of cottages scattered around and their parking lot was spacious too. They also offered catering for any occasions and have a few rooms for guest who wanted to do overnight stay.

MOUNTAIN SPRING RESORT
Brgy. Rizal, Odiongan, Romblon
Facebook page – https://www.facebook.com/Mountain-Spring-Resort-607164986084372/
Mobile No. – 0917 808 5982

Disclosure: This is NOT a sponsored post. Above written post was my own personal experience and opinion and might be different from yours.

The Kanidugan festival this year wasn’t too exciting, maybe because of the MIMAROPA Festival that was been held a few months ago in Odiongan. I think that’s how it works, if you already watched the big thing, small things doesn’t excites you that much anymore.  The festival wasn’t celebrated on the 5th, to give way to the procession of  Catholic church. The town parade was held in the morning of the 6th day of April, unlike the previous festival the contender this year where from different municipalities of Tablas island.

The first tribe where the Saginyogan Festival (Coco-Banana Festival) from the Municipality of Alcantara, their costume was mainly made of banana leaves and coconut. The festival was first presented in 2010 to bring awareness of the contribution of coconut and banana on enhancing the lives of the locals, especially the farmers.

The Governor of Romblon together with the government employees were in the parade too, everything was good not until one of them (people at the end) left a trash in the middle of the street, an empty water bottle. So disappointing, they should be the one to set an example to the local people eh.

Anyway, the next contender in the town parade was Tribu Banbanon from the Municipality of Looc, they are wearing vibrant color of fairy costumes, one thing you’ll notice on them they are all smiles, they were students of Looc National High School.

Romblon Baktas Mountaineer joins the town parade too, I didn’t go with them because I watched the parade with my mother I can’t left her alone in the street.  What I did was stop them to have a photo and I was dragged by a few to come with them but I declined and reasoned out.

The next contender was Tribu Biga-biga, as what I have heard they are made -up tribe in Odiongan, by the popular group of dancers E2. They are wearing a colorful pink mask and they dance in a a bit seductive manner as their tribe name says.

Tribu Febabosa was the last tribe in the town parade, their costume was exquisite, it is well designed.  When the parade ended we waited for my sister who paraded with her office mates and instead of going to a restaurant for lunch we decided to go home first to check what is our father doing after going home first.

When I was still a kid, I have seen a lot of groups of students walking in our street with their teacher, as I have heard they were on excursion or hiking as part of their Physical Education subject, they are either going to Mainit Falls or the famous PLDT tower. The tower is can be seen from our barangay and it was my childhood dream to reach the peak like them.

[Photo courtesy of Stephen Photography]

Unlike any other climb, my third climb with the RBM last February 25, 2018 was a twin hike. We climb Mt. Manapon (523 msl) and Triple Peak Tower or famously called PLDT (613 msl). I almost wasn’t able to go because my feet was swollen the day before, it has been raining for the past days and I guess the dirty water went through the small cuts in my skin. I took an antibiotic capsule without getting a prescription because I really want to climb and it was a bad decision I made.

[Photo courtesy of Stephen Photography]

Since, the venue of the hike was just in our barangay my sister and I didn’t anymore went to town to be at the meeting place, we just waited for them to pass by and then we meet them at the jump-off. Yap, you read it right. I went hiking with my sister, it cost me a lot to bring her. I have to bribe our mother and we have to ask permission repetitively (lol).

When we met at the spillway, the jump-off place. I was surprised to see that most of them were wearing sweatshirts and jackets, when I have asked my hiking buddies they said it will be cold  up top.  We just waited a bit and then walked further to the foot of the mountain where the normal routine was done, short information drive, stretching and praying for safe climb and descend.

The trail was a bit wet because of the rain days before the scheduled hike. As I didn’t exercise a lot before the hike and I took antibiotic the night before, I was easily tired but the good thing I am with my sister and my hiking buddy Anna. They waited for me despite I am slowing them down, you know what is funny, I keep reminding my sister to be careful, but it turns out it is me who needs to be always be reminded to be careful (lol).

It was a good thing, the hard core members of RBM were just behind us so we didn’t lose our trail despite that our guide was in the first group. We had so much fun along the way, telling stories, laughing and taking selfies and photos, there are trails that were cleaned but there are some who are bushy and plenty of sharp and tall grass.

We saw a lot of things a long the way, beautiful sceneries, landslide, unfamiliar grasses and etc., There are a lot of guava trees but since we are the last one, the ripe fruits were already got taken by the first groups or the first group the previous day who did the pre-climb. and

[Taken at the peak of Mt. Manapon]

Within two hours we reached the peak of Mt. Manapon where the first group where already resting and waiting for us, our friends even teased that they have already lunch. We rested a bit, took a group pictures and started another hike to the Triple Peak Tower (PLDT).

The trail to the next mountain is slippery, foggy and narrow especially when you are nearing at the peak. You need to be careful if you doesn’t want to hurt yourself. We reached the next peak within one hour, it was foggy and there was no clearing which is bad because you can’t appreciate what’s around or below, we are not allowed to go up more at the vicinity because of radiation.

We didn’t stay longer, we took our photos and did the customary group pictures and we started to descend, the trail became more slippery because lots of people already passed by, we have been extra careful but still there are some who slid.

We returned to the peak of Mt. Manapon where we had our group lunch and after which we have small introduction, short meeting when will be the next hike and the signing of the group tarpaulin. It was a knee-breaking experience going down because we’ve climb a lot so we have to move down in frenzy.

This is a long overdue post but since life has been so busy and my laptop broke it wasn’t so easy to blog again.  It was on January 28, 2018 when I climbed again with Romblon Baktas Mountaineers it was my second climb with them. I wasn’t able to go with them at Mt. Payaopao revenge climb because of some circumstances, no driver and bad weather.

Climbing to Mt. Puting Bato was a rush decision, the day before the climb I wasn’t sure if I want to go. I didn’t prepare my bag, nor the things I have to bring, I did it the morning of the climb. I have asked my father to be my driver, when I reached the meeting point as if I was the only one they’re waiting because the group left after a short prayer.

It was already past 8 AM when we started trekking to Mt. Puting Bato, it took so long because we have to wait for other members and we did stretching and short information drive on what to do and what not to do while trekking or in the summit.

There are a lot of new faces on Mt. Puting Bato but I was glad to find familiar faces, I trekked with them and it wasn’t a bad decision because we have so much fun.  We have to walk passing through a small village and a small farm in the upland. I hyperventilate when we are going up a hill, it was very sudden. I think I am feeling anxious of the other hikers behind me, what if I am walking so slow and I am making them wait, I decided to stop and let them pass and when I arrived at the top of the hill I am literally grasping for air, my heart beat so fast and it was hard for me to breath. One of the members told me it happened because we talked so much while walking little did he know I am hyperventilating because I am feeling anxious of the people behind me or maybe there is other reason unknown to me.

The trail at Mt. Puting Bato isn’t a joke, it was bushy, narrow and there was a lot of sharp stones and rocks. Just one wrong step and you hurt yourself, it was scary at first, but once you get used to it, it became easy to walk and find your step. It was surely a lot harder than the hike at Mt. Ope.

We found a small cave along our hike, around lunch time we reached a point the senior hikers called 90 degrees, you have to climb at the top of the tree using a rope and your skills. There was a long line since you can’t stay longer in the tree because it cannot accommodate lots of people, I have tried it, but I didn’t able to reach the top because I wasn’t able to fit myself in the small open space so I could climb backwards, instead of trying harder I went down to avoid getting into an accident because it feels like something is stopping me to do it. Honestly, I have wondered why I didn’t try harder because it wasn’t the normal me, I usually don’t turn my back to a new thrill

We did some experimental climb at the adjacent small cave for the sake of pictures, it was easy going up, but going down was a bit scary because one wrong move and the cave or soil will collapse on top of us.  We continue, walking with the help of our local guide, the road is becoming steeper and higher. We reached a point where some members were resting, but then we are told we missed the viewing point, so we have to go down to climb at another point god thing I brought a walking stick with me, it was already drizzling at the time, we are starting to be soaked in the rain.

We stayed there for about 30 minutes and we started walking again, it was already raining hard and our clothes were already wet when we decided to have lunch since some of us were already starving, the first group was already ahead of us.

We had lunch together and with the help of some umbrella we are able to make our food safe from rain water. We didn’t take long, after we ate we started walking up and down. It wasn’t easy because the trail was already slippery, along the way we saw giant flowering taro into my amazement. Then our guide shows us a cave down below, with the help of an unstable pole they went down to see the cave, I tried it, but I was very scared because it doesn’t feel right, the pole wasn’t that strong and it was quite high and slippery. At that moment, I don’t know but I have remembered my biological grandfather.

Only five of us were left to stay to wait for them, we are already soaked and cold but those who descended was taking their precious time below (lol).  To cut it short, we started walking again, descending the mountain from the other side and since it rained really hard already and the path was already used by the first group, it was really slippery I can’t remember how many times I fell down or slid maybe because I am wearing a running shoes with me. I removed my shoes and wear my slippers, but when the slippers were full of mud I started to slip again so I walked barefooted, it hurts and its killing my sole.

If there was only another way to go down the mountain I will gladly choose it because the path going down isn’t getting any better, slippery and full of sharp rocks. It was a good thing we have a young member who helped us a lot and offer his hands for us to hold on when there was nothing to hold on to.  There was one moment I can’t forget when I fell down because I made sure that everything is good before I stoop down but then I still fell down breaking my hiking stick, it was like a flat line or a feeling that someone was gone. We are the last one to descend the mountain or should I say I was the last one to go down. Our shoes, clothes and bags were full of mud.  I didn’t take a lot of photos because it was very dangerous, my phone might get broke from being soak in the rain or it might broke every time I slid and fell down.

Want to hear a sad story? The next day, I have found out that my biological grandfather died while I keep slipping and hurting myself while descending Mt. Puting Bato, he was frantically rushed to the hospital, but he didn’t make it, he died of heart attacked. I have wondered that maybe when I started hyperventilating and my heart is beating so fast  my grandfather is fighting with his life. I am not able to talk yet with my grandmother what time he had an attacked and died.