Caramoan

We took the long and winded road. The road less traveled. And got here after 15hrs. That's how long it takes to get from Cubao to Caramaon by bus. I wouldn't have minded it so much if we expected it. But ETA seems a foreign concept with bus lines plying this route. We'll get there when we get there. That's the vibe I got from the driver and his assistant. No wonder people took their time in the pee stops.

The bus had a TV onboard. They showed local soaps until we got too far for the network signals. Then they screened an old Sylvester Stallone psycho killer film. Then at sunrise they played a medley of covers. The chairs were as comfortable as could be expected of refurbished buses. Overall, it was not very unpleasant, except the trip got too long.

Upon getting to Caramoan Centro, we took a tricycle to Bgy. Patiman. The dirt road was horrible. I can't imagine what it would be like if it rained. We were not in a very good mood when we got here. We were tired and hungry and badly needed a bath. It didn't help that our homestay hosts weren't there to meet us.

After waiting a while at a sari-sari store, we decided to ditch the homestay option and go bigtime. We got an AC room at a resort owned by a relative of our homestay host, just across where we were supposed to stay. That means we would be earmarking P700 more per day for lodging.

The room has two single beds; a tiny bathroom, a third of which is occupied by a plastic water container; a small side table just enough a lamp, but too far from the electrical outlet we can't use it; and hooks on the wall where we can hang towels or clothes. That's all. No lockers or work desks. So now we put all our stuff on one bed and we'll share the other bed.

At least there's AC.