Tinambacan
After the disembarking the Cokaliong ferry from Cebu, we were picked up by a bus heading to the nearby town of Calbayog. We got down at the barangay of Tinamabacan Norte (North). Upon arrival at the residence of our host, we were received warmly and immediately set down to a hearty breakfast of rice (Filipinos ), chicken franks, fried eggs and coffee. Lunch and dinner were cozy affairs as well, with the entire family gathered around at the table and much chit chat.
Fiesta
Fiestas are a grand affair in the Philippines. In a nutshell, each barangay has its own patron saint and the fiesta of the barangay is conducted in honour of that saint. This saint in the case of the Tinamabacan barangay, is Sr Vincente Ferrer. Therefore, all preparations are concluded by the eve and on the day of the fiesta starts with an early morning mass. After this, it is pretty much a day full of feasting and visiting family and friends. By the time, evening set in, the remainder of people was pretty much the inner circle of family and close friends. People were sufficiently well fed and suitably inebriated. Pretty much no event anywhere in the Philippines is complete without a hearty dose of singing. A summer fiesta is no different; the karaoke set up was plugged in and the catalogue of songs passed around for people to key them in a sequence.
Music
Although I already knew that Filipinos love music, I was still pleasantly surprised by the vocal range and the singing fervor. Most of the songs were in English and they were from the 80s and the 90s, so they were well known and everyone ended up joining and singing along. It was not a surprise when I was invited to join in. Not being particularly famous (infamous?) for my singing skills, I declined at first, but after some more pleas (or perhaps I had one too many Red Horse in me), I settled on a song by U2. When my turn came, I proceeded to croak it out and the karaoke unit handed me an unmentionable score, rightly so. But my hosts gave a polite round of applause. Handing over the microphone to a chanteuse, I buried myself in one corner of the couch and listened to successive songs. The nephew of my companion belted out a rock n roll number in Tagalog, which I obviously did not understand a single word of, but appreciated nevertheless for the raw melody and the spirited rendition by the sprightly pre teen boy. It was a fairly personal (and in that sense, closed) event, thus I will not post any pictures of it. But I hope I was able to share a slice of my observation.
Malajog
The tradition for the residents of Tinambacan barangay is to visit the nearby Malajog beach the next day after the fiesta. Several nipa huts are available for rent and visitors throng them and indulging themselves for a day of eating the remainders of the fiesta and them having a dip in the ocean. My companion and I had a hearty meal, followed by a stroll along the beach and then a quick hike to a nearby hill. Despite the hot sun, kids and adults alike enjoyed running up and down the sandy beach and chasing each other into the water, while shrieking in delight. After a while, I hit the cool, refreshing waters myself and simply lazed around, floating on my back. Every once in a while, I would be approached by some of the locals and we would have an introductory chat. I was delighted by the fact that just a perfunctory smile can easily act as an ice breaker. This observation was probably all the more stark owing to the fact that I have spent a good many years in urban centers, where five days of the week are spent trudging to work and back, most likely heads bent down to a handheld device.
Having spent a good ninety minutes swimming lazily, I made my way back to the nipa hut of our party and replenished whatever calories I burned by helping myself to another meal and a fizzy drink. I helped the others from the party to wash up the dishes and pack in the food containers. The sun had already started to go down and the changing colours filtered by the clouds across the sky gave rise to a spectacular sunset. This was not something I could miss so me and my companion simply had to scramble to get our cameras. After having squeezed of several shots in quick succession, I was content to just stand there by the edge of the water with my feet slowly sinking in the sand, watching the sun hit the horizon with a last fiery display. The remainders of tourists turned into silhouettes as they treaded water or rowed their boats in the distance. And then it was time for me to join my party and head back to my temporary home. Malajog beach, in its current avatar, is not an overly touristy place – apart from myself, there were less than five non Filipino nationals. This may not remain so for long since there are plans to develop this place on a much larger scale. A resort is under construction and a zipline facility (from the highest point on the beach to a nearby island) is awaiting inauguration. While the additional revenues from more visitors would be welcome, I do hope that this happens not at the expanse of indiscriminate exploitation and soiling of the natural beauty of this wonderful stretch of beach and its surroundings.
Having spent a good ninety minutes swimming lazily, I made my way back to the nipa hut of our party and replenished whatever calories I burned by helping myself to another meal and a fizzy drink. I helped the others from the party to wash up the dishes and pack in the food containers. The sun had already started to go down and the changing colours filtered by the clouds across the sky gave rise to a spectacular sunset. This was not something I could miss so me and my companion simply had to scramble to get our cameras. After having squeezed of several shots in quick succession, I was content to just stand there by the edge of the water with my feet slowly sinking in the sand, watching the sun hit the horizon with a last fiery display. The remainders of tourists turned into silhouettes as they treaded water or rowed their boats in the distance. And then it was time for me to join my party and head back to my temporary home. Malajog beach, in its current avatar, is not an overly touristy place – apart from myself, there were less than five non Filipino nationals. This may not remain so for long since there are plans to develop this place on a much larger scale. A resort is under construction and a zipline facility (from the highest point on the beach to a nearby island) is awaiting inauguration. While the additional revenues from more visitors would be welcome, I do hope that this happens not at the expanse of indiscriminate exploitation and soiling of the natural beauty of this wonderful stretch of beach and its surroundings.
Tarangban Falls
Tarangban Falls is an hour ride away from Tinambacan. However, every jeepney we encountered, was packed to the brim by the time it arrived at Tinamabacan. So my companion and I decided to head to Calbayog City (in the opposite direction) and catch one of the jeepneys at the origin. Although this added additional journey time, it turned out to be wise, because the jeepneys do not start their journey unless they are pretty much 95% filled in. We were proven right when the jeepney was fully loaded and did not stop at Tinambacan. The jeepney eventually dropped us off at the start of the entry to the falls, which as of our visit, was an under construction path heading to the falls. It is possible to walk the remaining distance to the falls, but since we had lost some time, we decided to hire one of the motorcycles to be dropped off. The driver, my companion and myself were joined by another person who turned out to be our guide. The guide positioned his bottom on the gas tank, his head leaning to the right and both his legs dangling from the left. This was the first time that I was a participant in 4 adults-on-a-bike. As mentioned, this stretch of the road was under construction and to add more thrill to the ride, there were generous inclines, both going up and coming down. I have no pictures from this ride, as I was understandably holding on to some of the frame parts of the bike and prevented getting dislodged from the bike. On a scale of 0 to 10, I award 12 to the biker.
Once we reached the end of the road, the guide took over and led us through a fair bit of wooded trails. The first fall that we reached, we decided to leave it for our return journey and pressed on. At the second fall, we were suitably impressed by this sight.
We had some packed food, left over from the fiesta, and we tucked into it, while we were treated to the fantastic display in front of us. After this lunch, we took to walking around among the walls, simply getting soaking and shrieking out in delight. The rocks were somewhat slimy and slippery, not surprisingly, but both of us managed to keep our balance. The blast of the waterfall was, at the same time, immensely enjoyable and shocking. We were, of course, not alone. Other visitors too were making the most of this wonderful place. Some of the better prepared came with sizable containers of food and water, and of course, the ubiquitous selfie sticks made their appearance. My companion and I had a good amount of hammering under the waterfalls, after which we decided to go up the sides of the waterfall, cameras in tow, to get some shots. Having done that (and seeing our guide beckoning to us), we gathered our belongings and started to head down to the first waterfall. #itsmorefuninthephilippines
Here too, we set down our bags for a while and roamed around over the boulders and the streams. The natural beauty, reinforced with the appealing sounds of the rushing waters, was most conducive for the two of us to sit down and simply let go of time. And I have to confess that I felt mildly irritated that I could not spend more time here.
Moving further down, we came to our starting point, where we were fetched by the same motorcycle and the four of us made our way (all over the same ups and downs) to the starting point. It had started to drizzle lightly and we huddled under a roadside shop, waiting to catch a jeepney back to Tinambacan. In the meantime, the owner of the shop came over to us and gave us helpful tips on alternatives to the jeepney. However, a not too crowded jeepney soon presented itself and we boarded it, having bidden farewell to the kindly shopkeeper. The rain too stopped soon and my companion and I sat knee to knee with several other passengers, as we rode back home. It was especially interesting when passengers seated on the roof of the vehicle had to disembark. They would typically bang their palms on the carbody, but the driver could (and often would) not hear the sounds. In some jeepneys, an additional assistant is hired to be the ‘conductor’, who ably manages this need to halt. Since, on this occasion, our transport had no conductor, the driver overshot the halt on several occasions, leading to other passengers also starting to join in and bang the carbody, until the driver pulled over.
Once we reached the end of the road, the guide took over and led us through a fair bit of wooded trails. The first fall that we reached, we decided to leave it for our return journey and pressed on. At the second fall, we were suitably impressed by this sight.
We had some packed food, left over from the fiesta, and we tucked into it, while we were treated to the fantastic display in front of us. After this lunch, we took to walking around among the walls, simply getting soaking and shrieking out in delight. The rocks were somewhat slimy and slippery, not surprisingly, but both of us managed to keep our balance. The blast of the waterfall was, at the same time, immensely enjoyable and shocking. We were, of course, not alone. Other visitors too were making the most of this wonderful place. Some of the better prepared came with sizable containers of food and water, and of course, the ubiquitous selfie sticks made their appearance. My companion and I had a good amount of hammering under the waterfalls, after which we decided to go up the sides of the waterfall, cameras in tow, to get some shots. Having done that (and seeing our guide beckoning to us), we gathered our belongings and started to head down to the first waterfall. #itsmorefuninthephilippines
Here too, we set down our bags for a while and roamed around over the boulders and the streams. The natural beauty, reinforced with the appealing sounds of the rushing waters, was most conducive for the two of us to sit down and simply let go of time. And I have to confess that I felt mildly irritated that I could not spend more time here.
Moving further down, we came to our starting point, where we were fetched by the same motorcycle and the four of us made our way (all over the same ups and downs) to the starting point. It had started to drizzle lightly and we huddled under a roadside shop, waiting to catch a jeepney back to Tinambacan. In the meantime, the owner of the shop came over to us and gave us helpful tips on alternatives to the jeepney. However, a not too crowded jeepney soon presented itself and we boarded it, having bidden farewell to the kindly shopkeeper. The rain too stopped soon and my companion and I sat knee to knee with several other passengers, as we rode back home. It was especially interesting when passengers seated on the roof of the vehicle had to disembark. They would typically bang their palms on the carbody, but the driver could (and often would) not hear the sounds. In some jeepneys, an additional assistant is hired to be the ‘conductor’, who ably manages this need to halt. Since, on this occasion, our transport had no conductor, the driver overshot the halt on several occasions, leading to other passengers also starting to join in and bang the carbody, until the driver pulled over.
Miraculous Hot Springs
After the memorable day out in Malajog, another day trip was planned and organized, this time to the Miraculous Hot Springs (Barangay Lungsob, Oquendo District, Calbayog).
Since this was an affair that involved family and extended relatives, the remainders of the fiesta came in handy. The vehicle of choice was a private jeepney (that is, not used for commercial purpose). Each family brought along food, along with cutlery and other accessories. This large sized vehicle was well suited for the purpose as it not only accommodated all the people involved, it also took in containers of food, iceboxes and crates of drinks. Once we hit the open road, the driver (the husband of one the sisters of my companion’s mother) set the pace of the ride rather comfortably. The well maintained jeepney hummed effortlessly with the entire load of picnickers and cargo. As we neared our destination, we turned off into a dirt road and the robust suspension of the jeepney did not fail to impress me.
It is also possible to take a boat ride up the river and the walk up a flight of stairs to arrive at the spring. There are several huts that can be used by the visitors, to set up their food and drink. Some of the more elaborate ones were two storeys. All had roofs of nipa leaves. The entire placed is very well maintained and I liked the rustic setting, far away from the hustle of the city. The pools are open to public only after ten in the morning. There were two pools, the larger one had relatively cooler water, while the smaller one was warmer. Both had water up to a depth of 1.2m, I estimate. I dove into the swimming pool for a few lengths of swimming, before heading over for a soak in the other pool. Next to the warm pool is a small shrine. However, it was locked on the day of our visit.
There is a covered courtyard, adjacent to the main office. It is possible to make use of the karaoke machine, which some of us did. The facility also provided beers (Red Horse and San Miguel) for sale. It was certainly a most pleasant day. It was nice to see kids left free to their own devices (although they need supervision in the larger swimming pool), something that is not seen much in modern, urban centers. Gradually the plates and cutlery came out, food was distributed and there was much laughter all around. I certainly enjoyed my visit to this place and I consider it a privilege to be a part of this personal gathering. I would love another trip here (or perhaps another hot spring).
Since this was an affair that involved family and extended relatives, the remainders of the fiesta came in handy. The vehicle of choice was a private jeepney (that is, not used for commercial purpose). Each family brought along food, along with cutlery and other accessories. This large sized vehicle was well suited for the purpose as it not only accommodated all the people involved, it also took in containers of food, iceboxes and crates of drinks. Once we hit the open road, the driver (the husband of one the sisters of my companion’s mother) set the pace of the ride rather comfortably. The well maintained jeepney hummed effortlessly with the entire load of picnickers and cargo. As we neared our destination, we turned off into a dirt road and the robust suspension of the jeepney did not fail to impress me.
It is also possible to take a boat ride up the river and the walk up a flight of stairs to arrive at the spring. There are several huts that can be used by the visitors, to set up their food and drink. Some of the more elaborate ones were two storeys. All had roofs of nipa leaves. The entire placed is very well maintained and I liked the rustic setting, far away from the hustle of the city. The pools are open to public only after ten in the morning. There were two pools, the larger one had relatively cooler water, while the smaller one was warmer. Both had water up to a depth of 1.2m, I estimate. I dove into the swimming pool for a few lengths of swimming, before heading over for a soak in the other pool. Next to the warm pool is a small shrine. However, it was locked on the day of our visit.
There is a covered courtyard, adjacent to the main office. It is possible to make use of the karaoke machine, which some of us did. The facility also provided beers (Red Horse and San Miguel) for sale. It was certainly a most pleasant day. It was nice to see kids left free to their own devices (although they need supervision in the larger swimming pool), something that is not seen much in modern, urban centers. Gradually the plates and cutlery came out, food was distributed and there was much laughter all around. I certainly enjoyed my visit to this place and I consider it a privilege to be a part of this personal gathering. I would love another trip here (or perhaps another hot spring).