the nightmare trip.....no to RORO!!!

This year we decided to go to Boracay to have our summer vacation. But because we are all on a short budget, we opt to try traveling to bora by land. Meaning, traveling to Bora through bus and roro.

If you want to travel by land, there are lots of buses in the Metro. Few of the buses are Philtranco, Dimple Star, Ceres (Bachelor Express) and Alps (please do not opt to be on the Ceres or Alps buses (more on that later)

We decided to ride Ceres (Bachelor express) bus going to Caticlan Jetty Port. We paid 1050 (all-in -- including terminal fee for the Batangas Port).

Day 1 Travel back (April 8, 2009 -- Wednesday)

7:00 AM - wake up time and prepare to leave home for Bora

8:30 AM - traveled from Makati going to Pasay (where the Ceres Bus is located)

9:30 AM - SUPPOSEDLY the bus should leave this time going to Batangas Port.
-- but guess what, the bus left Pasay around 12PM!!!! What a SYSTEM they have! telling all passengers that we have to be there at 9:00 AM because the bus will leave at 9:30 AM. again, another way to say that their system is bulok, trash, basura! we waited there for hours, gosh!!!

9:30 - 11:45 AM - We just stayed at Jollibee Pasay waiting for the bus' signal that its time to leave.

12:00 PM - the bus departs going to Alabang
-- they told us that they will get more passengers for the trip. Guess what, we stayed there for almost an hour for god's sake! and to add more, there were commotion going on because they overbooked their passengers. (see, another bulok system!!) the driver didnt even realize that we are going to be late in the schedules that they were supposed to follow!!!!!

2:30 PM - finally, we are off to Batangas Port

3:40 PM - Arrival at Batangas Port
-- while we were lining up to enter the port, our bus got in a accident!!!! another bus (dimple star) is trying to get in line. Our bus driver didn't even gave the bus a chance to get in the line. he accidentally broke the side mirror of dimple star into pieces causing another commotion. Take note, we were supposed to be in the first RORO at 4PM and guess what, we were late and wasnt able to get in the RORO!!!! grrrrr.... going back in the side mirror, they were able to resolve the matter by giving the rear view mirror of our bus to the dimple star bus.

6:00 PM - time wherein we were able to get inside RORO
-- if you are going to bora, you will ride two RORO. first RORO will last for about 2-3 hrs depending on what RORO you will be riding on. the second RORO is good for 5-6 hrs depending again what RORO you will be riding on. so the first one going to Calapan port is for 3 hrs.

9:00 PM - we reached Calapan Port at this time

9:15 PM - 12:00 AM- we reached Roxas Port
-- AGAIN, super delays againnnn!!!!!! we were exhausted already and we found out that the next RORO trip will be at 4AM!!!! because of the delays we had, we weren't able to reach the RORO trip at 12:00 AM..grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!

Day 2 Travel (April 9, 2009) Thursday

12:00 AM - 4:00 AM- still at the Roxas Port
-- hays... we waited for the freakin' roro to arrive!!!! we have no place to stay because the terminal is full of people already because of the delays that has been going on. my uncles waited for the konduktor to give us the roro ticket. while me, my momy and dady waited near where the roro will park so that we could pick a better seat.

4:00 AM- the RORO arrived! freakin' M/V Dianna.
-- we think this the slowest of all roro's around!!! grrrrrrrrrrrrrr! man! the ship speed is like slower than a turtle! the travel time to roxas-caticlan is for 5 hrs but M/V Dianna traveled for about 7 hrs!!!! gosh!!!! the trip was longggggggggggggggggg ang slowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww........very slowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww....kaya pla may beds sa roro na yun kc they know na super bagal nung ship na un! gosh! and the bed.... promise! not very comfortable..not good to sleep on.... and the smell.... never mind that...

10:30 AM - thank God! we reached Caticlan Jetty Port! whew!!!! just a 5 mins boat ride and we're on Bora na!

from April 9-12, 2009 we stayed at Boracay Tourist Inn at Station 1. the place is really accessible and near the famous white beach of Bora! I really love Boracay...

Day 3 Travel back to Manila (April 12, 2009 -- Sunday)

10:30 AM - Checked-out our hotel
11:00 AM - ate lunch at D'Mall
11:30 AM - boarded super cat ferry going to Caticlan Jetty Port
11:50 AM - DISASTER!!! CHAOS!!!
-- We found out that RORO trips was delayed and some of the passengers who were supposed to leave early in the morning is still in the Jetty port until now! gosh! so what do we expect? all passengers will have the same domino effect. DELAYS DELAYS DELAYS!!!!!
12:30 PM - we checked-in in a small hotel near the jetty port to relax and to cool off
6:00 PM - the bus driver gave us a text that they arrived at the jetty port already.
-- this is where "the war" started. we found out that the bus driver and konduktor let those people sit without even paying for the ticket and they don't have any ticket at all! grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr 1000 timesssssssss! my mom fought really hard for our seats. its not fair when you paid for the seats and other people will sit there! aba kapal ng mukha nila ha! sila na nga hdi nagbayad at singit sila pa makikinabang sa binayad namin? excuse me! my dad and i called the police already because sobrang tigas ng ulo ng mga tao. ayaw sumunod..makakapal ang face! so we came to an agreement that they can stay at OUR seats

Day 4 Travel back to Manila (April 12, 2009 -- Sunday and April 13, 2009 -- Monday)

6:00 PM - 9:00 AM - still in Caticlan Jetty Port
-- we slept inside the jetty port :(..poor us..sakit na katawan ko...huhuhuuh tapos may sakit pa and paos pa ako...haysss....

9:30 AM - 2:00 PM
-- until we reach Roxas port kasi baba naman lahat sa bus and sasakay sa roro. so when we reached roxas port, this man na sobrang kapal tlga ng pag mumuka...nakipag tigasan parin shA sa amin!!!! he's not giving up on the seats that we paid for (he is one of the people of haven't even paid the bus) when all the people in the bus pinagsasabihan na sha na umayos na sha, nahiya na ata un lumipat sa ibang upuan. then the bus drove na going to Calapan Port.

2:00 PM - 7:00 PM
We stayed at Calapan kasi again DELAYEDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD.... we ate..freshen up...bought water and food..gosh ubos pera grabeh!

7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
wait lang kami sa port area ng padating na roro..thank God damating narin...hays....

Day 5 Travel back to Manila (April 13, 2009 -- Monday to April 14, 2009 Tuesday)

9:30-12:30 AM - travel time from Calapan Port to Batangas Port
-- haysss salamat malapit narin kami sa Manila kahit papano. Pag daong plang nung roro sus sakay na kagad kami sa bus kc super exhausted na tlga and nahihilo pa ako sa roro! damn!

2:30 AM - PASAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY
-- waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa MANILA NA KAMI sa WAKASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS....

3:00 AM - BAHAYYYYYYYYYYYYYY HOMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE....
-- thank you LORD for the safe trip and dun sa BORA namin sobrang saya tlga..ganda ng place..though minalas malas lang tlga kami sa RORO at sa mga bus na nisakyan namin...

DONT EVER RIDE ALPS BUS AND CERES BUS PLEASE KUNG AYAW NYO MAHIRAPAN! IF YOU OPT FOR RORO ITS YOUR CHOICE HIHIHIIH.... PERO PROMISE MAHIHIRAPAN TLGA KYO BASED FROM OUR EXPERIENCE. PERO SHEMPRE MASAYA DIN YUNG EXPERIENCE KASI DAMING COMEDY MOMENTS KAHIT NA SUPER SERIOUS NA NUNG SITWASYON...SHEMPRE KAMI PA HDI NAMAN NAWAWALA ANG TAWANAN...HEHEHE

ni share ko lang yung experience ko sa roro at sa bus... yun lang naman yung pinaka bad trip sa lahat e at yung mga tao na eps...hehehhe...

pero BORA waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa super the best tlga... wala ako masabi sa bora.. bow ako sa boraaaaa... hihihiihi

try boracay tourist inn when you get there..located at station 1 of bora. affordable place..lapit lang sa main place ng bora so walking distance lang tlga sha sa beach..hdi mahirap ma access yung place :)..try Jonah's fruit shake...hahahha

till our next trip... hahahha!