Day 3: Surigao City to Gingoog City

This is the shortest leg of our journey so we were not in a hurry to leave early. Bobby and I sat by the shore as we waited for the breaking of dawn. We thought of having a quick dip but the beach was not too inviting. Perhaps we were just excited to reach our final destination.

After our breakfast in the city, we started hitting the road at 8 a.m. We could have reached Gingoog City by noon but we decided to have lunch in an eatery by the beach approximately 20 km from the city. The homecooked dishes were gone in a few minutes and the driver got to lie on a hammock as we breathed in the sea breeze and admired the view of Camiguin island on the horizon.

At 12:38 p.m., we reached our destination. We're very happy to see our loved ones in Gingoog City. This is going to be our first Christmas with them.

By the way, the odometer registered 1,237.9 km. Hurray to the best ever driver in the whole wide world and thank you, Lord, for your traveling mercies.

Day 2: Allen, Northern Samar to Surigao City

It was a restful night and we were all recharged to start the second day of our journey to Mindanao. At a quarter to 6 a.m.,  we left the lodge and proceeded to Calbayog City for breakfast. Along the way, we saw houses, crops, and roads that were damaged by Typhoon Nona. At 11:06 a.m., we were already crossing San Juanico Bridge, the longest bridge in the country. The next stop was the memorial of the shipwreck caused by Super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) then more photo ops at MacArthur Park in Palo, Leyte.

After lunch, we headed to Liloan Port in Southern Leyte. We were advised to try the San Ricardo Port 41 km down south for a better chance of getting a slot in the roro vehicle. We arrived at 4:30 p.m. and there was a long queue of trucks and other private vehicles waiting for boarding. We were only accommodated on the third ship which started sailing at 11 p.m. After an hour, the ship docked in Lipata Port, Surigao City. We checked in at a beach resort to get the much-needed rest from our long journey.

Day 1: Indang, Cavite to Allen, Northern Samar

According to Google, the total distance from Indang, Cavite to Matnog, Sorsogon is 563 km. We drove 593 km and it took us almost 15 hours. That's the first leg of our journey to Mindanao and we only have one super driver. Bravo!

We were supposed to leave yesterday but the weather forecast was not good because of three weather systems over the country. Today it was still overcast and raining in some parts of our route. We left Indang at past 2 a.m. The first stopover was for breakfast in Gumaca, Quezon. Lunch was at Camalig, Albay where we had the famous pinangat, Bicol express, and a chicken dish. The third stopover was in a gas station in Sorsogon City and finally, we reached Matnog port at 3 p.m. Our roro ticket was for 4 p.m. departure to Allen port but the boat left at 8 p.m. so we decided to spend the night in Allen, Northern Samar. The town had no power and phone signal since Typhoon Nona hit the area making it difficult to look for accommodation but we were able to find one with water and standby power. We were just in time before the closing of a small restaurant which is a walking distance from our lodging house and we had a hearty dinner to cap the day.

Great Is Your Faithfulness

Thank you, Lord, for answering our prayers. Cyd passed the Electronics Engineer and Electronics Technician Licensure Examinations given on 24-26 October 2015 by the Professional Regulation Commission.

Long before, I already claimed that the Lord would grant our heart's desire. We prayed individually, as a family, and also the brethren. I believe it is all part of God's plans, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

Thank you, Lord! To You be the glory.

Bacuit Bay of El Nido, Palawan

I'm back to enjoy the beauty of El Nido and this time I'm sharing it with my family. In August 2010, I promised to return and explore more of its islands and beaches with my loved ones.

This time, we're staying in a family-owned and managed inn in Barangay Corong Corong about 3 km from the town proper. The area is quiet and private, and most of all, we get to enjoy the panoramic sunset views of Bacuit Bay even from the balcony of our family room. The morning stroll is relaxing as you can walk far from the shore because of the low tide.