Wandering around Calatrava didn’t take that long we are still up for adventure so we decided to stop in town of San Andres to look around; I have been in this town long time ago during a summer camp of Baptist Youths and San Andres is one of the town you have to pass by going to San Agustin.

We went around the town and took some rest in their bay area below the eagle statue, and then headed to their town hall. Since it was weekend nobody is around, we are all starving. Instead of looking for a restaurant to eat we have decided to go home quickly and cooked. Eating out might be a good idea but kind of expensive and we can’t eat all we wanted on the same price if we bought something in the market to cook.

The day is perfect for travelling, the sky is blue and the sun is not showing so my mother asked us again if we want to do road trip. It seems I influenced her for being a traveller huh?

We decided to visit Calatrava, a fifth class municipality in Romblon, we already passed this town when we went to San Agustin. We first stopped at their Municipal Fishport, went inside and took some pictures. We can clearly see the shoe island inside the port which is quite nice, I have been hearing about this island from my classmate’s long time ago, how they swim and have fun. The port is quite different from the port I have remembered when I am still in secondary high school where we had a field trip in this town and had a lunch in Lapus-Lapus Beach. If you will ask me when that was, well it was 14 years ago, over a decade. Hehe

We really didn’t take long, we headed to the nearby sea wall where there’s a marble statue of fisherman’s family and their town name in marble stone as well and then headed up to their town hall. As it was Saturday, non-school and office day, town was half empty. I was glad when I found the concrete boat I have been looking for, it was different from I remember over a decade ago maybe because it was painted now and the park around it changed a lot. It was one of the highlight of our field trip those days because of the love team that had been developed and non-stop teasing for our gay classmate involved.

Calatrava is a quite a beautiful and clean town despite of being a small one and I won’t mind coming back again, hopefully next time I could visit their water falls and beaches, since it was only a short visit and the sun is starting to come out we headed to another town nearby.

Visiting Ferrol didn’t take long as we expected, we are still looking for adventure. It is still early to go home so we decided to continue our road trip to Sta. Fe, a 5^th class municipality in Romblon, my mother and sister has been there many times when our father is working at one of its islets. They will tell me endless stories how beautiful was it, how they rode a banca or pump boat to cross the water and etc.

Listening to their stories made me excited, so despite the fact that some of the road is rough I didn’t agree with them going back to Odiongan when the road already felt endless. My reason is we are already there and why not continue further, it turns out they have never been to downtown Sta. Fe just a part of it. Some of the roads are not just rough; it is also an endless curve going up and down in short mountainous.

We only met few bikes along the way including a foreigner who is in between of smiling and not, I was startled why, it turns out the two people in front of me didn’t bother to smile or nod because the sun is toward us, the loose soil and the truck that is just behind him, well I don’t know if I smile either since my attention was focus in snapping photos along the way. Sorry, maybe next time!

Anyway my companions don’t want to continue again after we passed the intersection going to Mati not only because of the rough road but because we didn’t see people or bike along the away, it was a very silent trip all we can hear is our bike and birds. It is sort of secluded area if you will asked me, but I am already decided to continue and follow where the road will take us, after some time we saw two kids walking home from school so we stopped and asked how far is it to town of Sta. Fe, the kids told us it is still far like going back to Brgy. Manhac of Looc, my mother was so decided to return home so my sister turn around the bike and went back where we came from, I felt very disappointed. I told them that distance for kids are not the same as the distance for an adult, along the way going back to Brgy. Manhac we met a local in a motorbike and we asked how far it is to downtown Sta. Fe, we are told it is not that far, it is already downtown after we descended in the mountains so we turn around and decided to continue our trip.

It was the right decision; the view at the foot of the mountain wowed me. It was very scenic, the sea is marvellous. We passed by their port where a boat just arrived, it probably came from Boracay. We drive around the small town and stopped by at their park and town hall. We didn’t take long because my companions are on a hurry, it is like we came and then go.

We stopped by in Looc town before heading home; we went to their public market to look for smoked fish which is cheaper compare to those you can buy in Odiongan market.

With nothing else to do after the New Year, we are ready again for the new adventure so we headed up to Ferrol , a 6^th class municipality in Romblon to look around and have a road trip. Ferrol is not that far as we expected it is less than 30 minutes from Odiongan, we stop by their town hall and snap some pictures and bought some candies at the nearby store.

Then we follow where the road will take us, we had a short stopover in a bridge where I found a splendid view, I would like to stay a little longer but our mother is kind of worrying since nobody is around and we are all females. If I remember there is hearsay of a man in Ferrol running after the motorist with a bolo knife in his hand (type of cutting tools), not sure though if it is true. Hehe

Along the way we found a foreigner playing basketball with the kids, a bird in the centre of the road which I went down to catch it and instead of flying the bird just keep jumping but still I only end up just taking photos of it. My sister and mother laughed at me because I can’t catch it as I am bit scared of being bitten by its beak and I have also thought what I am going to do with it if I catches it?

With nothing else to do we decided to head up to Looc but when we reached a point with two roads, we don’t know where to go so we asked a local for the right road to Looc. When we ended up in town of Looc we want to travel some more, guess where the road took us?

Just the day after Christmas we are on the road again for another road trip, since the day was perfect to travel around, it is a bit cloudy and not too sunny. We headed up to Looc and decided to continue to the next town, Alcantara, a 5th class municipality of Romblon and home to only airport of the province.

Alcantara is being promoted as hiking destination for backpackers because of its mountains covered in lush tropical rainforest. The town centre was not that far from Looc town, we stopover to snap some photos and then we travel some more until we reached the intersection going to the airport. We turn right and passed by the closed airport (no plane) where there are some people standing outside which looks like airport employees.

We ended up in sea side and part of the airport runway; we decided to stop so we could take photos. The waves are a bit strong; their shoreline is made of stones or pebbles instead of the normal sea sand, I played with the waves and ended up with a broken slippers. lol

We didn’t take long because it is kind of windy and chilly; we travel a little more and decided to return back to the downtown because we don’t know where will be the road is going to take us. We return to the downtown and turn left to an intersection going to the sea, we stop for more photos and found their old port and public market, after a few minutes we travel back home using the other road that well end us to Brgy. Anahao of Odiongan.

San Agustin was the second town we visited, we have wanted to travel there for a long time but my father is stopping us, saying it was dangerous we might meet bad people along the way and etc., Well, nobody can stop me us isn’t it? So when my father and his workmates are scheduled to go home for Christmas (they are working in San Agustin) we travelled over there very early to avoid too much heat along the way, we planned to wander around at the town and then go home with them in the afternoon. We took our dog with us because there is no place to left her, there’s a celebration nearby and everyone is busy and nobody will feed Jinjoo.

The town of San Agustin was 2 hours from Odiongan, it is 4th class municipality of Romblon which is formerly known as Guintigui-an during Spanish era because of the abundance of the fish called “tigue” but in 1868 the town was renamed Badajoz by a certain Spanish soldier Andres Lebarde after his native city Badajoz, Spain and then on June 1957 it was changed to San Agustin after the town’s patron saint. – Wikipedia

It was not my first time in San Agustin, because way back in college we travelled over there to get the program we need for our thesis, and since the last trip was long gone I went with my friend classmate to their home in the island of Romblon, Romblon. It was the best thing to do than goes with our other two male group mates, I could tagged along with our other female member but she is just staying on her aunt and it was embarrassing to add burden to them. If not of me graduating my mother will never allow me sleep over, honestly it requires a lot of drama just to let me go with my group mates to another town far from where we resides.

Anyway, we dropped our belongings to my father’s workplace and went to the port to eat and use their toilet and then we loiter around the town and their public market to shop for food especially “kakanin” and then return to my father’s workplace, my younger sister helped them to cook the fish we bought. After lunch, we loiter some more, we drive where the road take us. We stumbled to a beautiful spot where we snap and snap some pictures, when suddenly a jeepney with foreigners riding in top passed by, my sister pointed it to me but it was only later I have thought of taking a snap of them. It is seldom to see foreigners in Romblon but lately I am seeing a lot of them especially in our hometown.

If I remember I was only a little kid when I first saw foreigners wandering around our public market with big bags on their bag, which my cousins and I joked around that they have pans, kettles and pots on them that’s why the bags are taller than them and then never see one again so often.

Anyway, it was a downer because we have no more other place to go my companions are not ready yet for adventure, they are dead tired already because of the heat and plus I didn’t do a research where to go in San Agustin. *sigh

I have been to different countries but I have never been around our own province. I felt so ignorant for not discovering what is just around me, so when my mother asked me if I want to go to the nearby town to wander around I didn’t think twice and says yes. It was my first time to the downtown Looc, their plaza was decorated with Christmas ornaments since it was the season of giving, celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ among Christian nations.

Looc is the 4th class municipality in Romblon; it is around 45 minutes from Odiongan or maybe less. It is well known for the fish sanctuary which brings revenues for the municipality.

Anyway we just stop over at the plaza to take some pictures and then wander around their public market, we first stop at the stalls along the street that sells native Filipino snacks “kakanin”. Kakanin are my favourite food, I remember buying them all the time when I am still studying. I can walk home just to have a taste of it.

Fishes are cheaper too in Looc than in Odiongan just too bad that a typhoon just passed by before the day we visited the town so fish are scarce in the wet market. We didn’t really stay longer in Looc, since it was hot and my companions doesn’t want to loiter around, so even I like going to their port I just shook my head “maybe next time”. While traversing the town centre found a lot of old houses so I didn’t waste opportunity, I just snap and snap some pictures and just too bad most of them are not good. Huhu