Around Mindoro Island (San Jose to Puerto Galera to Naujan)

By: YOHANN

FROM SAN JOSE TO BULALACAO

I spent my morning with Cheryl and her family. I was happy to be able to stay because I was not much motivated to cycle… I was still feeling tired. We went to the taekwondo course attended by her kids. Young people were between 4 and 16 years old. The most experienced were helping the master and they were correcting kata done by beginners. It was nice to see all these teenager, spending their energy on the dojo. It has also been the opportunity to discuss with one of the person who developed the taekwendo practice in Mindoro Occidental. The master explained me that he tried several martial art before focusing on taekwondo which is according to him the best balance between fight / self defense / self-control. He also told me that Filipino government push to make this sport popular and to identify young talent. Taekwondo is an Olympic game, so it could be a good exposure for Philippines if they managed to get some titles. Upon completion of the course, we went for a lunch together. It was time for me to carry on my way if I didn’t want to reach Bulalacao by night. My trip didn’t start so well, the wind was strong and it was coming from front.  The last Mindoro Occidental village was Magsaysay. It could be considered as Mindoro onion capital! This is the main business here and they even export them to some neighbor island.  Then the hard part started. I had to cross the mountain to reach Mindoro Oriental. They are not so high (350m high difference) but the slope is very stiff. I managed to pass them without pushing the bike but I had to make a stop half way. It has been the opportunity to discuss with some onion producer who were also making a break because the motor of their truck was heating. Then I cycle down to Bulalacao with a nice view on the sea. The landscape was much greener with a lot rice fields and some hills. The villages are very charming because most of them use natural material for construction: wood, nippa… I believe most of these villages between the top of the mountain and sea are occupied by Magnyan (Original people from Mindoro). When I reached Bulalacao it was already 5:30. Distance was not so long but it took me 3h45 to make 55 km due to the relief. There, I have been hosted by Maryan’s grandfather named Poring. Bulalacao is a fishermen village with a nice beach. I went to the market for diner and I witnessed the popular gambling game as well as game organized for kids. Unfortunately, I didn’t have much time to visit the surroundings but it seems to be a nice place where to stay. At 9:00pm, I switched off the light because Friday 9th will be my challenging day.

FROM BULALACAO TO CALAPAN

           My initial plan was to make a stop at Pinamalayan before going to Calapan. I changed my itinerary to ensure my last step from Calapan to Puerto Galera will be scheduled on Saturday. Why such a change? Maryan, who helped me when I reached Batangas, was curious to discover the cyclo touring activity. I proposed her to join me over the weekend for the last step of my Mindoro loop. She accepted and consequently I had to travel from Bulalacao to Calapan (185 km) within one day. I already made a similar distance but never by 40°C and only on flat road conditions. So I started at 6:00 am with the target to be at Calapan before night. I focused to keep an average speed over 20km/hr which has not been possible up to Mansalay due to the relief. This made me afraid because I was taking some delay whereas I didn’t reach 20% of the overall distance. Fortunately, the road kept flat from Roxas up to Naujan Lake which allowed me to recover some time. Then I had to pass through small mountains to reach Vitoria without significant impact on my rhythm. To cycle under such a temperature is not easy. I forced myself to make a break every 1h30 to eat and to have a soft drink in addition of my water consumption from my camel bag. Despite of my precautions, I didn’t feel in my optimum shape once I have passed Pinamalayan. It has been at this time that I discovered the power of music. With some good vibs going through my ears, it helped me to change my mind, to forget the boring cycling movement and to get some motivation. A big thanks to Fefe, Saela Sue, the Red Hots and Martin Jondo who pushed me during this physical challenge. After 9L of liquids (Soft drink + water), 1 rice + egg + empanada+ sausage, 1 noddle soup, 6 puffed breads, 1 fried chicken breast, I reached Calapan at 5:00pm, 11 hours after my departure. I was exhausted but very happy and proud to have made it. The counter effect is that I didn’t keep much souvenirs from sceneries that I have been through because I was focusing on my ride. In Calapan, started another mission: Identify where to rent a bike for Maryan in view of our trip during the two next days.  I was convinced that anybody owning a bicycle will be willing to rent it in order to make easy money. I was totally wrong and I had to argue quite a lot to convince a second hand bike seller to rent me one of his bicycles (All the other sellers had refused).  It was only around 8:00 pm that I received the final confirmation by sms once he had checked my blog. After all these adventures, it was time for me to enjoy a good shower. What should have been a relaxing instant under water became quickly a painful one when I discovered all the remembrances let by the 185km…but these details are a bit too intimate to be shared  .

FROM CALAPAN TO PUERTO GALERA

I spent my night in a hotel called Tree of Life which belongs to a church. It was good, with all comfort needed and quite cheap. Also included in the price, a wake up with Christian office songs coming from the level below my room. My day started with music. Maryan arrived at Calapan by boat around 9:30 am. We met directly at the shop which agreed to rent us a bicycle for 2 days. After several tries of the bike and some adjustment we were ready and we started cycling to Puerto Galera. She didn’t ride a bicycle since she was a teen but sensations came back quickly and after some kilometers we found our cruse speed. On the way, I discovered that rice field were also dedicated to the baseball practice. I stopped to observe the crowed yelling each time the ball was hit. Latter, we have been over taken by mountain bike cyclists participating to a race. Each of them was followed by a team mate in motorbike who was carrying a spare wheel. I pushed stronger on the paddle to follow them over some meters, generating a bit of surprise among the participants before losing my breath and returning with Maryan. The first 15 km were flat but then we reach big hills and difficulties began. It was the perfect timing to take a rest and enjoy a Halo Halo to get some strength. Maryan suffered a bit when the slope was stiff but she demonstrated a strong motivation and she always kept going forward. I will keep in mind her face when she was focusing on top of the slope in order to manage her effort. We took our time and I have to admit it served me because I didn’t fully recover from my previous days. At half way of the climbing road, we made a stop to observe Tamaraw falls which are the most famous of Mindoro. It is a beautiful scenery which is unfortunately slightly affected by activities related with tourism. The descent has been very pleasant, the temperature was good, the evening light was soft and the wind on our face was just relaxing. We made a small part of the travel by night and we reach Puerto Galera at 7:00 pm. Then we looked for an accommodation in order to rest. I strongly recommend to cycle from Calapan to Puerto Galera. It has been my favorite route because you go through a beautiful green tropical forest with nice coast overviews . You have also the chance to make a break half way and to enjoy a bath near Tamarraw Falls.

FROM PUERTO GALERA TO WHITE BEACH

     It was initially planned for us to cycle back to Calapan on Sunday but it would have not be reasonable to make such a distance after efforts spent on the previous day. We took the decision, to go to White Beach, 10 km farther, in order to enjoy this beautiful place. First, we had our breakfast with a nice view on the sea. Then,  we installed our hummock at the extremity of our hotel’s pontoon and we relaxed a couple of hours. At 11:00 am, we cycled toward White Beach. We reached it an hour later. Maryan’s legs were still painful but she easily managed her ride despite of some road climbs. At White Beach, we looked for a room  to drop our luggages. It has been the opportunity to meet Rey and his wife Alexandra, a Filipino / Russian couple managing a brand new guesthouse few step away from the beach. They informed us that last jeepne to go back to Calapan was at 3 PM. It was too early, so we postponed our return to the next day  to have more time to appreciate our stay in this idillic tropical place. For  lunch, we had some grilled fishes  and then we went to snorkel at the West extrimity of the beach, near the rocks. There, we used a old coconut trunk to built a very basic buoy to facilitate our swim. It worked quite well but we had to shortened our underwater tour due to our tiredness. Anyway, it was not the best place in Mindoro to enjoy the submarine life, Bantan Island remains the number 1. On the way back, we stopped and lied down on the beach… whouaaa… this was holidays. The light was going down, the sun was still warming our skin and time was hanging. I appreciated this relaxing instant during which we discussed and learnt more about each other. It ended with the sunset which flooded the beach with its red color. It was time for us to go back to the guesthouse to have our diner. We had a surprise, when we noticed a small party was on going inside our accomodation. The owner had two russian guests so Tanduay (local rhum) was flowing and the russian folk music was at its maximum level. We  observed how easily it is for Russian to adapt themselve to a country even when there is no vodka. They invited us to join them but we refused because we had to getup at 5.00 am on next morning to ensure Maryan can reach her working place on time.

FROM WHITE BEACH TO NAUJAN

     We cannot say that we have been surprised to find nobody to checkout. The guesthouses owner and his wife were still sleeping trying to recover from their party. Once we got ready, we went to knot to their room to proceed for the night payment. If we would have let them half of the due cost, I am not sure if they would have noticed it due to their hangover. Anyway, they were friendly and they gave us a warm farewell. We managed to catch one of the first Jeepney going to Calapan. We load the two bike on the roof and we jumped inside it. Few minutes later, Maryan dropped at Puerto Galera in order to board in the boat going to Batangas. I didn’t get time to say her a  proper goodbye neither to thank her for having shared this experience with me… the jeepney was already leaving… aggrrrr, I hate jeepney! I carried on my way, squeezed between a young woman and a man holding a roaster on his knees. As usual the driver  tried to fill it with as much people as possible. Benches were already full on both side but people along the way were still picked up. Some of them ended on the vehicle roof, others stood at the back and the remaining managed to strategically position one of their buttock between two persons. The jeepney dropped me just in front of the rental shop which facilitated me the task to return the bicycle. At 9:30, I started to cycle toward Najuan. But something was going wrong… I was missing my travel mate! It is  much more plaisant to cycle in team ( especially in company of beautiful woman  ), time passes faster and it brings another dimension to the travel. I may have to take this point in consideration for future cycling trip. Surprisingly,  this sad feeling gave me strength and I was pushing strongly  on pedals to chase it away. Then in the second time, my energy increased even more, I was now impatient to finish my tour and to meet ‘my filipina family’. It is with an average speed of 26 km/hr that I erased the 32km separating Calapan from Naujan. It has been a bit difficult to find the way to their house but when I passed the gate, I felt full of happiness… After 859km, it was the end of my tour.  It was with emotion that I met Daisy, Nai Nai, Allan, Belinda, Celio, Edwin, Femie and Diane. Mostly all the family was there and I felt immediately at home. We chatted, we exchanged last news, we discussed about my trip and then I had a quick shower before having my lunch. The shower area, located in the street 50m away from their home, has been renovated. What was before a simple hose coming out from the ground with water, is today a nice covered basin, from which you can take water with your tabo (Kind of pot) to have your bath. On the afternoon, I had a rest and when the temperature dropped we went for a walk in San Antonio area which is a charming fishermen village along a river. I spend most of my evening chatting with Daisy, we had so much to tell each other. At 11:00 pm, I was not anymore able to keep my eyes opened, so I went to bed and fall asleep with the cat on my right side and two chicken on my left side, facing me through the wooden mesh of the house. I enjoyed my last few days in Naujan and I rest before going back to France. It was with a bit of sadness that I let my travel mate in Mindoro where it will end its life.

END OF THE MINDORO BICYCLE TOUR

End of the Mindoro Bicycle Tour

              Arrrrggg… These 3 weeks have passed so fast! I will keep  a great souvenir from this cycling trip around Mindoro. These holidays were so different from what I experienced up to now. I  had the chance to go through beautiful scenery, to spend time on paradise beaches, to enjoy the submarine life… but what I will remind the most will be all these wonderful persons who I met on my way. Without the hospitality from my hosts,  I would have never had  the privilege to discover and experience so deeply the Filipino culture.  I lost my french landmarks and I have been able  to appreciate each simple things of the Filipino daily life.  I am very thankful for the help, the kindness, the time that I received from people.  I wish also this brief exchange to have been pleasant to them. It is with the head full of beautiful images but also with some sadness for having left my friends that I have returned to France.

          In the coming months, I will carry on my trip editing the 150+ Go of video which I brought back with me. The blog updating frequency will go decreasing but my target is to shared time to time a video to re-transcript my experience and to make discover to people some of the Filipino culture. Once this activity will be finished, it will be time to think about another project and to share it through this website! You can keep updated through my facebook page:  https://www.facebook.com/yohann.cyclingtrip

SALAMAT!