Bataan: The cowgirl way (Part Two)
Previously... (read the first chapter here)
It was a sunny day on November 29 when I met my friends in Las Piñas to catch a bus in Manila going to Bataan. It was a three-hour ride but we were already having so much fun. I wonder what happens next?
Hello, Bataan! 3 hours have passed and finally the bus stopped over another terminal. From across the road I saw a sign that read,
We're here!!! ^o^
The bus stopped over the Balanga terminal, just a few walks away from the Municipality. The three of us stepped out of the bus and observed the place. From the big terminal we saw many signs, "Morong, Mariveles, Bagac, Parang.." all different places of Bataan. We paused at the Morong terminal, unfortunately the bus had just left a few seconds ago! Good thing we saw a police station nearby and asked for information. According to the administratives, buses going to Morong will be back after an hour. It was 11am when we arrived there, so to kill time we went to the nearby town to stroll around and buy medicine.
Off to Morong!
As we walked across downtown, I noticed how similar it was from Manila--crowds, pollution, boutiques and tiangges (mini stands) scattered everywhere. I took some pictures of funny-
looking stores and asked R-lie to take a shot of the big church that was erected at the center. We came back to the terminal to wait for the next bus. After a few more minutes, a small white-and-blue painted bus arrived at the terminal. The three of us excitedly entered and took the seats on the right wing. We paid Php70 ($1.40) each. Not later, a group of youngsters came inside the bus. They looked more like college boys and girls who were also off for a vacation. Like us, they were very much excited that they even took more pictures inside than we did!
Soon, the driver turned on the bus engine. Morong, here we come!
Roadtrip
While in the open bus R-lie and I eagerly took pictures of the surroundings. There were a lot
of ricefields, farmers, cows and even pelicans around the place. It reminded me a lot about Farmville in Facebook! Then there were moutains, ponds, and nipa huts literally made out of straw. This is what I'm talking about--cowboy life! Not later we saw a huge cross from afar that stood on the top of the mountain on the right side. It was the shrine of Valor in Mt. Samat! We all quickly took pictures of it, but not everyone of us got a good shot of it. Good thing I took a bunch of effort that I was able to get a perfect shot!
There were also stone markers displayed at every 5km of the road which read, "Death March".
It was a reminder that local ancestors of Bataan were enslaved by Japanese troupes in the 19th century and were forced to walk to death on that area. I couldn't imagine myself doing that!
Finally, Morong!
As the bus went farther, the roads went narrower. We ended up in a village of bungalows
where an arch was seen from afar that read, "Pawikan Sanctuary". From there the group of youngsters stepped out of the bus and entered that place. According to the map I downloaded from the net, Dorothy's resort is just nearby this place. (The sanctuary is located in Nagbalayong, Morong) I chose Dorothy Resort because it was the most-affordable place for the three of us. However, as the bus moved on, we noticed that it went to a strange route where there were no houses but trees and an empty road. This gave us the chills! Were we lost!?
To be continued...
Next: "Sardinas de Utak"
It was a sunny day on November 29 when I met my friends in Las Piñas to catch a bus in Manila going to Bataan. It was a three-hour ride but we were already having so much fun. I wonder what happens next?
Hello, Bataan!
We're here!!! ^o^
The bus stopped over the Balanga terminal, just a few walks away from the Municipality. The three of us stepped out of the bus and observed the place. From the big terminal we saw many signs, "Morong, Mariveles, Bagac, Parang.." all different places of Bataan. We paused at the Morong terminal, unfortunately the bus had just left a few seconds ago! Good thing we saw a police station nearby and asked for information. According to the administratives, buses going to Morong will be back after an hour. It was 11am when we arrived there, so to kill time we went to the nearby town to stroll around and buy medicine.Off to Morong!
As we walked across downtown, I noticed how similar it was from Manila--crowds, pollution, boutiques and tiangges (mini stands) scattered everywhere. I took some pictures of funny-
looking stores and asked R-lie to take a shot of the big church that was erected at the center. We came back to the terminal to wait for the next bus. After a few more minutes, a small white-and-blue painted bus arrived at the terminal. The three of us excitedly entered and took the seats on the right wing. We paid Php70 ($1.40) each. Not later, a group of youngsters came inside the bus. They looked more like college boys and girls who were also off for a vacation. Like us, they were very much excited that they even took more pictures inside than we did!Soon, the driver turned on the bus engine. Morong, here we come!
Roadtrip
While in the open bus R-lie and I eagerly took pictures of the surroundings. There were a lot
of ricefields, farmers, cows and even pelicans around the place. It reminded me a lot about Farmville in Facebook! Then there were moutains, ponds, and nipa huts literally made out of straw. This is what I'm talking about--cowboy life! Not later we saw a huge cross from afar that stood on the top of the mountain on the right side. It was the shrine of Valor in Mt. Samat! We all quickly took pictures of it, but not everyone of us got a good shot of it. Good thing I took a bunch of effort that I was able to get a perfect shot!There were also stone markers displayed at every 5km of the road which read, "Death March".
It was a reminder that local ancestors of Bataan were enslaved by Japanese troupes in the 19th century and were forced to walk to death on that area. I couldn't imagine myself doing that!Finally, Morong!
As the bus went farther, the roads went narrower. We ended up in a village of bungalows
where an arch was seen from afar that read, "Pawikan Sanctuary". From there the group of youngsters stepped out of the bus and entered that place. According to the map I downloaded from the net, Dorothy's resort is just nearby this place. (The sanctuary is located in Nagbalayong, Morong) I chose Dorothy Resort because it was the most-affordable place for the three of us. However, as the bus moved on, we noticed that it went to a strange route where there were no houses but trees and an empty road. This gave us the chills! Were we lost!?To be continued...
Next: "Sardinas de Utak"
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