Getting to Allen, Northern Samar

Pili, Camarines Sur bus stop-over

I left Cubao by Friday night March 29, 2012 with Alps as the bus carrier to Sorsogon City, Sorsogon. I had no choice but to go with Alps while the driver advised me to take Sorsogon City as there would be no more bus available going to Matnog in that period. The 40-seater bus was not bad at all, it's clean, cool and spacious and I learned from the driver that they started their pilot trip by Thursday only and soon enough this bus line will have some available trips going to Matnog.

coffee break

Getting to Sorsogon City is a 14 hour ride and along its path were 2 stop-overs. The first one was in Candelaria, Quezon where we had dinner and the second one was in Pili, Camarines Sur for an early morning coffee break.

Sorsogon Cathedral

As the bus dropped the passengers in the city, I went to the center with the tricycle mobile dropped me off to the cathedral where nearby fast food chain like Jollibee was available for breakfast, haha... this was the only option I had for breakfast just before withdrawing cash from Banco de Oro.

At the Port in Matnog

The jeepney terminal going to Matnog was a walking distance from the bank. The trip to Matnog was one and a half drive from the city where the port going to Allen, Northern Samar was the last stop.

Getting Allen, Samar with a Ferry Boat Ride

at the rear of the ship

passengers

I got lucky when I arrived Matnog because the ship was about to leave in just a few minutes. Going to Allen from the port of Matnog took another hour travel time. The ferry was operated by Penafrancia Shipping Corporation. They said that ferries are always available as soon as as one ferry left from its port. The ferry has a canteen where you can buy some snacks, a television so passengers can watch some movies and upstair was a videoke machine so they can sing along by dropping a 5 peso coin.

Wayang-Wayang Beach Resort

accommodation at Wayang Wayang Beach Resort

When I arrived the port, I had lunch in one of the canteens located in the area. Tricycle terminal was also available in the port and I requested the driver to bring me to the nearest resort where I had an overnight stay before proceeding to Biri island.

cottage at Wayang Wayang Beach Resort

Wayang Wang is the most popular resort in Allen and they also said it is also one of the cheapest beach resort in town. True to their words, the
rooms were clean, the cottages have a cable television, toilet and air-conditon. I checked in to relax after spending a long trip from Manila; but only to learn that once you are inside the room, no cellular phone signal and internet connection were available.  I was so disappointed and the staff told me that I need to go outside in order to get the connection. I tested outside but the signal was not good at all. Both Globe and Smart internet were not responding. The staff said that this was also the complaint of some of the photographers who checked in at the resort. If I should have known, another option was to check in the hotel nearest to the port. So I had no choice but to go back to the port as this was the only shop that I saw in town. Allen is quite remote, as there was only two ATM machines available and unfortunately it could not accommodate my card that have a sign of mastercard. They said that you have to go to Catarman which is an hour drive via jeepney where banks are available in the city.

Wayang Wayang

The day was cloudy with some rain showers from time to time.

Sunset at Wayang Wayang Resort, Allen, Norther Samar

Around 3 a.m. there was a brownout in the town which the resort never had a standby generator. The staff said that the electricity restores by 12 noon.

I left the resort by 7 a.m. to catch up the motor boat in the town of Lavezares. One of the staffs of Wayang Wayang took me to the town by driving his motorbike.