Rest stop: Pinamalayan

Continued from Sibale

May 10th, 2015

The 6am journey from Sibale to Pinamalayan was much quicker than the outgoing journey. We arrived to Pinamalayan promptly at 8:26am, around 90 minutes faster than the journey going. The timing was also favourable, with calm waters and a light sea breeze instead of blaring sun and cargo stops.

Reaching the shores of Pinamalayan, I saw a boat had just left, and was told this is the daily 8:30am boat to Marinduque. This is fantastic news for me, as Marinduque is my next destination, and I had understood I'd need to detour through Lucena to get there. It also gives me time to rest and catch up on work, which had been stalled in Sibale due to the lack of electricity.

From the port, I unloaded my stuff onto a trike and asked the driver if he could take me to the town centre, if such a thing existed, so I could look for a hotel. He told me he knew a hotel around the corner and took me there. I ran in to quickly investigate and ask for prices. I was satisfied, and decided to spend the next two nights in Pinamalayan to do some writing and catch my breath on dry land.

I stayed at a place called the Blooming Rainbow Inn, a little guest house about a five minute drive from the port. There were only a few people staying at the inn and I was able to negotiate a pretty good rate (around 350-400 PHP a night in May 2015). There was still no running water, but a Wifi connection, 24 hour electricity, a fan and a private bathroom felt luxurious to me after Sibale, making me a happy camper. Nicer rooms are also available for a higher price.

The Inn also has a lovely little terrace on the second floor, a perfect setting for reading, yoga or a coffee. Staff were kind and I'd stay there again if I pass through Pinamalayan again.

Pinamalayan was a little, cheerful town. One strange thing that stood out to me was its wide variety of cheap, wholesale stores, selling everything from clothing, bags, shoes and suitcases to cutlery and bird food. If you're travelling through the Philippines and low on supplies, this might be a good place to stock up on budget travel clothing / goods.

I didn't have much time for sightseeing, but I asked the receptionist at the Blooming Rainbow Inn if there were any beaches in the area. From my understanding there are two main beaches in the near vicinity, although both require trikes (15-30 minute drive) to get there. The beaches are Pili Beach and Bulaklak. Coming from the center of Pinamalayan, Pili comes first and Bulaklak is behind it. Although Bulaklak was a a much nicer option in my view, I have to say neither impressed me too much.

Pili Beach (right) was a collection of mediocre resorts scattered across a gray strip of sand. The water looked OK and I went for a quick dip, but the beach is not kept very well. It's relatively dirty, even though there aren't many people there. Every little resort or hut seemed to have its own loud KTV machines reserved exclusively for off-key singers. So... not the ideal place to relax.

Bulaklak, on the other hand, was much more pleasant to me. The trike driver dropped me off at a resort that looks like it's been closed for a few months. I walked through it to get to the beach. I went around 4pm on a week day, and aside from two girls playing in water a few hundred meters away, I was the only one.

Floating platforms with built-in benches hover peacefully on the water. A rope runs under each platform, going from the beach to about 100 meters into the ocean, so you can pull on the rope, and it drags the platform out to where it's deeper. I sat on one of these platforms by myself and read for a few hours before heading back.... or trying to.

Getting back from Bulaklak was a bit of a hassle as there were no trikes. A nice family I met on the street tried to help me find one, and eventually insisted that one of their teenage nephews drive me back on his motorcycle. We were quiet on the thirty minute drive, as his English was limited. His eyes lit up when I gave him 100 pesos as a tip - he looked young, so I knew it was probably a handsome tip for him. As he turned the motorcycle I asked him how hold he was. "14!" he said happily, as he smiled and drove away.

I spent the rest of my time indoors writing and wandering around a lot of deserted but pretty roads.

I left the Blooming Rainbow Inn around 8am in the morning to go catch the boat to Marinduque, my next island destination.

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