Manila - Iloilo - Kalibo, Aklan - San Jose, Antique - Hamtic, Antique - Caticlan, Aklan - Roxas, Mindoro - Calapan, Mindoro - Batangas - Manila(air, land and sea trip!)
I left Manila on a Friday at 5:10am, with ate Eva. Touchdown at Iloilo International Airport half an hour later. A 20-minute cab ride to the bus/van terminal and we were off to Kalibo, Aklan - the main destination for this journey - for the Ati-atihan Festival.
Came Monday morning, I split up with ate Eva and continued to travel down south to Antique for a 3-day visit to my relatives (or what ate E coined as my "tour of duty").
When my 3-day tour of duty was completed, i decided to give RORO (Roll On Roll Off) a try. At 7am, I boarded a bus from Hamtic and arrived at Caticlan by lunchtime. From there, it was a 6-hour boat ride bound for Roxas in Mindoro. I then boarded the same bus again headed up north for Calapan. I took another boat ride headed towards Batangas port then finally, another bus ride brought me to the terminal in Manila where i was met by my dad and uncle.
Total travel time by RORO was 19 hours. It could be shorter depending on which boat you boarded. In my case, i got on the slow boat from Caticlan to Roxas. Plus, it was a slightly rough ride. Talk about big waves! I slept pretty much the whole day trip and was awake the rest of the journey, particularly during the boat ride from Calapan to Batangas which took only two hours in the dark of night.
It was also my first time to get sea sick. I've traveled by boat before but it never bothered me. This time, it did. Maybe because i was traveling alone this time. So if you wanna try the RORO, better go with a companion or your barkada (group of friends). And be sure to take your Bonamine.
;)
