Budget Trip to Bataan

I never  thought that a paradise exist just 2 hours away from Manila. I know that there are beaches in Bataan but never thought that it would be this pristine and untouched, so my trip there proved me wrong. How can you blame me  for that, most of us would rather go to Laiya or Nasugbu or even Puerto Galera for beaches and more often bypass Bataan. But my experience there would prove that Bataan has so much to offer.

 

So I was checking the net when I saw an article about Bataan at lakas.com.ph about the 1000 php challenge going to Bataan, so I got so intrigue whether I can survive the 1000 php budget for the trip 'coz usually i allocate 3- 5k for each of my trip.  I went there with one of my friend since others were to busy at work to spare a vacation. I told my friend that we need at least 1500 ( giving a 500 allowance just in case) for the trip. 

We headed to Bataan Transit in Cubao; it's adjacent to Five Star bus station. It's 3:30 am in the morning when we got there. We asked one of the dispatcher whether a bus bound for Balanga was available and how much. We were told that the Balanga bus have already left an hour ago but we can ride a bus bound to Mariveles ( 200 php for the fare). My pal insisted on riding the Mariveles bus 'coz he thinks waiting for the Balanga bus is a waste of time but I stood my ground and insisted to wait for the Balanga bus and I suceeded. I asked the ticketing officer what time the Balanga bound bus will arrive and was told 4am and will leave at 4:15 am. He also told us that it's inconvenient to ride the Mariveles bus since we will be dropped from the national highway near Balanga then will ride a tricycle going to Balanga city proper for 50 php each. I thought that moment that my instincts were right to wait for the Balanga bus. So the bus arrived and made ourselves comfortable inside while waiting for departure. I noticed that the bus has free access to WIFI which made my decision to wait for the bus more promising. The bus departed and the bus conductor played the Amazing Spiderman which I haven't seen yet! I felt that very moment that we were on the right path.. hahaha..

concessions at Bataan Transit Terminal Cubao 

Free WIFI access

We arrived at Balanga Central Terminal at around 6 am. I noticed that Bataan and Genesis buses have separate terminals just a few meters away from the Central Terminal while jeeps and ordinary buses going to different parts of Bataan can be found in Central terminal. Bagac jeeps can also be found there.

The first thing that came to my  mind was to have breakfast first 'coz since we left home I haven't ate anything yet so we headed towards the UNTV station to Petron til we saw Mae-Mae's Eatery. It's a decent carinderia which offers different kinds of Filipino cuisine. Ate Mae the owner told me that since it's still early they haven't prepared much yet so we got stuck with fried tilapia and porkchop. I chose fried pork chop and 1 cup of rice. I only paid 50 php for that. So after eating I went just outside the eatery and about to lit a cigar  when Ate Mae hurriedly came to stop me and told me that smoking in public places in Balanga is prohibited. Anyone caught need to pay a 500 php fine. Geez that was close.. She just offered me to go to the small alley on the side of the establishment which I cannot be seen. While smoking she told me that some of the police officers go to her eatery not to eat but to smoke ( this place is a smokers haven), hahaha... So I thanked her and headed towards Petron Station just in front of the eatery to stop by 711 convenience store to buy supplies. I entered the store and checked whether they do sell cigarettes there and they weren't. That town really abides to the town ordinances unlike here in Metro Manila were ordinances just remain in paper. 

We headed towards the Central Terminal to get to Balanga Church as per instructions from the traffic enforcer we just asked. We asked a man who's walking the same direction like us how to get to Balanga church and he happily answered our questions and even went with us just to make sure we ended at the church premise. He was really a nice guy. I thanked him for his help. Inside the church there was a First communion ceremony transpiring so as much as possible I took pictures on camouflage mode to avoid distraction and hopefully it worked though. 

After offering prayers we headed again to Central terminal to ride the Bagac headed jeep to get to Mt. Samat. We paid 35 php each going to Mt. Samat. Make sure to tell the driver to drop you off at Mt. Samat. After 30 mins we arrived at Mt. Samat. There were tricycles at Mt. Samat's entrance and it's not cheap. Going to Mt. Samat will cost 100php each and going back is another 100 php! So I asked the tricycle driver how far if we will walk our way up and he told us its 8km. So we decided to just walked our way up. I read some travel blogs stating that it's just 30 mins walk but it is not, it's  1hr and 30mins walk minus the stop overs more or less an hour but definitely not 30mins (stop overs included - 4x at 10/15mins each). Geez I almost died that day, my feet ached and I thought my legs will be amputated that day. 

death march marker near Mt. Samat

Along the way we saw a Mini Park which can also serves as a stop over to relax and chill for a while. Unfortunately we haven't brought drinking water so we just enjoyed the scenery. 

Flowers along the way

Why do we have to do this????
         

I counted the buses and cars that passed by and none of them even bothered to stop and ask if we need a ride which we badly need since I'm carrying around 20kg of baggage. The road have alot of steep - uphill curves which made walking more difficult and the passing buses emitting black hazardous smoke gave me migraines.. hahaha.. After 1 hr and 30 mins, we finally reached Dambana ng Kagitingan Shrine. We paid 20 php each for the entrance. 

There were lots of buses parked since there were school field trip that day. At least 2 schools were there since I checked the PE uniforms of the kids. So we headed towards the shrine and looked for the the comfort room since we wanted to change our T shirts soaked in sweat. We paid 3 php each to use the toilet. Then afterwards we bought soda for 13 php each to recharged. I thought once we get to to shrine walking will stop there but I was mistaken I need to endure another 15 mins of walking from the base of the shrine towards the Cross. Haaaaayyyyy...That was a pain in the ass. But at least once you finished all the walking you will feel a sense of fulfillment and realized you lived with the name of the shrine KAGITINGAN. hahaha.. There's tons of children up there and we need to fall inline for the service elevator going up to the viewing area on top of the cross. We paid 10 php for that. Supposedly 6-8 people can fit inside the elevator but due to our huge bags occupying extra space we were just five inside but even though I felt we were like sardines in can inside and I felt nervous while the elevator going up since its a vintage elevator just repainted. We savor the view up there and then the guard began calling us since we need to go down to give way for others and prevent overcrowding inside. So once again my heart pounded heavily because of the mini- vintage elevator. I even asked the elevator guy if the elevator have emergency brakes...hahaha.. 

Wild monkeys at Mt. Samat Shrine

Kids kindly fall in line

From the viewing deck

We headed towards the exit and decided to get a tricycle going to National Highway for 50 php each. the tricycle driver even boasted that he's giving us the discounted fare.. WTF.. still expensive in my opinion..hahaha.. He offered 200 per person back and forth going to Dunsulan Falls but we were able to get it for 150 php per person. 

Dunsulan falls is located at the back of Mt. Samat. The entrance at the park premise is 50 php  for day tour, if your going to swim an additonal of 25 php. When we got at the entrance, Kuya Zaldy the tricycle driver even insisted to carry some of our luggage. He even told us why it's called DUNSULAN. According to him, when the Japanese conquered the Philippines they hid treasures inside the cave behind the falls. DUNSULAN came from "DUN MAY MALAKING KAYAMAN". Park attendants toured us around and told us the zip line from Mt. Samat will end there. According to them their zip line is considered the longest in Luzon island. It is 540 meters in length which you can enjoy for 450 php.  There's a firing range as well for 750 php. 

Zip line ends at Dunsulan Falls

After 45mins we headed back to National highway near Mt. Samat. Kuya Zaldy even waited with us til the bus bound to Bagac arrived. Kuya Zaldy's contact information: 09186747869. 

We rode the bus bounded to SBMA for 25php each. We dropped off at Filipino - Japanese Tower. We took some pictures there then headed to a small eatery near the jeepney terminal just across the street. 

There we met Aling Linda Martin the owner of the sari-sari store / eatery. She was very accommodating and very warm. She even told us some tips how to avoid over pricing like to ask the tricycle driver first how much is it to get to a certain place rather asking after the trip. She told us that people in their barangay were peace loving and very honest and hospitable. So after paying for what we ate ( 125 php in total - 2 cups of rice, 1 serving of dinuguan and 1 one serving of menudo plus a turon for dessert) we gave our goodbyes to Aling Linda with the promise of going back tomorrow before we head home. We went straight to the tricycle terminal just across the street and met Kuya Alfie a tricycle driver / Barangay Kagawad as well. We paid 60 php going to Stella Maris Beach resort. After 15mins we arrived at the beach resort and asked Kuya Alfie to come back for us tomorrow. He just gave his cellphone number and told us to just send him a text msg. So we entered the resort and in the guard house there's a lady which I believe was the caretaker of the resort. We paid 70 php each for overnight stay. She was very thankful that we brought our tent since according to her the facilities in the resort were not in good condition especially the rooms since the entire resort was devastated by recent typhoons and they weren't able to fix it yet. We look around the resort to find for a nice spot to assemble our tent. After we finished assembling the tent my pal hurriedly went to the beach to enjoy the water while me just went to checked the place first; taking some pictures. There were other guest in the resort as well but after 5 pm the last visitor left and the two of us left there but at least I was able to catch the magnificent sun set right before my eyes. 

sunset at Stella Maris

The resort was so beautiful. Its not yet commercialized and unspoiled. There are lots of small crabs at the shore. The beach is ideal for children since the waves were not that strong and even your already 20 meters away from the shore it's still shallow. Amazing... The sand is grey in color but as powdery like Boracay's. The pine trees were everywhere which will give a feeling that you are in Anawangin Cove in Zambales. 

At around 6 pm one of the care takers told me that we need to relocate our tent near the  lamp posts since it was already getting dark there. So we packed our things again and relocated to the nearest lamp post. After taking a bath and eating our dinner we decided to sleep. After an hour I woke up and it seems that its already midnight, so checked my watch and to my surprised it's just 7 pm in the evening. Geez I felt that was the longest night I ever had in my life. Every now and then I will just suddenly woke up due to the barks of the dogs which creeps me out. We were the only people left there aside from a male caretaker which resides in  a hut 100 meters away from us. I kept thinking about the SAW movie, the serial killers, The Wrong Turn movie and even Tikbalangs. Geez I was so scared that my pal even noticed. He just told me to cut him some slack. He just advised me to pray, so I did and some how I felt better. Around 4pm I woke up again and my stomach was grumbling that I really need to discharge my baggage but since the toilet was approximately 15 meters away from our tent I can't since I'm so scared. hahaha...Then my friend woke and went hurriedly to the toilet it seems that he needs to poo as well. So I hurriedly went to the toilet as well not even bothering to think that noone will be left to look after our things; at that moment I just don't care anymore. It is now or never! hahaha...

Around 6 am we woke up and my friend ate breakfast, then changed his clothes then went for another swim. I went towards the guard house to check whether there's an electrical outlet there since I need to recharge my camera and phone. There was an available outlet but no power. To my surprise the male caretaker was already at my back which spooked me and told me that there's an available working outlet at the third cottage. He assisted me and left. He seems to be checking all the cottages and turning all lamp posts off. I stayed there for 2 hours while playing music on my phone. That time some guest were already arriving as early as 7 am. I sent a text message to Kuya Alfie to come for us at around 9 am. 

we named this dog Shermamae..hahaha..

Before we left I bid my goodbyes to the care take and the lady at the guard house for their hospitality and promise that we will come back, hopefully we will. We gave Kuya Alfie 60 php and 40 php as a tip. He told us that hopefully we would be able to go back there for their town fiesta; that's Nov 25th. 

We headed again towards Aling Linda's store for a quick meal. She was excited to see us again but apologized she only prepared puto and menudo. Her daughter was also there and told us that her mother told her about us and she was expecting us that day. Aling Linda asked for our numbers and wanted us to come back on the town fiesta. She even offered her home just in case we would be able to return there. 

After eating we paid 125 php for the meal and headed towards the jeepney terminal just besides her store. We rode the Balanga bounded jeep for 80 php ( 40 php each). We dropped off at Petron Station in Balanga City since it is just besides the Bataan Transit terminal. 

Insights:

I never thought that Bataan has a lot to offer. It's amazing that it's just 2 hours away from Manila. I do hope that Stella Maris will not be commercialized for it's beauty to be preserved unlike popular beaches here in the country that sometimes development eventually destroys the beauty of the environment. I do hope that in case that the Bataan government will improve Bagac beaches it will be a sustainable development that will benefit both the people and the environment. 

I also realized that people of Bataan were so hospitable and warm in welcoming their guests. The people I met there made me realized that Filipinos will always be known to be hospitable not just to foreigners but to there fellow countrymen as well. 

TOTAL BUDGET: 1500 php each

Transportation 

- 400 php per person, bus to Balanga, Bataan ( back and forth )

- 35 php per person, jeep going to Mt. Samat

- 200 php per person, tricycle going down Mt. Samat then going to Dunsulan Falls ( back and forth)

- 25 php per person, ordinary bus going to Bagac.

- 30 php each, tricycle going to Stella Maris.

- 30 php each, tricycle from Stella Maris to Bagac jeep terminal near Fil - Jap tower.

- 40 php tip to Kuya Alfie tricycle driver. 

TOTAL TRANSPORTATION COST: 730 php

Food: 

- 50 php each, meal at Mae-Mae's eatery in Balanga

- 30 php mineral water at 711 convenience store

- 13 php softdrinks at Mt. Samat.

- 30 php mineral water at Mt. Samat.

- 63 php each, meal at Aling Linda store

- 175 php (divided by 2 = 88 php each) for water and food for dinner.

- 63 php each, meal at Aling Linda store

TOTAL FOOD COST: 337 php

Entrance fees:

- 20 php each, entrance to Mt. Samat shrine.

- 3 php each, toilet

- 10 php each, elevator at Samat's cross

- 50 php each, day tour at Dunsulan falls.

- 70 php each, overnight stay at Stella Maris.

TOTAL FEES PAID:  153 php

GRAND TOTAL:  1220 php each person.