revisiting sta. fe, bantayan island

this is what you call a vacation. no need to qeueu to pee. no need to cook to eat. no fuss about sleeping on sans matress floor. the only thing to worry about is where to go and what to do.
unlike my first trip to bantayan, we tried a lot of new things.

1. we took a "rela" (a cross between a tricycle and a puj; it is run by a motorbike but it's body looks like that of a puj's) that accommodated all eight of us ex, soon to be ex, and presently imds girls; pats and myself on each side of the driver and the other six (rubai, cele, verna, lotte, ace and rhea) on the "trailer" behind us. whoops! more picture of the riders than the vehicle) from the pier going to mercado where we had our first meal on the island. fare for that very short ride was Php 10.00 per head. it would have cost us double if we took a "trisikad" instead.

2. we dispensed with the idea of backpacking and booked 2 rooms for the eight of us at Yooneek Inn. the accommodation is basic. a porch led to the room which is provided with a double bed, a side table with a native lampshade, a wall fan, a table, 2 chairs, and a rack to hang clothes on. on one side is the toilet and bath. another door opens to the back of the room for laundry equipped with a clothesline as long as the depth of the room. i especially liked the french windows that occupied one side of the room, adjacent to the main door. it has no beach vista but it offered peace and quiet...and shelter from the rain. bye tents for now.
3. our ignorance cheated us out of experiencing what dining could be at "balikbayan" restaurant and therefore lost the chance of sampling their most advertised specialty "kinunot" (devilfish??? simmered in coconut milk). nevertheless, we all enjoyed eating dinner (on our first evening) to our heart's delight at Marisquiera o Portuguese bar and restaurant. though they didn't have the hospitality of the d' jungle restaurant just across the street (whose chef cum owner, garbed in white cotton shirt and pants welcomed all who happened to pass by with his heavily accented English...50% of which sounded slurred to me),

the moment my eyes strayed on the buffet table and on a plateful of baked scallops, i was glued to the spot. on top of that we were able to avail of a Php 45 discount for being the first group to sit down and eat for the evening. while the other girls hit the billiard table, i was busy nibbling away cubes and cubes of maja blanca ( a dessert i'm not particularly fond of and was even surprised to have enjoyed the resto's recipe), wedges of watermelon, glass after glass of instant iced tea. i went slow with the scallops though having had an uncomfortable episode with its relative (baked oysters) the day after we celebrated cece's birthday at tong's.
another favorite hangout of ours (to grab something to eat) was Yooneek Beach Restaurant. it was a short walk from the room but offers a variety of dishes. as if the brunch we had back at virgin island wasn't enough, we still had club house sandwiches and mojo potatoes at around two in the afternoon. dinner which we wolfed down at an alcove shaped like a banca (where there is very little light and nobody can witness how depraved we looked like for food)near the bar was a healthy serving of seafood chopsuey paired with the cholesterol laden lechon kawali (i had mine with draft beer; burp!!!).

4. the best way to get around the town is biking. besides being a much cheaper alternative than availing public transport, it also allows one to stop at whim and enjoy a certain spot. the house next to Yooneek Inn (actually owned by the inn's caretaker - who, btw also can provide a thermos of hot water for Php 30 by request and cook food at a quite steep rate. we paid Php 40 to have a kilo of rice cooked including a loan of plates and 'silverware') rents out mountain bikes. I had this yellow beauty for Php 25 an hour. it has been three or fours years since i last got on one, but the traffic around sta. fe quelled my queasy stomach. we started way before dark in an attempt to find a place where we could have our next meal.

5. nothing beats leaving the rat race and going back to the basics...provided that somebody else has to do the basics...hehehe. lazing on a hammock at the virgin island (a small island northeast of Bantayan isaland which can be reached on a motorboat in 30 minutes) after a hearty meal which manong bangkero prepared...sounds inviting eh. the beach here was superb...well, until almost noon when more and more pumpboats occupied the swimming areas. it is best to start early, like we did so that by the time the beach gets crowded and peace and quiet ceased to be, you are ready to go home...without feeling shortchanged.