We drew lots for our leave schedule for this year. Unfortunately I was among those who were last to choose a leave month. I did not have the time to book any international destination. No one looked forward to getting a January schedule except for one. The only remaining slots were the last 2 weeks of January.
It was in November when I finally decided where to go. I still don’t have a damn passport so I’m stuck again to this tropical country. Where to go? I’ve been to Palawan during my second year residency leave, so I must look for a similar adventure to satisfy this wanderer. Then it came to my mind, my fraternity batch leader Yousef is doing his Doctors’ to the Barrios service for an island in Albay.
So I took the adventure. I told him that I would want to spend a week in Bicol. He gladly responded and told me that I would be a help as well to scheduled medical checkups in the barangays.
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| Legazpi City Proper |
Without the hassle of going online to book a flight ticket, my backpacker instincts boarded a tourist bus bound to Legazpi, it was a neck-stiffening 12 hour ride along the roads of Quezon, Camarines Norte and Camarines Sur. I arrived in Legazpi by 7am and saw Yousef waiting at the terminal bench. Alighting the bus and looking at the backyard of the terminal, I was stunned by the beauty of the Mayon Volcano shone with the early morning sun. I didn’t waste the opportunity to capture its majestic view. After breakfast, Yousef and I rode a jeep going to Daraga, a town near Legazpi, where stood the remains of Caraga Church. The sun was high up lighting up the postcard setting of the area. Finally, I have my own set of Mayon Volcano pictures.
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| Makeshift bridge going to Caraga Church |
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| Souveneir shop in Caraga |
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| Mayon Volcano view from Caraga |
Just before lunchtime we proceeded to the pier and boarded the Motor Boat going to Rapu-Rapu island. There are 2 scheduled vice-versa trips, in the morning and afternoon. The motor boat can carry an estimate of 200 passengers, packages, hardware and even motorcycles. Yousef and I were seated at the back atop the shouting engine. My Ipod songs lullabied me to slumber during the whole trip. The boat traversed the Albay Gulf with the Mayon still wavering its beauty. After 2 and a half hours of serene sea travel we reached the Poblacion of Rapu-Rapu.
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| The Boat going to Rapu-Rapu Island |
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| Boat arrival at Rapu-Rapu Pier |
Rapu-Rapu is a fourth class Municipality of Albay. It is composed of 2 islands, Rapu-Rapu where the Poblacion is situated and Batan Island. The municipality is composed of 34 barangays which are mostly accessible only by boat rides. The main source of livelihood in Rapu-Rapu is fishing but a mining company also provides employment to people. Rapu-Rapu island has its own generator which can provide decent electricity from12noon to 12 midnight fair enough to give you a goodnight sleep. Some of the barangays especially in Batan island still don’t have electricity.
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| Rapu-Rapu Trike |
Yousef is in his second year of service as Municipal Health Officer of Rapu-Rapu. He has his nurses, 3 midwives and a medical technologist. His administrative role to the health system has been a turning point to the Municipality since many years that it survived with the guidance of the island’s dentist. His team emphasizes health promotion which also includes population control.
The poblacion has its own district hospital that takes care of the acute health problem, but still a number of townspeople keep on coming back at the Health center for consultation.
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| Rapu-Rapu sunset |
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| Morning at Rapu-Rapu pier |
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| Boat ride going to the Barangays |
Of the 34 barangays, I am privileged to visit 4 of them. First stop for our medical consultation was Brgy Nagcalsot. We took the whole day to see all patients in the barangay and ended the day for an overnight stay at the house of Manay Inday, one of the midwives, in Barangay Galicia. Barangay Galicia was one of the settlements without electricity but surprisingly, Manay Inday’s abode has its own generator which powered up the videoke machine which we feasted on for the whole night along with bottles of beer and gin. The next day we finished up all patients in Barangays Gaba and Buhatan. Yousef’s health team went back to the Poblacion while we were left for another overnight stay at Manay Inday’s. After the whole day’s tiring but fulfilling activities, Yousef and I together with 2 kids who operated the motor banca drove to the small island in front of Galicia where the sand was fine. The cold seawater soothed our aching bodies. We returned back to Galicia at dusk to take a well deserved sleep.
Worrying about gaining weight during my leave... for sure every meal was a feast. With all the barangays that we have visited, our hunger was served well. Fresh fish, crabs and shrimps and of course the specialty food cooked in coconut milk garnished the simple dining table. Everything was for free and almost bottomless.
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| One of the many table setups serving SEAFOOD! |
The joy of simple living is always close to my heart. This is what I am looking for every time I travel. I may not be traveling abroad or shopping in air conditioned malls but the peacefulness of going to such places without a network signal is one hell of a kind experience.
Ironically, after spending days in the remote areas of Rapu-Rapu, a friend of mine invited me to a luxurious hideaway in Albay which was a good treat as well, a blessing to a hardworking government physician.
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| The view of Mayon Volcano from Batan Island |
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| Misibis Bay Resort |
With all the images that I have captured using a SLR, an android phone and an Iphone, I am graciously satisfied. I can really say that it is more fun in the Philippines.
