06 – 07 April 2013
but good things happen to those who persevere.
in the case of biri, it was a long slow boat to catbalogan. samar, a jeepney towards the sleepy town of allen, then a tricycle to lavezares where we finally boarded a small pumpboat to take us to the island of biri. in the island of biri itself, you either walk on foot or ride the habal-habal, a modified tricycle, to move around.
but you totally forget all about the travel woes when you get to the rock formations. never mind that you have to walk through a mangrove forest and traverse slippery terrain.
biri is just amazing.
i felt like just watching how mother nature made experiments on how she can mold the earth.
it led us to put theories into how different rock formations all so near each other came to be.
what i am sharing is just a snippet of what i have seen.
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| Day 1 Scenery – Amazing. that was all that came out of my mouth. |
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| The tourist and bench wannabe models. |
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| Biri sunrise and sunset and all in between. |
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| the wannabe models again. |
Some tips if you are planning on going to Biri any time soon.
How to get to Biri (from Cebu):
1) Boat ride to Catbalogan, Samar from Pier 1.
We took Cokaliong lines roughly offsetting each of us by Php 1,050 including terminal fee.
2) Cokailiong port is in Maginoo port, Catbalogan so you need to hurry up and ride a jeepney to Allen.
Fare is Php 80.00/pax, roughly 2 hours of travel.
3) Upon reaching Allen, take a tricycle to Lavezares.
Fare is Php 20.00/pax and another 15-20 minutes of travel.
4) Ask the tricycle driver to drop you off at the Lavezares port so you can get a boat ride to Biri.
Fare is Php 50.00/pax but in our case, we paid Php 650.00 for all 6 so we can immediately leave.
Accommodations:
Villa Amor is a good place to stay. Their room rates are reasonable and you can ask them to cook meals for you at a very reasonable cost.
Electricity in the island is from 12 noon to 12 midnight so if you are likely out of the resort for most of the day, the fan rooms should be all good. I would recommend getting a fan room fronting the sea though.
No electricity means you get to enjoy the night show the sky has to offer. I wish I was able to make out the constellations though, other than Orion and the big dipper.
Guide and Transportation:
Upon the recommendation of an officemate, we secured Landoy’s services ( +63-920-524-6773) and he delivered. Their habal-habal (2 pax/driver) are stable and that’s coming from someone (me!) who has never ridden one until Biri. Our guides/drivers were quite helpful and even gave us tips on where the good photo spots are.
Must Try:
Cool down with Helen’s (delicious) halo-halo, get some octopus calamares which can get tough but are good eat-me’s over hearty conversations.
For photoholics, for adventurers, for nature lovers, and for those just looking for a good break from the nitty-gritty of earning a living, Biri is a MUST VISIT.
For Biri, I hope it becomes another model of good eco-tourism where the locals cooperate to ensure their natural resources remain unblemished with (industrial) progress.
my take 