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Published: December 15th 2007
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CDO INC Wedding
Wedding at Cagayan De Oro City Leaving CDO City for Bohol
After tying the knot in Cagayan de Oro City, we prepared for our overnight voyage to Tagbilaran via Cebu Ferries. Took our final ride with Popet to the CDO docks close to 7 or 8 pm. I warned my cousins, John Paul and Rex, not to go out yet, because we would be swarmed by the porters. Upon hearing this, Popet added a nice final touch to an excellent car service. He said, "Ako ang bahala" (I'll take care of this).
The porters knew him well and he told them we didn't need help tonight; we had our two cousins along to help. Maneuvered through the lines, paid our terminal fees, enjoyed watching the guard dogs until they slobbered over my bags, and was suprised to see Uncle Ted and Papang waiting for us when we cleared the terminal. Their ship to Iloilo/Capiz was right beside ours coincidentally and would depart one hour earlier. I had no idea of such things, but they did. It was good timing, because we were finally able to give them some pasalubongs we brought from NY- wallets for them, I think make-up or artist kit for Ate Mayla
Docking at Cebu
These are boatpeople who ask you to throw coins for them. They will dive into the water and catch them. and Robert, and a large Crayola carton for Endoy (our ring bearer). John Paul and Rex were able to get permission from the guard of their ship to board. They approached Ate Mayla and Endoy and pretended to ignore Endoy while he stared at the crayons. Who else where they for? Only after teasing him a bit (ilonggos love this) did they reward him with his pasalubong.
Their ship left before ours and we waved them off. Something so simple was a magical farewell, almost like in the opening scene of Titanic. Imagine us on our ship, at least 3 stories high, waving to them on their ship as it chugged away in the dark night. Ironically, both of our ships were scheduled for Cebu as the first stop, but everyone knew their older ship would arrive hours later even though it departed one hour earlier. My wife laughed when I said, "We should have gotten that ferry." She replied, "Uhhh no... it gets their later."
The Ferry Before John Paul and Rex were invited to our honeymoon (night of the wedding), we had tried to purchase a suite for privacy. None were available, so we opted
Swarm
The moment boats arrive a lot of them come out, some paddling, others with motors. There are young and old a like. Grandmas to infants. for the suite that had 4 bunk-type beds. We entered this first and it was typically small: two people could not stand side-by-side between the beds. There was a TV, private bathroom, and very small seating area. We hoped nobody would show up, but unfortunately a middle-aged lady did, so the two guys could not join us. They stowed their luggage with us, because their accomodations were at the open room AC place, where you would have to leave your valuables in between your legs as you slept. Ha ha.
As in all places in the Philippines, the ship had Karaoke, lots of smoke from the grilling, different dining sections based on how much you wanted to spend, etc... I almost always make it a point to walk from one end of the ship to the other, because I enjoy soaking in the different people and sights. One section is very private and costs about 2,000+ pesos + a person, while the economy one is open-air (hello ocean breeze) and probably less than 500 pesos. Another reason I toured the entire ship was to find Marlboro Menthol Lights. I ran out, and can you believe they did not have
Harvard Baby
To see the complete series, check out http://www.flickr.com/photos/donstruan/sets/72157600086519738/. Pretty sad to see. them? New regulations prohibit cigarette sales on the ships, but of course, the store had them hidden under the desk, but none of my brand.
The only other thing mentioning is our temporary roommate, the middle-aged lady. I typically do my best to befriend people, especially if they are going to be within arm's reach of you for one night. It took her less than a minute to throw in the conversation that she worked for the owner of the ship. Hmmmm.. as we say in New York, " Nuff talking to you." Why would I care, and if she was really that important, why was she stuck with 3 other passengers, instead of having her own suite?? aaahhhh... lol
Christy and I downed seasickness pills that Michelle gave us and I am positive it worked. Slept like a baby. Woke up shivering. It must have been 50F/ 10C in the room. In NY it was 60F when we left, but two weeks in 90F weather will do that to you. There was one setting for the whole ship: unbearably cold. I covered the vent and kept rubbing my frozen arms.
We arrived in Cebu and I
Children counting money
Two young children counting their centavos on the boat. rushed to the deck so I could watch us dock. I love experiencing such things. It was past sunrise, but the sun was still low. I tried taking photos of the beggar boat people. It's a shame how their entire families take part in this. Grandmas, kids, and even babies are there trying to convince you to throw coins into the water. Some boats even had make-shift engines. Most moved by paddle. One brazen young gal convinced someone to throw a coin near her while her baby (too young to walk) clung to her back. She jumped in, baby and all, grabbed the coin, and swam back to her crying baby. She giggled at her act. I think both she and the one who threw the coin were nuts. I understand the plight of the poor, but I do my best not to judge or make it into sport.
We rushed off the ship to the SuperCat/FastCraft terminal. They leave every hour, I believe, and we wanted to get the first one to Tagbilaran. While the Super Ferry gave you a slow swaying with waves, the SuperCat was like an amusement park ride when it hit bigger waves. My
Lola (Grandma)
A grandma is also there to solicit money. Heart-breaking. wife knew to keep our bags inside, because they would get wet if you stored them outside. The plastic placed on top of the luggage wasn't enough. We didn't like it, but had no choice to leave our bags partially unattended. Some people attempted to hold onto their bags, but they were pretty strict with this policy. There were probably too many incidents of flying bags hitting passengers. The trip took maybe an hour or two and I found it amusing that some people ordered coffee and breakfast. If you think it's hard to eat on a plane, you should try doing it on the SuperCat. Finally, use the bathroom before boarding for the same reason. 😊
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