«» Travel Notes 004: Revisiting Catanduanes
Commuting as a solo traveler, getting scammed, and tactics to spend like a local
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Trike to Virac port.
Van to Gigmoto or Agban.
Get off at Puraran.
Trike to resort.
These are the instructions I read aloud to myself while walking out of Virac Airport. I’m booked for the next 5 nights at Puraran Surf Resort, a place I found by searching “where to solo travel for the first time” and “underrated surf spots in the Philippines.” But looking at the commute ahead of me, I feel what I should have searched was “easy places to get to without a car.”
According to Google Maps, Puraran is only 1 hr and 1 min away from Virac Airport, so that’s the travel time I had on my mind for the past three weeks. It wasn’t until three days ago, when I contacted Honey, the resort owner, that I was given more detailed instructions to get to the resort. So here I am:
“Saan po ang mga trike?” I ask the guard standing by the airport’s exit.
He points me down the road, where I find a line of trikes queued. I hop into the first one in line and ask if I can be brought to Virac port. I’m planning to take a van to Gigmoto, I add, to make sure he brings me to the right place. Who knows how many Virac ports there are?
The ride is quick and pleasant as it’s still very early in the morning. We arrive on a wide boulevard bordered by the ocean on one side and a row of restaurants on the other. I see a line of vans parked by the entrance of what I assume to be the port, so I hop off and ask the driver if P50 is enough. He stares at the bill I hold and tells me it will cost P150. I’m not sure how much these rides typically are, but they can’t possibly reach P150. Besides, that ride couldn’t have taken more than 10 minutes. I plead for P70. He counters with P100. With a bitter taste in my mouth, I give him the money. I want to argue but don’t know what to argue for—I’m not from here, after all.
I walk toward the line of parked vans. Again, it must be obvious I don’t belong there because several drivers immediately approach me. They sell their destinations as if they were vegetables, and we stood in the farmer’s market. I tell the one pushing Gigmoto that I want to go to Puraran. He points to a white, beaten-down van and says he leaves in 30 minutes. Still traumatized from my trike ride, I ask him how much before I commit to getting on. He says P150. Now, I’m sure I was scammed by that trike driver. I get on board.
I know it will kill me, but I can’t help but message Honey.
“Magkano binibigay nyo sa mga trike dito?” I ask.
“Mga P10-20 lang po. P50 na pag malayo.” Honey replies.
:)
Sure enough, six days later, I took a trike from Virac Port and handed my driver P20 when we arrived at Virac Airport. I didn’t ask him how much it cost, I didn’t ask him if P20 was enough, and I didn’t hesitate. I handed him the bill, and he drove off.
Now, before you use this story to write off Catanduanes for your next vacation, I must add that this was the only sour moment of my trip. If you ask me what my favorite province is, my answer will always be Catanduanes (imagine Batanes + Siargao in one).
I believe how the driver charged me was exactly what anyone would have done in his case, regardless of the province. They do this for a living, so it makes sense for them to wait their turn in their airport queue for clueless, cash-heavy tourists. This is their nature.
Instead of giving you another reason to complain about the unfairness of this world, I want to share some tactics to spend as locals do:
Do your research before you arrive. You can ask your resort/hotel to help you budget for transportation and food. Be explicit and ask for what locals pay.
Observe how locals act. Are they carrying coins or bills?
Stop asking so many questions. The more you ask, the more you reveal what you don’t know.
If you need to ask a question, find someone who is not rendering you a service. Security guards are normally a great source of impartial information.
Assume you’re overspending if the price equals what you would spend in Manila.
Anything I missed? What do you do to avoid getting scammed as a tourist?
Until next week,
Atom
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