Leaving Tagbilaran: Surviving the Heat
June 25th. Finally, it was time to leave Tagbilaran.
I grabbed one last meal with the ladies at my usual carinderia (local eatery) before hitting the road.
Right after starting, a guy from Nature Spring (a bottled water company) handed me some cold water. A total lifesaver!
But man, it was scorching hot today. Just taking a single step felt incredibly exhausting. To make things worse, the route took me through a mountainous, forested area, so the intense ups and downs really kicked my butt.
My first milestone was a town called Corella, which I actually reached without too much trouble.
High School Connections and Delicious Banana Cue
From there, I aimed for a larger town called Batuan.
I took a breather at another carinderia along the way to hydrate, ended up chatting and taking photos with some local high school girls, and just had a genuinely great time.
Further down the road, I entered this beautiful, lush stretch lined with thick trees.
That's where I found some grilled bananas, kind of like "Banana Cue". It was absolutely delicious! The best part? It only cost 15 pesos (about $0.26 USD).
Connections Over Miles
While I was enjoying my snack, a local who was also buying bananas offered me a ride in their car.
Now, walking is technically the core of this journey, but connecting with locals will always be my top priority. If the choice is between stubbornly walking or sharing a car ride and a conversation, I'm taking the ride.
Sleeping at the Village Captain's House
As evening approached, I had to figure out where I was going to sleep.
I spotted a local gym and asked the people there if I could crash for the night. Instead of the gym floor, they pointed me to the nearby home of the Barangay Captain (the village chief). And incredibly, they let me stay the night!
What a wild turn of events. I honestly had the absolute best time, totally saved by the kindness of strangers.