Driving All-Day

I drove for almost 8 hours today.

I went to Caylabne Bay Resort, in Ternate, Cavite.  It took me four (4) hours to get there – two (2) hours from Novaliches to Magallanes Commercial Center (about 30 kilometers), where I fetched my companion, and another two (2) hours to Caylabne Bay via South Luzon Expressway (SLEX), Carmona Exit / Governor’s Drive (about 100 kms.).

From Puerto Azul, Caylabne Bay is still about 15 kilometers away.  The road is winding, rolling and seems endless.   Nonetheless, driving was enjoyable, because of the good road and verdant scenery.  I think this area is one of the last forests in the country.

Along the way, you’ll pass by the magnetic field area.  If you stop your car downhill, set it to neutral, then release the brakes, your car would roll upward as if it’s being magnetized from uphill.  More often than not, I do it whenever I pass by that place.

There’s a part where one lane of the road is not passable due to landslide.

The Philippine  has a training camp in the area.  We saw a squad of Marines patrolling.

Our travel was interrupted by some animals – cows, goats, sheeps and rams, on the middle of the road, who thought they owned the road.

Our business at the resort lasted for almost two (2) hours only and we’re off before 12 noon.  We’re planning to have our lunch in Jollibee Naic, when we spotted a restaurant (Sabrosu Restaurant) along the highway in Ternate and decided to have our lunch there.  We ordered sinigang na hipon (shrimp with sour broth and vegetable) and fried “unknown” fish.  The fish tasted pretty good.  We're the only customers.  A little later, a group of students from nearby school arrived and conducted their play rehearsals.

On our way back, since it’s still early (around 3:00 PM), we took the Aguinaldo Highway / Coastal Road route, which is shorter by about ten (10) kilometers. hoping there's no or little traffic along Aguinaldo Highway.  But we were wrong.  It took us almost two (2) hours to reach Baclaran church, where I dropped my companion off.  I arrived home 1hour and 45 minutes later.  EDSA traffic from SM-Makati to East Avenue was terrible.

I love driving long distance - especially with my car - Innova.  Two (2) months ago, I went to San Fernando, La Union.   That's about 280 kilometers or 5 to 6 hours away.  I left early in the morning and arriving there before lunchtime.  After concluding my business at 3:00 PM, and immediately drove back to Manila.

The longest that I've traveled with my car was when we toured Northern Luzon two (2) years ago.  It took us 10 days and 1,575 kilometers from Manila to Talavera, NE; Quezon, Isabela; Penablanca/Callao Cave & Iguig, Cagayan; Pagudpud; Vigan; Baguio; Dagupan; Bagac, Bataan and back Manila.