I check out of Hotel Rex in Legazpi City, Albay at 10:45 a.m. with a clear plan in mind: I will take a tricyle to the bus terminal where I got off yesterday and where I can get a ride to Donsol, my next destination. But as I step out of the hotel and onto the main road, a jeepney halts in front of me and I instinctively ask the driver if he will pass by the bus terminal. Soliciting an affirmative response, I get on the jeepney and, about 20 minutes later, the driver gestures to a couple of parked buses at the side of road and tells me that those vehicles are going to Sorsogon, the nearby province where Donsol is located.
It turns out that in this other bus terminal, only jeepneys ply to Donsol (fare: PhP60). I take the lone available spot in the four-seater space in-between the driver's seat and the regulation area for 10-plus passengers. I delight in the lush scenery and the cool breeze but after a while I start to worry about not knowing exactly where I'll get off so I decide to just play it by ear. Dulo na pala ang Donsol! I still feel unsure, though, as I survey the sleepy town because it doesn't look like a place where tourists flock to for close encounters with whale sharks or butanding. As often suggested in my guide book (Donsol is not part of the 26-day itinerary maybe because it only became a popular tourist destination after the book's second edition was published in 1999), I decide to look for the tourism office to ask for advice. I find out from the townsfolks that it's located inside the municipal hall, which is just walking distance from the plaza. From there, I learn that I have to go to Dancalan, a baranggay I think, which is accessible by tricyle (fare: PhP40 to cover for the tricyle's return trip to the plaza).
I finally heave a sigh of relief when I reached Dancalan. The office of the Butanding Interaction Tour provider is efficiently ran by an accommodating and informed staff. Lola Erna even arranges for my lodging at the accredited home-stay that she manages (the handful resorts in the area only have rooms and cottages for groups) as I opt to spend the night in Dancalan so I can get on the first boat tomorrow morning -- the best time for whale interaction.
I pick up a couple of broc
hures from the tourism office, and I'm glad to find a map of Sorsogon in one of them.
I'm doubly glad to have this view from the doorstep of my two-bed room (PhP800 without TV and air-con):
This turns into a magical place during an evening river cruise (fee: PhP200) as countless fireflies converge on treetops and the sky is blanketed with stars of all sizes.
The magic continues the following day, when I come face to face with a whale shark at my first jump into the water during our interaction tour (boat rental: PhP3,500 for a maximum of 7 passengers; registration fee: PhP:100). As our guide instructs us to look down, I suddenly see the butanding staring at me. I get startled initially because its mouth is humongous, but remembering what our guide has told us about its useless teeth, I calm down and start enjoying the experience that lasts in a heartbeat but leaves a lasting impression. I should learn how to dive to thoroughly enjoy the interaction the next time around. Yes, I'll be back again someday.
(I see Mayon Volcano even while whale watching.)
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