Phillippines | Oct 8-9 2024 |
Section 2 of my Mindoro Loop ride.
After a scintillating first leg of the Mindoro Loop the day before, the Sablayan to Roxas leg was good, but nothing overly special. But I was impressed by Roxas, one of those seemingly "nothing special" places that proves to be special.
Out of Sablayan it was decent coastal road and little traffic for about 1 hour. Closer to San Jose, the island's biggest city (and RORO ferry port to Coron - enticing), it got busier.
Beyond San Jose, the road wound up (and down) the mountains along the coast, with some epic views. Along this section you pass through Bulalacao, where you can catch the ferry to Boracay, and what seems to be the resort area of the south of the island.
Starting the day I didn't have a set destination (I was considering Bongabong - mainly due to its name). I ended up in Roxas, at the Primera Grande, which is located near a seedy port area with many friendly ladies in dimly lit "bars" (things suddenly got scintillating again!). Gotta say, Roxas impressed me. The hotel was great, right on the water. And a highlight was breakfast and dinner at Red Tomato Restofarm, an impressive Italian restaurant - I would have gone back for lunch if I hadn't departed by then. One thing that stood out in Roxas was the number of human-powered trikes still in use.
One other interesting factoid about the Red Tomato: they have a "unique" statue outside - a la the Mannequin Pis in Brussels - that looks like a naked Hitler pleasuring himself (ok, my mind may have run a bit wild here, but I am sure there's a story behind this - I didn't ask).
Ride: 175+ km / 4 hrs
Stay: La Primera Grande $35 ****
Commenti