Exploring Philippines 82 - Puerto Galera, Oriental Mindoro (Post 3 - Tamaraw Falls)

Upon learning that the trip was expensive and some of my colleagues were not willing to pay that much, I devised a plan.  I asked another local for a direction towards the town proper of Puerto Galera. She directed me to take a tricycle on the main road.  She added that I should not hire a tricycle that is queuing because the fare is automatically a hundred pesos.  She instructed me to get one that is off the terminal and I have to pay only 25 pesos for the trip.

From the beach front where we were staying, I traced a narrow path and it took me almost 10 minutes to reach the main road. There is only one main road on this part of the island and since the place looked the same since my last visit more than four years ago, I was not worried about getting lost.  My first idea about getting off the beach front would be to explore the town further.  Since I foresee that my pocket money was not enough, I had to go to the town proper of Puerto Galera to withdraw some amount.

It was nearly three in the afternoon and the tricycle drivers were mostly on a siesta mood.  I tried to look for a friendly one. One that would not empty my pocket or take advantage of me if ever I wanted to hire him for a sight seeing trip. And I got the right one.

 It took us 10 minutes to reach the town proper of Puerto Galera. The town was small and I was surprised to see some traffic lights despite the narrow roads. Anyway, after the withdrawal from the atm, I asked the driver about some tourist spots within the vicinity and he told me about Tamaraw Falls. Tamaraw falls is located 14 km from the town proper of Puerto Galera. I asked him about his rate and if there's any need of a tour guide. He said that he will be more than happy if I'll pay him 300 hundred pesos for the entire trip. And for the guide? There's no need for one since the falls is situated near the highway. Haha. I can't imagine the look in our faces hadn't we agree on the offer of the tour guide earlier that day.

Anyway, the road to Tamaraw falls from the town proper of Puerto Galera is already concrete and as of this writing, the local government is doing some road widening project. What I love about places that are away from the cities is the clean fresh air. You can basically inhale all the fresh air that you need because this is a luxury in the city. The ride is fun because you need not worry about air pollution. Wherever you look, the whole place is green and lively, and the scenery is great.

After some time, I got excited when I saw Tamaraw falls from a distance. When we finally arrived at the place, there were several tourists who were having fun taking pictures with the majestic view of the falls. No tour guide is necessary because the falls is situated near the highway. You will have the full view of the falls by the roadside.