Romblon, Philippines

Old World Charm

It had said in the guidebook that Romblon was rich with historical charm, but our first quick jaunt into town to grab dinner left us wondering if we landed in the right place.  Certainly, the homemade pizza, pasta, and 6 delicious desserts we feasted on in a treasure of an Italian restaurant satisfied our taste buds, but the rest of our senses were left feeling a bit underwhelmed by the town.  It wasn’t much different from any other we’d visited so far in the Philippines.  And did I mention it was raining??

The next day, though, we set out on an early morning hike to the San Andres Fort.  I was feeling like I needed a bit of exercise, and the 200+ steps would definitely be a great start.  Along the way, mosaic images decorated the platforms and provided wonderful opportunities to stop, take in the view, and catch our breath as we ascended.   At the top we met Johnny, the caretaker of the fort who’d been living on the grounds and maintaining it for the past three years. He was on the team of volunteers who worked to restore the fort and make it the historical attraction it is today.  Over 400 years ago, a Catholic priest from Portugal had been posted in Romblon to lead the people both spiritually and militarily.  He taught the local people how to defend themselves with weapons, greatly increasing their chances of fending off the Muslim marauders who made multiple attempts to capture the island for Islam.  

From the fort, the morning light cast a golden glow onto the town below.  From this vantage point, we could see how little of the town we had walked through last night.  We had certainly judged the Romblon ‘book’ by its proverbial ‘cover’.  It was decided that we needed to give it another chance.  We bid farewell to Johnny and thanked him for his work before descending the stairs and winding our way further into the heart of Romblon.

The city was just waking up.  Folks were congregating in the alleyways with cups of coffee.  Some were already selling fried goodies roadside and others were busy shuffling the kids off to school.  The time of day we come ashore can make such a difference in our experience of a place.  Often, we wait until after school and lunch to head into town, which gets us there right when everyone is hiding from the heat of the day, taking a siesta.  It’s not a great time, really to see the best a community has to offer.  This morning, however, it feels like we are waking up with the town and feeling the charming vibe spoken of in the tourist book.  Romblon definitely has a unique vibe and a warm, welcoming feel to it unlike any we’ve encountered so far.

A stop in the market to refill our produce baskets finishes our morning ashore.  Back on board, we’re all feeling energized and ready to buckle down on the list of to-do’s for the day - school, laundry, cleaning, and writing before heading back ashore for dinner.  I’m loving finding great restaurants (TripAdvisor lists about 13!) to save me from cooking in the galley every night.  After Italian the night before, we opt to try a new burger joint, Smōhk, opened by a native Romblonian who spent many years living in New York.  Complete with French’s mustard, grilled onions, and real Heinz ketchup (not the sweet SE Asian version) the burgers were a-mazing and absolutely unexpected.  So often, the replication of western food is attempted by other countries, but they never get it quite right.  This place nailed it.

I thought the price was reasonable at 200 pesos for a burger and fries (about US $4), but our tricycle driver told us that those prices are still too expensive for most of the local people.  He feeds his whole family at a local eatery for 300 pesos total!  Certainly the cost of importing foreign foods like mozzarella cheese and Heinz ketchup factor into the inflated prices.  So, while we thoroughly enjoyed our burgers, it was good to be reminded that we’re in a place where daily minimum wage is between P200-P300.  Yeah.  One burger costs one day’s wages.  Still letting that sink in...      

On our way back to the dock, our friendly driver made numerous stops to help us find last minute items that were still on my shopping list.  When one rotisserie chicken spot was sold out, he tried three or four more before finally giving up.  Then, he stopped by his friend’s shop so I could grab a few sodas for the fridge.  Once the shopping was done, we treated him to ice cream at the local homemade ice cream shop as a thank you for his fantastic service and honest, local perspective.

Tomorrow we’ll be leaving for a small island called Cobrador, just an hour away.  We’ve gotten our ‘town’ fix, now, it’s time to get back to the peace and quiet of a remote anchorage and more time underwater.  So long, Romblon, thanks for showing us what you’re really made of...