Aboard Montenegro Lines and 2Go Vessel: The Batangas City-Calapan City Experience

It was my first time to ride a Roll-on, Roll-off (Ro-Ro) vessel. Way back in 2004, I have experienced riding a passenger vessel bound to Aklan with my law school friends. We had a good time because the ship has so many amenities, including a mini-theater. Riding a Ro-Ro vessel is different experience, as you would experience a laid-back pace of  the vessel, since it’s carrying not just passengers but huge vehicles as well.

My hubby and I were bound to Calapan City to attend the wedding of the brother of one of my law school best friends. We asked around what’s the best mode to go to Calapan City. A friend said that if we wanted a quicker travel period, then we should ride the 2Go vessel (formerly Supercat). And that if we wanted a slow, leisurely travel, then we should try a Ro-Ro vessel. And so we decided to try both: To ride the Ro-Ro vessel on our way to Calapan City, and to ride the 2Go vessel on our way back to Batangas City.

So this was taken at the Batangas City Port, when we were about to board the Montenegro Lines.

At the Batangas City Port

I highly recommend riding the Montenegro Lines vessel, as compared to the other Ro-Ro vessels docketed on the area. This is not just based on our experience, but also from the recommendation of our Mindoro-based friends. The vessel has an air-conditioned area where the passengers can lie around, sleep, watch television. The other area is open air, where there are also seats for those who wanted to enjoy the view all throughout the travel time, which is approximately three (3) hours. We also climbed the open deck for a better view. 🙂

Afternoon travel

Overall, we had pleasant experience riding the Montenegro Lines vessel. We experienced what we are aiming for: to have a long leisurely trip and to enjoy the view. 🙂 But for me, the best view is when we arrived at the Calapan City Port. This is the view that greeted us.

Calapan City Port

On our way back to Batangas City, we opted to ride the 2Go vessel, since it’s already late afternoon and we would love a quicker travel period. It’s not my first time to ride the 2Go vessel. It was formerly named Supercat, and I got a chance to ride a Supercat vessel bound to Bataan way back in 2010. Sadly, the Bataan-bound Supercat vessels were no longer in operation. 😦

It was already late afternoon, and I was anticipating a quicker travel period going back to Batangas City. The shot below was taken by my husband when the 2Go vessel (which we will be riding) was arriving at the port. The ticket for the 2Go vessel is much more expensive, but there were snacks offered during the trip. We were also each provided with our own lifejacket. Since the 2Go vessel is smaller than a Ro-Ro vessel, the ride is not that smooth. In fact, since it’s already late afternoon, we experienced being tossed by the waves during our initial journey. However, somewhere in the middle of the trip, the waves calmed down. But I could not forget how tough it was going to the rest room. I almost lost my balance. It was such an adventure. 🙂 The advantage of riding the 2Go vessel is the shorter travel period from Calapan City to Batangas City, which is for merely an hour. Plus, it was like riding an airplane, since there are snacks provided and friendly vessel attendants.

Afternoons at Kaffe Caffe in Banawe, QC

There’s this coffee shop in Banawe, Quezon City where we frequently stop by after attending hearings at the National Labor Relations Commission. It’s such a homey coffee shop where you can drink good coffee, surf the net via free wi-fi, and my favorite activity, reading a novel on one of their couches. You will find old books and magazines neatly piled on their reading nook.

Christmas-sy decorations, we had hearing at NLRC during the 3rd week of December

Hubby and I love the cafe’s House Blend coffee. I also tried hot Mocha. Their coffee costs less than 100 pesos.

The cafe have plenty of tables to choose from, whether you prefer a big table where you can place your laptop. Or like me, I preferred lounging on the couch while reading one old Cosmo novel, which got me hooked for more than an hour.

So nice to have your foot propped up on a velvety couch

This cafe also offers hot meals and pasta.

Behind hubby is the coffee press display

Kaffe Caffee seems like an old house renovated into a coffee shop. It’s found on Banawe corner Ma. Clara St. in Quezon City. You would easily see this two-storey coffee shop at the corner, painted with earth colors. It’s what attracted us in the first place as the colors  of the cafe looks warm and inviting.

Picture taken from my laptop camera

Once inside, you can’t help but appreciate the view  outside. You would see tree branches softly rustling, vehicles passing by.. In fact, it’s hard to believe you’re in Metro Manila since trees are scarcely found in the city.

View from where I am seated

This is the view from the couch when I was reading at Kaffe Caffe one afternoon. I can’t help but take a picture of the view, as it depicted a perfect afternoon for me. It’s not too hot and the tree branches swaying outside has this almost calming effect. Plus add brewed coffee, a novel for light reading, and a soft, velvety couch, and I’m good and contented for a few hours. I literally felt detached from the busy city outside. It’s as if I am on stay-cation. 🙂