Surviving Siruma: An Introduction To An Unknown Island

This is the first part of my 10-months adventure in Siruma, Camarines Sur.

Last March 2012, I was given the chance to work at a Provincial Hospital. At first, I was a bit hesitant. It was a place I have never heard off, very far away, and I had to allot 10 months of my life to this job offer. I had to go to the hospital every month, stay there for 10 days, and then go back to Manila for 20 days off, then go back again for another 10 days. So on and so forth. But after a lot of thinking, I decided to take the job and it was one of the best decision of my life!

I was assigned at Siruma, Camarines Sur. We were given the chance to choose the place we would like to go to, and I chose this because it was the closest to Naga compared to the other choices. And because you could get there via land travel. Little did I know that that land travel is a “buwis-buhay” (life-threatening) adventure travel haha.

Siruma is located in Camarines Sur

Siruma is a 4th class municipality located in Camarines Sur. It’s a coastal town, meaning it’s beside a sea, and this sea is connected to the Pacific Ocean (which is cool for me haha). It’s a small town, with a small population, and a very simple life. Being a coastal town, it boasts of several beaches that you could swim to or just visit and walk around to. It has one provincial hospital, located at the town proper, Poblacion. Just a few minutes away from the hospital is the Amuris Beach which is one of the most popular beaches in Siruma. Siruma is divided into 22 barangays:

• Bagong Sirang
• Bahao
• Boboan
• Butawanan
• Cabugao
• Fundado
• Homestead
• La Purisima
• Mabuhay
• Malaconini
• Matandang Siruma
• Nalayahan
• Pinitan
• Poblacion
• Pamintan-Bantilan
• Salvacion
• San Andres
• San Ramon (Daldagon)
• Sulpa
• Tandoc
• Tongo-Bantigue
• Vito

Being a 4th class municipality, it does still have the basic things that a town needs, such as hospital, churches, city halls. But it does not have a mall (yup, no Jollibee at all haha). There is electricity in the area, though there are still some barangays that are far from the town proper, which has no electricity. There are times when there is no electricity everywhere (my first duty there, I experienced 5-straight days without any electricity). By the way, mobile network available are Smart and Globe. Globe signal sometimes fluctuates when there are long period of brownouts. Internet signals available are also Smart and Globe. Sun Cellular network is non-existent haha.

The Municipal Hospital. This is where I stayed in.

The Church

Siruma Public Market which is not used anymore

Source of Light during Brownouts

HOW TO GO TO SIRUMA:
If you’re coming from Naga, all you have to do is ride a tricycle and say that you will be going to Queborac Terminal. This terminal houses the jeepneys going to Siruma as well as jeepneys going to Tinambac. From here on, you can choose either to go to Siruma via jeepney or via boat travel. This depends on the weather and the availability of the transportation that you want.

TRAVELLING VIA JEEPNEY TO SIRUMA
Schedule: There is only one trip going to Siruma which leaves the terminal at around 10:00 to 11:00 am. The trip schedule if you're from Siruma going back to Naga is at 5:00 to 6:00 p.m. This also depends on the availability of the jeepneys. Sometimes, only one jeepney leaves the terminal so it would be advisable that you go there early so as to get a good seat. It is better to look for "Kuya Tibo's" jeep because he is an expert-Siruma-road-driver! Just ask anyone there and they'll point you to the jeep.

Kuya Tibo's Hardcore Jeepney

Equipped for really rough roads

Fare: 150php/person

Travel Time: 6-7 hours, depending on the weather. If it’s rainy, it would be a longer ride since the roads become muddy and there would be potholes. I had one duty wherein it took us 15 hours to reach Siruma because of the mud.

This is how full jeepneys usually get.

Preparation Tips: Dress comfortably. It is going to be a bumpy ride. Literally. Sometimes the jeep would even tip almost completely over. Half of the roads going to Siruma are rough roads so be prepared for that. There would be one stop-over at Tinambac (approximately 1 hour after leaving the terminal) where you could have lunch or just stretch, and then after that it’s miles and miles of roads ahead of you.

Siruma Roads on a Good, Sunny Day

This is when things started to go bumpy

Advantage: It’s cheaper compared to travelling via boat. During the summer season, it’s also faster, about 4-5 hours travel time only. And it is also safer, especially to those who can’t swim.

Disadvantage: You could get stuck at the roads during the rainy season especially if the roads are muddy. During the summer season, it could get very dusty so bring anything to cover your nose/mouth. The roads are a bit scary especially during the night.

A Jeepney gets stuck in the muddy roads

Buwis-Buhay Roads

Sometimes the locals would cover the muddy parts with gravel but it really doesn't help that much

Sad conditions of roads during the rainy season

Deplorable road conditions

TRAVELLING VIA BOAT TO SIRUMA:
If you are travelling to Siruma via boat, you would have to ride a Tinambac-bound jeepney at Queborac Terminal and alight at the Tinambac Port.

Tinambac Port/Beach

Schedule: This really depends on the availability of the boats. There are no regular trips going to/coming from Siruma. It would be advisable to go here early to check if there are available boats.

Fare: 500-1,000php/boat. Again, this depends on the driver of the boat. If you know the driver, then this would be cheaper.

My First Boat Ride to Siruma

Travel Time: 1 ½-2 hours, depending on the weather. If the seas are smooth, then it would be 1 1/2 hours tops, if it’s a wavy ride, it could get up to 3 hours travel time.

Preparation Tips: The boat you would be riding to is small, really small. It’s a fishing boat. So prepare your bags ahead of time, make sure that you make it as waterproof as you can, and secure it tightly. Wear comfortable clothes because you will get wet. There are no lifejackets available so if you could, bring one, especially if you do not know how to swim. The first time I went to Siruma I was able to try the boat ride and it was scary! Maybe during my time, the waves were a bit huge and because it was already around 4pm at that time. I was also able to try a boat ride going from Siruma to Tinambac at around 5am and the waves were calmer, so I guess it's better to travel via boat during the mornings.

This was the first boat I have rode so imagine my surprise haha

And this was the boat I experienced going from Siruma to Tinambac

The boat carried around 5-6 persons but some were already standing up

Advantage: Faster travel time. There are also a lot to see during the boat ride such as giant jellyfish, various fishes, sometimes if you're very lucky, you would be able to spot a whale or a pawikan (turtle). And the islands all around does not disappoint, they are so beautiful.

I was able to see the end of a rainbow the first time I got to Siruma

A beautiful sunrise during the boat ride

Giant jellyfish!

A feast on the eyes for nature lovers!

Disadvantage: Irregularity of schedule. More expensive fare. Scary waves of the sea.

So there you go. The travel to Siruma is an adventure itself, but that's the fun part of travelling, right? Up next, where to stay and places to visit in Siruma!

Read more:
Surviving Surima: Where to Stay and Places to Visit
Surviving Siruma: The Town Fiestas
Surviving Siruma: Things To Do in Siruma
Surviving Siruma: Food Tripping Galore
Surviving Siruma: A Summary