A third-class municipality (town) in the island-province of Cebu, about 130 kilometers north of Cebu City, the drab town of Daan Bantayan is the gateway to the islands of Malapascua and Bantayan via the wharf in the northernmost point baranggay of Maya.
This used to be where the bus terminates, then you take a hubel-hubel or tricycle ride to the wharf in Maya; but when I was there February 2010, the buses go straight to Maya. I took the bus back to Cebu right where I got off the boat.
The bus makes a stop over at the public market though and stays for some time.
Vendors offer food and fruits from their shallow baskets to the passengers inside the bus right outside the windows of the bus.
Ceres Liner buses in bright yellow are the only buses you can see on the road. I spend a lot of time in the Visayas region and it seems to me that the Ceres company has a monopoly in the area. That being said, I find seeing the yellow buses comforting, no matter where in the Visayas I am. Or even in Metro Manila, as they do have trips from Metro Manila to the provinces.
There isn’t really anything to see in Daan Bantayan. They have a huge public market that is near empty.
Nevertheless, this is where you take the time to go to the restroom or buy bottled water and some food to munch on because the trip back to Cebu will be long. I remember leaving Malapascua after having an early lunch and arriving in Cebu City shortly before sundown.
did you get the hubel-hubel from Lonely Planet Philippines 2008? hehehehehe…