masbate, philippines: a chaotic mainland escape

woke up at 3am with a pounding head and a half-eaten granola bar. deciding to do something productive other than stare at the ceiling. checked the weather: 30.36 celsius. feels like 33.32. that’s how it goes here. no drama, just humidity clinging to everything like it’s trying to escape.



brushed my teeth in the dark and forgot to shave. again. decided to leave anyway because the sun was already pretending to be a sandpaper. arrived here at 1685925. not sure why i remember that number. maybe it’s the timestamp i took a photo of the sunrise. or maybe it’s just my brain mixing up dates. either way, the clock here runs on a different schedule.



the aroma of burnt plastic and saltwater greets me every time i step out. neighbors are either napping or trying to survive the heat. if you get bored, manilla’s just a short drive away, but don’t tell anyone i said that. someone told me the local tap water is poison, but i heard another rumor that it’s the best in the region. who knows.



took a yoga class at sunrise. the instructor kept talking about ‘grounding your energy’ while the ac had given up. thought it was a scam till i saw the price tag was $5. that’s how authentic this place is.



if you’re into chaos, try the street art. i saw a piece that looked like allamite. not sure. asked a local. she said it was ‘vibrant.’ i’m pretty sure that’s a code word for ‘i have no idea what i’m doing.’



the weather today is hot. like, 30.36 right now. hope you like that kind of thing.



i checked yelp and found a place that swears by their ‘local secret’ chicken. going to try it tomorrow. fingers crossed it’s not the same as last time, which i swear was just cardboard and regret.



someone warned me about the neighbor above. they said he’s a ghost hunter. not sure if that’s true. but i did see him staring at the ceiling at 2am. maybe he was looking for something.



i need to pack. chasing the next adventure before i melt. here’s a map:

also, some photos to prove i wasn’t sitting in an air-conditioned room writing this:

links you might find useful:
- tripadvisor for masbate: https://www.tripadvisor.com/CityGuide
- local food guide: https://www.philfoodtrails.com
- yelp reviews: https://www.yelp.com/directory
- local forums: https://www.masbatecommunityboards.org

note: i heard the beach here is actually a military training ground. asked a guy at the market. he just nodded and said something about helicopters. maybe it’s true. maybe it’s not. either way, i’m here.

You might also be interested in:

• https://votoris.com/post/santa-maria-humidity-coworking-and-the-ghost-of-a-broken-ac
• https://votoris.com/post/kyiv-chaos-572-525-a-whole-lotta-gray
• https://votoris.com/post/the-real-cost-of-utilities-and-bills-in-salvador-im-drowning-in-debt
• https://votoris.com/post/is-tamale-a-good-place-to-live-2026-honest-review-from-a-pro-dancer
• https://votoris.com/post/cairos-sticky-embrace-a-digital-nomads-messy-love-letter