Catbalogan is a port city in Samar where the boats leave from pier one to several of the nearby islands.
There is very little tourist infrastructure but all north or south bound buses will stop there to pick up passengers.
It is an orderly little town where pedi cabs take you around town for 3 pesos.
There are a half a dozen or so hotels and quite a few restaurants and bakeries.
Catbalogan is not ever going to be a tourist destination but it gives a view of what this part of the Philippines is all about. It is a friendly enough little college town.
Foreigners will get the "Hey Joe!" when walking around. It's kind of like the "Hello Mister" you get in some parts of Indonesia.
The boat to Sua goes every day but Saturday.
Traveling on these large outrigger boats is a neat experience because you stop at every small village along the way picking up or dropping off supplies.
There is no express boat so if you travel in these islands you just have to go with the flow because you will get there when you get there.
Fuel and supplies are delivered and fresh fish is picked up to be brought to Catbalogan to be sold in the markets.
Catbaloban is the commercial hub of the region so it is a good idea to load up on supplies if you plan leave town to the provinces.
Coconuts and produce are readily available in the provinces but manufactured goods are scarce.
The Philippines are not a real cheap place to travel in my opinion. Food is reasonable but lodging in general is not a good value.
I like to travel on backpacker budget and the Philippines just does not compare to places like Indonesia or Thailand for value.
The food is not usually praised very highly but I enjoy the food in the province. Samar rice and camote with some local prawns really can't be beat.
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