by Sarah Villano
Are you looking for a place to take a break or perhaps to see the beauty of nature? Well, you don’t need to spend a lot of money travelling somewhere far because we have one here in the Philippines! And it is called Camiguin. This island will leave you wanting to “come again”.
My dad, brother, and I flew in a Cebu Pacific commercial plane—as promo-registered passengers—to our province in Cagayan de Oro for a business-slash-vacation trip on May 2013. From the Port of Balingoan, Misamis Oriental, we ferried across the waters of Northern Mindanao to Camiguin Island at the crack of dawn. And believe me when I say how little sleep I had so I was half-awake, half-asleep on the road.
My dad, brother, and I flew in a Cebu Pacific commercial plane—as promo-registered passengers—to our province in Cagayan de Oro for a business-slash-vacation trip on May 2013. From the Port of Balingoan, Misamis Oriental, we ferried across the waters of Northern Mindanao to Camiguin Island at the crack of dawn. And believe me when I say how little sleep I had so I was half-awake, half-asleep on the road.
At 6AM, we waited for the ferry to dock so we could board. Then, we raced to find a bench with a good view to sit on. The travel time was at least an hour and that was more than enough time to take pictures of the horizon that separates the blue sky and the teal sea which is a rare sight to see especially when you’re living in a city like Manila.
And before you know it, land ahoy! I was amazed at the sight of mountains of green. All the passegers boarded off and hollered out either a rental car or a rental motorcycle more popularly known as “habal-habal” to explore the not-so big island in a day. In our case, we brought with us a pick-up truck that we paid extra to board on the ferry.
First on the list is the original and famous VjANDEP Pastel of Camiguin and here we had our breakfast. In their store at the town of Mambajao, you will see a souvenir corner near the entrance and a map of the island at the upper right corner of the bakeshop. They have a myriad of other choices but they specialize in the yema-filled bun we all know and love.
Next on our itinerary was Katibawasan Falls. It’s a few meters away from earlier and it’s at the foot of Mt. Timpoong. To maintain the natural attraction, visitors will have to pay a nominal fee to enter. As you can see from the photo below, they allow visitors to take a plunge into the basin of the falls. Unfortunately, we didn’t get the chance to try it for ourselves but the view was enough.
First on the list is the original and famous VjANDEP Pastel of Camiguin and here we had our breakfast. In their store at the town of Mambajao, you will see a souvenir corner near the entrance and a map of the island at the upper right corner of the bakeshop. They have a myriad of other choices but they specialize in the yema-filled bun we all know and love.
Next on our itinerary was Katibawasan Falls. It’s a few meters away from earlier and it’s at the foot of Mt. Timpoong. To maintain the natural attraction, visitors will have to pay a nominal fee to enter. As you can see from the photo below, they allow visitors to take a plunge into the basin of the falls. Unfortunately, we didn’t get the chance to try it for ourselves but the view was enough.
Third on the list was the Ardent Hot Springs of Mt. Hibok-Hibok where tourists can rent a place to stay, have a picnic, and take a dip in the hot springs. Like before, visitors are needed to pay a little fee to enter. Outside, souvenir shops line up the entrance. Upon entering, playing kids greeted us; mothers were chasing their children, fathers were grilling, and lovers were relaxing. In my opinion, the perfect spot to submerge in the warm [it’s not really hot] water is at the top where the stream is coming from and just lean your back on the rocks. I tell you, its water pressure will massage you bit by bit.
Once wrinkles appear on your skin, you know it’s time to leave the water. We left the Ardent Hot Springs a few minutes after noon. We drove back to Mambajao for lunch and found Luna Ristorante which is locally famous for their brick oven-baked pizzas. I can’t say their prices are budget-friendly though. Customers may choose either to dine indoors or outdoors. We chose to sit outside in a sort of nipa hut area.
Fourth on the list was the Old Catarman’s Church Ruins, also known as Gui-ob Church, in Catarman. My dad wanted us to see it while we were there for it has a historical background that served as a reminder of the hardship of the town experienced when the Mt. Vulcan Daan erupted late 1870s. To find out more about it, there is a plaque which tells it all. Besides, I would not miss a chance to see a ghost but none appeared.
Last, but not the least, was the Sunken Cemetery where the bodies of previous residents were buried but because of the said eruption it all sunk underwater. A huge cross stands in the middle to remind the residents and also visitors of all the departed souls there. The locals encourage tourists to go underwater but we refused to do it and offered a prayer instead.
By late afternoon, we caught a ferry back to Balingoan. It’s almost sunset and it has always been one of my goals to take a picture of it while at sea. The photograph, though, didn’t really scream what I expected it to be because rain clouds were forming. It was exceptional. It’s not everyday to be rocking back and forth at sea so yeah, I enjoyed the trip with the family and some new found friends. You may ask why go overboard for sunsets? I don’t know exactly but there is something magical about sunsets that just makes me want to capture it and share it with the world.
Once wrinkles appear on your skin, you know it’s time to leave the water. We left the Ardent Hot Springs a few minutes after noon. We drove back to Mambajao for lunch and found Luna Ristorante which is locally famous for their brick oven-baked pizzas. I can’t say their prices are budget-friendly though. Customers may choose either to dine indoors or outdoors. We chose to sit outside in a sort of nipa hut area.
Fourth on the list was the Old Catarman’s Church Ruins, also known as Gui-ob Church, in Catarman. My dad wanted us to see it while we were there for it has a historical background that served as a reminder of the hardship of the town experienced when the Mt. Vulcan Daan erupted late 1870s. To find out more about it, there is a plaque which tells it all. Besides, I would not miss a chance to see a ghost but none appeared.
Last, but not the least, was the Sunken Cemetery where the bodies of previous residents were buried but because of the said eruption it all sunk underwater. A huge cross stands in the middle to remind the residents and also visitors of all the departed souls there. The locals encourage tourists to go underwater but we refused to do it and offered a prayer instead.
By late afternoon, we caught a ferry back to Balingoan. It’s almost sunset and it has always been one of my goals to take a picture of it while at sea. The photograph, though, didn’t really scream what I expected it to be because rain clouds were forming. It was exceptional. It’s not everyday to be rocking back and forth at sea so yeah, I enjoyed the trip with the family and some new found friends. You may ask why go overboard for sunsets? I don’t know exactly but there is something magical about sunsets that just makes me want to capture it and share it with the world.