Filled with excitement as we savored the place tagged as the
Island Born of Fire, Camiguin Island. After 5 months of waiting, we’ve finally
conquered this island.
15 significant places here in Camiguin Island were listed in
my must-visit list. I didn’t make any travel itinerary in advance as it makes
me feel sick whenever I can’t follow a designated schedule. I am a Filipino and
I am an avid disciple of what they called “Filipino time”. So unquestionably I
break all travel schedules. Besides, I am a come-what -may type of girl. Here
we go…
Our journey started around 1 in the morning. Everything fell
perfectly into place. The timing was remarkably great. I mean, we were able to
catch the shuttle’s (barge) first trip going to Camiguin.
Deluxe First trip from Butuan City going to Cagayan de Oro
is 2 AM. We humbly asked the driver to wake us up 5 minutes before Balingoan
Terminal so we could compose ourselves by then.
We arrived in Balingoan Terminal around 5AM having a fare of P 196.00
for adult and P150.00 for my sister (student).
We never hired a tricycle going to Balingoan Port so we could save
money. Instead, we walked so fast so we could catch the first trip. And thanks
God, wish granted. With all the haggling drama, the ticket booth in-charge
allowed us to be the last barge passengers of Shuttle # 9.
With those huge waves, my sister Kiray got dizzy along the
way and our youngest brother kept on praying for our safety trip while I’m busy
chit-chatting with my co-passenger about this island. It took 1:15 minutes from
Balingoan Port to Benoni Port. Then we took a ride going to Mambajao via
multicab. When we arrived in Mambajao bagsakan, we bought foods for our 1st
day trip.
I was so uncertain
whether to stay in a hotel or to stay in my childhood friend’s house. But since
I’m trying to be thrifty for souvenir purposes, I’ve chosen not to stay in a
hotel not knowing that my friend’s house is situated in remote area (Barangay
Campana) where fare expenses is lot higher compared to hotel expenses. Shame on
me! But we’re already there, so we didn’t have a choice but to close our eyes
and enjoy the moment.
Around 10:00AM after our breakfast, we hired 2 motorcycles
for our trip. By unanimous decision, we chose White Island to be our first
stop. We arrived in White Island
wharfing area which is located in Paras Beach around 11AM, we paid the entrance
fee P20.00 per pax, pump boat rental (back and forth) that costs P450.00 and
rented some swimming gears. We reached the said island in just 7 minutes. The
pear-shaped island has not retained its natural shape as the tide is getting
higher after an hour. And with that, we were forced to move on to our next
target destination, the Ardent Hot Spring.
ARDENT HOT SPRING
ARDENT HOT SPRING
Ardent Hot Spring is located in Esperanza, Tagdo, Mambajao.
Since it’s past 1 in the afternoon, our tummies began to protest. Glad that we saw this low-priced cafeteria “Kainan sa Tulay” situated in Yumbing on our way to Sto.NiÑo Cold Spring.
STO. NIÑO COLD SPRING
The 8 feet pool is damn so cold. Unfortunately, we were running out of time so we were not able to swim and feel the coldness of this spring.
Cottages are also available for rent. And as you can see, they don't use freezer in this area to make the carbonated drinks cold, and I presume the picture says it all.
After 15 minutes of touring around, the rain started to fall so we swiftly proceeded to our next destination, Catarman Old Church Ruins. Catarman Old Church Ruins, formerly known as Guiob Church, was ruined during the volcanic eruption (Mt. Hibok-hibok) on May 13, 1871. This 3-inch astonishing wall is nothing but a worth a stop. Anyway, this place is just few minutes away from Sunken Cemetery.
inside the church |
130-year old tree beside the old convent |
|
with my sis kiray |
Lastly we went to Walkway to the Old Volcano and Stations of the Cross where the traditional “panaad” during Lenten season takes place. It’s getting late; hence we only achieved the first station. I promised to visit the 14 stations in my next visit soon!
We went back to my friend’s house around 6pm and had our dinner then finally snuggle up in our bed early.
Fresh breeze woke us up early. We immediately prepared
our things for our last but not the least destination, Katibawasan Falls.
KATIBAWASAN FALLS
Katibawasan Falls, 250ft high, is located in Mambajao. It’s quite early so definitely
we were the first sightseer there. We paid P20.00/pax for the entrance fee. We
never stayed there for long period since we were planning to take the 2 o’clock
barge trip. The weather was not good so it would be risky for us to take to
last trip.
250 ft high |
kipping for only Php10.00 |
This ends our 2-day rush island hopping. We’re heading home feeling so tired yet satisfied!
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