sandripples//

the camotes adventure

camotes island in cebu is a one stop shop for adventure-seeking travellers. i first heard of the island from my friend Zsazsa and when i googled it i fell in love with the island already. my friends  from Stratpoint and i organized a trip to cebu when cebu pacific had one of their super-low fare promos. we bought our roundtrip plane tickets for 700 pesos, lucky us.

it was the independence day long weekend and we thought we had just enough time for an adventure in camotes. from cebu city, we took the fastcraft at pier 1. it leaves the pier at 9am and takes 3 hours to travel to camotes island. camotes is even nearer to ormoc/leyte than to cebu.

the fastcraft docks at poro port, which is 45 minutes drive from our resort, the santiago bay resort. a golf-cart-like vehicle picked us up the pier and drove us to santiago. the drive was refreshing, the air was clean and scenery was healthy green for our eyes. (we paid 150 pesos each for the ride)

the mode of transportation in the island is by habal-habal (motorcycle) . for multicab or van, you have ask the resort to get you one to rent.

santiago bay resort

santiago bay resort is one of the 4 resorts in camotes (camotes resorts). we chose to stay there because it has a huge white-sand beach area.  we paid 1800 pesos for our room which was  good for 3 persons  (2 beds with extra matress). the resort has its own restaurant and you have no choice but to eat there since there are no restaurants nearby. food ranges from 150-250 per dish (can serve 2 persons), not that great except for the lechon kawali.  food takes time before they can serve it, so better order it ahead — like 2 hours before you plan to eat.

when we were there (june) low tide comes at around 5pm. during low tide you can see huge ripples on the sand, with lots of crablets running around and hiding if they see people coming.  lots of starfish(they are so many, you have to step on them!), blow fish and jelly fish too.  so better bring an anti-jelly fish sting lotion (godiva lotion which can be bought at mercury drugstore) and anti-histamines — their stings can trigger your skin allergies.

some may be “turned off” by the sea weeds, but i really don’t mind.  it’s the way nature works.  but definitely the beach is rich with marine life. there are a few litters on the shore, which could be been cleaned up by the resort. let’s face it, there are just irresponsible tourists. and once you put up a resort in any nice place, tourists will flock and litters are unavoidable, there’s no other choice but to be responsible for keeping it clean.

there’s a nearby white-sand cove, we attempted to walk through the water to go there but it was getting deep already so we didn’t pursue it.  we then took a kayak to get there and we saw lots of big jelly fish and thick sea weeds in the area, we’re lucky we didn’t walk through it.  when got to the cove, we realized it was  a cemetery.

mangodlong beach resort

mangodlong is another beach resort in camotes and is around 20 minutes habal-habal  ride from santiago bay resort. outside santiago bay resort, there’s a habal-habal terminal. we paid 60 pesos each for the roundtrip and just gave extra since the driver waited for us for 2 hours.

mangodlong has a smaller beach area but it is great for snorkeling. Four meters from the shore and you can already see a variety of marine life,  lotsa fish of different colors and sizes. Just be careful, we saw a black and white banded sea snake. It was long and was coming after us. snokeling gears can be rented at the resort, 150 for the mask and snorkel and 150 for the fins.  There’s an entrance fee of 25 but you don’t have to pay if you’re a guest at santiago bay resort since they have the same owners.

lake danao

another must visit in camotes is lake danao. the lake is surrounded by hardwood mangrooves secluding the whole lake. the reflection of the skies on the water is just awesome. there’s a nipa hut where visitors can view the whole lake and enjoy the peace and quiet.  but i recommend to cruise the lake in a sakanaw — a lake boat.  the sakanaw ride costs 100 pesos per person. the sakanaw cruise will take you around the lake and and to an islet passing by some wild ducks. (entrance fee is 5 pesos)

poro church and town

at poro town, we visited poro church. we bought some snacks and medicines ans we also ate our lunch at the market. lunch was pork+liver+chicken barbeque, puso rice, coke and some fruits.

buho rock

buho rock is just a few kilometers from poro town.  it’s a garden on top of a rock formation with a small swimming pool, a diving platform and a couple of slides to the sea. there’s also a stairway that takes visitors down to sea level pool of clear and cold water. (entrance fee is 10 pesos)

timubo cave

timubo cave is quite a small cave and easy to penetrate because of the man-made stairway. the water inside is very clean, cool and clear and is just perfect for a relaxed swim or for floating around. (entrance fee is 15 pesos)

bakhaw beach

bakhaw beach has sugary white sand, really clear waters and is secluded. (entrance fee is 5 pesos) we would have stayed there if we knew that we could rent a room or a house there. it’s only now that i know that there’s the borromeo’s bahay bakasyunan (Contact: Jocelyn Delfin at mobile +639086267585) which offers 4 bedrooms, but 1 room can be rented for 1,200 pesos. In my next trip to Camotes, definitely i’ll be staying there.

camotes has more to offer

there are still more  in camotes that we missed to visit.  three days and 2 nights are not enough to explore the 4 islands that compose camotes. cut i don’t mind because it leaves me a reason to keep coming back to that wonderful place.

i would love to visit tulang diot, bukilat cave and busay falls when i go back. i would like to go diving too but the only diveshop i’ve seen there is in mangodlong. i’d love to do some biking too, hmm and mountain trekking.

For more info:

http://www.camotesresorts.com.ph/
http://travelcamotes.com/

More of our photos:

Lake_Danao_Camotes
Bakhaw_Beach_Camotes
Santiago_Bay_Resort_Camotes
Buho_Rock_Camotes
Mangodlong Beach Resort

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the kota beach journal

Day 1

who doesn’t love the beach? it is peace. it is paradise. and in an island, in the far far tip of cebu, there’s kota beach, a white-sand fortress.

kota beach is in sta. fe, bantayan island. bantayan island is in the northern tip of cebu island. it’s quite a long way to get there, but it’s all worth the rough trip. from the mactan international airport we took an airport taxi to drive us to hagnaya wharf, the gateway to bantayan island. it’s a 3-hour trip, that’s why we took a taxi for convenience instead of the bus.

then from the wharf, it took us 1 and a half hour to bantayan via the ferry (m/v super shuttle ferry), then learned later that it would only take us 45 mins if we took the fast craft (aznar fast craft).

we’ve been travelling since morning and were already tired when we got to the island. fortunately, manong dodong of kota beach fetched us from the port in his multicab. after unpacking we went to check out the beach, and all exhaustion went off. we then had dinner. it really was great, with shrimps and squids and a view of the beach. though all rooms in the resort were occupied, the place was still peaceful and never crowded. and though the nearby resort (budyong beach resort) was jam-packed with guests and tents, we still felt secluded in kota.

the weather was not that good, it actually rained a bit. we hit the sack early so we can wake up early in the morning and meet the sunrise. we slept well despite the vibrations coming from the party’s sound system in budyong.

Day 2

we woke up early, around 6am, and looked for something to eat. only one restaurant was open at that time, the mama titas bakery and restaurant just across the church and the market. we had dangitsilog for only 40 pesos! after that delightful breakfast we went around poblacion and looked for a store where we could buy toothpaste, shampoo, etc. since ours were taken out of our carry on baggage at the airport.

after a bath and changing to beach clothes, we walked on the beach and enjoyed the sun. unlike boracay or puerta galera, the beach is never crowded. but then the heat of the sun was quite strong on the skin, staying on the shades watching the wonderful blue cottony skies over blue crystal water and the white sands was heaven enough.

for a change of scenery, we rented a multi-cab for 500 pesos and went to bantayan town for their good friday lechon parade (yes, they have lechon (roasted pig) on good fridays, it’s been told that this rite is supported by the church and can be traced back from the time when the town didn’t have anything to fish on a good friday and had to put lechon on their table). but we were too early and except for the church, we had nowhere to go to since the town’s museum was also closed.

we just then went to ogtong cave beach resort. it’s a private resort and has an underground cave where you can go down and dip in cool water, a pool for those who don’t like the saltwater, and a beach. the resort is beautifully landscaped and very private though there were a few excusionists who paid 75 pesos entrance fee to explore the place. the cottages looked more expensive though. we just walked around the place, we didn’t like the idea of getting wet since it’s quite far from kota beach. and we didn’t want manong driver to wait for us too long since it was almost lunchtime.

we headed back to kota beach for our lunch. we ate at the restaurant, warning though, the food took time to prepare, so we realized we should order our food in advance so we don’t have to wait too long. after lunch, i asked mang dodong (the one who fetched us from the port and the one who looked for a driver to drive us to bantayan town and ogtong) where to rent for a skim board. i just gave him the 150 pesos rental fee for the 3 hour use of the board.

after resting our full tummies, we ran to the beach and tried skim boarding. it was all our first time and we didn’t have any idea on how to use it. so we watched the other kids do it. it looked easy, but when i tried it, it wasn’t! i got cuts on my toes, feet, and hand. after several tries and falls i got tired and settled to enjoy watching the other kids. haha and i really did enjoy.

for dinner, we ate at Marisquera O Portuguese Bar and Restaurant. the food are affordable but not really great. the pizza w/ anchovy was cheesy and good but the fettucine was bland. the dinner wasn’t really great enough to take away our exhaustion. we were really tired and went directly back to our cottage right after dinner, we really did a lot of activity the whole day. i felt like a was kid again, retiring to bed totally exhausted from playing all day. lying down watching the simpsons, i easily dozed off.

Day 3

it was our third day  and we wanted to visit the neighboring islands. manong dodong fixed us an island tour to virgin island and some snorkeling for 1200 pesos. along the way we joked about who’s not going to be allowed to step on the island, we would know who among us are still virgins haha. funny thing is, when we got there, we were not allowed to enter the island. oh, but it’s not about our virginity. it is a private island and the owner was having a private party there that day. we just left and the boatmen brought us to an area where we could snorkel. we snorkeled for just a little while since there weren’t a lot of fish in that area. we transferred to another spot, but the the waves were too strong for us. so we ended up heading to another nearby island which name i forgot because it wasn’t really easy to remember.

the island isn’t touristy, the sand has peebles and not that clean. there are a few houses along the shore, some kids, and a pigpen that smells. there were a few groups of local tourists seemed to go there for their lunch, i really wondered why. the only thing i liked there was the view of the sky, there were ripples, a very huge ripples. it was my first time to have seen something like that.

and oh yes, you can also see batayan’s long stretch of white sand beaches from there. the boatmen offered to look for some fish or squid for us to cook and eat. unfortunately, there weren’t any to buy. it was almost lunchtime, probably the families had already cooked all the fish they had. so we just headed back to kota beach for lunch.

the rest of the day was dull. dull afternoons on the beach feel really good. lots of memories came into my mind. lots of realizations. it was a counting crows moment.

i waited for the sunset only to realize that the sun sets on the other side of the island. waah! it would have been perfect at kota, the sandbar, the hightide, the lowtide, the sunrise, the seclusion, but missing the sunset was really a disappointment.

Day 4

i missed the sunrise. no thanks to budyong beach and smart, for their holy week summer saya party. i wasn’t able to sleep well the night before. i sat on the veranda and worked on sorting my photos. the other guests couldn’t sleep also. i really hate budyong beach and smart for that. did they really expect people to stay awake with their painful eardrums and headaches until 5am for a week? it was really very irresponsible for smart sponsoring such loud party in a quite town like sta. fe on a holyweek.

we just spent the whole day bumming around the beach. it was living life fully. it was feeling life. very spiritually uplifting. the whole day, i felt the need and excitement to refresh my perspective in life. and i thanked god. you see, i spent the week holy afterall.

Day 5

it was our last day at kota, so i woke up early to catch may last kota beach sunrise. ah, the drama of a sunrise. the light on the shores of darkness. missing the sunset means not missing the sunrise at kota which isn’t a disappointment afterall. and as one quote goes “We can only appreciate the miracle of a sunrise if we have waited in darkness”. another day stretching out before me, giving me the chance to realize and do what i ought to do.

but the day wasn’t as uplifting as i wanted it to be. the trip back to the city was a long trip and i just slept it off. when i woke up, i felt tired and wasn’t in the mood to tour the city. the temperature was really hot and worsened the mood. the taxi driver was good enough to drive us to mactan and lapu-lapu shrine, sutukil and the pasalubong market.

i really loved the sukutil part, sutukil stands for ’sugba’,’tula’, ‘kilaw’. we ordered crabs, prawns, lapu-lapu and oysters and paid only 1200 pesos which already included the charge for the preparation/cooking, 2 platters of rice, 2 liters of coke.

from sutukil, we headed to the pasalubong market. the prices of the goodies are reasonable enough. i bought some dried dangit and pusit. then manong juan, the taxi driver, drove us to the airport. we were too early for our 11pm flight, but we’re too tired to check out the city. we just killed time in the airport. next time, i won’t be booking for the last flight. we were already sleepy and too impatient to wait for our turn.

there was no drama leaving cebu. i was just too tired. but i felt i’ll be back soon. i love cebu, for the beaches and the nice people, and for some sentimental reasons.

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Contact
Kota Beach Resort
Sta. Fe, Bantayan Island, Cebu
Tel#. (032) 4196135 / (032) 4389042

Rooms

We paid 2400 pesos for the room which is just in front of the beach. It is airconditioned,  has 2 beds (single & double) and a veranda.

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banca cruisin’ cebu

the day after the wedding, i had already planned to take my friends banca cruising in the nearby islands of cebu. i happened to come across Islands Banca Cruises http://www.islandsbanca.com/ and contacted them right away for a day cruise itinerary.

a van picked us up at waterfront and we droved to mactan where the bancas dock is. it is just right beside the hilton hotel. our itinerary was: (1) pandanon island,  lunch and swimming at the beach; (2) guilutongan island, snorekeling at the marine sanctuary; (3) olango island sunset dinner at talima beach villas

we cruised to pandanon island on a big banca/boat. the boat had an ipod dock and lotsa bean bags. we also had a cooler for canned drinks and beers. it took us around 1 hour to reach pandanon, which is part of bohol already.

pandanon island

pandanon island is a big sandbar of an island. it has fine white sands and oh my, it has sand dollars! well, yeah it was my first time to see a sand dollar for real. the lunch was great, we had chicken inasal, pork barbecue and puso rice.  then we had some beach time, took some photos and picked up sand dollars. time was running out so we had to leave the island and head off to guiluntangan island marine sanctuary.

guilutongan marine sanctuary

cebu’s marine line is so rich you can’t get enough  of it. the sanctuary is around 30 minutes cruise from pandanon. we passed by nalusuan island, which has a marine sanctuary too. we went down the water and oh my, lotsa lotsta big, fat and colorful fish! one of the best snorkeling area i’ve ever been to. i wished we went diving instead of just snorkeling. but well, i can always come back. we we ran out of puso so the fish wouldn’t go near us anymore so we cruised to olango island.

olango island

olango island is also around 30 minutes cruise from guiluntongan. it is the island nearest to mactan and is known for its rich marine life and its bird sanctuary. the warm staff of talima villas welcomed as with fresh buko when we dock at the island. the watched the sunset while sipping the juice from the buko, and though it was cloudy i think it was still beautiful seing the clouded sunset all over mactan. great view, eh?

they served us with a special seafood dinner. now, i’m missing their fish kinilaw! we left the island after giving our tummies a rest from that super heavy dinner. we cruised back to mactan in the dark but calm waters. the view from the boat was just splendid, mactan’s nightlights from afar.

islands banca cruises

it was beachin and chillin! i had to email Fatima of islands banca cruises for the great service they had extended to us. with our package, we each paid 1800 pesos which already included the following:

• transfers from/to waterfront hotel (mactan to cebu city)
• barbecue lunch
• snorkeling gears, towels, drinks on board
• sunset dinner buffet
• pandanon – guilutongan – olango cruise

for more info:  http://www.islandsbanca.com/

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for more of our photos: Cebu Cruisin Photos

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a dream wedding come true

one weekend of may, a friend of ours, Fe, had her wedding ceremony in cebu. i was really excited because it was my first beach wedding. we flew to cebu the same day of the wedding but we had ample time to eat at CNT lechon for lunch, shop for some stuff and prepare for the wedding. it was my first time to try CNT lechon too (we ate at Ayala Mall branch), and oh my -  i just couldn’t get enough of it. it is the best lechon, ever!

though the wedding is at maribago blue water resort in mactan, we decided to stay at waterfront hotel in lahug. maribago has more expensive rates but is quite reasonable since it has a beautiful beach area.

the wedding ceremony was held in maribago’s private island, which is more like a permanent sandbar, the alegrado island. it was really romantic, a beautiful couple, exchanging vows with the view of the ocean from a white-sand beach and the sunset!

we enjoyed the reception just right there at the beach too with a superb set of dinner and some entertainment. we gave Fe and Chris our best wishes and went home with the same thought in mind. it was a dream wedding come true.

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The Place: Maribago Blue Water Resort, Mactan Cebu