I've been to a couple of travels lately and I feel guilty not being able to blog about it. I still say that travelling is my only luxury, though I don't feel pride with the veracity of the "onliness".
In the last week of April, I went to Camiguin Island with three of my friends who are game enough about it. Good thing, the trip became a catalyst for us to realize that we wanted to take more travels together in the future. And so we booked a flight to Boracay and and we'll be taking an international vacation next summer. Hopefully, the HK trip will be pursued.
So much for it, yes we kinda prepared for this trip. And the biggest proof for that is our pesudo-meeting which ended up with me doing the rest of the job.
And with all the prior research done, here is the itinerary that I made! I actually followed Pinoy Adventurista's template but I made some adjustments.
And with all the prior research done, here is the itinerary that I made! I actually followed Pinoy Adventurista's template but I made some adjustments.
TRAVEL ITINERARY TO CAMIGUIN
1ST DAY APRIL 27, SATURDAY
ASSEMBLY: JOLIBEE AGORA, 6 AM
06:30 AM - CDO - Balingoan
08:30 AM - ETA at Balingoan Ferry Terminal
08:45 AM - ETD for Camiguin
09:45 AM - ETA in Camiguin
10:00 AM – Benoni Port to Ferabrel Resort
10:30 AM - Check-in / Fix things / Lunch
08:30 AM - ETA at Balingoan Ferry Terminal
08:45 AM - ETD for Camiguin
09:45 AM - ETA in Camiguin
10:00 AM – Benoni Port to Ferabrel Resort
10:30 AM - Check-in / Fix things / Lunch
10:30 AM – Mantigue Island
03:30 PM - Katibawasan Falls
04:30 PM - Sunken Cemetery
03:30 PM - Katibawasan Falls
04:30 PM - Sunken Cemetery
05:00 PM – Back to Hotel / Prepare for Dinner
06:00 PM – Ardent Hot Spring
08:00 PM – Go back to Ferabrel Resort
2ND DAY APRIL 28, SUNDAY
06:30 AM – Wake-up call
07:00 AM – Free Breakfast at Resort
07:30 PM – ETD to White Island
08:00 AM – ETA in White Island
11:30 AM - ETD from White Island
11:30 AM - ETD from White Island
2:00 PM – Shop for Souvenirs
02:30 PM – Ferabrel Resort
03:30 PM – Pack-up things / Bound to Benoni Port
03:45 PM – ETA in Benoni
04:00 PM – ETD from Benoni to CDO
06:00 PM – ETA in Agora Bus Terminal
Notes:
ETA – Estimated Time of Departure
ETA – Estimated Time of Arrival
Expenses
These are just some of the major expenses that we have incurred individually. The prices vary most especially for accommodation and transportation rentals.
| We just died after tasting the awesome Kangkong in Paras Beach Resort |
We didn't account the food expenses because we were not in budget for the food in this travel. But I'm sure there are a lot of affordable food around the area. I just think that the best way to get closer to an area's cuisine is to try their best dishes. It's a matter of balancing the cost. That doesn't mean you have to always go expensive.
There are a lot of restaurants in the island. And they take pride from the best seafood dishes that they have, which is why all of my friends agreed that the best meal in the trip was the one taken in Mantigue Island.
In Mantigue Island,we ate grilled Bangus, seaweeds and shells. I really love the whole setting of eating with the fresh air all around, and it just feels so stress-free. You can forget all of the problems in this area, most especially with the food that they offer.
But of course, you can also find awesome food in other restaurants.
One of the most memorable restaurant that we visited is the J & A Fishpen and I've read about this place in a review made by my friend. But her review and mine seems to be in the opposite directions.
This place seems to be not-so-friendly to customers. They offer you a menu but almost everything that you order is unavailable. So what's the point of giving the menu, right? Plus, they charged us for the cottage. So we left the place instantly because we don't want our day to be ruined. And we feel sorry for the "trisikad" driver who drove our way to the place. We still owe him. But since we haven't tried their servings. I wouldn't be too mean to say you shouldn't go here.
Anyway, we always charge bad vibes to experience.
In Mantigue Island,we ate grilled Bangus, seaweeds and shells. I really love the whole setting of eating with the fresh air all around, and it just feels so stress-free. You can forget all of the problems in this area, most especially with the food that they offer.
But of course, you can also find awesome food in other restaurants.
One of the most memorable restaurant that we visited is the J & A Fishpen and I've read about this place in a review made by my friend. But her review and mine seems to be in the opposite directions.
This place seems to be not-so-friendly to customers. They offer you a menu but almost everything that you order is unavailable. So what's the point of giving the menu, right? Plus, they charged us for the cottage. So we left the place instantly because we don't want our day to be ruined. And we feel sorry for the "trisikad" driver who drove our way to the place. We still owe him. But since we haven't tried their servings. I wouldn't be too mean to say you shouldn't go here.
Anyway, we always charge bad vibes to experience.
More than the food, Camiguin Island is well-known for its white sand beaches. To tell you the truth, the main island doesn't have any white beaches at all. But there are two islands set off from the mainland that boasts its powdery white sand beaches.
This is in White Island. It's a pure sandbar in the sea, purely sand with no trees and all. You have to rent a boat that costs P400.00 round-trip and it can accommodate 4-6 people. It's just really a kilometer away from the Paras Beach Resort so it was an advantage on our side. Philip was kinda hesitant of going to the sandbar but I think he enjoyed it well, most importantly in this photo.
I think the best time to go there is 2:30-3:00 in the afternoon. That way, it's not too hot and you wouldn't have to waste too much on sunblock. Save it for a whole day in Mantigue Island.
I think the best time to go there is 2:30-3:00 in the afternoon. That way, it's not too hot and you wouldn't have to waste too much on sunblock. Save it for a whole day in Mantigue Island.
In the White Island, all people are advised to leave by 4 pm. Even those people selling in the area also go back to the mainland. Now I'm not sure if there's a history of this island disappearing during the night but what I do know though is that there's a similar case in Agutayan Island.
| This is the setting when we left the area. |
| I had it big 'cause this is my favorite photo of the island. Other than the White Island, we also went to other tourist attractions in the mainland of Camiguin. Travelling around Camiguin mainland is something that you can do in just one day. You just have to rent a cab or a motorcycle in the Benoni Port and you're good to go. If you wanted to enjoy the best of the place though, bring some friends with you. I think solo backpacker stories and barkada trips are way different. But for a place like Camiguin, it would be a lot more fun to be with your friends or family. I mean, would you really enjoy swimming in these very nice beaches alone? This is the restaurant in the Taguines Lagoon, somewhere near J & A Fishpen, definitely a walking distance from the Benoni Port. This is where we went after that misery in the orders in J & A. From what I've researched, Taguines Lagoon is actually man-made. Aside from the 2 restaurants around the area, you can also opt to go ziplining. Fishing in the lagoon is a perfect afternoon chill most especially because it's adjacent to the shoreline, complementing a perfect sunset view. While we were on our way to the Sunken Cemetery, we passed by this "Mahiwagang Bato", as how Jolo would call it. I have seen a couple of my friends who went to Camiguin before taking a picture in this place so upon seeing this view, I instantly asked the driver to stop so that we can take pictures. Our goal for the trip is to visit the main attractions. I know there are other not-so-popular places to go and I wanted to profile them sometime. But it takes guts against safety, money for solo backpacking because not all of your friends would certainly want to go risky explorations and most importantly time. The main highlight of our trip is the half-day in Mantigue Island. We went there in a Sunday morning. It's also the very reason why I could hardly finish this blog because I feel like we have too many experiences to account for in the island. We did snorkeling, forest trekking, Syok Sendiri, chat with other tourists, ate seafood and many others. We just felt like spending the entire day in the island to chill if not that we have a trip to Balingoan to catch. Let the photos tell the rest of the story. And that ends our Camiguin trip. We had a lot of fun. Everything is amazing. We've been to some places where we didn't take pictures like Ardent Hot Spring Resort and Guiob Church Ruins. On another side, it tells us that temporary goodbyes mark new beginnings, that we have tomorrows to look forward for. And our interpretation of it defines our attitudes towards life. Our next trip together is in Boracay this December. |
