photo credits: jm & noel
We decided to go to Camiguin on the second day of our CDO (Mindanao) adventure. Since our trekking & canyoning in Mapawa Nature Park was done in the morning we then went to Agora Bus terminal after lunch.
We actually didn't make it to the terminal, they said we could just wait for a bus bound for Butuan to pass by here. No we were not going to Butuan, it's just that the bus route passes by Balingoan port which is the gateway for the island of Camiguin.
Finally! A bus stopped in front of us and voila! No more seats. Thank God we still have enough adrenaline left from canyoning that we didn't mind standing. I mean hey, somebody's eventually going to get off and vacate a seat right?
Well...that's what we all thought. Thirty minutes have passed and still no one is leaving the bus. Another 30 minutes passed and we were still balancing ourselves in the aisle of the bus. Past 1 hour finally, 2 seats were vacated and just a few blocks after, another batch of seats were available until all 5 of us were able to settle down. Travel time was approximately 3 hours so we had about 30-45 minutes nap on the bus.
We alighted at the Balingoan bus terminal and made our way to the Port which was approximately 150meters away.
We hurriedly purchased our tickets to make it to the last ferry bound for Camiguin at 5PM.
How lucky we are....
Oh! would you look at that.. weather is a bit heavy with strong winds bringing strong currents.
But our ship is set to sail.
We will be going to Camiguin no matter what.
This picture was taken when we were about to dock at Benoni Port in Camiguin, before we actually got to this point, we were rocked by huge waves during the middle of our 1 hour ferry ride.
That's the view of the famous volcano in Camiguin..Mt. Hibok-Hibok
From a distance...
rain clouds have gathered.
We arrived at Benoni Port around 6PM. While we were making our itinerary, we chose not to pre-book our ride around Camiguin because we figured, we might be able to haggle more if we do it once we actually arrive in Camiguin. However, boyfie had a co-worker who had some contacts in Camiguin and gave him their number just in case we would need them.
So while we were still on the ferry, boyfie texted them about the details of our arrival, unfortunately, we didn't see them when we arrived at the port.
So my friends negotiated with those jeepney drivers/owners who approached us at the port. The rates they gave us were quite high, considering that there were only 5 of us who will split the cost. However, like it was on cue, boyfie received a text message from our contact that they are already in the port and they were waiting for us since 5PM. Perfect!
The usual transport for guests in Camiguin are multicabs---to our surprise we got the "hari nang karsada" (king of the road) transport- Jeepney! And we had all the space to ourselves.
Before we left, we bought food for dinner and then off we went to our accommodation in Mambajao.
Our cottage was well-suited for us for only Php1, 200. We had 2 queen-sized beds and we just requested 1 extra mattress which they gave for free. We had A/C, our own T&B and we also had our own veranda.
Paguia Cottage was our home away from home.
One of my friends brought entertainment, believe it or not--we were having our own sing-along party inside our cottage while it was raining outside.
It was a fun night! #what happens in Camiguin stays in Camiguin Haha!
Early morning the next day, we went first to White Island (please refer to separate post).
After that, we grabbed our breakfast at the famous Vjandep Restaurant.
We didn't bother to change, we were still going to get wet anyway, we just hanged our 'cover-ups' inside our limo. Haha!
First stop for Camiguin mainland tour: Katibawasan Falls
According to the Camiguin Tourism Assoc. website the height of the falls is about 75 meters.
This is located 5kms southeast of central Mambajao and during the time we visited we only paid Php 15 for the entrance fee.
Since it rained hard the day before, the water was brownish in color and a bunch of dried leaves, twigs, and what-nots have collected in the pool of the falls, so we opted not to take a swim.
After about an hour, we left and headed to our next destination.
Second stop: The old Volcano Walkway
Since we didn't have the luxury of time to walk through the steps, we just stopped for a bit and took pictures.
Third stop: Ardent Hot Spring
We love it here! Water temperature is around 40 degrees celsius and it has 3 little pools.
Though we were there in the morning, we still felt relaxed with the warm water.
Knowing that we can't stay too long in a hot spring, we then went to our next stop.
Fourth stop: Now I'm not so sure what this part is called--but it was such a great view!
Since it was midday and the sun was glaring, we only stopped here for a few minutes.
Entrance to our next stop...
Fifth stop: Sunken Cemetry in Catarman
A large white cross which marked a cemetery swept into the sea by the Old Volcano's eruption in 1871. This is an ideal place for snorkeling and diving so you can appreciate what's underwater.
But we decided not to cross the waters, we might run short of time. Seeing the great white cross was enough and of course having a picture with it behind us for photo-memory.
Sixth stop: Gui-ob Church Ruins at Bonbon, Mambajao
These, as they say, are what remains of the Church structures that were also destroyed during the eruption of the Old Volcano in 1871.
The monument with its century-old walls, the bellfry and the convent stand reminiscent of the second Spanish settlement established in the 1670s.
Seventh stop: Soda Swimming Pool
We just passed by and we didn't even bother to take a picture even just the gate because we were soooo hungry already. We decided to have our lunch at our next/last stop
Eighth stop: Sto. Nino Cold Spring
Considering it was a Sunday, there were a lot of guests in this place. Good thing they cooked good food because we were so famished. We only stayed there for a bit, because we didn't want to miss the last ferry back to CDO at 5PM.
Farewell Camiguin...if only we had more time, we would've loved to discover all your hot/cold springs. Still, we had a great time!
Until then!
Back to CDO for our 4th and last day.
