Camotes: Rugged serenity

Rock islets and massive cliffs make up Camotes stunning beachscape. One rugged beauty is Buho Garden (buho means hole in Cebuano). Cottages are strategically built on rock islets so I sat there soothed by the gentle waves beneath and experience the beauty of nature---the endless blue horizon before me. Its rock islets are connected by foot bridges, the limestone wall is a challenge for the adventurous that can rappel about 100 feet down the cliff to the beach of Buho.

Navigating more than 50 steps from the top of the cliff to reach the rock islets was not easy for somebody like me who is fond of escalators. And going up those steps was an arduous task, I ran out of air!

The tip of the islet makes an excellent setting for stunning silhouettes against hues of orange and purple at sunset.

Another picturesque beach resort is Mangodlong. I was hoping to catch a spectacular sunset there but we arrived a bit late. It was a cloudy afternoon and the sunset was not as fiery, but it was beautiful nonetheless. The seaside serenity of Mangodlong is truly enchanting.

Perhaps Camotes’ most endearing value is its rustic provincial life. There are no enterprising vendors at the beach, or persistent boatmen forcing their services on you. The idyllic life in the farmlands and villages remains intact, and the simplicity of the countryside continues to charm.

Serene Lake Danao

There are places on earth that we must see at least once---for their beauty, their magnificence, their mystery. By a stroke of luck, fate brought me to Camotes Island. After I saw the spectacular view from my window, after I’ve sunk my bare feet into the warm white sand, after I bathe in the afterglow of a breathtaking sunset, I knew I found a piece of heaven that I'd like to come back to.

Camotes is not all white sand and beaches. There are rugged lime stone cliffs, rock islets, waterfalls, mountains, caves to explore, and a serene lake. I only have 2 days so I hired a habal-habal after lunch to drive me around. Jimmy, who brought me to the resort the night before, was my guide the whole afternoon. He’s a high school classmate of Imee, a lady who sat beside me in Ocean Jet.

One of the best places in Camotes is Lake Danao Park. It’s a lake park where you can do a picnic, fishing, boating, swimming, or just sit, put your feet up and contemplate. Lake Danao is said to be the largest lake in the Visayas and Mindanao with a size of 680 hectares. I asked Jimmy if there are crocodiles in the lake and he said there are none. But one of Santiago Bay’s caretakers told me there used to be a lot crocodiles in the lake. They were hunted down and the croc skins were made into leather goods in Mindanao. Nowadays, fresh water fishes are abundant and visitors can fish tilapia for about P80 per kilo. The place is so tranquil---you can hear your thoughts and the music of rustling leaves. I also love the trail around the lake.

the best place to relax

my favorite shot
trail beside the lake

We drove to Sonog Cave. It has a deep cavern with narrow crevices and an underground river. The water is so clear you can see the river bed. Unfortunately, I forgot to bring a bathing suit (again!). There are parts of the cave where I almost crawled just to get to the other side. Stories were told that during the World War II, the Japanese hid treasures in the caves in Camotes. Treasure hunters continue to search for the treasure up to this day. Jimmy, however, believes that it’s a stuff of legend…but it would be fun to do some treasure hunt in those caves! I wanted to go to another cave called Bukilat but it was getting late and there’s a sunset waiting to be captured.

underground river

Enchanting Camotes Island

Just off the northeast of Cebu is a picture-perfect tropical group of islands called Camotes. This off the beaten track comprises of four islands: Pacijan (San Francisco town), Poro (town of Poro where the pier is and Tudela), Ponson (Pilar town, a marine sancturary) and Tulang (an island barangay of San Francisco). If you’re looking for some peace and quiet, a bit of solitude, with no karaoke bars to keep you awake, then Camotes is a perfect place for you...a great place to unwind.

My original plan was to go to Bais, a city near Dumaguete, after my work in Cebu is done, to watch dolphins and explore Dumaguete. Then I missed my 9 am flight on Friday because PAL was overbooked (they are allowed by law to overbook up to 10%, according to PAL) and was only able to get a seat in their 4 pm flight. Meetings in Cebu were rescheduled and I decided to cancel my Dumaguete trip.

I was resigned to the possibility that I might be spending the weekend and my 2 days vacation in Cebu which I'm not very excited about. Don't get me wrong, Cebu is a great place to stay but work takes me there regularly for the past 9 years. So I've seen a lot of Cebu, and the nearby islands. While waiting for lunch on Saturday, I browsed in the net looking for photos of old houses in Cebu. I was thinking of visiting President Sergio Osmena's house and other old structures in Pari-an. Camotes was mentioned in one of the Cebu heritage websites I was reading. It was serendipity. I’ve heard of Camotes a few years ago from a business acquaintance in Cebu who mentioned that he bought a beach-front property in Camotes, and he’d invite me after he has built a kubo there. I googled Camotes and some links came up. By Saturday afternoon, I’ve booked a room at Santiago Bay Resort, and bought tickets from Ocean Jet.

Two hours from Cebu City’s pier 1 is Poro town in Camotes. Ocean Jet’s departure was delayed so we arrived at Poro a little before 9 pm. The mode of transport is motorbike, or habal-habal in Cebuano. To get to Santiago Bay Resort is a 45-minute ride on habal-habal. The roads are concrete, with just a bit of rough road before San Francisco town. I didn't see much of the scenery on the way to the resort. So I was pleasantly surpirsed when I woke up to this view from my window.

More photos of Santiago Bay.

More of Camotes tomorrow.

When you can't think of anything to blog

...a meme is the only way to go. Thanks, Crissy!

Name Four Scents You Love

• Allure by Chanel (the bottle is almost empty!)


• baby's scent


• freshly-brewed coffee


• freshly cut grass

Name Four Things You Are Thinking About Now

• Syet, I need to clean my desk before Friday!


• Did I call Bais' tourism office?


• Oh, crap...my boss already left and I forgot to give him my leave form!


• Oh, syet...it's raining again!

Name the Last Four Things You Have Bought

• notebooks, notebooks, notebooks for my nephews


• dog biscuits for Fritz


• a box of 'food for the gods'


• a kilo of grapes

Name Four Drinks You Regularly Drink

• coffee


• orange juice with pulp


• iced tea


• mango shake

Last Time You Said 'I Love You' And Meant It

• Last night...to Fritz. He licked my toe afterwards.

Last Time You Cried?

• About 2 hours ago, after I saw the photos of the victims in Burma

What's In Your Music Player?

• If I write them all here, I'd miss my dinner. Currently, I have more than 1,000 songs in my pc and currently playing Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here". It's a mix of classic rock, jazz and blues.

What's Under Your Bed?

• 3 suitcases and lots of dust, I suppose
  

What Time Did You Wake Up Today?

• 8:30 am but I left my bed around 9 am

Current Hair?

• layered cut just below my shoulders

Current Clothes?

• red, black and white striped shirt and black RL jeans

Current Desktop Picture?

• red chili peppers

Current Worry?

• That I won't be able to get seats in a boat for dolphin and whale watching

Current Hate?

• the traffic jam outside

Favorite Physical Features Of The Opposite Sex?

• chest, butt, clean nails

Last CD You Bought?

• Best of Aerosmith, The Millennium Collection, a few months ago.

Favorite Places To Be?

• my living room


• my cubicle in the office


• Italianis-Greenbelt


• The Spa in Bonifacio High Street

Least Favorite Places?

• dental clinic


• hospital's emergency room


• a crowded mall


• stuck in traffic

If You Could Play An Instrument?

• a violin

Favorite Color(s)?

• red and black

Do You Believe In An Afterlife ?

• Hmmm...can I call a friend? hehehe

How Tall Are You?

• 5'2"

Current Favorite Word/Saying ?

• Syet!


• I wish!

Favorite Season?

• the season after Christmas but before Summer..meron bang gano'n?

One Person From Your Past You Wish You Could Go Back And Talk To

• my father

Favorite Day?

• Sundays and holidays :D

Where Would You Like To Go ?

• Jerusalem

How Many Kids Do You Want ?

• too late...:D next question, please

Favorite Car?

• a vintage Ferrari convertible

Old crushes

Crushes are what they are---not heavy romantic full-blown relationships, but fun and sometimes, heartbreaking. My first crush was my uncle's best friend, and I was crushed when he got married. I was 9 years old, and I sulked for almost a week! I moved on and discovered that the world was full of boys...buried my first heartache together with my paper dolls and childish wishes.

I still get teased by my brothers and cousins about my crushes. Maybe because I was always vocal about the objects of my girlish infatuations. I would announce it to the whole clan, and the boys in the family were often embarrassed by my shameless display of admiration. One unforgettable crush was a brother-in-law of my aunt's officemate. I was 14, and the boy was a high school senior, a star player in a basketball team. Stars would get into my eyes when the boy passed by our house, and I jumped like a lunatic when he smiled at me. Then a wicked cousin who was rooting for another basketball team burst my bubble by telling my brothers that my crush was too chicken to get circumcised. The boys teased me mercilessly until I threw a banana-Q stick at my brother's face that narrowly missed his left eye.

That incident didn't discourage my brothers and cousins. And I didn't care if my crushes were circumcised or not! Hahahaha

I bet no other girl will remember every detail about you…except for me…I bet no other girl will remember your favorite song except for me…No other girl will remember your perfect smile, except for me…so why is it that you look at every other girl…except for me?

This morning, I ran into an old crush on my way to the parking lot. I didn't recognize him at first, but he looked familiar so I said hi and introduced myself (I don't know why I do that---a few times, to people that I thought I knew, only to realize that I saw that person on TV). Anyway, he was surprised (and I'd like to think, glad) to see me, and we chatted happily. Incidentally, he lives in my neighborhood, married, with an adopted daughter. We stood at the sidewalk, talking like old friends, and he mentioned a couple of times that he got married because I left him. What??? Left him??? What a load of blarney! (Pero kinilig ako do'n ha?! hehehe)

We shared an office building at Ayala Avenue many years ago. I was in my early 20's...he was a dashing guy with chinky eyes and dimpled smile, who impelled to me visit the cafeteria at exactly 3 pm whether I was hungry or not. He and his buddies were having coffee there. I was quite shameless at that age! And I bet that everybody in the building knew that I had a huge crush on the guy---from the security guard to Manong Eli, the janitor, who winked at me while I was walking towards the cafeteria. And he was charming, always nice to me and my officemates...I felt like a high school kid when he was around. After I moved to another job, I didn't see him again...it was more than 15 years ago!

I'm glad to see him still looking good, obviously happy. Now, the question that I always dread: "Why are you still single?" he asked. I retaliated by saying---kasi di mo ako niligawan n'on! I'm bad! But talking to him again after all these years has excited my molecules, and brought a smile on my face the whole morning.