Diary Of A Would-Be Wanderer | A Ulog Entry

_{White Island, Camiguin Philippines}

I've always envied people who are able to travel at their whim. I became a mother at a young age, and will never be someone who got to see the world during their prime. I have no regret about becoming a mother but I must admit that there were a lot of things I was not able to do because I chose to play my part. I don't see it as a bad thing, really. Now that my girls are older and I am able to do so much more than my friends who just had their babies, I'm actually happy that I did it my way and got through it all just fine.

I am not at all saying young girls should start getting pregnant, no. It was tough and I wouldn't want anyone else to be in the position I was in some 13 years ago. Red and I had to double our efforts in making sure we no longer add to the mistakes we've made in the past, and I am glad to tell you that we are quite happy with what we have now.

One thing we really try hard to do is to achieve a balance between Living in the Now and Preparing for the Future. We make sure that we stay comfortable but we also do not believe in living a luxurious life. Our rule is to live below our means and invest whatever is in excess of that, with the end goal of an early retirement. We are determined to make up for whatever we missed out - one of which was to travel.

Although I have a long list of countries I wish to visit, I'd also like to discover the wonders in my own country. The Philippines is made up of more than 7000 beautiful islands and there's so much to see here before we even begin wandering about outside this marvelous archipelago. This post is the first of a series I will write to tell you about the places that Red and I plan to experience firsthand. The photos attached here are from my sister, Qai, who's always loved to travel and was focused enough to actually do just that before she had her baby.

_{Camiguin Town From Afar}

In 2010, Qai spent a couple of days with her friends in Camiguin. It is what we call an Island Province in the Philippines, being an island and one of the 5 provinces of Northern Mindanao Region. It is dubbed as an Island born out of fire and it is believed that Camiguin came about after a series of eruptions of volcanoes that the province has.

_{From Benoni Port to the road on a multicab}

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My sister and her group took the plane from Davao to Cagayan De Oro, then a ferry in Balingoan Port going to the Benoni Port of Camiguin. From the port, they rode a multicab going to Mambajao, the capital. They arrived at around lunchtime and decided to have a sumptuous meal at an eatery near the resort they stayed at. My sister tells me they were quite shocked that they only had to pay ₱1500 or $30 for this feast (rice, drinks, and the other 3 crabs not included in the picture).

They stayed at a quaint cottage at a resort called Pabua's Cottages. It was nothing grand but the cottage had basic amenities which made them comfortable during their stay. I researched about the place and found out that the rooms are air-conditioned and now have WIFI internet. My sister highly recommends the place because of the friendly staff who were very knowledgeable about the must-visits in the island, most are near their accommodation. One of which is Katibawasan Falls, a short walk from their cottage. They went there after having their lunch to enjoy the scenic view of the 250-foot tall waterfalls and to dip into its cold spring.

Pabua's Cottages owns boats and offers services to take tourists to White Island, another famous destination that is near the resort. It was their first stop on their second day in Camiguin. They got a tip from one of the staff to visit it early in the morning, so they took off at quarter past 5 and arrived at the boomerang-shaped islet before 6 am, as the boat ride only took about 10 minutes. The islet is uninhabited and so there were no houses nor huts. There were no trees too and they were glad they listened to the advise they got from their cleaning lady. They were able to enjoy their breakfast and lounge for some time at the pristine powdery sand before it got too hot. They ate their pandesal with the breath-taking view of Mt. Hibok-Hibok right in front of them.

By 8 am, they were already on the road to San Jose Port, where they boarded yet another boat, this time to Mantigue Island Nature Park. Aside from its glorious white sand beach, Mantigue Island boasts of a Forest trail and a Fish Sanctuary.

_{Mantigue Island from afar. View from San Jose Port}

_{Mantigue Island Beach}

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By noon, they were back in the mainland where they had lunch. After which, they headed to the Giant Clams Sanctuary, and then capped off their daytour with a trip to the Ostrich Farm.

_{The design on these giant mantle clams is unique to each one, like fingerprints are unique for humans}

_{My sister felt bad for these flightless birds. She kept thinking that the ostriches wanted freedom too.}

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They spent the morning of their third day at the Old Gui-ob Church Ruins, which was about 20 minutes from their accommodation. It is one of the most revered ancient structure in the whole country and is a popular tourist spot in Camiguin.

My sister enjoyed her time there as the ruins were surrounded by greens. The local government has done an amazing job in keeping the whole place beautiful by planting trees and carpeting the ground with lush bermuda grass. My sister was especially fascinated by the century-old tree near the ruins. It is said that the tree has been standing even before the eruption of Mount Hibok-Hibok in 1871. In reference, she sent me this picture on the right showing how her friend, Bell, dwarfed beside the gigantic tree. I'm very curious about this tree and I tried to look for more information about it but couldn't find any. What kind of tree is this, and exactly how tall is it? I'm all the more excited about visiting Camiguin and seeing the tree for myself.

Their next stop was at the Sunken Cemetery, another popular site which I remember was even discussed in one of my History classes. In 1871, Camiguin was plagued with weeks of earthquakes and flowing lava. It caused areas to submerge in seawater and in the end, the town of Bonbon sank, including the capitol's cemetery. The gravestones have sunk further after all this time. As a memorial to the citizens who perished in the volcanic catastrophe (the very same one that caused the demise of the Gui-ob Church), a large cross was put up in the gravesite, some 20-30 meters from the shoreline. It is one of the most visited spots in the Philippines is now a diving site because of the spectacular marine life that if offers.

_{Sto. Niño Cold Spring}

Camiguin has a total of 5 volcanoes, and as a result of all the volcanic activities underground, a combination of hot and cold springs can be found all over the island. Qai tells me that their cottage was very near Ardent Hot Spring and they spent hours enjoying the wonderfully warm water before going to bed. Most cold springs are on the other side of the island but they made it a point to see one on their third and final day. They went to Sto. Niño Cold Springs but only had the chance to have some refreshments there. As their flight was later on that night, they passed up the chance to swim in the inviting crystal waters that is said to make your skin soft and smooth like a baby's. She loved that there was a souvenir shop just outside the resort, and bought pasalubong there before they had to rush back to their cottage and then to the airport.

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I am taking note that this was about 8 years ago and I am aware that there might be some things that have changed in the island. My sister remarked about how the locals and the government are working hand-in-hand to protect their beautiful island so I hope that one day, I'd still be able to experience it with Red.