The last time I was in Camiguin, was like
10 years ago. I already forgot how this beautiful island looks like, until last
week when we had our division’s in-house seminar at Villa Paraiso Apartelle.
It was a two-day seminar, that we squeezed
everything in one day, stayed until 11PM, just to finish all scheduled
activities and topics to be discussed, to make room for an island tour the
following day and visit the Eight (8) Must See Spots in Camiguin.
1. White
Island
The most awaited day for all of us, after our
hard work the previous day, started at 5:45AM. We went directly to Barangay
Yumbing, where the boats are located to take us to White Island or the White
Sand Bar. Since, we are a group of 16, we were divided into 3 sub-groups. The
small motor boat with katig that will
take us to the island can only carry maximum of 6 passengers. Juggling which
boat to take, I decided to go with the youngsters. Yep, it is good to be
surrounded by younger generations once in a while, I felt younger too.
Ten minutes later, we’re on the island. As
expected, tourists were already everywhere, because the best time to explore
and enjoy White Island is between 6AM – 8AM, when the heat of the sun is still
bearable. Yep! Lucky enough to catch the sunrise and have a photographed taken.
There were also a few vendors on the island.
Some sell, coffee, sweet potato or egg for breakfast, while some also are
selling freshly caught sea urchins. If you haven’t tried sea urchins, then you
must. Best eaten with vinegar, but you’ll appreciate the real taste behind when
eaten raw.
The remaining one and a half hour was spent
swimming in the clear water. With the water level only to my waist on the far
side of the island, it was indeed perfect for swimming even for a non-swimmer
like me. We swam and posed non-stop
searching for that perfect pose using the GoPro action camera of one of our colleagues,
yet failed. Haha!
2. Walk Way to the Old Volcano
Two days more, Camiguin Island will be
jam-packed with devotees and tourists for the Panaad 2016. Along the slope of
the Old Volcano also known as Mt. Vulcan are the life-size statues depicting
the 14 Stations of the Cross,the sacred destination during the holy week.
As of this time, the foot of the Walk Way was
still calm, with few busy locals, preparing for the much awaited yearly event. Souvenir items were everywhere.
We decided to just take some snaps on the spot above, then, went for a
refreshing fresh buko juice. Thanks boss for the free treat!
Next stop is the
3. Sunken Cemetery
Approximately 5 minutes ride from the Walk
Way to the Old Volcano, is the Sunken Cemetery. The devastating eruption of Mt
Vulcan in 1871, submerged the coastal area of Catarman (now known as Barangay
Bonbon) undersea including the old cemetery. It can be seen, though during low
tide, but after a series of volcanic eruptions in 1948 to 1953, the Sunken
Cemetery was pushed down further, it is now said to be 20 feet below the
surface. As a reminder of the destructive past, a giant cross was built in 1982
marking the spot of the Sunken Cemetery.
Summer + El Niño, the heat of the sun was
already too much, thus, we decided only for some photo ops from the viewing
area without bothering getting across to the giant cross.
4. The Guiob Church Ruins
Also located at Barangay Bonbon in Catarman
and another remnant of the destructive eruption of Mt. Vulcan in 1871 is the
Guiob Church Ruins or better known as the Old Church Ruins. Built in the 16th
Century, these remains (Church, Bell Tower and a Convent) are some of the
oldest structures in Camiguin.
The old ruins are most of the time covered
with moss, refreshing greenery, but because of the El Niño phenomenon, the
place was brown and dry. But still cannot hide the fact that these structures
are worth seeing and photographing.
Oh wait, beside the remains of the convent
is the towering century-old tree. This tree really did stand the test of time,
after all the catastrophe it has been through.
Because of its height one cannot take a
photo of the whole tree in on snap. Thanks to technology today, equipping our
smartphones with panoramic mode, look, we were mesmerized how the branches and
leaves sway from afar.
5. Sto. Niño Cold Spring
It was already midday, we were all very
hungry. Carrying with us our packed lunch, we headed to Sto. Niño Cold Spring
for a two-hour lunch break and cold swim.
Camiguin is blessed with springs, whether
cold or hot, the island has it. The Sto. Niño Cold Spring is a favorite picnic
destination of locals. Tourists are also welcome to take a dip in this 20°C
crystal clear water coming from the ground.
Lunch done, it’s time to go to the inland...
6. Tuasan Falls
Katibawasan Falls was originally in our
itinerary but since the group agreed to take it out off the list. The
waterfalls might not be that great this season because of El Niño so we decided
to go to Tuasan Falls instead.
About 9.8 kilometers from Sto. Nino Cold
Spring, Tuasan Falls is very much accessible because of the ongoing road
construction. Only 30 meters from the dropped off point which previously
took about 30 minute walk to reach the waterfalls.
Though the drop is not that high, Tuasan
Falls is a beauty that Camiguin can also offer, surrounded by rocks and
greeneries, definitely a must see. Oh, wait until you dip in the clear cool
water, it was totally refreshing.
7. Soda Water Swimming Pool
Also located in Catarman, an extraordinary
spring water that can only be found in Camiguin, the Bura Soda Spring. Developed
with large pools, the Soda Swimming pool is inviting and refreshing, I was
tempted to splash in the water, but hesitated, instead, I satisfied my curiosity
by tasting, rather drinking the fresh soda water at the side.
The taste, well, it was different of course
compared to fresh spring water, it somewhat tasted like a diluted Sprite or a
flavored mineral water. According to the locals, the water used to taste sweet
like those well-known soda drinks, but the soda source underneath the pool has
degraded over time.
8. Ardent Hot Spring
Because more than half of our team are
already of age, the hot spring pool was saved as our last stop for the day.
They wanted to take a dip in the hot spring water at the foot of Mount Hibok Hibok.
Not much have developed in The Ardent Hot Spring since the last time I’ve been
here, though, there are few cascading pools (I think) than before, and each
pool has different temperature, tourist has the option to choose which one they
like.
Just like before, Ardent Spring maintained
the laid back atmosphere, with trees and greeneries in the area, soothing and
relaxing.
Overall Camiguin is one of the best places when you want to get away from the busy city life. There are a lot of memories to remember in our 2-day stay in this beautiful island, though there were issues during the seminar proper, but were peacefully resolved, after all we are all professionals and no stored grudges, separating work related issues to personal life.
Camiguin has gained popularity not only to
local tourists but as well as foreigners, in fact, there were a group of
Canadian missionaries on the same boat we’ve boarded to the island.
Camiguin has so much to offer, the 8 listed above were the only
places our group managed to visit in just a very short time. Although it was short, yet overflowing with photographs and memories.