Born to be a Traveler
Feb 25, 2022
Last year, I have envisioned my birthday celebration as going out to somewhere amazing.
Somewhere that fits my soul to celebrate my natal day, in a way that is so me:
It was so timely that one of the most talented vloggers in the northern part of Cebu- Kyle "Mr. Kamp" Po of the Kampanatics Channel noticed me and offered me a collaboration event to visit an island in Cebu, to promote a resort on there.
With no hesitation, I agreed! Although the shy-personality of mine has questioned my decision as it will be my first time meeting with such an influencer, though I am a very friendly kind of person I also have this shy-type personality, especially with new people. However, I set that emotion aside and replaced it with excitement as another influencer is also coming, the local tiktok superstar- Kim Arda.
Surprisingly, as all of us met at Danao Port of Cebu, we became friends and comfortable with each other in an instant. Together with me are : (right to left) Tita Mary Po, mom of Kyle Anthony Po, Kim Arda, Rodney Sadili, me, and Tiffania Westwood. It was a great opportunity to meet and make new friends.
As we enjoyed and laugh at Tiffania's jokes at our first stage of friendship, our funny moments were swapped with a heart-pounding ferry ride towards the island. The sea travel was so challenging and adventurous because of the waves, as this island is known to have a strong current of sea water waves because the other side of it is already an open sea leading to the Pacific Ocean.
Camotes Island Welcome to the Paradise!
Being part of Cebu, Philippines, this island houses several beautiful natural sceneries from caves, to white sand beaches, down to its pristine sea water enticing everyone to try the adventure of cliff-jumping activity.
The island consists of one minor islet- the Tulang Diot, and three major islands: Poro Island where the municipalities of Poro and Tudela are located; Pacijan Island where the municipality of San Francisco is located, and Ponson Island where the municipality of Pilar is located.
I have been longing to visit the island as I have heard several stories that the island is a perfect destination for road trips and cliff-jumping activities. And me- being an adventure grabber, I have really listed Camotes Island on my travel bucket list, and to tell you- it was way more beautiful than the stories I've heard when I myself have visited and seen the beauty of the island.
So now, let me take you around to the beautiful destinations on the island of Camotes!
Buho Rock Resort Cliff Jumping Adventure
The Island is known for its beaches with a perfect rock formation that is good for cliff-jumping adventure, and Buho Rock Resort is one perfect site for such activity.
The resort is one of the common tourist destinations on the island because of its crystal clear sea water and the three-level platforms for cliff-jumping, I tried the 2nd level as the 3rd level is not safe for jumping anymore and the 1st one was way too high for my spirit that time, lol! The mid one was just right for me and my friends to enjoy the cliff-jumping activity in the resort, and we even tried jumping several times after we conquered our fears on the first try.
It was so amazing when we help one lady to jump on the cliff when she went back and forth off the platform because of hesitation, that feeling of - she wanted to try but she can't, and glad she did!
For an entrance fee of 20Php only (around half a dollar), everyone can fulfill one's thirst for adventure already. Consequently, if you're not into dare-devil activity and adventure, everyone can chill and relax in the cottages and cozy-nature-haven of the resort, and perhaps take good photos too, as the resort is so Instagram and lens-friendly with its natural beauty enhanced with some man-made structures around.
The resort also offers rooms and accommodation for an overnight stay and they also have a canteen inside the premises that offers foods and refreshments, so guests can definitely take a snack or lunch after getting hungry on the cliff-jumping activity. The prices of their foods are budget-friendly, too.
The premises of the resort is so cool and cozy to relax with nature.
Bukilat Cave Where the fresh and salt water meets
Being rich in history, this cave has known to be named after a local chieftain named "Bukilat" who once sought refuge in the cave with his people. The cave also served as a shelter by the inhabitants of Tudela during World War 2.
Preserving its history, the cave was developed as a picnic spot by the local priest, Father Jose. Gladly, until the present, the concept served its purpose as aside from being a tourist spot, at the entrance of the cave there stood a store that sells a variety of foods and delicious Ice Candy, a local ice cream :), we so loved it perfect for the sultry weather during our visit.
Filled with mystic and wonder, the interior of the cave is just amazingly wonderful! It gives me the chill of transcendence while enjoying the kind of art of the underground.
The cave also serves as a rendezvous of the salt water from the ocean next to its premise, and the freshwater from its ground. During our visit, it was low tide so we missed the fun of bathing inside the cool haven of the cave. We paid a minimal entrance fee of 20Php (about half a dollar).
Tulang Diot The minor islet you shouldn't miss to visit
Small but terribly beautiful!
For the two days trip to Camotes Island, this is my favorite by far. The islet was incredibly wonderful, having a very fine white sand beach with turquoise clear water- perfectly fits on my IG feed, and at the same time, incredibly amazing for its size to house a community that can sustain the lives of many families.
I fell in love with this heart island!
It was after lunch when we traveled to this small island after we visited the two destinations above and definitely the last destination of the day. The time was just right as the sun's heat wasn't scorching anymore, perfect to stroll around the seashore and take a dip on the beach.
We took a pump boat that cost us a 400Php two-way trip (around 7 dollars) to reach the island for about 10 to 15mins, depending on the sea wave current.
The moment we reached the island, we were greeted by its super cozy ambiance and relaxing shore with people enjoying around with swimming, playing beach volleyball, and picnics in the cottages and sand- just a perfect way to end the day.
And just like anybody in the islet, we too took our own kind of fun under the sun. We had our tiktok dance, photo op, drone flight, and of course some good dip on the cool seawater.
It was just so relaxing to be in here, and personally, I so love this islet. I was just so amazed that even how small it is, there are families living in here, they are even making a living in this small paradise, so wonderful that even how few they are here, they trade and make life!
And one thing I love about visiting secluded places with small communities is, the fact that I am helping them earn a living!
Santiago Bay White Sand is for Everybody!
How lucky the people of Camotes are, they can enjoy this white sand beach anytime they want because this white sand beach is for FREE!
We spent our second day on the island lingering in the resort in the morning and before we went home, we stopped over at the well-visited Santiago Bay.
This beach is very popular and known for its white sand and long seashore, where visitors can pitch their tents for an overnight stay. Low-cost travelers couldn't miss Santiago Bay when they pay a visit to Camotes as there is no entrance fee here, just a minimal fee if you opt to stay overnight with your tent.
Unfortunately, during our stop-over, it was low tide so I haven't got a good-looking sea view, but it's okay I just enjoyed flying up my drone and catching good scenes from above. We have no plans in taking a swim so it's perfectly fine, we just enjoyed our chill stay and some chitchats in the bay.
A part of me is wanting to come back on this bay, someday, on my next Camotes visit ;-)
Ocean Heaven Resort Our Perfect Island Stay
This stroll was hosted by the best resort on the island!
Ocean Heaven Resort is a Korean-owned resort, erected just 3 years ago, before the pandemic. The resort is new with modern facilities, perfect to host a very comfortable accommodation on the island.
I have envisioned it as a mini JPark Resort in Cebu. I like the overall ambiance of the resort, it has well-equipped air-conditioned rooms from a twin room to family rooms; swimming pools for kids and another for adults; cozy outdoor gardens; and a separate outdoor by-the-sea event space.
They also have a buffet for their guests, and we definitely loved the foods!
By any chance you are planning to visit Camotes Island in the future, you can book your stay in the resort here: https://tinyurl.com/2oy9ll7f
Born to be a Friend
Feb 25, 2023
While my birthday last year was fun and adventurous, my birthday this year was fun and intimate. I chose to celebrate it at home with family and some closest friends, as I chose to be away from home last year.
Initially, I just planned it to be a family dinner with a lechon (a roasted pig with crunchy skin -yummy!), but I thought that it would be more fun if I could invite some friends along because I kinda missed them (char! ) as we missed some weekends not spending together for separate errands and travels. Surprisingly and thankfully, my outdoor buddies are available when I invited them just a few days away from my birthday! Hurry! I was so grateful to them that even with how far our provincial home is, they came!
Chiarra and Marjorie even re-routed their practice run of 32km to our city (Pardo to Carcar City), and together with them are some of my fellow Hiveans friends 
The night ended with so much fun especially when An Jurvel came late but got us so entertained by her karaoke sing and dance numbers, Lol!
Surprisingly, on the next day, my high school buddies surprised me- Lol! I haven't had any clue, though I am expecting my best friend Meah, and her husband Orly, but I never though they will bring along the troop. It was indeed overwhelming!
I never expected my day to be that awesome and wonderful.
Sometimes, I tend to question, why do birthdays so special.
But later, I came to answer my own question:
Birthdays are special because those days are celebrations of our lives, and most of the time, those are the days of our life that remind us that there are people who care and love us most, and a way to look and appreciate friendships, ties, and camaraderie.
About the Author
Hi! I am Kim- The Strolling Mind.
I love to travel, I have been traveling in my beautiful country- Philippines, and some Asian countries, as well. My pleasure to share them here in Hive.
I believe that our mind is so powerful that anything we think is anything we can reach and achieve.
It is our mind that'll lead us to where we are heading to, so....