Back then, I only have this dream that one day I may be able to visit one of best tourist destinations near our hometown. Specifically, I am referring to Canigao Island Paradise. I'm kind of envy hearing my college classmates that always bragging their experiences in the said island. And the only thing I did was to keep listening to their stories, imagining myself to be in that place and hoping that my "Soon" will turn into "Finally!"
Until the final moment did came...
Hello everyone. Its volleyren20! This is my very first post in this wonderful community. Upon reading some of the blogs posted in here, I came to decided to share my travel stories and experiences, especially the most unforgettable one. And without any further ado, I welcomed you all to my blog!
Canigao Island Paradise
- The islet is located a short boat ride west of Matalom, Leyte. Even though Canigao is tiny, it reserves huge bragging rights due to its powdery white side, turquoise clear waters, and a colorful variety of marine life. Since the islet hasn’t been thoroughly developed, the fish, sharks and coral reefs have thrived in the waters around it. Locals and tourists even spot wild monkeys inland.
Here are some of the key spots in Canigao Island:
White sand beach
-Of course, we’ll start with the best feature of the island! The star of Canigao is a beach that spans 500 meters long – all covered with fine white sand. The sand gently slopes into the tantalizing waters, easing you gently into the caress of the clear waters. The beaches have great views of the neighboring islands, which really sells the feeling of being in a tropical island paradise!
Island Market
-Something definitely deserving a mention is the market inside the island. Some locals have shops set up in here that sell water, food, drinks, and other basic needs. Around the area, some stores also sell both raw and cooked food and meals. The wet market is the best place to get your fresh seafood. Some notable seafood sold here are the saang, tikod-tikod (tikod amo), wasay wasay. If those don’t ring a bell, think oysters but more exotic!
Western forest
-While the east side of the island contains the long stretch of beach, the west is home to a dense forest of trees. The trees give an almost total shade over the sandy terrain, and is the perfect spot to pitch some tents and lie down near the sea. This area is also known to be inhabited by wild monkeys.
Cottages
-If you wish to hunker down and get comfortable in a cottage, there are several available on the east side of the beach. This area is near the markets, and rates differ for day use and overnight renting.
The best time to visit Canigao is in summer from March to May, and when the weather is clear until June or July. It’s better to avoid going in the rainy season because it would be a total bummer to miss out on the crystal clear waters on sunny days!
Sources:https://vismin.ph/2021/canigao-island-leyte/
This plan was actually being discussed by our group (neighbors) a year ago, but then a lot of hindrances came up like the previous typhoons and personal affairs. After last May's national elections, one of the members of our group strongly suggested that we should start raising the funds for the said outing. We planned the outing to be on May 14-15, 2022 but since it was the celebration of San Isidro Labrador we ended up attending the affair. So, we rescheduled it and all agreed to be make it happen on May 28 or 29, 2022. Before that day, we've got a lot of commotions in our gc (group chat) about the said trip. Some said that it will not be happen because of the weather and they said that only those people from Matalom area can visit the island on that dates. But our appointed leader really insisted to go and said that, "only those who are willing to come should do it."
As what I have remembered, before the final day, we went to town to buy the necessary things needed for our trip, mostly for our foods. We agreed to contribute Php 500.00 each for that travel. Then we gathered to our meeting place and prepared the needed stuffs.
May 28, 2022 (The awaited day)
At dawn, we gathered again in our meeting place and helped in preparing the foods and other stuffs. Some made a dish like "Adong Manok," "Pancit," "Halang-Halang," "Pinis-a," "Lumpia," "Chicken Liver," for our lunch and dinner. We decided to make "Poso" so that our rice will not spoil right away.
Fast forward, after all the preparations we all decided to travel from our barangay going to Matalom Leyte, all the way to the said island.
At the port
We arrived there around 10 am. There were lots of people there that is why we didn't arrive at the island ok our expected time.
While waiting for our names to be called in the ticketing booth, we decided to buy some souvenirs and took pictures. After buying, we sat down on the waiting post and around 1:30 pm, we finally received our ticket and good to go.
Its past 2 pm when we arrived at the island. And together, we helped each other to carry all the stuff we brought and find a spot where we can set up our things. After which, we decided to have our late hour lunch.
When we finished eating, we changed our attires and go grabbed a selfie and groupie. Then toured around the small island.
At night
This is the moment of truth. The party started! We grabbed our dinner and took some shots of alcoholic drinks. As for me, I didn't have one. I only had a glass of cola because I have low alcohol tolerance. And here are some the unforgettable moments during and after the long night.
The next day
Around 6 am, all of us were packing up all of our stuffs because the boat will take us back to the port early. Before we go, I took some snaps and bid goodbyes to the island.
Ending Thoughts
It was actually my very first time to experience an overnight stay in an island. And it was also my very first travel with my love @Rhedren20 since we had our epic comeback (as they say) as a couple. All thanks to my neighbors for taking me in and helped me to persuade my parents to allow me to go with them. That really brings me a lot of joys and one of the best experiences that ever happen in my whole life.
Thanks for your time.
MAY GOD BLESS US ALL!
<Date Published: 10.27.2022>
<Author: volleyren20>
Photos are mine otherwise stated.