Hello Steemit friends!
In the Philippines, summer season has ended. It will then be months full of rainy or stormy weather. I am not sure if I am excited for it. Although the prickly heat that has been brought by summer would end, it would also mean the "flu season" for almost everyone around. Keep safe always mga kabayan!
Why am I even saying these things? Well, during the second week of April, my family and I decided to have a short vacation at Camiguin Island. It is also known as the island born of fire basically because of the numbers of volcanoes surrounding the island. It is filled with a lot tourist spots that you would surely enjoy.
Let's travel and roll!
From Cagayan de Oro's Agora Bus terminal, the travel is usually 2-3.5 hours long. We decided to travel very early in the morning as they might be a lot of tourist flocking at the port when we reach there on the later part of the day. I really wanted to make a good blog out from this but I was just so sleepy.
The travel time then from Balingoan Port, Misamis Oriental to Binoni Port of Camiguin is more or less 1 hours and 30 minutes. As you can see we only packed few clothes, fit for two days and one night only! When you wish to travel around Camiguin Island, you do not actually need a giant suitcase(s). You could just wash your clothes as it easily dries because the weather is just so sunny.
This is a two part blog entries so that you would not be loaded with information. As a reader, I also find it tiring to read long text posts even it has wonderful photos in it.
Before anything else, I want to share that this is where we stayed.
When you travel to Camiguin and wish to stay there overnight, it is really important that you book ahead of time. You can ask a friend who lives in the island (which what my dad did) or look for places to stay over the internet. You can opt to stay in a resort with luxurious accommodation or choose to rent. You can also get discounts when you book online ahead of time!
Our Itinerary! A trip would never be a trip without a specific destination. We had someone picked us up from Binoni Port. He was a nice driver around the age of 20 years old. He took us to the nearest destination that we had in mind and it was the Giant Clams Sanctuary.
Giant Clams Sanctuary and White Beach
Guinsiliban Camiguin
The Giant Clams Sanctuary does not only feature most of the giant clams that are existing in the country, but also has a fine white beach that kids, parents, and couples could enjoy. There are also tour guides who are kids. They are quite fascinating actually as they are well-versed about the giant clams around. I am totally at awe how entertaining they are.
Near the entrance, there is also a coffee shop where you can order different Filipino dishes. If you want to take a bath at the white beach, you can actually change your clothes at their comfort room. You also do not need to rent their cottages if you wish to stay for just few hours since there are big trees that could give you enough shade from the heat of the sun.
They use to have a glass boat though which allows local and foreign tourists to see different marine species. Hopefully, it would resume as soon as possible.
Moro Watch Tower
The Moro Tower was the second place we visited. It is located at the back of Guinsiliban Elementary School. When you get to climb the tower, you will be able to see the alluring horizon of the sea. Kenneth and I were able to climb it for few minutes but I had a hard time going down because I just realized that the steps were pretty small. I would not share much about this place though because I have written a blog on this one like two or three years ago. I wish to share it with you but I could not locate.
Sto. Nino Cold Spring, Ardent Hot Spring, and Bura Soda Water Park
Sto. Nino Cold Spring and Bura Soda Water Park are both located at Catarman. I really wanted to share with you the photos that I took but I unfortunately deleted them all. I wanted to borrow some photos that my mom took but those were in low quality which makes me not want to share it. Haha!
Anyway, these springs allows families and friends to have fun even during a sunny weather. Both have pools for adults and kids. The Bura Soda Water Park contains soda water which has been said to contain ions good for the body. I used to swim at these spring and I found it really cold. When we returned few years after, these springs are still that cold.
On the other hand, Ardent Hot Spring is in contrast with both of the aforementioned spring. People can relax with its hot water. Compared to few years ago though, the hot spring used to be very hot. Unfortunately, a typhoon caused some damages on the spring. I think it also has to do with the active volcanoes becoming dormant.
All of these springs are free from chlorine so I must say it is great to take a dip here after a long day of endless travel around this island born from fire.
Tons of wonderful sights to see!
Aside from the different tourist destinations across Camiguin, everyone can enjoy the breathtaking views. This is actually one of them. This is along the highway.
By the way, the entrance fees on these different tourist spots only cost 1USD or 50PhP. You can save more when you have brought snacks and gallons of water with you because some of the products were unreasonably high although some pasalubong centers offers a variety of good for cheap prices.
And although we wanted to visit few of our relatives, we were not able to make time.
@gailbelga or Johanna Gail is a free-spirited freelance artist.She volunteers in various non-profit/nongovernmental organization which aims for human rights through political education. She draws and writes about the country to provide awareness and promote the Philippines to foreign tourists.
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