Island Life of Camiguin: A sweet escape

Alarm was set at 3:00am. All bags are packed and all the things we need are ready: water, clothes, food, pillows and one must not forget the liquors. This is one trip that we have all been waiting for. A month of preparation and planning, and we’re now ready to go. A group of 20 people, friends from the gym planned to have a sweet escape at Camiguin Island. One of my bucketlist because of its beautiful white beaches and tourist spots, and finally I am going there.

Camiguin is an island province in the Philippines located in the Bohol Sea, about 10 kms. off the northern coast of Mindanao. So from Davao City where I lived, we will travel by land for about 11 hours. We departed Davao at exactly 4:00am. The van was filled with music, laughters and a lot of talking. We were all filled with excitement. So we have passed by a lot of cities going to our destination: Panabo City, Tagum City, Butuan City and Surigao City. At 3:00 pm in the afternoon, we’re already on board to the vessel going to Camiguin Island.

At around 4:30pm, hello Camiguin Island. The island is the second smallest province in the country both in population and land area. So basically, you can tour the whole island in just one day, that’s how small it is. And you can rent a motorcycle if you want to drive around the whole island.

So first stop, checked in our hotel. We’re booked at Parras Beach Resort. I was expecting a typical small beach resort but the resort offered more. Yes, it was small but it was really clean and well decorated. From the furniture, front desk, the pool, the lounge, even the plants are well taken care of. When we arrived, we were given free welcome drinks of four seasons. The room we got is really spacious and very comfortable, and it was just right infront of the pool. After dinner, everyone stayed up late drinking wines and planned for the next days adventure.

Day two, the sun is up and the scenery is really breathtaking. The wind from the sea is simply relaxing as I stayed in the veranda and watched the waves while the pool is really inviting.

Everyone was getting ready for the island tour. So first stop, the Camiguin island view. It was a top deck of the view of the whole island. It was another breathtaking scenery as you can see the ocean and the hills just perfect for each other.

Next stop, we went to Old Guiob Church ruins in Catarman which is a 16th century old church. The island of Camiguin has a tragic history with volcanoes. It is said that when the first volcanic eruption took place in the early 1970s, the town of Catarman was badly destroyed making a portion of it sank into the sea. The ruins of the old Guiob church is all that left in the old town.

So this big wall of the church is all that's left.

Next stop, the famous Sunken Cemetery. Beneath the big cross rising up out of the water is a cemetery. In the 1870s, the volcano near this place erupted caused the cemetery along with the capital city surrounding it to sink below sea level.

After a whole day of island tour, our last stop was the Ardent Hot Spring. It was just perfect way to relax from the whole day of walking and sight-seeing.

On our final day, we visited the most talked about tourist spot in Camiguin, the White Island. From our hotel, we just have to ride a boat for about 5 minutes. Upon setting foot, I was really mesmerized by the beauty of the pristine and calm beach, the awesome view of Mount Hibok hibok and a long stretch of pure white sand of the island. Everything is just white, no huts, no trees, nothing at all but pure powdery white sand.

Now I was intrigued by some men selling something from a basket. And guess what? It was a sea urchin. They are selling sea urchins and you have to eat it alive. I am not a something new to eat person. But as they say, never leave the island without eating the sea urchins. Brave as I thought that I was, I tried one. As the man cut the sea urchin in half, the inside was just gross to look at. So he instructed me to put a vinegar and salt, and then scoop the insides of the urchin with a spoon and eat it. Oh boy, I was surprised. It was really good and very tasty. And I bought my second, then my third, and I think I ate about 6 of it. It was really worth a try.

And so we bid the the island goodbye after lunch and off we go, back to reality. It was indeed a very exhausting adventure but with good food, good wine and good laugh with people that I love, not only considered as friends but my second family, the whole escapade is something worth remembering for. I will definitely go back and escape again at Camiguin Island.