Camiguin Experience!

It was holy week of 2010 when i first explore the island of Camiguin though my first step was during the Lanzones festival when i escorted one of the Miss Buwanan but I was not able to explore the the spots in Camiguin. It was 2pm of April, 2010 when I and my friends Nanette and Kim decided to spend our holy week in Camiguin. So "grabe nga dinalian pagpack sa mga gamit" then it was already 5pm that we went to Agora terminal. Fortunately, we got the last trip and it was around 7pm when we reached the balingoan. We only spent 105 for our fare going to balingoan from Agora Bus terminal.The usual trip of ferry jet is only until 6pm but since it's holy week, the trip was until 9pm. So we strangely reached the camiguin at around 9pm. My friend kim contacted her aunt at Sagay then we slept their and will begin our journey in the morning.

It was friday morning of April 2, 2010 when we had our first main purpose of going to Camiguin, to have "PANAAD", so we went to walkway. From Sagay we just ride motorela with the fare of 10.00 going to catarman. Then from catarman, we ride another tricycle for only 20.00php going to walkway. What we did was every station of the cross, we took picture from it. Even though it was too tiring to reach the top but we put in our mind that it's holy week and we supposed to sacrifice..hehe..So finally we able to reach the top. Then we bought souvenirs at the market below the walkway. All of us were hungry so we tried to find where to eat, then we didnt actually knew that we already in Mambajao after we ride a tricycle. So we decided to have eat all you can at Mambajao and wow, for only 150.00php, we really enjoyed the mouth-watering food..yay i missed the "alimango, shrimp, curry and fish" that was very delicious..

We didn't prepare Itinerary that's why we just go to the places that comes up with our mind. So after having our lunch from Mambajao, we just find ourselves in ARDENT Spring Resort which is one of the nicest hot springs to be found in Camiguin. Early morning is best before the crowds come. However at night in tourist season they have live entertainment and all the pools are lit up.There are 5 pools from large to small sizes and then a real hot pool..Showers and change rooms are clean and well maintained. The grounds are well manicured and the trees and plants are beautiful. They also have huts you can rent for a picnic and BBQ pits. Entrance is 30 peso then from highway, we just hired single motor and the fare is 20.00php per head.

Kim and Nanette decided then to prepare themselves because they wanted to go to SUNKEN CEMETERY located at Catarman. Of course we tried to make the most of that moment, regardless of how much we can spend as long as we able to visit all the spots in Camiguin. It was about 5pm when we reached BonBon, Catarman.The sunken cemetery used to be part of the old capital of Camiguin. Mount Vulcan had four recorded eruptions. Its third eruption in 1871 sunk Cotta Bato and its cemetery under the sea. Remnants of the structures and gravestones were still seen during low tide but the fourth eruption in 1948 buried the area deeper by around 20 feet. In 1982, a large cross was built on the solidified lava to mark this old grave site. That's according to my research in the site. You are going to pay 20.00 at the boatman / back and forth to reach the cross mark.


After taking so many pictures at the Sunken, we then just walked going to OLD Church. That was about i think 500 meters from the high way. We stopped for a while at the store near the highway to feed our stomach. Old Gui-ob Church Ruins or the Catarman Church Ruins are ruins of adobe walls of the church, belfry and convent that are testimonials to the wrath of the earthquake and eruption of Mt. Vulcan in 1871. After taking pictures and praying in the area, we decided to go back at Sagay to take some rest and continue our journey in the following day but we had an itchy feet that it was about 8pm that we find ourselves in Sto. Nino Cold Spring. It was only an hour that we can't resist the coldness and we decided to go back to Ardent Hot Spring to stay overnight at the place so that we can take the early ride going to White Island. I remembered, that was around 12 midnight, when someone approached us, his name is Gaffy, a dutch boy who entertained us. I don't know maybe because they are all drunk, they fought with his friends in front of us and we just didnt care about them. haha.."nakadumdom na nuon ko sa nanglagpot na mga botilya og mga nangapakog"..

"Mata na mo" i said to Kim and Flanka when the time was already 4:30 am so that we can prepare ourselves going to White Island. We ate our breakfast first at Ardent and bought some stuffs needed for pictorials."hahaha"...White Island is a sandbar about two kilometers off the shore of Agoho district in Camiguin Island. This sandbar has absolutely no vegetation (no trees, no shade!). Its sand is white enough to rival the white sands of Boracay and offers great views of Mt. Hibok-Hibok. According to locals, this sandbar shrinks substantially during high tides so it is best to go in early morning that's why we reached the island at around 6:30am. That was very hot as it really burned our skin but you cannot feel it because of the beauty of the entire island.


From that place, we went to Mamabajao in order for us to go to Katibawasan Falls. We only pay 25.00php each. Katibawasan Falls is one of the treasured gifts nature has blessed the island of Camiguin.According to the locals, the Waterfalls measures about 250 feet high, cascades to a rock pool surrounded by ground orchids, wild ferns, trees and boulders.The falls rushes down into its green pool that is really refreshing for a good swim. Tourist are welcome to swim. It is an ideal place to cool off during hot and humid days. There is however an entrance fee of 30 pesos per person since the falls is maintained by the province. Giant ferns decorate the surrounding land, carpeting the spaces and huge trees and dropping vines provides the backdrop of the falls.




From Mambajao it is 23 kilometers to the Bura Soda Pool. The first 20 kilometers are on the national highway (counter clockwise) and then the road climbs 3 kilometers up in the foothills of Mount Hibok-Hibok. The road is all concrete with 3 short stretches of dirt/gravel road.The Bura Soda Pool lays in a beautiful park between green hills. In the background Mount Hibok-Hibok dominates the skyline.Inside the park you find a vast array of flowers and plants. We really thought that we can drink while we swim."haha abi namo pareha og lami sa mga softdrinks, nitilaw na nuon si kim, haha".


It was about 4pm when we decided to end our journey and yes we almost end our life. Why? We able to ride Dona Pepita but we stranded in the middle of balingoan and camiguin Island. No signal given to the passenger that made the passengers to panic. All of us tried to get life jacket, some were crying, screaming but the 3 of us just sit down and relax while taking video to others. The barge personnel then said that it was due to airlock that the machine stopped. It was being pulled by Hijos, another barge going back to camiguin again. From 6pm, we we're stuck till' 11pm. We were so hungry and most of the passengers were also angry. At the early morning we were being transferred to Ferry 19 and it was very safe.

That was our CAMIGUIN EXPERIENCE and we really enjoyed it. That was really an adventure trip.