Hidden Wonders of the Camotes Islands

It took a whole day of sailing for us to get to the Camotes group of islands, just East of mainland Cebu. We were amazed by the clarity of the blue waters as we anchored in a large bay at sunset. Even in the dark, we could clearly see the bottom at a 6-meter depth. I was feeling too cold to jump into the water and thought I would save my swim for the morning, but Ali jumped in and found a little sort of alien world down there, with large abandoned cages scattered across the reefs. He said it looked like an underwater city, with all the cages as buildings and the fish as residents. Later in the night though, we were asked to move our boat, as apparently, we had chosen to anchor in a marine sanctuary! Well, so much for that morning swim for me.

We decided to anchor at the next lagoon, which was mostly a wall of nice rocks, with houses perched on top of them and stairs that you could climb from the water to get on land. There was a shore at the other end of the lagoon, but it would be a longer kayak ride for us to get to the shore from the boat, so we opted for the staircases nearby. We parked the kayak by the staircase of a quaint little resort called Harbor View, and got their permission to leave it there. Then they offered us to rent a motorbike to get around the island, as the island was too large to be traveled on foot. We knew this to be true, based on some initial research about the place, so we agreed.

But first-things-first, we needed cash! There was no ATM at Malapascua Island, and on this one, there was only one machine, located at Poro town proper . The friendly, helpful people at the resort offered to take us on the motorbike so we could try to get some cash out, since we only had a total of P20 in our pockets. And to our dismay, when we did get to the ATM machine, it was offline...on a Monday! The locals informed us that the machine was out of cash, and that it had to be refilled by staff coming from the mainland; and that it was a common occurrence. However, there was an abundance of pawnshops, so an idea formed in my head...to ask the good ol' parents a favor! We managed to borrow some cash from my parents, and got it sent via Mluilhier Pawnshop, to be paid back as soon as we touch down to mainland Cebu in a couple of days...and so we began our explorations by motorbike.

The Camotes group of islands is segmented by many barangays. There are four islands in total, with two of them joined together by a small bridge. The conjoined islands of Poro and Pacijan were where we decided to explore and call them one island. There are schools and children everywhere, so it came to mind that education and making babies were the primary focus of the island. Other projects of importance are environmental in nature; from fisheries, to reforestation projects, to mangrove habitat protection. Each of the schools have their own plant nurseries as well, where the kids are taught at an early age to grow plants for livelihood. The island itself is rich in greenery, and I could sense the awareness in people of the importance of preserving the environment for their own benefit, as well as that of their future generations.

We had a nice drive along paved roads built mostly along the coast, where we could enjoy the view of both land and sea. We had a hard time finding restaurants to eat at though, so we mostly ended up eating at carinderias, with twice-reheated food in all its glory. It kept our tummies from growling, at least. But we were later informed of restaurants inside the few resorts located around the island, and a tiny cottage resto called Sea Breeze that wasn't part of any resort.

There were nice white-sand beaches, but they were mostly inhabited by villages and fishing boats. The island is definitely more rural than it is a tourist attraction. With all its abandoned buildings and sites, it looks to have been a place that was on its way to tourism development, which fortuitously came to an abrupt end. According to our research, there was supposed to be a nice restaurant at Lake Danao - a massive lake within the island - and the lake was a developed park. But when we got there, all we saw were a few tables and benches, a sari-sari store, and some kayaks for rent. At the other end of the lake, there was a tilapia fishery, so it satisfied us enough to see the fish ponds. 

We were getting discouraged at first, upon finding that it was looking to be a place abandoned by time. Little did we know that the best was yet to come. Camotes has its own charm and beautiful secret treasures, and they can only be found with some patience, perseverance and asking for directions. No signs were available as to the location of the sites. We made more than a handful of wrong turns to find the island's treasures, but when we found them, they made our journey very worthwhile indeed!

We found Bukilat Cave, a surprisingly stunning underground cave with picturesque rays of sun streaming in from the holes above-ground and lighting up the stalactites and stalagmites inside the cave. There was a natural pool inside the cave too, with crystal-clear waters that were just completely enticing me to jump in...so I did. The water was refreshingly cool, and it ran all the way into another small cave that birds had chosen for their habitat. I basked happily within the natural pool and cave walls all around me, relishing the fact that for that moment, the place was ours, and ours alone.

We next set out to find Panganuron falls, which proved to be another game of hide-and-seek. Deciding to ask the locals where the “waterfalls” were, we were pointed to one that they all knew instead. We assumed they would know the popular Panganuron falls, and they assumed we wanted to see their own Busay falls. I, in my ignorance of the Bisayan dialect, could only guess along with them what we were each trying to say. We mostly had to rely on which direction their fingers were pointing. So Busay falls it was! 

And what a magnificent accident that turned out to be, as their local gemstone of a hideaway was far better than what we expected waterfalls to be. The water fell both forcefully and serenely out through a cave and into a clear, baby-blue pool. The pool was surrounded by the walls of the mountain, the plants, and some tree vines, and ran off the side into a smaller waterfall below with another smaller pool; so there was the adult pool and the baby pool. We chose the 'adult pool' of course, the grown-ups that we were (although I did sneak into that peaceful little 'baby pool' a couple of times, hehe). That place became our very own natural playground for that moment, too.

We checked out a couple of other nice spots as well. Buho Rock Resort, though seemingly yet another abandoned or mismanaged resort, provided us rest, with a pretty view of the clear pools of water from terraces built over the rocks. A little maintenance through clearing out the fallen leaves and debris on top of the waters would have done well for an enticing swim and snorkel (which was originally the resort's idea), but the waters remain a clear, blue-green color that still offers a feast for the eyes anyway, and the gardens are pretty and well-maintained.

After a quick afternoon coffee at a cafe on top of a hill which we pleasantly stumbled on, called D'Island Shooting Range and Cafe (yes, they had a shooting range, but it was closed for the day, for the owner's own reasons...surprise, surprise) we headed toward the Arquis Viewing Deck to get a nice top-view of the island. We found the place along a long dirt road some locals had pointed us to, with the only landmark they could give us: a white gate. Had it not been for those simple words – “white gate” - we would have missed the viewing deck, as the gate didn't have any signs at all. Though the deck was yet another unfinished project, with a pretty hut bearing overturned chairs and couches and another ramshackle hut situated at the edge of the mountain, the place really did possess an outstanding view of the island, including Lake Danao (which we had visited earlier). So we ended the day with the memory of a full view of a quiet, picturesque island in the Camotes.

We were only able to see a few of the island's wonders, as we needed to get to Carmen, Cebu for the boat's yearly maintenance; but I'm sure there are more wonders hiding within that unassuming little place.

Do I regret hours under the sweltering heat of the sun, trying to find our destinations? Of course not. Part of the adventure of exploring is getting lost. And in the many wrong turns we made, we were able to find treasures that we would otherwise have missed. So I came out of the place fulfilled and deeply grateful for the experience. Secretly, I thanked destiny too, that this island did not find its way very well on the tourist map. It's beautiful, just as it is. And maybe the island's deepest message was exactly in its lack of road signs toward its beautiful sites. More than anything, what it told me was, “Explore me for yourself.”