In Transit: Cagayan de Oro to Camiguin

Since there is no commercial flight to Camiguin island, most tourists fly to Cagayan de Oro (CDO) as their jump off point. We stayed in Victoria Suites, a budget hotel in the Divisoria district of CDO, for Php 1,000/night inclusive of set breakfast for two persons.

My preferred suite room is not available, so the four of us crammed ourselves into a deluxe room with 2 twin beds. Aside from towels, they only provided small bath soaps and tissue roll, no shampoo or other toiletries. 

Lagoon Bistro & Vjandep Pastel of Camiguin

Our first meal experience upon arriving at Camiguin was in Lagoon Bistro. Located west of nearby Benoni port, its within the perimeter road of the island province. Compared with the more popular J&A Fishpen restaurant which is also nearby, I guess Lagoon Bistro has a simpler menu, yet less expensive than its "touristy" competitor.

Above photo shows some of the menus offered by the bistro with corresponding prices. Restaurant's ambience is composed of wooden tables and benches, covered by bamboo and pawid, or roof made of sewn coconut/nipa leaves. Ventilation is provided by the sea fronting the restaurant.

Sto. Rosario Church of Camiguin

One of the unique churches I've seen is the Sto. Rosario Church in the town of Sagay, province of Camiguin. The church's exterior is very simple, while its adjoining bell tower is partly obscured by trees. It lacks the grandness of a cathedral, no eye-catching carvery on its facade, nor a weathered-look beauty that is common to most century-old churches.

But as what an old adage says, "Don't judge a book by its cover". This ordinary-looking church has more to offer inside. The original church was built in 1882 using coral stones, but the years have taken its toll, making renovations inevitable to strengthen its structure. Utilizing steel bars and modern building techniques, it is somehow surprising that the new church designers have not really forgotten their roots, by using indigenous materials.

The White Island of Camiguin

One of the famous tourist destinations in Camiguin is the Medan island, or more popularly-known as White Island. Its a sandbar about 10 minutes by motorboat from the mainland. As there is no tree cover on the sandbar, most people visit it early in the morning, to avoid the sun's blistering heat.

We left Teddy's cottage at about 5:30 am, and walked for about 5 minutes to the wharf, where we registered our names before boarding the boat to White Island. Round trip boat rental is Php 400. After a refreshing early morning cruise over the calm sea, we were the second group to set foot on the sandbar that day.

Camiguin's Water Springs & Katibawasan Falls

A visit to Camiguin is not complete unless you try their natural springs and beaches. On our first day at Camiguin, we have visited 3 natural spring pools, so we're in wet clothes after lunch until past the dinner time.

Our first water spot is at Sto. Nino Cold Spring, where the pools' flooring has sand and pebbles. The cold water is perfect for swimming after lunch, when the sun's heat is still near its peak. They have 2 swimming pools -  the deep one about 8-ft. deep, while the shallow pool is less than 3-ft. deep. 

The Sights of Camiguin

Right after our sulit lunch at Lagoon Bistro, we proceeded to our tour of Camiguin. We went first to the Giant Clam Sanctuary, where as the name suggests is devoted to propagation of the giant clams. Entrance fee is only Php 20/person. Their water tanks show the different species of giant clams or "taklobo" in Filipino language.

The clam species are in various stages of growth and colors. We noticed that the baby clams can open or shut their mouth, as they react on lighting conditions. But as they mature, they somehow loose this ability. We were impressed by the knowledge of a young girl in the center, as she answered the visitors' queries about the clams' behavior, scientific name, etc.

Maria Cristina & Tinago Falls of Iligan City

Three weeks ago, four of us in the family went to Northern Mindanao to see the famous waterfalls of Iligan City. Our AirPhils flight to Cagayan de Oro (CDO) got delayed by at least 30 minutes, so we proceeded from the Lumbia Airport to Iligan City on our arrival to save time.

We rented a taxi driven by Nonoy Banas, for a CDO-Iligan-CDO day tour. From the airport, it took us 2 hours to arrive at barangay Buru-un in Iligan City, for early lunch of their famous lechon (roasted whole pig). On this area, we had a glimpse of the ancestral house below by the Macapagals, where former president GMA spent part of her teenage days, according to some locals.

Barrio Fiesta, Luk Yuen, & Farmers' Dampa

I was browsing my photo files and remembered the 2 misadventures I've had in dining out. The first photo below was taken last December 2011 at the Barrio Fiesta restaurant in SM Sta. Rosa. My family and I decided to have dinner after some Christmas shopping, and I chose the Barrio Fiesta with very few guests that time.

Choosing between group set menus, we ordered the set menu for group of 4-5 persons, consisting of kare-kare seafoods and assorted fried items (milkfish, pork, lumpia, etc). If I'm not mistaken, it was reasonably priced at less than Php 800 including the rice and drinks. However, we were not able to finish the food because of the overall bland taste of our chosen menu.