The Philippines

The Island Born of Fire (Camiguin)

The kindness and generosity of the Filipinos I had experienced in Kota Kinabalu was to be a common theme, landing in Cebu airport I met, without a doubt the friendliest airport and security staff, I even got a blessing from a Nun for helping her with her bags.

We had ten hours to kill in Cebu airport so we found a comfy spot on the floor and set up camp, after running out of ways to drain my phones battery I fell into a deep slumber. I woke up in time to check in and made my way through to the departure lounge, I took a look up at the board and there in bold was every travellers favourite word, “DELAYED”. Another three hours, a free breakfast and some precarious napping on a plastic chair later and then our plane rolled in.

50 minutes later we were on Camiguin island.

Camiguin island airport is genius, there is one flight in (ours) and one out (back to Cebu) per day, you literally collect your bags off the plane and walk through the smallest building possible, the staff basically follow you out the door and lock up behind you. We grabbed a jeepny and made our way to “Camiguin Island Golden Sunset Beach Club”. Golden Sunset is owned by two of Hatty’s dads friends, Phil and Sue, who he met almost 40 years ago when he was a VSO. Hatty herself had been here seven years ago and everytime they talk about the Philippines I get more desperate to see it for myself and so I couldn’t believe that I was finally here.

As the jeepny drove around the island I started to get a flavour for the Philippines, if I could only use one word at this stage is would be “lush”. There isn’t anywhere I’ve ever been that is this rich in vegetation, dense rows of green trees tower high around you, volcanoes break out above the tree line, high into the clouds, on the other side, between the breaks in the trees is an endless crystal clear sea. I knew this was somewhere special and I was very excited to be here.

The journey time from the airport to Phil and Sue’s was short but by the time we arrived the skies had opened and things had changed. Where I’d imagined the pristine white sandy beaches to be was a slither of black sludgy volcanic sand, the humidity had risen and the sea had become a murky grey colour. We both fell onto the bed deflated and I looked at Hatty who was very confused, she’d been here to this very spot only seven years ago and did not remember it being like this. We knew there was more to Camiguin than sitting on a beach but first impressions are everything and clearly we’d big this up to much in our heads. We fell asleep.

It is an amazing thing, tiredness. It can play tricks on your mind. When we woke up, fresh and reenergised we stepped outside, the rain had past and so to had the clouds, the sea, which was less than ten feet from our room was glistening, out to sea was a small sandbar, known as the white island it looked insane. Around us the greens and picks and oranges of the plants filled the space with colours and smells and the wildlife hidden amongst them added a peaceful and charming soundtrack.  

With a more sane and positive mind we were ready to explore and experience Camiguin to the fullest. We had eight full days and a bucket list that could see us here for many, many more.

First thing on the list was a trip to the White Island, we charted a boat and took the 15 minute journey to paradise. I know in pervious blogs I’ve talked about the sea being stupidly clear and unbelievably blue, the sand being soft and Daz white but nowhere even remotely touches this, I’m certain that White island is Maldives territory, maybe better. From here you get a truly awesome view back across Camiguin, the endless bustling rows of trees, the rolling, towering volcanoes, it looks like Jurassic Park back there.

The White island itself is a horseshoe shaped sandbar, created as a result of the riptide and spends most of its time partially submerged under water. When we arrived the thin strip connecting the two main areas was about knee deep, we waded over and were rewarded with a slice of paradise completely untouched by man, there wasn’t a human in sight. I spent my time snorkelling off the different sides of the island and catching some good ol’ sun. Sunbathing and snorkelling is about all there is to do but the natural beauty of this place is so surreal that many hours can be lost just looking out to the horizon.

Camiguin is the gift that keeps on giving, moving inland from the outlandishly beautiful beaches you are gifted with the benefit of being on a volcano rich island. First thing on our volcano experience was the Ardent Hot Springs, these are a serious of natural pools which range from about 20 degrees to 32 degrees, with the highest one often reaching much higher temperatures. These were substantially better than the ones near KInabalu and we spent a good chunk of time chilling out here. There are other natural spring options on the island, such as the soda pool and the icy cold mountain pools but we did get a chance to visit them.

Recieved some terribly sad news today, Harry, our 13 year old Jack Russell sadly passed away. He’d been fighting with various illnesses and had even had to have one of his legs amputated recently but the trooper had fought his final battle. He bought so much joy to everyone in our family and watched us all grow. Even though it’s been a long time coming it still knocked me back to hear that he had actually gone. I didn’t get a great deal done the following day.

The following day I lost my Tanduay virginity. Tanduay is the big name in the world of Filipino rum, a bottle of their 12 year aged dark rum costs you about £3 and actually tastes amazing. It’s lethal though. That night with Phi, Sue and Linas (a Swedish guy who owns a restaurant down the road) we polished off a few Grande San Miguels and two bottles of Tanduay. We found out some very amusing stories about Hatty’s dad from his time as a VSO back in the 70’s and generally had a brilliant night. As the evening drew in they ordered some local cuisine from the restaurant which was delicious and very welcomed as things started to spin.

The next day we  got an invite to a party, with the promise of free food and beer we figured why not. The event was for the grand opening of a workshop which builds fibreglass boats, the owner is a Welshman who married a local and moved out here. It was to be hands down the weirdest day of the trip. Starting with a slightly unnerving ride in Goldie- Phil’s stretched VW Beetle, as we snaked around the mountain roads she started to squeak and nobody could work out what the problem was, until we pulled over and realised that the bearing had bust and the front wheel was starting to wobble off. We parked up and then tried to comically fit into a tuk-tuk, this mode of transport is not designed for Westerners. Both me and Hatty are fairly short but are dramatically larger than the average Pinoy, we clambered in, our knees rested under our chins and the bike sluggishly pulled away.

We arrived at the workshop which had half the island, Mayors and Police included all sat under a gazebo. There was a second tend with a cooked hog laying on a table, I grabbed a plate and carved myself a portion, being a vegetarian Hatty was less keen. We were taken in the house and briefly met the owner but as he was entertaining the mayor and his brother we made our way back out to hang with the riff-raff. Christian power ballads played out of an old, cracking system and a flock of expats swarmed over to us. We waited for the secret handshakes to finish inside then there was a brief ceremonial moment where anyone who was important had their name read out and everyone had to applaud them, then the ribbon was cut and the workshop opened. The display boat was awful, I am convinced I could have built something 100 times better. The owner was a total creep and the dodgy deals that seemed to be taking place made the whole environment very uncomfortable. Anyway everyone who needed to be seen had been so we made a quick exit. Getting transport back was a long ordeal but eventually we made it back to Goldie, who had been “repaired” by a local mechanical. In his own words the job should be good for a few days…We drove Goldie to his garage and settled the bill then headed back to Golden Sunset, our hangovers were not subsiding so we crashed out. That evening we had another banquet feast, Sue served up a range of Filipino delights and we started to feel a bit more human.

 The next morning we rose at 5am as Phil and Sue wanted to show us the morning wet market, surrounded by all the brightly coloured fruit and veg we were like kids in a sweet shop. We stopped off for a breakfast of local hot chocolate and sticky mango rice which was substantially better than any of the stuff we had in Thailand. It was brilliant sitting here and soaking in the buzz of people rushing about gathering their meat, fish and veg for the day. As the churches spilled out the market picked up and we made our way back to Golden Sunset.

Me and Hatty then hired the motorbike and hit the road to soak in some more sights, first thing on the list was the Giant Clam Sanctuary. We drove around the majority of the island which was awesome, soaking in the winding coastal road, lush greenery and volcanoes on one side and glistening blue sea on the other.

Camiguin is divided into five separate municipalities- Mambajao (Capital Town) , Mahinog, Catarman, Sagay, and Guinsiliban, these are further divided into 58 Barangay (villages) and although the island is pretty small these all have very different characters. Camiguin island is around 23km at its longest point and 14km at its widest, the main road which circles the island is 64km.

Anyway I digress, we arrived at a sharp bend in the round which turned into a dramatically steep and winding gravel track. We followed in down and round for about a kilometre before arriving at a small makeshift carpark. We parked up and made our way to a small wooden booth where we were greeted by a group of school children who explained the different package options then took our money.

They walked us over to a series of large tanks which acted as nurseries for the clams and some other sea creates that they were reintroducing to the waters, this included a baby shark which was really awesome to see.

They explained the life cycle of the clams to us, showed us the difference between the males and females, how they breed, how long they live, how they eat and so on.  This was really informative and I found it way more fascinating than I thought. After the tour we were given a set of snorkels and masks and then taken over to meet our guide.

He gave us a short briefing on our route then we hit the water. Instantly we were greeted with some of the best marine life I’ve ever seen, large colourful corals, schools of brightly coloured fish and one pesky crab who repeatedly attached himself to my face with his claws. It was magically down there and I couldn’t believe some of the things I was seeing. I started filming it with my camera but it wasn’t many minutes before the battery light flashed and I realised the school boy error I’d made.

After about 30 minutes we arrived at the cordoned off area where the clams had been released from the nursery, some of these were monstrous, measuring over 2 metres in size and all manor of shiny colours, purples, greens, yellows, not dissimilar to a peacocks markings . The guide warned us about touching their holes (snigger) as some of them were razor clams and any wandering fingers would be sharply removed. It’s fair to say I never intended to do that but that knowledge encouraged me to snorkel that bit further away.

We had planned to do a zipline which ran off the side of one of the mountains and over a lagoon towards another island but after a lot of searching around the zipline HQ we didn’t find anyone so gave it a miss. We jumped back on the bike and carried on around the island until we arrived at Katiwabasan.

Katiwasbasan is a 70m waterfall located at the base of Mt Timpoong, it surrounded by lush vegetation mainly consisting of falling vines and epic trees growing out of the side of the rocky mountain. Below the falls is an amazing pool that you can swim in, it was pretty cold which was a welcome escape from the tropical heat of Camiguin. After a good half hour of splashing about I felt truly refreshed and revitalised.

Swimming directly under the falls was prohibited and as I watched one man attempt to swim under it I understood why. He couldn’t have been any more than 20m away and he was already getting dunked from the pressure, had he made it under he would probably have been knocked out then drowned by the pressure, I was content just swimming in the pool looking back to the falls and listening to the consuming pounding sound the water made as it plummeted off the side of the mountain.

That evening Phil and Sue treated us to another Filipino banquet feast, mounds of local red rice, Blue Marlin Kinilaw, Pinakbet, Chicken Inasal and many other exciting and delicious dishes, we steered clear of the Tanduay, well we didn’t bring the bottle to the table at least. We ate, drank and talked late into the evening, another wonderfully successful day on paradise.

The main event of the following day was a boat trip to Mantigue island, we made the hour crossing on a traditional Filipino boat which had been modified with a glass bottom which gave us frequent glimpses at the coral below.  Mantigue is yet another tick on the “reasons Camiguin is paradise” list. Arriving from its clear waters we walk across the powder white sand, through a deep cluster of woodland and into the heart of the island. Sheltered under the canopy of trees with a view of nothing except sand and sea we open up the picnic basket.

Phil and Sue have done it again, and we are treated to some homemade steak pies, cheese, caviar, fruit salad and a glass or two of wine. Its truly magnificent and we are the envy of the small groups of visitors.

After lunch me and Hatty grab some snorkels and head out into the sea, at first it’s a pretty plain scene, aside from a sheet of underwater grass there isn’t much to report. As we continue swimming suddenly things become more interesting, lumps of coral housing schools of clown fish and other similar sized piscine. But the best was yet to come, we continued out to a jetty used by divers and the coral become more dense and the fish increased in numbers and size, by the time we made it to the jetty we were completely encapsulated by the largest group of fish I’d ever experienced. I was so enchanted I followed them as they swam lower, my experience was quickly cut short as my snorkel filled with water and then made its way into my mouth. I resurfaced, emptied my mask and my lungs and then joined the marine life once more.

The underwater activity that is visible just by snorkelling is absurd, it’s a truly mystical experience, I continued drifting whilst in complete awe of what I seeing then I felt a sharp tug on my leg. I came up to the surface where I met Hatty who was pointing in front of me, I turned and looked and noticed a row of buoys with rope attached to them marking out a boundary.  She explaned that we cant go beyond that point because of the drop off. Basically on our side of the rope the water is never deeper than a few metres but past that point it drops down to 40 metres. We also later found out that much past that point the current picks up and we heard horror stories of people washing away at a rate of knots…anyway, we made our way closer inland and enjoyed the spectacle until our ride home looked like it wasn’t waiting any longer.

Our final night on Camiguin was to be a memorable one. It so happened that we had timed our visit with the grand opening of a new project. Located high in the mountains between the volcanoes is the new home of Nightscape Garden, an educational programme looking to teach people about the solar system and night sky. The plot is set on an expanse of land with a clear opening in the trees offering gazers an uninterrupted view of the night sky which is phenomenally clear on the island and even better from this high vantage point. There are camp beds laid out, hot food on the go and a number of talkers teaching you about what it is that you are seeing.

I have seen some fairly clear night skies in my life but absolutely nothing comes close to what I was seeing here. We didn’t stay the night but the many hours we did were magical, and as we walked back to the car we were treated to a light show from a cluster of fire flies. It was breath-taking.

The next morning we were up bright and early for our flight back to Borneo and I’ve never been more depressed, we were taken to the airport kicking and screaming.

From the generosity and kindness I experienced from the Pinoys I met in Kota Kinabalu I knew this detour was going to be a memorable one but nothing could prepare me for just how spell binding this wonderful country is. The people are simply the friendliest, most charming and genuine people we’ve met, they made the Cambodians come across like Europeans. The sunsets and sunrises are arguable some of the best on this fine earth, I was fixated by them each and every day. The beaches and islands are postcard paradise, the marine life is fascinating. But that’s not everything, there’s the wonders inland, the volcanoes, hot springs, waterfalls, soda pools, extensive examples of flora and fauna, I really could go on but it’s only making we want to be back on Camiguin.

I would also like to give a massive mention to Phil and Sue and all the staff at Golden Sunset who really went out of their way to make this portion of our trip something very special. Their kindness and hospitality is something that we are both grateful for and can’t thank them enough.

Camiguin is without a doubt the best place I’ve ever been and has officially ruined me for going anywhere else. My visit was brief but the sights, sounds and smells will stay with me for a lifetime.

OK, next leg sees us travelling from the Philippines to Kuching in Borneo, Malaysia where we explore Bako National Park in search of the Proboscis monkey.

Thanks for reading.