[An Island Born of Fire] Are We There Yet?

As a child, I had this thought that Camiguin was unreachable. The name itself sounded so exotic and daunting, I thought that if I ever went there, it must feel unreal. 

When the Camiguin option came up during our trip planning with my closest colleagues, “well, let's go, then!”

A few months later, we were off.

And then we realized that getting to the fire-borne island was not exactly... straightforward.

After the plane ride to Cagayan de Oro, we traveled a couple of hours to get to Balingoan port in Misamis Oriental. And oh, boy, the driver was in a hurry! It didn't help that there weren't many cars on the road that day. We swept the streets and thank goodness we arrived at the port intact.

From the port, it took another couple of hours via ferry to get to Camiguin.

So near, we could feel the seven volcanoes calling! LOL

But wait, there's more. Though a van was waiting to take us to the resort, it was another half-hour gone before we finally arrived. 

 Bahay Bakasyunan sa Camiguin (BBC) was serene and ... very green! 

Honestly, i still dream of the smell of freshly cut grass.

The trip was very much worth the aching bottoms, we realized later on. But at that moment, we were just plain tired. The welcome drink was a lifesaver.

For three days, we marveled at the natural wonders - at least five of the seven active volcanoes, hot springs, majestic waterfalls, pristine white beaches on a remote island, a sunken cemetery and a crescent-shaped sandbar off the Agoho coast, among others. Not bad, not bad!

Top photos: the Majestic Katibawasan Falls; 

making our way along the pebbly beach of Mahinog Town, on the way to Mantigue Island

Bottom photos: "paa shot" with girlfriends at White Beach; 

lone motor boat enjoying the brief patch sunshine in Mantigue Island

Left: the marker for the sunken cemetery

Right: travel mates enjoying the morning sun at the picturesque White Beach

I was waiting for the unreal feeling to manifest, but it never came. I was too busy enjoying every moment. The sights of the island were so vibrant, I felt so alive!