At the height of summer, we found ourselves in the hottest island in the archipelago—Camiguin, home to seven volcanoes, popular hot springs and hot pulvoron-textured white sandbars.
It’s the perfect scene for romancing the stones. But, really, we’ve been there, done that.
Our companion, Denise Mordeno Aguilar, who was in the island to conduct a theater workshop to community children in Balbagon village (fresh from her theater scholarship in Singapore), is a regular visitor.
Our other companion, the indefatigable Neil Pagalaran, is from the island himself.
(Related story: Camiguin for first-time tourists)
New discoveries
So there we were a few days ago, a cozy threesome on Neil’s motorbike, visiting the old haunts, but in effect revisiting squandered opportunities.
The waterfalls, the freshwater springs, the all-you-can-drink soda water in Agoho—they reminded us of past lifetimes, mistaken priorities, misunderstandings left unattended over the years.
As we whizzed on the island’s singular highway, the air seemed taut with the gnawing of unfinished business.
Having enough of the usual Camiguin tourist itinerary, we tried to cheer ourselves with new discoveries. Actually, they were Neil’s.
Strange, eerie landscape
At Katunggan Boardwalk, you walk on ironwood floor boards suspended over a swath of mangroves a stone’s throw from the Benoni Lagoon. The best time to explore this strange, eerie landscape is at sunset, when the lengthening shadows loom against the dramatic reds of the sun setting down the sea yonder. There is no fee but there are guards who keep watch.
Awesome panorama
Monte Calvario at Mt. Ilihan is not your usual Camiguin Stations of the Cross; this pilgrimage point is usually flocked upon by yuppies staying in overnight tents throughout Guinsiliban, Sagay, and Mahinog on Holy Week. The best way to get here is from Barangay Butay in Guinsiliban town.
The 45-minute climb, which takes you from the nondescript first station, brings you all the way to the 1,872-foot zenith—here you are rewarded with an awesome panorama of half the island and, across the sea, the fishing villages of the Mindanao mainland.
You can even espy what lurks in the channel behind Mt. Sipaca of Talisayan-Balingoan in Misamis Oriental.
4,500 giant clams
Kibila Beach in Barangay Cantaan, Guinsiliban, is the only white sand beach in Camiguin (not including White Island and Mantigue Island, of course). It is home to 4,500 mature and juvenile giant clams spanning six species.
You can snorkel around the giant clam farm for a guided viewing fee of P150. Additional treats are glimpses of clown fish, goat fish, surgeon fish, damsel fish, parrot fish and butterfly fish skittering around the coral reef teeming with brain corals, green branching corals, red corals and table corals.
The aquarium area displays species of sea cucumber, sea urchin, cowries, turbans, nautilus and sea horse. Entrance fee is P25 only. For an additional P50, you can hop on to a 500-meter bamboo walk through a vast mangrove forest.
Near the end of the walk you’ll encounter cultured lobsters, mudcrabs and 300 giant clams of different shades. The wooden promenade finale takes you to a secluded white sand beach cloaked by intense flora of exotic mangrove. Makes for an unforgettable date!
Sea and scenery
Sitio Parol in Barangay Liong, Guinsiliban, is the nearest point to mainland Mindanao. Concrete benches near the lighthouse provide a yawning expanse of sea and scenery, a perfect clincher for early-morning walks or late-afternoon respites with the darkening onrush of sea breeze.
Natural spring water
At Langoyan Ki Inggo Spring at Alangilan in Sagay town, there is natural flowing spring water caught in two pools surrounded by open cottages underneath banyan trees flecked with lanzones plants. Entrance fee is P20.
Blue lagoon
The Blue Lagoon at Lawigan Fishport is at the dorsal side of D&A Lodge, Barangay Lawigan Fishport in Catarman. This lagoon is hedged by volcanic boulders and cliffs with tropical flora and fauna. A freshwater spring adjacent to the lagoon is believed to be the site where the team of Spanish explorer Miguel Lopez de Legazpi took freshwater provisions while anchored at bay.
Live band
Everyone but everyone can be found at Infinity Bar & Grill at Medano in Barangay Agoho. This watering hole attracts people till the wee hours. Live band and select genre music allow guests to savor a different kind of la vie nocturne in the island while the waves cavort heedlessly in the nearby beach well into the morning after.
These discoveries proved to be yet more reason to love the island all over again. As they say, Camiguin really means “Come again”—and again.
And then, somehow, we came across a love story to celebrate. And think about.
Boy meets boy
Once long ago in Thailand, Elden Chamberlain, an international public health advocate from the West, met Cocoy Bajuyo, a photographer and publication designer from Cagayan de Oro.
After boy meets boy, they got married in the United Kingdom, and Cocoy brought Elden back to his hometown, from where they hopped on to the nearby island of Camiguin. And there they realized they had found their home.
Balai sa Baibai
They built it, their home by the beach—or Balai sa Baibai. They did not hire a contractor even though they had no background in architecture or construction. When they did not know what to do, they Googled it. The result can be gleaned from the photos by Aye Navarro in this spread.
Antiques and artifacts from around the world decorate every room and space in Balai sa Baibai: a rare Shwedaggon Buddha takes pride of place in the main sala. Water puppets from Vietnam provide interest next to a carved rickshaw handle from Thailand. Carpets and textiles that Elden has collected from Central Asia grace all of the rooms—actually, one villa and two suites. Traditional Tapa cloth paintings from Papua New Guinea coexist peacefully with monks’ offering bowls from Myanmar and prayer wheels from Nepal.
Cocoy gamely posed beside his precious elephant collection. These three- to six-inch elephants from all over Asia and Africa are made of all sorts of material—from wood, beads, shells, marble, and iron to Swarovski crystals and even camel bone.
Elden bakes bread and pastries every morning, and these are served to Balai sa Baibai’s guests as part of a breakfast treat that includes homemade yoghurt, traditional Filipino breakfast meats and rice, fruits, and fresh squeezed juices.
Yes, this is how Camiguin should be savored—bite by blissful bite. With all the volcanoes throbbing within.