I left Danao City and traveled via Jomalia Shipping's RoRo vessel to reach Camotes Islands. The island group is composed of Pacijan Island, Poro Island, Tulang Island and Ponson Island. The islands are located about midway between Danao City and Ormoc City on Leyte Island.
.
 |
| Map showing Cebu and the Camotes Islands. |
My specific destination is Pacijan Island, where the town of San Francisco is located. The vessel where I rode docked at the barangay of Consuelo, which is located on the west coast of that Camotes Island. I am fortunate that a service vehicle was waiting for me at the pier. The driver brought me to the town center located at the east side of the island. The driver told me that it is expensive to travel from Consuelo pier to the town center. He said that people has to ride the habal-habal (local term for motorcycle) and pay 100 pesos just to reach the center of San Francisco.
San Francisco is the only municipality that occupies Pacijan Island. The municipality also covers the island of Tulang. The town as simple (payak) but lacks the pollution that I encounter in the complex areas of Luzon. The town has one market (palengke), a church, and few motorized vehicles. Public transportation is by means of tricycle and habal-habal. The people of that Camotes Island also live simply. Most of them are farmers or fishermen. Others are employees of the many resorts on the island.
What I like about Pacijan Island is that it is still pristine and the beauty of nature still abounds. The leaders of the town are serious about their environment that they were given an award by the United Nations (UN). Mangroves are still plenty in the area and the town folks conduct regular mangrove planting as their answer to Climate Change.
I got three days stay in that Camotes Island and I exhausted all of those days exploring the places that the island has to offer. These are what I discovered in Pacijan Island:
Wide Array of Resorts
 |
| Pristine beach of Camotes Island. |
The coasts of Camotes Islands are still pristine. This is the reason why many people, most of them foreigners, are buying lands located near the seashore. Most of these lands were developed as resorts or private vacation getaways of the rich people. Notable of these people is the owner(s) of M Lhuiller who already bought half of a barangay in San Francisco. I will talk about the resorts in Camotes Islands in upcoming posts.
Danao Lake
My tour guides also brought me to the largest fresh water lake in Camotes Islands, which is the Danao Lake. I will also post about Danao Lake in the future.
Beyond Pacijan Island
 |
| The old church of Poro. |
Seems like that I already laid out the upcoming posts in the next weeks. Expect more stories about Camotes Islands in this blog. If you are looking for a place to visit in the coming Summer Season then I recommend that you read my next blog posts and see if Camotes Islands will be your choice.
---
Half of San Francisco nabili na ng M. Lhuillier gusto kong bilhin ang other half.(Joke lang) mukhang ang ganda naman kasi ng lugar na yan.Abangan ko ang mga post mo pa sa susunod.
ReplyDeleteWe really do have wonderful beaches. Hopefully it stays as pristine as it is now in a few years time. =)
ReplyDeleteGanda namn ng beach! looking forward sa next post mo! hope to see more photos ng camotes island!
ReplyDeleteHorrible earthquake in Cebu. Thank goodness you were not around there, praise the Lord. God bless the victims and their families.
ReplyDeleteDiamond
ReplyDeleteHa ha...sige bilhin mo lang para may maganda ka na ring resort. Salamat sa pag-aabang. Marami po kayong aabangan. ^_^
Average Jane
Yeah, we have pristine beaches but many of them are threatened by pollution. Hope that Filipinos start to be more responsible with the environment.
Anney
Marami pa pong photos ng Camotes Island. Abangan. ^_^
Suitapui
I am safe and sound. What I encountered in Cebu that time was the typhoon. I do hope that those affected by the typhoon be safe always. Prayers to those who perished.
There's a San Francisco in Philippines?! I thought it is only in USA : D
ReplyDeleteOK looking forward to your next post : )
ReplyDeleteFoong
ReplyDeleteYeah. We also have San Francisco here in the Philippines. The town is named after Saint Francis of Assisi.
Thank you for the visit.
I have a friend na matagal na akong kinukulit na bisitahin ang Camotes Island. Looking forward to more posts about Camotes. Gawa ka ng where to stay and what to do in Camotes guide hahaha.
ReplyDeleteThank you Nortehanon.
ReplyDeleteI will do what you suggested. Para naman may guide sa mga turista na pupunta doon sa Camotes Island.
yikes... sobrang ganda talaga... grabe yung tubig oh sobrang clear... unlike Boracay .,.. clear nga yung tubig sobrang populated naman
ReplyDeleteBluedreamer
ReplyDeleteTama ka. Maganda nga sa Boracay pero sobrang siksikan naman at mas mahal ang accommodations duon. Pang foreign tourists na kasi ang rates dun eh.
Hi,
ReplyDeleteOn your next trip to Camotes, vist our Beach House... it's located at Nonoc and we have cheaper accommodations. Hope you come visit! Camotes Beach House for Rent
hi, maganda ang lugar. sana makapunta kami dyan, kasi marami kaming kamag-anak dyan lalo na sa pilar. taga dyan ang lolo namin si eusbio "ebo" colitoy(santiago). visit us on Eusebio "ebo"Colitoy grand reunion this Sept. 28, 2013 at palale, sta. margarita, w. samar. thank sa blog mo.
ReplyDeleteI am glad na natuwa ka dito sa blog post mo. Sana nga at makapunta ka sa Camotes. It is a beautiful island. Really worth a visit.
Deletehi this is alfred. i have aircon vans and multicabs for island tour in camotes. my aircon van is the same rate with non-aircon vehicle. for more info: contact us: 0926-529-6337 ; 0910-879-5577 ; 0922-2291336. thank you. our rates is always negotiable.
ReplyDelete