Camotes Island Run and Sidetrips 2012

When:     January 3 & 4, 2012
Where:    San Francisco, Camotes Island, Cebu

How we get there -                                         Estimated time &    fare: 
1. Plane from Manila to Mactan, Cebu -           1hour and 10min -  Promo fare at about P1200
2. Taxi to Mandaue North Bus Terminal -         10-15min -             P100 (flagdown P40)
3. Bus to Danao City Port -                              45min - 1 hour-      P35 student, P45 regular
4. RORO from Danao Port to Consuelo Port-   2hours-                  P150 student, P180 regular
5. Motorcycle to my Lolo Henyo's house-         5min-7min              P50/head

Distance: 21.08 km
Start and Finish Point: Lolo Eugenio "Henyo" Herda's House in the woods of Brgy Paypay.
Maps:

Pictures:  

(1. ) The 21.08 km Run

Day 2 in San Francisco Camotes, Cebu

                                          Kinilaw (Kilawin) as part of Carbo Loading, anyone?

Me and hubby John left Lolo Henyo's house at 5am.  It was still too dark before it, no road lights, and we are not familiar of the terrain.  But as soon as we hit the main road, we noted some landmarks, and headed north.

First kilometer mark we encountered on the road.  No idea where the Km 0s of these originated.

Dawn breaks and now we can see the rice fields along the way.

Half of the way are flat roads.

In case we get lost.

School Zone could not be so far.

Wild guess, schools, elementary for the most, are 10km apart.  And pupils, like the ones around my Lolo Henyo's vicinity have to endure walking stony(if sunny)/ muddy(if rainy) terrain this far to get educated.

At this point, I have a gut feeling that we are already 6km to our destination, SF, means San Francisco, town, where Km0 is.

And the sign said so: Town Proper 6km!  I just saw this while writing this blog.

Never been here.  Wait until next year.

...and the rest of the places in this sign!

Lake Danao?  There is a lake in this small island?

I guess we are almost there...

I was surprised when Uncle Corcino, a locale here, told me they have fun runs here from time to time, then culminate to Tree Planting Activity.  How did you know? I asked him ignorantly.  "Because it is compulsory for us, barangay officials, to join such," he replied.

          I loved basketball!  I am usually the Captain Ball of our team from 1st to 4th Year Highschool.

A roadside cave?

I guess it is a natural shallow roadside cave which is declared as Bird Sanctuary.  We wished we had all day to explore this  site.

Another morning of their daily routine.

Lake Danao on the left side of the road.

 The spectacular Lake Danao.  I think, like Lake Lanao of Marawi, this is redundantly named. "Danao" and "Lanao" already means Lake.

Hydration Time!

And eating time!  We got hungry the moment we saw this "bread-man" on his motorcycle.  P10/pack, so hurry, grab yours!

Running.  It is definitely more fun in the Philippines!

There is a cellphone signal on the road!  But no load?  Luckily we found this loading store.

These rows of trees forming an aisle leads to San Francisco Town Proper, about 1km away.

Finally!

This is a T-road.  You have to take the road on the right side.  I went straight ahead and got lost on our way back.

Nowhere can we see a sign that reads Km0, but I guess this is the one where the monument(of whom? ups, sorry, we failed to note it) is, just like in Rizal Park.

10.54km from our starting point in Brgy Paypay, San Francisco, Camotes.

Me and John smiling in front of the sizzling rising sun.

Down the monument is already the Port of San Francisco, where this Agora is.

You can take a motorboat to cross to Poro, Camotes.

Their Baywalk.  The mangrove areas fronting the port at the background.

The Baywalk Trail.

Time for U-Turn!  Still to cook breakfast for the kids!

Good thing they were still asleep when we got home.

Some can't seem to get up after a cold night's sleep.

 My Lolo Henyo(red shirt) was already up and had prepared the breakfast.  Uncle Beto(shirtless), plucked some buko for us, dehydrated runners.

(2.) Packing Up

Share if you spotted the dried buko hulls. =)

My two kids, Bambam and Pebbles in Lolo Henyo's Kubo.

Lolo Henyo's House.

After we ate our lunch, we packed up and left.

We could still get lost.  We just followed the foot trail.

Only 2 ways to get to the port, by foot or by a motorcycle.

My little sister Maygan, son Bambam, daughter Pebbles, niece Pauline (L-R) eating their time away while waiting for boarding the Roro.

Boarding Time!

The Camotes Island Port. 

Camotes Island Views from the Roro deck below.

The Roro for the next trip.

(3.) Visit Lolo Henyo and Beach Time

Day 1 in San Francisco, Camotes, Cebu

Once inside Roro at Danao City Port, the kids got hungry of their early morning travel.  We left my Sister Lorna's house in Lapulapu City at 3am.

Arrived at the port of Consuelo, San Francisco, Camotes at 7am.

Hello Camotes Island!  My last visit here was 4years ago.

Lucky for us to have a ride in this hotel's multi-seater cab, instead on a motorcycle.  The driver is a relative.

From the main road, still a 1km walk in the woods to my Lolo Henyo's House.

Already got lost.  A carabao to blaze the trail.

Another carabao to grace the trail.

Finally!  Found Lolo Henyo's house!

Picture-picture!

Hello, telephone?

Lolo Henyo reunited with his great grand children after 4years.

Uncle Beto fixing the roof of his "kubo".

Lolo Henyo still very strong at age 86.

He has to use a cane to support his stony and slippery way down- and uphills.

Some of my little cousins around Lolo Henyo's neighborhood.

That's Lolo Henyo's house at the top of a hill.

Lolo Henyo's house front view.

Our source of water for washing dishes, bathing, toilet use.  There are two of these drums which are used to collect rain water.  Years ago, the drinking water also has to come from here, you just have to boil it.  Lucky for the children that a running water from a faucet is already available 20 meters away.

The kids can't wait to run around the beautiful place.

My dear Lolo automatically cleaned the house for his surprise guests.

No trees to climb in the cities.

Proud Coconut Tree climbers.

My son can't get enough of it.

"Hey! How do I get down from here?"

My daughter contented at the bottom.

Beach Time!  But we have to walk about 2km to get there.

Brought the goods in their original containers.

1 km more!

Finally! Picture-taking at the beach with Lolo Henyo.  We are honored that he went to the beach with us.  For like 5years, he refused to go with anyone else to the beach due to the distance and poor eyesight.  We rented a motorcycle to take him to the beach.  But on the way back, he walked all the way with us instead.

More poses with our beloved Lolo!

I can't come to Cebu without visiting my Lolo here in Camotes Island.  I am her eldest granddaughter of her eldest child, my mother, Herminia.  His memory is still so sharp down to details when I was still so small and left by my parents here in the island for up to a month.

Yes, he can still swim!  He was a fisherman during his younger years.

The children can't wait to take a dip on the clear waters of this beach.

This was our playground too when we were their ages.

The older kids went to the deeper part.

Some underwater shots.

Can't seem to perfect these shots.

"Cramps!"

Fishermen come and leave to deliver their fresh goods.

The beach view.

Investigating sea creatures they saw probably for the first time in their lives.

Sticks for poking things.

Stealing the scene.

Not only in Boracay.

Fishermen dry-docking.

Sand castles in Camotes.

The beach was all ours.  No entrance fee.  No corkage.  All fun.  Beautiful memories.

"Swimming is Honeymooning."

After the 4-hour salty swim on the beach, we went to take a 30-minute dip into a freshwater inside a cave just 20 meters away from the beach.

It's a steep crawl down.  Just be very careful of the sharp-edged rocks.

Almost there!

Auntie Mely stayed behind to watch our things.

It is so cold and refreshing in here.  Wish we had all our time.

Even this place was all ours to take.  This place was said to be enchanted and no pictures shot here was ever developed.  That was long long before the era of digicams.  "Tabi-tabi po...".

Some of the stalactites and stalagmites already met up.

Time of truth...going home.

BYE!!! See you next Philippine Island Run & Sidetrips!