Camotes and Cebu City

It’s my second time visiting Camotes Island in Cebu. The last time was just about a year ago. I never really had the time to explore Cebu city itself back then, so I made sure to stay in the city and have myself familiarized with it before heading to Camotes, this time around. There are still lots of places to go to but in the limited time I had, at least I was able to go to the more popular destinations such as the malls (SM and Ayala Center) and the area near and around Fuente Osmeña Circle, where I had my room booked in one of its pension houses.

I had a taste of what it feels like backpacking. I even went to the Tabo-an market on my own where I thought I could find the type of galletas that my boss wanted. Alas, I didn’t find it there. Tabo-an, according to one reference I read, is one of the best places, if not the best, to buy danggit and other seafood as, I believe it is the first drop-off point of the catch from all over the province to the city. It is quite off-the-beaten-track though. One thing I was not able to do was to ride the jeepney because I don’t really know how the routes work, plus the language barrier. I was afraid I might get lost and not be understood where to go or find my way back 😛

Cebu is like Manila in so many ways, minus the pollution and rude cab drivers. Despite being a major economic hub in the Visayas, with the proliferation of malls and other modern amenities you will find in any developed city, you still get a small-town vibe, which makes easy for anyone to warm up to. The people are friendly and the food is great.

Now to my main destination – Camotes.

I was here primarily to attend the fiesta in the town of San Isidro where my relatives are. To be honest though, I didn’t have any itinerary planned out, so it’s a “go-with-the-flow” kind of stuff. I leave it all to my “ig-agaw’s” or “agaw’s” (cousins) to decide where to go in the island. They decide that we should go to the Busay Falls in the municipality of Tudela on Poro Island, and some of the sights in Poro itself such as the beachfront.

It was my first time attending a true, blue barrio fiesta. The things I hear about guests being welcomed inside different homes and offered lots of food still hold true. And since this is Cebu, the star of every buffet is the lechon (roasted pig on spits). I never had a lechon this good for a long time actually. I conclude, nothing beats a lechon that’s been traditionally cooked and prepared – not even CnT or Ayer’s (some of the famous lechon sold commercially in the city that I have tried) come close. In the barrio during fiesta, it’s lechon all day long, fulfilling every person’s porcine fantasy with its savory, melt-in-your-mouth meat (and fat), and crispy, golden brown skin. I’ve been living my dream well until dinner and on into the following day, where leftovers become “lechon paksiw”. Hmm, just thinking of it makes me drool.

It’s been part of the tradition to hold dance parties, or what is still commonly called here as “diskuhan” (disco/discotheque) every night, programs, games, bazaar, etc. In the town plaza before dusk, my cousin and I visited the church to pay respects to San Isidro Labrador – the town’s patron saint, the patron saint of farmers, and to check out the bazaar. In the town plaza we found a hundred-year old tree still standing. It is quite amazing if you think of it actually.

It was a fun-filled week, indeed. An ideal R&R. I certainly would be coming back next year. In fact, this might be habit forming, a yearly affair. I thank my family and friends for their hospitality. This wouldn’t have been possible without them.

Also, I just want to share how in this journey I was treated with the sight of these lovely creatures both going and coming back from the island. Dolphins! It’s a childhood dream. I hope I could see them up close and maybe even touch them.

This, plus a spectacular sunset over Danao port gives this vacation a nice ending.