Seven in 7 days

As the sun sets on day one of what I consider a restless 7-day jaunt around the region, we continue our adventure with the conclusion of our Camotes sojourn and hop to an island less buzzed about but is secretly abound with, to me, some of the country's spectacular natural sights! Just a few minutes before dusk, we habal-habal our way towards the Santiago Bay Garden and Resort. Perched on a sea-side cliff in the town of San Francisco, the resort overlooks a cove that to my estimate, stretches half a kilometer. And with the tide on its lowest late that afternoon a blanket of white sand beckons for a sunset stroll. Barefoot on the fine sand, the leisurely walk was simply invigorating. The local color of fishermen preparing to set sail for another evening of hopefully a bountiful catch, women along the shore prowling for shellfish and the chuckles of children playing was a refreshing shift of milieu from the city's hustle and bustle.

After a hefty dinner, we made our way back to Mangodlong. And on a cloudless night we found ourselves back on the beach stargazing. Perfect weather, interesting conversation, what more can you ask for? Well, after a longneck of rum and coke, it was time to hit the sack. We had an early one the next day. The sun rose on our second day. And before heading back to mainland Cebu, we took the chance to savor our few remaining hours with a hearty breakfast, a dip, lots of pictures and more tan! Then the inevitable came. We bade farewell to our little paradise with a sad sigh but pocketed the confidence that this won't be our last visit to the Camotes Islands. As the ferry sped from the port of Consuelo, I glanced back to the islands, grinned and did a McArthur, 'I shall return!' I declared to my self.

Blessed and Bountiful

From our timeless holiday, an evening interlude in Liloan, snapped us back to reality. Attending a birthday dinner of a very dear friend surrounded me and my guest with people whom we've never seen for quite some time. It was a worthwhile break. After all, we had to repack for our next trip.

At the crack of dawn, Day 3 began. We embarked on the first fastcraft to Ormoc with renewed energy and a new set of friends. 'What the hell is in Ormoc?; people asked me in baffled faces. Well, as a tourism destination, I really couldn't say much about it except it's quaint and quiet. But as one of the hub cities in the island-province of Leyte, the city is our port of entry towards another island, Biliran.

We were greeted with the usual tropical isolated rain showers when we arrived in Ormoc. But the drive towards the island of Biliran on an early morning was peacefully green this day. With constant rain, the lush vegetation glows on each side of the road while the sun plays hide and seek with the scattered dark clouds. We just kept our fingers crossed hoping the weather would get better in our destination. After almost a couple of hours, we arrived in the capital town of Naval-actually, a regular vessel also travels from Cebu to Naval overnight but it just didn't coincide with our schedule. And by some miracle, the hovering rain clouds dissipated upon our arrival!

The nice thing about this trip, is that our host Bobby Cabañas pre-arranged everything for us. Before we mapped out the day's plan, a much needed brunch in a local carenderia put us back on our tripping mode. Bobby graciously offered his cozy home for the night. But here's the catch. His property is in the municipality of Kalubian, which is actually located in mainland Leyte and the quickest way to go there was by pump boat from Naval. Not a problem! We were to rent out one anyway to take us around the neighboring islands. After purchasing some supplies for the night and the next day, we boarded our exclusive 'yacht' and the let the island hopping commenced!

Our initial stop was Bobby's place just to drop off our supplies and only midway our cruise, I already caught glimpse of a number of islands in the nearby horizon. The panoramic vision was overwhelming! According to our captain, there are about thirty-something isles and islets within the waters north of the Biliran Strait and Samar Sea. Lying on the northwestern side of Naval is the charming little island of Dalutan. A privately owned property but open to the public, it is the most accessible by banca or pump boat being the nearest from the port. From afar, I fell in love with this little piece of land instantly. Below its forest hill, on the eastern side, lies a white-sand beach with picnic cottages and even huts to stay for a night or two. We stayed only half an hour enough to explore the entire area and enjoy the rich marine life on natural reefs just a few feet from the shore. (MORE NEXT WEEK)