Biking Around Camotes

I I wanted to end my Camotes blog with Santiago Bay, but if there's one thing that made my trip memorable, it was the impromptu bicycle tour that we took on our last day.



Mangodlong Paradise Resort rented out bicycles for P100 (I think) for a day. I just remember the cost being negligible. We rode away to the countryside, and decided to find another nearby beach. It was quite tiring to pedal through the unpaved roads, but once we got on the highway, the ride became smoother. 


We took time to explore our surroundings on the bicycle. I felt so alive when I went around on two wheels. Camotes had a very laid back atmosphere, very rural, very peaceful. We even stopped to have conversations with strangers! We even tried picking mangoes from a tree.


We didn't go too far, and ended up in the beach next to Mangodlong. There was an abandoned resort on the beach. The shoreline was rocky and the sand was rough. The water was also murky, but there was less trash compared to Santiago Bay. We were the only ones there, except for a a group of men drinking nearby at 9 in the morning!


We went back after 3 hours of exploring, even if we only covered less than 8 kilometers. We were smitten by the effortless charm of Camotes. I was convinced that this was the perfect place to escape in Cebu, and even the safest place as well (crime rate is almost zero). Camotes was worth the wait, but the short lived experience left me craving for more. Take me back to Camotes!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Us-Usan Island: Guimaras

Image
After having a pleasant lunch in Nagarao, we decided to hire a boat to explore the surrounding islands of Nagarao. There was this one island that the staff recommended, Us-usan Island. As soon as I saw a strip of sand glistening from a distance, I knew we were in for a treat. Us-usan Island. The water wasn't as clear though as in Nagarao and in most of Guimaras. The sand bar jutting out of the island seemed like a catwalk on the sea. This provided a nice swimming area for the island's visitors as well. We began to explore the island, hoping to circle it in less than an hour. The island has a narrow shoreline, probably because it was high tide. There were also foliage all around, so it was quite a struggle going around. We were treated though with amazing views of the sea. This tree was alone and offshore for around 100 meters. It was quite strange to see a single tree in full bloom in the middle of the sea. After 15 minutes of walking, we arrived at a mangrove area. There were ...
Explore...

JCO Donuts and Coffee

Image
Its logo looks like Starbucks and the look of the place is like Krispy Kreme in orange. I guess the owners of JCO really thought of merging coffee and donuts, which are of course, perfect for each other. I stumbled upon JCO when it opened in Jakarta 2 years ago. The lines were unbelievably long, and that reminded me of our Gonuts Donuts craze back then. After 2 years, JCO in Jakarta has established itself as a donut shop serving great coffee and blended drinks. They also serve ice cream (gelato). JCO is a franchise that began in Singapore, spread in Malaysia, and hit Indonesia. The donuts craze came about the same time across all countries in Asia. JCO for me is different. When I tasted it the first time, I just had the glazed donut served by my clients. MY initial reaction was, it tasted like Dunkin' Donuts. And that held my interest. While Go Nuts and Krispy Kreme tasted the same, Dunkin Donuts was still different. In the Philippines, Dunkin' is targets the mass market, makin...
Explore...

Legaspi Suites Hotel: Davao

Image
Legaspi Suites is the only boutique hotel in Davao. What makes it boutique is its size and attention to design and ambience. Legaspi Suites is located in a complex that was once an ancestral home. The landmark still remains in tact at the middle of the complex and a 4 story apartment building was built around it to house the hotel. Once you enter the lobby, you would feel that the hotel thought about its design, which is uncommon in Davao. I would think this would be normal in Cebu already, but in Davao, good design is still scarce. I got the cheapest room, a standard room for P1,600 since I was only staying for one night. The room was huge and very bare. I'm assuming this room was made simple because of the class. The rooms have different colors, as seen from their brochures. I passed by a suite room which was open, and I thought it looked charming. My room was located on the second floor beside the spa, so I had a view of the courtyard downstairs. I love this place because it had...
Explore...