i♥Travel - Extended Get-away at Bantayan Island
"Why do you go away? So that you can come back. So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colors. And the people there see you differently, too. Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving." ― Terry Pratchett, A Hat Full of Sky
Hello Steemit Fretz!
Ever gone on a trip and feel like it wasn’t just enough? This happened when we went backpacking from our last get-away on a hot spring for the weekend. Since work at the office wasn’t that hectic and we just couldn’t get enough of the chillaxin’ vibe we decided to have our leaves extended for two more days.
Since we were in the North of Cebu, we went much further to Bantayan! Unfortunately, I got left behind and had to go home. I had some family obligations that need attention to. So my fretz went ahead and I promise that I’ll go and catch up with them.
About Bantayan Island
This island used to be a very quiet and isolated town from Cebu. Now they’ve been the go-to-place for travelers who want to try a quaint island life. The same as Boracay, it has white and powdery sand with immaculate blue waters. Compared to Boracay though, it is less commercialized and more serene.
Brief History
The island’s name is derived from Visayan word “Bantayan,” which means “keep watch.”
In the past, the island was continually harassed and attacked by the Moro pirates who come and kidnap the natives and go on raids. This is why they built watchtowers for protection
According to famous folklores, these towers were called “Bantayan sa Hari,” which means Watchtowers of the Kings.” The purpose of these towers is to see the Moro’s boats, called Vintas coming towards them.
How to Get There
From my place, I can ride a bus going to Hagnaya. I rode the bus around 2:30 pm and arrived at Hagnaya around 4:45. The last trip for the boat ride going to the Island is 5:30 p.m. I was lucky that I got on the ferry.
What I didn’t expect was the huge waves. I’m not sure but the weather was okay that day but going there was quite rocky. I’m at the 2nd floor of the ferry and the restroom is downstairs, so I had to get help from the crew getting down because the floor was slippery from the waves. There was also a time that the ferry was like high-jumping.
It was night time when I got back to the island. I had to ask for directions and had the tricycle driver help me locate our accommodation.
Drinking Spree
We used to love drinking while on a getaway since it was a relaxing night we decided to go to a KTV bar and so my fretz went on singing and drinking at the same time.
However, the public Karaoke is fully booked with people wanting to sing so while waiting and avoid boredom, we got into they decided to lettering and doodling our arms. I don’t know if it was because of the alcohol or it was just that night but we were just laughing all night long.
The product of our nonsensical doodling
My fret @elle.laurent even got lost when we were on our way home. He entered the wrong cottage. We ended up running towards our place as to not get caught. It was a fun night though.
Beachin’
The next morning, we decided to go swimming. You’ll be amazed how lovely the beach is. We were also playing around and just making the most of our extended get-away. It’s not peak season and we got the beach all to ourselves.
This is the Sugar Beach.The name "sugar" is because of it's fine white sand, which is the same that of a white sugar.It is has the widest beautiful white sand on the island.This beach is public so anyone can use it without having to pay for an entrance fee.
Quick Tour at Ogtong Cave Resort
Since we only have a limited time frame strolling the island, we weren’t able to check the whole island out (I better go back and try island hopping). Ogtong Cave is a 25-minute ride from Sta. Fe. The resort has day use and entrance fee of around 120 pesos. A lot of people go to the resort, not because of the resort itself but because of their underground cave.
Unfortunately, the cave was not for public use when we got there. My other friends were able to go and experience swimming inside the cave. The underground cave has clear blue waters inside. We just hang out there for a while and just decided to go stroll around the resort and use their pool. Weekdays are the best time to go because we got the pool all to ourselves.
Overall, our Bantayan Trip was more on relaxing and we didn’t really do the activities that tourists do when they’re there. This is also a good excuse to go back, right? Have a great day fretz!
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We've had a lot of fun travels together but If I had to pick my favorite, this has to be it! Miss u all, fretz!
Yes fret! It's one of my favorites as well..
wow the philippines become more and more appealing! thanks for sharing!
@exploreland it is you should come and visit.
Soooo nice i want be there :)
You should go.
I've never heard of an island that has an official history of being raided by pirates. That's very interesting and scary at the same time. It looks like they got it under control though. That place is beautiful and it looks like you had fun :-)
My country has tons of history in it. You'll be amazed of some of the stories as well. Thanks for dropping by @leap8
Interesting to know about this some awesome photographs you shared wow great to see :)
Yes it is. You should come and check it out too.
What I take from this text is that you already have a looot of offline friends in Steemit already.
Glad they're adopting it so much around there.
Cheers!
Yes, it is fun that a few of us are here.
Swimming in an underground cave sounds really cool. All sounds so nice and warm......
Yes, too bad we didn't try that there.
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