My life is a dead tree, Spring is a mockery to it. I am re-echoing a poem by Thomas E. Moore. It’s just that I feel like a tree being pulled off from its soil, its natural surrounding and left to wither and die. Or worst, a dead tree axed for firewood. At least the latter found some use to its existence.
It’s just that I always end up being remiss. How could a nice, timely topic end up being so decisive? Hello, I was just trying to start an engaging conversation.
View of the whole Canigao Island from Brgy Itom with the lighthouse at the far, right side.
Every time I go and explore a new place, I try to find certain uniqueness to it. Going to Canigao Island reminded me of my travel to Potipot Island in Zambales. The resemblance is hard to miss but Canigao has its own unique beauty to show off.
The long stretch of white sandy beach.
Canigao Island is located in Brgy Itom, a fishing village in Matalom, Leyte (East Central Philippines). It’s around 4-5 hours ride from Tacloban City, the capital of Northern Leyte. In Brgy. Itom we hired a boat that would take us to the island. It took us less than 10 minutes to get there. Getting near the island, I got excited as I saw the long stretch of white sand and the blue clear water.
The water is pristine in Canigao.
There is no electricity in the island. But it has a prominent solar-powered lighthouse that becomes prominent as our boat approaches the shore. The moment that we got off, I immediately looked at the quality of the sand in Canigao. It was off white. Boracay sand is finer and more bleached. What struck me are the “facilities” available in the island. There were sari-sari stores, huts and cottages. The resort is LGU-owned and requires everyone a minimal entrance fee. The huts and other housing facility range from 300-700 pesos but one is allowed to camp out if you have no money.
The newly-painted solar-powered lighthouse located at the back of the island.
I looked around and found people enjoying the beach. It was Sunday when we arrived there so obviously a lot of people were making the most of the long weekend.
Beach bummers having photo op behind the signage. Oki and Deb are waiting for their turn.
Aside from the white sandy beach, the island is a sanctuary of coral reefs, sand bars, fishes, and other species. The island is also rich in vegetation so it’s nice to sit and relax under a tree and watch the sea.
It was way passed noon and the sun was scorching hot. The contrast was nice though, a good opportunity to take more postercard-like photos of the island.
That's me enjoying the scene. I wasn't able to bring my tripod but I found a nice, stable spot to place my heavy camera. :-)
Just like what I did in Potipot Island, I tried exploring the whole area, taking photos of every thing and any thing that caught my interest. It took me at least an hour and a half to finish the 360 degree turn. You can walk around the whole island in 30 minutes (more or less). Half of the route, I decided to rest for awhile and enjoy what nature has to offer--the white sand, the pristine water, the blue sky, the lush vegetation, wild flowers, people passing by, dead trees, falling leaves, floating branches, seaweeds, shells, colorful pebbles...and more.
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[To get to Canigao Island:]
Take the flight from Manila to Tacloban City Airport. From Tacloban City, go to the Van-Van's Terminal and buy a ticket ride going to Maasin City, the capital of Southern Leyte. This terminal provides an airconditioned van ride to Matalom which is more comfortable than taking the bus. Tell the driver to drop you at Brgy Itom.
From the highway, hire a pedicab that will bring you to MB San Pedro de Nonok and look for Sayong Daño. From there, you can hire a boat to bring you to Canigao Island. The boat ride costs 450 pesos (two-way, minimum fare). Entrance fee is 10 pesos for adult and 5 pesos for a child.
Canigao Island is 5-7 minutes boat ride from Brgy. Maitum in Matalom, Leyte
Some weeks ago, the four of us—Etch, Deb, Oki and I— planned to have a short vacation. We have had several activities at the office prior to that and thought that maybe we could give ourselves a break (even for a few days). Just US girls.
We had an official travel in Dumaguete City for a CPAR project review. Knowing it will be Dumaguete City, we got excited and decided to extend our stay. We all thought, “This is the perfect place to unwind!” None of us have been there.
A few days after our SO was finalized and signed, we were informed that the Dumaguete trip was canceled and that the review will be held in Tacloban City instead. Geezus. What to do in Tacloban? Where to go? This is my second time in Tacloban City and I had the chance to explore the place already. Disillusioned, we wanted to scrap our previous plan of extending the trip.
A few days prior to our flight, I saw Pat browsing his friend’s FB account. He was looking into these beautiful photos of a beach with a long stretch of white sand. Immediately, I asked him, “Pat, saan yan?” (Pat, where is that?). He said, it was somewhere in Leyte. He was not sure where exactly in Leyte but I got curious that I asked Etch if she knew the place. The stars came shining on me. A few days after, we were heading for Canigao Island in Matalom, Leyte.
Etch got sick two days before and could not go out of her bed. She practically stayed the last day of the review in the hotel and opted to stay at her brother's house during the extension of our trip. She got the cough and colds from me. I was sick when I arrived in Tacloban but tried to fight it. I was taking notes during the meeting with burning eyes and a dry cough. Jeezus. I think the "hot bath" helped a lot in my recovery.
So anyway, cutting this prelude short… we were in Canigao Island that one, fine, sunny Sunday morning.
I will tell you more about our trip in my next post.
