March 28th 2015 Journey from Cagayan De Oro to Mambajao on Camiguin Island

About a 2 hour ride from Cagayan De Oro to Balinboag where I take the 1 hour and 15 minute ferry to Benoni on Camiguin island

The ferry waiting area in Balingoan. My ferry was suppose to leave at 9:45am but ended up leaving at 10:35am.

Our boat is the blue one second from the left.

Once I got on the ferry there were kids on the other ferry asking me to throw money into the water for them to dive for and keep of course.

Arriving at Benoni boat terminal on Camiguin island.

Just outside Benoni boat terminal and escaped some taxi drivers wanting 500 pesos for a ride to Mambajao. I got this Jeepney on the right for 22 pesos. Inside on the right is the Grandmother, 10 year old Grandson, and the mother.

The GV hotel. Single rooms with AC for 405 pesos and standard with AC for 430 pesos. No WI-FI internet though.

Standard room with TV and movie channel.

Beach of Mambajao.

A run away horse running all over the place and the guy in the blue trying to catch it.

A street in Mambajao on Camiguin Island.

In the morning I grabbed a taxi to Agora Market where the CDO bus terminal is located. My taxi driver asked where I was going and I told him I was going to Camiguin island and he pointed and said "you should take a minivan they are right there". I get out and talk to a guy outside where the minivans are and ask him how much and he says "475 pesos" and then I ask another guy who seems in charge and he says "1500 pesos" but I am sure it was his english and not trying to rip me off (I think) as he tells me to be back at 10am because that is when they leave and it is only 7:30am right now. I didn't like the quotes they gave me and the fact it was still 2.5 hours away so I walk to the bus terminal entrance and about to walk in when another guy says "Are you going to Camiguin sir?" and I say "Yes" and he says "I am going to Balingoan right now and you can take the ferry from there. Just 120 pesos for the ride". So I get in and the minivan is full and we leave. It was about a 1 hour and 40 minute drive before we get to Balingoan ferry terminal. 

Everyone lines up to purchase their passenger boat ticket on the street for 175 pesos and as I walk in I have to pay a 2 pesos environmental fee and walk a little further and pay a 15 peso terminal fee before the security guard checks me and lets me in and I am told the boat leaves at 9:45am and I check my watch and see that it is 9:45am already but we wait in a waiting room for another 45 minutes and we eventually leave at 10:35am. I was one of the first to get on the ferry and as I head up the stairs and find a seat and some kids calling to me on the ferry beside me and climbing all over the boat and diving in the water. There are 5 of them and telling me to drop money into the water and they will dive for it so I throw a few pesos into the water for them to dive for.

The boat ride from Balingoan to Benoni (Camiguin Island) took an hour and 20 minutes and as we were heading there I was sort of sleeping until I heard some commotion and clapping from the people in front of me and look out and there are dolphins swimming with the ferry and jumping out of the water in unison. Once we arrived at Benoni boat terminal there were taxi guys trying to get me to go with them for 500 pesos and I knew the island was small (64km around) and said no so the guy says "Sir, I will give you a special price of 400 pesos" and I walked up to a Jeepney operator and asked how much for a jeepney ride to Mambajao and he says "22 pesos" so I look back at the taxi guy who was right behind me and said "Yup, I think I am going with him". 

In the back of the Jeepney is a grandmother, mother, and 9 year old grandson. The grandmother was a very nice and pleasant woman. Her and her daugter had a nose that was twice the size of mine and the grandmother had about 7 teeth in her mouth but spoke perfect english and told me everything about the island as she was a lifetime resident of the island and said she knew every person on the island. I looked around in the jeepney that was now full and said "Do you know everyone in this jeepney?" and she looked around at each person and then said "Almost everyone on here. There are a couple tourists though" and laughed. I checked my guidebook and decided I would go to GV Pension house and she said she knew where it was and would tell the driver to drop me off there. I found her to be a very honest soul when talking to her. 

Once I got dropped off I walked over to GV Pension house and she was getting off there too. I said good bye and the jeepney driver passed my luggage down from the roof of the jeepney and I went to check in at the Pension house. As I was inquiring I noticed the grandmother at the door smiling at me and she said "you pay your room first and I will talk to you after" and I am thinking "Oh great, Here I thought she was this honest woman and now she is probably going to ask me for money since what else would she want?". Once I pay for the room and go over to her while she is smiling showing all her 7 teeth she whispers to me "Did you actually even pay the jeepney driver for the ride?" and I told her I did but it was while he was passing me my luggage from the roof (and out of her line of vision) and she laughed and said "Oh ok. I was just checking" and left. 

I walked around the town of Mambajao (Mah-bow-ha) which is the capital of the Camiguin island which was really small and found an internet cafe but they didn't have a slot on their computers for my photos so I will have to transfer them onto an USB memory stick and then I can use it but the internet owner had told me the internet was slow today and tomorrow although he will be open there will be a power shut down for the day. As I walked back to the GV pension house I hear a guy yell out "Hello Mr Canada!!" and it was an old man who had asked me where I was from an hour earlier.