Giant clams

Having woken up early, I went out for breakfast around 0730.  Last night’s dinner place clearly said they were open for breakfast but they weren’t.  Other places with breakfast signs weren’t open either!

My only option was a simple place with pre-cooked vegetables, eggs and a few meat options.  I opted for two veges, a sweet red thumb-sized skinless sausage (loganisa), rice and coffee.

I walked to the main road around 0830 to try find public transport to the Giant Clam Sanctuary in the south-east of the island.  Most visitors get around Camiguin on a low-CC motorbike or scooter but I have my concerns about falling and injuring myself.

I managed to get a motorella to the island’s main centre of Mambajao where I changed to jeepney to beyond the port of Benoni.  That only cost me PHP15+50 for about 1h15 of travelling plus some waiting time during the transfer.

Here I had to take a motorised tricycle for my destination, the Giant Clam Sanctuary.  Unfortunately, a few drivers and passengers told me they were closed since before Easter.

The drivers suggested another place where I could snorkel amongst the giant clams.  They told me it was about 10 mins away by tricycle down a steep hill.  I agreed to the trip but realised it was perhaps walkable.

The site was called Cabuan Coastal & Village Tour.  The price for snorkelling there, rental of the snorkelling equipment and guide appeared identical to my original destination.

I got the equipment and a guide and was glad that I did get the guide.  My masked leaked badly and the attached snorkel was badly oriented and kept defaulting to a position that took in water.

The guide towed me using a pontoon to the necessary viewpoints and it made the unpleasant snorkel as short as possible.  Sorry, I don’t have underwater photos available.  The clams were large and the exposed portion between the two halves of the shells were green and purple.

I was offered a shower after the perhaps 20 min snorkel.  I was happy with what I had seen but would have preferred a longer and more enjoyable experience.

Text continues after this gallery.

My driver came to pick me up around 1140 and delivered me to Benoni port where I found jeepney that would take me back part-way.  After a short wait, the drivers decided that a motorella would involve less waiting for me.

That motorella took me to Tupsan where I changed to another motorella to Mambajao, after I had dipped my footwear in something to kill some bugs due to animal quarantine measures.

At Mambajao, I made use of the stop to visit the supermarket and buy some mangoes at the local markets.  From here, I took a third motorella to Yumbing where I was staying.

The four rides, including shopping and a snack took about 2 hours.  The local transport through the various settlements including Mambajao made me feel like I’ve explored Camiguin.  I spent the afternoon indoors relaxing and catching up on various online tasks which I hadn’t found time for.

Public transport in Camiguin is pretty cheap if one can avoid the airport cartel.  It works pretty well if one is lucky with the waiting for the vehicle to fill up.