Philippines
Camotes - Riding across a tropical island
It’s hot, the kind of sticky heat that makes you wonder if you’ll ever feel cold skin again.
And there are mozzies, so many mosquitoes that I don’t see, but that leave their mark on my skin. Giant red welts, that I only notice when they start to itch.
But those are the downsides. You see, this island, Camotes Island in The Philippines, is actually stunning. It’s small, so small we can ride across it in about 20 minutes on the motorbike we’ve hired for $AUD10 a day from our accommodation.
It’s the kind of island that you imagine when you think you’re going to run off to a tropical island. Only there is a paved road all the way around it. And lush tropical landscapes fringing white sandy beaches.
It’s the kind of island where boats fill those beaches, because this is a working island, not a tourist island.
The kind of island where cows and chickens and dogs roam the streets and where the kids yell ‘hello’ as you ride past.
We stop in what we think is the main part of town for lunch, but it’s late and the lady behind the local burger counter tells us she can only do snacks.
No meals.
We opt for a burger and fries and wonder what a meal is, if this is only a snack.
We’re near the port, not close enough that we can see it, but we know if we continue along the road, we’ll find the port just around the bend. We know this because that’s how we arrived.
By ferry.
The only way you can get to this island – or series of islands as we soon discover.
But once we’re finished eating we see a sign to ‘Town Proper – 11km’ and realise our error.
This isn’t the main town at all.
There is another town, a bigger town, so we ride on. We dodge scooters and cars and trucks and dogs, all sharing the road.
A family of chickens wanders across in front of our bike and we ride on. We see farmers ploughing fields to our left and buffalo grazing to our right. And all the while teak trees compete with palm trees to line the road.
We park at the local market, a food market in a giant tin shed, and wander through the aisles checking out the mangoes, the dragon fruit, the durian and the various kinds of meat all sitting under makeshift fans. Or being fanned by stall holders waving long sticks with plastic bags tied to the ends over their tables. Anything to keep the flies and the insects away.
We walk down to the waterfront where traditional Philippine boats bob on the water and timber huts offer iced coffee, cokes and some kind of cup with a straw, chips and hot dog all inside, as though someone has shoved a full fast-food meal inside a paper cup.
As we drink an iced chocolate looking out over the mangroves a little girl yells ‘hello’.
She turns away shyly when we reply and runs away but comes back minutes later and tells us she wants to give us a blessing. She takes my hand and presses it to her forehead then takes Adrian’s hand and does the same thing. She smiles at us and runs back to her mum.
And we’re reminded that you just never quite know what will happen next. And that’s the beauty of travelling.
Fast Facts
We travelled to Camotes Island in 2024.
We stayed at DJs Beach Resort.
We were here for 10 nights.
Was it long enough? It was long enough to see everything on the island but I would go back tomorrow. It’s the kind of place you can easily chill out.
Highlights: Every single day.
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