Roaming Pilar, Camotes Islands

My habal-habal driver knew where to bring me!

Uh huh, as if anyone else from Pilar would not, right? I think the entire length of this island is only something like 10 or so kilometers from north to south. And am not sure if this can even be as wide as 2 kilometers at its widest. Still, I like the places we went to see. But I have forgotten some of the important details along the way. Maybe a lot of them disappeared from my memory when I took my “ride of a lifetime” leaving this island. But that’s a later story! For now let’s see what my camera caught and what I can remember of them!

The old houses. Oh yes the era-type wooden brown houses! Proof enough that this island was already inhabited in years gone by. I loved looking at them my driver even told me “sir, we still have a lot to see”! Some of these houses are left as they were in those yesteryears, some received attempts at being spruced up, but I particularly liked that one where there are even still flowering plants by the stairs and the windows! I looked closely… (zoomed, I mean) and I thought that ceiling fan and fluorescent light did not seem to belong. Hehe, how cruel of me. What did I want to happen, the residents use kerosene lamps or gasera just to satisfy my nostalgia? Probably hahaha!

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Though spruced up a bit and painted, I think this one is also a house from the American era. 1930s? or 40s? I like these such houses. And OMG the lawn! You could build more than a basketball court in there, right? Wow!

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This one they call a “lake”. I did not and do not want to believe that since where I stood was of coralline sand and the edges of the body of water was a lush mangrove forest. But I kept silent as I knew this was/is a significant site for the locals. My driver (cum tourguide) wouldn’t have exerted all the effort bringing me here, after we were barked at and chased by a dog, if this was not a beautiful place, right? Well, it is! The body of water, is so serene it makes you just wanna sit down on the sides or even take a dip. I attempted, but he told me the unseen spirits might not like it. Duuu! So I had to cease and desist!

Some boulders and mangrove trees actually shield it from direct ‘assault‘ of the sea waves, thus, the placid lake-like ambience. And I could see where sea water could seep in and out. But I liked the “legend” that he told me about – unfortunately as of this time, I cannot exactly recall it hehe. the tale goes something like: a giant from a lake somewhere (Danao Lake? or mainland Cebu?) was irked/disturbed by us the people of the new world, so he made his own “copy” of the lake where no one could disturb him here in Pilar. Unlucky giant, we the tourists have started invading hehe!

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Ah, this one? It is just a simple backyard of some houses, where boats are parked and where no one really goes a romping sunning or tanning. Can you believe there is still an unadulterated beach in this province? Okay, if indeed there still are, this should be one of them!

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This is Kawit. A barangay of Pilar, yes. This is where the boat stops next after dropping passengers off at the pier of Pilar’s main center, before crossing onward to Puertobello, Tudela in the next Island and coming back to reverse the route onwards to Ormoc. That is where it supposedly docks - right on that white-sandy beach(below) without a wharf!

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Hmm, my wonder of wonders is how come there seemed to be more people and/or bustling business activities on this side of the island than at Pilar’s poblacion! Oh, the stomach grumbled for lunch and we found a turo-turo where there was still some remaining sumptuous tinola. Music while we ate? These supposedly talkative birds in a cage that did not like to mutter anything every time I went near! I think one whispered saying “ambot” but would not repeat that howsoever I coaxed it. Hmp! KJ langgam. Batig nawong! Itum hehehe!

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Aw, I loved this place! Coraza’s is a resort that does not actually have a sandy strip. But the emerald greens were so inviting anywhere you perched on those breezy crags. Plus, this resort brings out the child in you. Those “concrete” animals are scattered around the place and fun to see. There are chirpy live birds though plus the manangs I saw wouldn’t stop sweeping the tiled floor of the bar. So I removed my crocs while walking around!

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This one was closed, and is supposed to be one of the better resorts, my driver told me!

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Here all we saw were dogs and some birds hahaha!

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This cave is like a hole to hell! It’s like a downward pit and my guide tells me its chamber is supposed to connect to the sea. Though I saw some younger folks swimming in there, I did not dare. Ah, am not a caveman! AND interestingly or weirdly, there was this little kitty cat by the mouth of the cave, even if the nearest house is far far away. Whoever brought that poor little thing to this place should be imprisoned in that cave forever hehe!

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We could see some of the industrial structures on Isabel, Leyte!

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I repeated to my driver… I am not a caveman hehe!

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I can’t recall now, but that place is supposed to be significant, reason why I took this photo. Anyone knows?

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More views:

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2:17PM I was back from roaming and a bit early for the boat back to Ormoc. So I picked a bottle of SML at a store to the left of this picture below. They buy copra, so the whole place smelled ‘delicious’!

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And I thought I said there's nothing much to see in Pilar! Okay, let's cut it here and go back to Ormoc next - if I can hehe!

 

 

To read the chronology of stories on this Pilar Camotes trip, click the following numbers:
01   02   03   04   05   06

ISSN 2515141.25-1102