Somewhere in the northern part of Cebu, lies a town that has enjoyed pastoral peace; idyllic, as some travelers would describe it, for
so long so that the rush of tourists to the town sometimes makes people wonder why they come.
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| Tricycles are the common means of transportation in Medellin |
With a population of more than 50 thousand in a 73-square
kilometre area, the municipality is basically open and wide and surely not
crowded.
Medellin’s main product is sugar as evidenced by the
hectares upon hectares of sugarcane when you arrive at the place. But since the
sugar industry in the Philippines suffered a slow and devastating crunch, the
town has to make up for what has been its main industry.
They opted for ecotourism, now a visible alternative that
actually propel the municipality to fame.
Some fishermen also collected washed out seaweed/sea
grass to be sold to the city as a plasticware ingredient, an unorthodox way to
have extra money but very viable especially in an island like Gibitngil.
FUNTASTIC!
One very popular destination in Medellin is the barangay
(village) Kawit where the white sands of its beaches glaringly stare back at
you while the blue-green sea cools you down.
Kawit is also the starting point to the very famous
tourism-related activity in the municipality- the Funtastic Gibitngil Island,
as they call it.
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| Funtastic Gibitngil Island |
From Kawit, going to the nearby Gibitngil Island is never
a problem. In fact hordes of barkers would shout PANTASTIK SIR? PANTASTIK MAM? upon
your arrival. You have options for 2 persons or a group of 10. Be sure to
haggle around instead of hopping on a boat without asking. For safety reasons, I
would like to recommend the pumpboats operated by the municipality/LGU. They are
reasonably priced and have life vests for passengers.
The way to a funtastic island is a bit rough even during
normal days. Normal days mean no strong winds, no monsoons.
Stories of shrewd tourists who chose a small craft for
lesser rentals send them swimming in the rough seas just a few meters from the
beaches of Kawit. It is an unfortunate event that should not happen to you.
Prioritize safety above a small sum of money.
Funtastic Gibitngil is an outcrop of isles that is
connected by concrete foot bridges. The water around the area is unbelievable
blue and green with some parts several meters deep. Activities are introduced
for the tourists’ enjoyment, among them kayaking, swimming, ziplining or just
relaxing in the tiered huts around the isles that makes it a popular
destination.
Overcrowding however is a problem. If you go there to
have peace and enjoy the serenity of the srroundings, you are out of place. The
beach area is covered with tarpaulin shades to shelter tourists who would like
to sit and eat at the beach. Some irresponsible tourists have thrown a plastic
in the sea and it’s an ugly sight. The people staying at the cottages way up
were washing their fish from above and water flows along the concrete steps.
Yuck. Not counting those who are throwing a barbecue and the smoke creates an
artificial fog.
With a 10-peso entrance fee, I didn’t stay for more than
30 minutes in that condition. Sayang. What a waste.
BAR, SAND BAR
Always ask the boat operator to bring you to the sandbar!
I did and was truly mesmerized.
For people who are used to the toxic city life, an isolated
sand bar is heaven on earth. No amenities except a few docked fishermen’s boats
and a drying area for salted fish, the sand bar give me peace and comfort.
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| Sand bar all for ourselves |
We stayed there for several hours swimming and snorkelling
and remained there all to ourselves like we have claimed stake to it.
NICE SUNSET WITH THE KIDS
We stayed at Manreza Beach House, an exclusive rest house
in Kawit. Built to cater to the owner’s guests, the whole resort came out cheap
and cheerful and as if we own the place.
The beachfront is an amazing presentation of life in the
seaside towns.
During sundown, the village folks, especially children,
come to converge at the beach and play. Several families also came and had
their snacks, and perhaps, dinner there, waiting for the setting of the sun.
It was a joyful confusion of children shrieking with joy
and drunken laughs of men and women sitting by the beach. Lovely!
I would surely come back.
HELPFUL TIPS:
Hitch a Ceres Liner at Cebu North Bus Terminal when you
want to go to Medellin. It’s about 130 kilometres from Cebu City and would take
about 3 hours in going there. But don’t worry if it will take that long. A
stopover at Carmen town gives you time to stretch, go to the comfort rooms and
eat a good barbecue. The fare is about 150 pesos going straight to Kawit, or
130 pesos if you stop in the poblacion.
Resorts in Kawit tend to be full during the month of
April due to the approaching fiesta of the town. Price ranges from 1,500 to
5,000 pesos depending on the choice of room and location of the resort.
We stayed at Manreza Beach House, known in the area as
Ligaya Beach Resort (unbelievably just a 1,000 pesos a night) with four of us
sharing an airconditioned room with a bathroom that occupied almost one-third
of the room space. This is a private rest house so pray they do not have guests
when you are going there. We actually send one of us to the poblacion to
request for rooms (the gates of the beach house are always closed). If the
owner trusts you, you are asked to pay in advance at the Manreza Store. And stay
trusted in return.
We brought our own food and drinks and let the caretaker
cook for us for just a reasonable pay.
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