East Mindanao Discovery Trip (2)

From Camiguin to Cagayan de Oro. Nothing spectacular but always full of surprises. Just 111 kilometers from bed to bed – nothing else, but …

We left our house at 9h30 after a good breakfast with a last really good coffee for many days (at least, we thought so). The short 20 kilometers trip to Benoni port had been without any surprises. Turning around the last curve in San Roque, we saw M/S Kalinaw leaving the port around 10 o’clock.  In the port we learned that the next ferry for Balingoan will leave at noon and tickets were available from 11:30. What now?

We went eating an early lunch at Taguines Lagoon. No, not the usual J&A Fishpen – we went on the other side of the lagoon to the inn with the 3 interestingly shaped guest bungalows in front. Time did run away and we had finally been in a hurry to eat our chicken and rice and return to the port.

Our ferry already waited for us. It had been the newest Super Shuttle Ferry, number 21. Well, new is relative. The number 21 is new to Camiguin and it is newly painted. It is currently the fastest ferry in Camiguin. It does Benoni-Balingoan in about 50 minutes. It seems that this ferry also sails Monday and Wednesday between Camiguin and Bohol in a bit more than 3 hours.

On the ferry we were allowed to use the VIP room in front of the ship. This room is really a pleasure, with air condition, wonderful upholstery, clean and even with a flat screen TV set. Unfortunately we could not read the writing on and over the entrance door to this room. But it gives some hints about the origins of this ferry.

We did the remaining 82 kilometers of road to Cagayan de Oro in a bit less than two hours. Traffic had been just acceptable – not very fluid but also not too congested. In many parts this important road is now enlarged to 4 lanes. Probably 2 lanes for drying rice and corn and 2 lanes for the usual mix of heavy trucks, buses, vans, cars, motorbikes, motorelas, tricycles and pedicabs.

As usual we slept in “our” room at “Natures Pensionne” and had our dinner at “Sentro”. Tomorrow, the real new Mindanao trip will start.

[GARD]