Take me back to Mambacayao, Bantayan- part 1

Four and a half hours of land and sea travel were no mean task by any account. We had to wake up early so that we could leave the big city (Cebu) by 6AM. Hagnaya, San Remigio, our takeoff point, was about 110 km away so starting at the break of the day would allow us to skip the heavy morning traffic.


the vast beach of shifting sand of Mambucayao Island, Bantayan, Cebu, the Philippines
Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/3200s, f/5.0, 18mm, ISO 100, -1/3EV


At a private port, we hired fishing boat to take us to the southwestern islands of Bantayan. The boat was a large hulk but it sliced through the waters effortlessly. The weather, after a week of stormy conditions, was perfect – no sign of rain, no whirling winds, only terrific sunshine. You hardly could tell that the day before, rains were so strong we had to cancel the trip to the seaweed farm.


farmers planting seaweed at Mambucayao Island, Bantayan, Cebu
Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/2500s, f/5.6, 45mm, ISO 100, -1/3EV


I’ve been to Bantayan before but our destination were the smaller islets way out southwest, nearer to Negros Occidental than to Bantayan. Far from easy transport and totally unheard of in the urban world of Cebu, the islands are tiny specks in the middle of Visayan sea, with sandy white beaches, coconut-fringed coves and clear lagoons.


the north shore of Mambucayao Island, Bantayan, Cebu
Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/1600s, f/7.1, 18mm, ISO 100, -1/3EV


One island stands out. Its name is Mambacayao.


Mambucayao Island, Bantayan, Cebu
Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/800s, f/9.0, 18mm, ISO 100


there’s more of the Bantayan islands in Mambacayao (part 1) and (part 2)