We targeted 3 provinces in 5 days and Kalanggaman belongs to the second province called Leyte. We have already visited mainland Cebu including Cebu City and its northern islands such as Bantayan and Malapascua. Since we love adventures especially ATV, we likewise spent one full day in Danasan Eco Adventure Park to enjoy their extreme activities.
Date | Place | Preview |
---|---|---|
August 30, 2016 | Cebu City | |
August 31, 2016 | Danasan Eco Adventure Park | |
September 1, 2016 | Bantayan Island | |
September 2, 2016 | Malapascua Island | |
September 2, 2016 | Kalanggaman Island | |
September 3, 2016 | Leyte |
Kalanggaman
September 2, 2016
- Non-Palompon Tourists – Entrance Fee: PHP 150.00/head
- Cottage: PHP 250.00/cottage
- Kalanggaman to Palompon public boat fare: PHP 200.00/head
Among the 3 islands we have been to (the first 2 were Bantayan, Malapascua) in this Cebu-Leyte road-trip slash island-hopping DIY tour, Kalanggaman is my favorite because of its long and moving sandbar plus the fact that it is far away from the busyness of the world.
During the tour, I asked why the name of the island is “Kalanggaman.” Langgam in Cebuano means bird. The island’s sandbars act like the wings of a bird. They change shape depending on the direction of the waves, where they seem to “flap” accordingly. Amazing! Apart from the shape, I would imagine longer ‘wings’ during low tide because our boatman said what we saw was not its longest version.
The island is divided by grasses and coconut trees. A chapel stands also in the middle of the island (wow, my first encounter) and it does boast a picturesque view! Interesting. I wonder if that chapel has history of private (or secret?) weddings already.
We also found wooden, triangular-shaped ‘tents’ on the other side of the island. Some men were busy putting and setting things up and when I asked one of them what’s the plan behind the structures, the guy said that development is ongoing and in a few months, water sports might highly likely be introduced in this island. I somehow got mixed feelings about this.
Well, it is good business and it will boost tourism when the community enables water sports in this area. However, I am also afraid that the island will be abused somehow. It won’t probably be as beautiful and as clean as it is now. Hopefully not.
It was a lot of fun doing a 360-degree check on the island, not minding the dehydrating weather at all (but if I remember it right, my friend Mikee was able to drink a full 1.5 liter of Royal Tru Orange after the walking tour). It reminded me how simple life can be and still enjoy every minute of it. When you get hungry, you can just climb the coconut tree and have a fresh buko (young coconut) juice in no time. I think a coconut that has fallen from the tree after a day is already considered spoiled. Whereas, for most of us, coconuts that just landed in the market are the so-called fresh ones.
The other ‘wing’ of the island has a low point that I did not dare to cross. I was not sure of the depth of the waters and I don’t trust my almost-no-level swimming skills. So I was just happy taking photos of foreigners who were doing some pictorials across.
Kalanggaman has 2 faces. One rocky and one sandy. The side where they plan to put up water sports is the rocky end of the island. I wonder how they will conduct the water sports on this side. However, I think this side also has more trees than the sandy end. That’s the thing, what if, because of people, the sandy side lost some of the trees already? Just thinking out loud.
Some trees I believe were torn down by the wrath of typhoons and super typhoons. Especially in this area, typhoons are constant visitors, ready to steal and destroy everything that is above the surface. The last, strongest typhoon that wrecked this place was Yolanda in November, 2013.
No matter how much the typhoons try to hurt the islands in the south, the beaches remain to be ever beautiful and calm. This is what I love about my country, ever resilient and strong, with broad smiles on people’s faces. Fighter!
The island was intentionally installed with a somewhat floating deck for tourists to enjoy the view from a distance. And one would indeed appreciate the island even more with a different perspective.
Note: This is not advisable for those who get dizzy easily on moving surfaces.
We left the place with so much satisfaction in our hearts, for being able to relax in another paradise, among gazillions of paradises, that Philippines has to offer. Though we spent less than a day in Kalanggaman, it was all worth it. The more or less 4 hours was all we needed to calm our minds and to remember to be grateful of little blessings in life.
The trip was even sealed with a gorgeous sunset. I almost missed it because our direction was against the sun. However, I was blessed to have witnessed it until we arrived in Palompon, Leyte.
Date | Place | Preview |
---|---|---|
August 30, 2016 | Cebu City | |
August 31, 2016 | Danasan Eco Adventure Park | |
September 1, 2016 | Bantayan Island | |
September 2, 2016 | Malapascua Island | |
September 2, 2016 | Kalanggaman Island | |
September 3, 2016 | Leyte |