This morning I woke up to a loud knock at our $15 a night motel room. Standing there was a doorman with some white bread and marmalade; apparently our deluxe continental breakfast had arrived. Needless to say I was still hungry so I went across the street and grabbed some eggs and noodles. People in the street kept staring at me, I wonder if they’d ever seen someone like me before.
Finally made it to Camiguin today. Took a two-hour bus ride from Cagayan de Oro to the port where we got the ferry. The bus ride was crazy; the driver sped through winding curves and headed straight into oncoming traffic at numerous points. I swear every 5 seconds he would honk the horn like a madman at children playing in the street or at motorcycles careening back and forth. Additionally, as I was sitting towards the back of the bus I’m pretty sure the shocks were worn out, my spine definitely took a beating on that ride. I was crammed in on a window seat with no room to maneuver, it wasn’t as bad as one of those buses you would see in India, but it was close. Packed, sweaty, and uncomfortable is a good way to describe it, and it was the A/C bus! I can only imagine what the non A/C bus was like.
The ferry ride was surprisingly pleasant. It took about an hour and a half and we got a great view of Camiguin on our way in. I got a bag of chocolate pretzels and bottled water as my post-breakfast snack. I found out that the island is actually sitting on an active volcano; the last time it blew was in 1950. It’s anyone’s guess when it will blow again, as soon as it does the island will be uninhabitable for a few years with all the ash around.
After we made landfall a swarm of locals clamored aboard looking to make a peso by helping us with our bags. That’s one thing I’ve noticed around here, people are always scrambling to help you with every menial task in order to earn a little more money. Every establishment has multiple security guards, with numerous people waiting around to cater to the customer; it’s definitely over-employment. Anyway, we climbed aboard a World War II era truck and headed down the island’s main road to the Palmeri residence. The island looked fairly well-off for the Philippines, meaning I didn’t see an excess of pollution or dilapidated houses, although it certainly did still exist.
The house is surprisingly nice, a lot of modern conveniences such as satellite TV, refrigerator, stove, and fluorescent lights. Wildlife is everywhere… Ants crawl along all surfaces inside and outside the house, as do large geckos. Cows and pigs roam the yard, I’ve been told to be on the lookout for cobras and boa constrictors. After a quick tour I sliced myself some break and made a peanut butter/banana sando, quite tasty. I took out my guitar and played a few licks, still in good working order. Finally unpacked all my stuff, even though I’m only here for two weeks until moving on to the school I am tired of living out of my bag. So begins my time here, already miss the A/C.
-Steven Campbell
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