Bantayan, Philippines Accommodation: Airbnb and Coucou Bar Hotel and Restaurant Duration: 6 days After a night in Cebu City we were ready to begin our journey north, up the west coast of Cebu Island and across the Tanon Strait to Bantayan Island. The Pittsburgh Penguins had an important game that morning which I was adamant about watching. My fandom left us with little time and a tight window to make the last bus that would allow us to catch the final ferry for the day. As we ran into the station we immediately spotted a bus with a sign for Hagnaya, the town where the ferry was to depart from. We hopped on with our backpacks only to find that it was absolutely packed with people. There was no room to sit let alone maneuver. We asked the guy working the bus if there would be another soon. He assured us there would be and told us to wait in the same spot. After 20 minutes or so doubt began to set in. We asked the station attendants who gave us ambiguous answers, leaving us with little confidence that we would be traveling that day. I started running around to other parts of the station when, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a small bus with a sign for Hagnaya Port! It was a different company and a much smaller, older looking bus…but it was going to where we needed to go. We got on and asked some locals if this was, in fact, the correct bus. They assured us that it was and off we went. The ride took about four hours. The bus dropped us off at the ferry station which conveniently left within minutes of our arrival. After an hour and a half on the ferry we arrived to the remote island, hungry and tired from a stressful day of travel. Bantayan is a fairly large island. There are a few communities that inhabit different parts of the island, some in small villages and others in slightly larger towns. The island itself is off the international tourist radar, leaving it pure and undeveloped. It is a hidden gem with beautiful beaches, amazing people and uninterrupted local flavor. I hope it never changes, but the locals are not optimistic. It’s remoteness saved it’s serenity and kept the large hotel chains away. The “airport” (which consists of one gravel runway and a plane used for skydiving) is not capable of receiving commercial flights, which has been the key to keeping Bantayan a secret. But once that changes, the island will as well. Vanessa found us an Airbnb accommodation with a family who has a spare apartment on their property. Crissy, the Airbnb host, picked us up from the ferry and drove us to their house. It was quite far outside of Santa Fe, but its remoteness and location added to the experience. After maneuvering down a few dirt paths we arrived to a very small village. The village was very rural with only a few paths among the trees. We pulled up to a gated house and drove into the property. We were shocked. It was like a parallel universe to the outside world. There property sat right on the beach and had a perfectly manicured yard scattered with palm trees, a volleyball court and a gazebo overlooking the clear water. Their quaint white house was quite the contrast to the village homes outside. Our apartment was separate from the house. It had a full kitchen and a huge bedroom/living room. We were excited to say the least. Crissy is Filipina and her husband, Joe, is a middle aged Scottish fellow. They have two children. Mixed marriages are not uncommon on the island (or in the Philippines for that matter). On the island there was a surprisingly large expat community almost exclusively made up of men, most of whom were either married to or dating locals. It seems a little weird at first, particularly when there is a large age gap between the two, but we met others that were much closer in age too. Many Filipina women do actively seek out foreigners and are often encouraged by their families to do so. This is typically for monetary reasons. I am by no means saying that this is always the case and we met plenty of couples with whom it was clearly not the situation. Honestly, it is usually quite obvious as the couples in it for the wrong reasons are usually far apart in age and visibly unhappy. We’ve seen this elsewhere, but it was definitely the most prevalent in the Philippines. Crissy told us that the village’s annual “fiesta” was taking place on the night of our arrival and warned us that the music would be blaring for most of the evening and into the night. We took that as an invitation. These are the opportunities that we hope for while on the road. Around 9pm we wandered out the door and followed the music. We maneuvered our way down a dark path and within minutes found ourselves in the center of the village at a full blown Filipino fiesta! The two of us stood out like sore thumbs. This is a village of 500 people so everyone knows each other. All eyes were on us. It was fairly dark with a few lights coming from the five or six food stands. There were also one or two gambling stands where dozens of men gathered around to bet on which number an oversized dice would land on. But the real party was on the basketball court. A 20x10 foot wall of speakers towered over the courts. Plastic tables and chairs filled with people drinking stood around the evening’s dance floor. Kids flooded the dance floor. Teenagers and adults also jammed out to the eclectic and repetitive mix that the DJ put out. We stood there wide eyed taking in the scene. I couldn’t help but smile to myself and appreciate the beautifully obscure moment in the middle of the jungle on a remote Philippine island. Apparently we caught the attention of a few young guys sitting at a table. They smiled and kindly invited us to join them. We accepted and made our way over. After some high decibel conversation we learned that two of them were brothers and the rest were friends. Their family was sitting at the table next to us. They offered us some of their libations (grape tang powder poured directly into a bottle of rum) and we shot the shit. We talked sports, family, jobs etc. The older brother was 27 years old and has two children with his current wife and one from a girl he dated when he was 16 who now lives in Ohio. His younger brother was 21 and has one child. One is a Stephen Curry fan and the other a Lebron fan. They both idolize Manny Pacquiao. Apparently, the annual fiesta is also the annual award ceremony. Trophies are given out for an array of local sports champions. Little did we know, but we were sitting with the basketball champs. After quite a few shots of their concoction we were convinced to dance. The whole family joined us on the dance floor. We stood in a circle moving and grooving Filipino style. It was hilarious. Depending on the song the dance floor is either full or empty, we went back and forth quite a few times…it was like clockwork. Apparently the DJ only plays song when someone pays. He would then announce the name of the the sponsor for the next X number of songs. To be a part of the annual fiesta in a small village on a remote island in the Philippines is something special. It is not always easy to find something so local and festive. It the kind of experience that we hope for every day during our travels. Bantayan continued to deliver. The following day we took the motorbike for a cruise to explore the backroads of the island. The bumpy dirt roads were canopied with massive palms. Small rundown homes were nestled among the lush jungle vegetation with a few makeshift basketball courts, churches and shops in between. I pulled over to take a few pictures when a group of young children immediately spotted me and ran over to say hi. They were so excited. All of them jumped into my shots and started to pose, it was hilarious. This scene caught the attention of a guy nearby who told us to follow him on our motorbike to a spot nearby where him and his friends were swimming. He seemed trustworthy enough so we followed his lead. A few minutes later we arrived to the bay where five or six of his friends were hanging out. They were in their early 20s, both guys and girls. The crew invited us right in. They told us that on this part of the beach there was a freshwater deposit and that the hole is the shape of a heart. Neither of us really wanted to go in. I was happy just chatting on the beach. They weren’t going to drag me in, but Vanessa was a different story. A very strong (and apparently drunk…as I found out from her friend) girl took Vanessa by the arm and literally dragged her in with all of her clothes on. It was pretty aggressive, but funny watching from the sidelines. I stayed on the beach chatting with a very outspoken young man. He was back visiting his family as he recently moved to Manila to go to university. Vanessa enjoyed the water. After an hour or so we said our goodbyes and continued our motorbike tour. That night, sick of Filipino food, we decided to check out a spot called Bantayan Burrito Company. It is located on the main road in Santa Fe in a small cove of outdoor restaurants. We were warmly welcomed to sit with a group of four foreigners. The tipsy crowd was very inviting and we quickly dove into conversation. The crew all knew each other. They were all expats who were living on Bantayan. One of them was the British owner of the burrito shop, another two were American brothers who ran a non for profit company building houses and repairing coral on and around Bantayan. They all had local girlfriends who were chatting in the kitchen, but later came over to join the party. One thing lead to another and the owner of the burrito shop told us that they all planned to go to a party at the “airport”. Our new friends invited us to join which we obviously agreed to. We drove our motorcade about ten minutes up the island until we hit a dirt road that lead us through an opening in a feeble fence that surrounded the airport. We rolled up to the only building on the airport’s property, a small rundown one-story house with three white rooms. Hanging out on the stairs and porch were eight very drunk locals and one weathered and adventurous looking older Canadian fellow. We quickly learned that he was the skydiving instructor that runs a small business on the island. He seemed drunk to us, but we quickly learned that he was many years sober. The young and friendly man next to him was unmistakably drunk, he was the pilot. There was a spread of food inside the building and a bottle of liquor outside. We were greeted warmly and offered plenty of drinks. It was a warm Filipino night at the airport, the light from the small terminal was the only one for kilometers. The local electronic music blared as the flushed faced locals swung their hips and encouraged us to join in. We did. The pilot and skydiving instructor took us to see their bright red three seater airplane, the only one on the island. It was old and awesome. It was a successful night with new friends and another for the Bantayan memory bank. Top Things to do in Bantayan Paradise Beach It’s an adventure to get here, but that’s what makes it special. On our trusty motorbike we followed directions that we found online. It required some hairy maneuvering down the backroads of Bantayan, particular towards the end. Given its remoteness we were surprised to find a guy chilling in the shade collecting a fee to enter. It was a nominal amount. The beach has flawless white sand and clear water. It is hidden in a cove providing a sense of enchantment. We were the only people there, it was perfect. Kota Beach Another very unique beach, but easier to find. The beach is located just off the main street in Santa Fe. It sits in front of Kota Beach Resort, but anyone can just walk on. While the water is clear, there are jellyfish (as there were at every beach) and some of them are deadly. I scouted the area before taking a dive into the ocean but obviously missed something. As I threw my arms into the water I felt a shock through my entire system. I dove directly into a four foot jellyfish. Its tentacles wrapped around my arm. I pulled away taking the tentacles with me which cause an excruciating stinging sensation. Immediately red lines appeared on my arm and within seconds they began to puff up like blisters. Luckily we were near the hotel. I ran over and asked for vinegar which they had readily available for instances like this. The vinegar subdued the swelling leaving me with red and itchy arms. St. Peter and Paul Church Located in the town of Bantayan, this is one of the oldest churches in the Philippines. We walked into a packed house. The town of Bantayan is worth visiting, it reminded us of some of the small towns we stumbled across in South America. On the square there was also an excellent bakery worth ducking into for some dessert. Ogtong Cave The cave is located within a run down resort on the island. It costs a couple bucks to get in. In the middle of the resort’s property there is a short flight of wooden stairs that takes you into the small opening. Inside the cave is a beautiful fresh water spring. It was small but stunning. We swam around and explored a little deeper. Afterwards we walked down to the hotel’s beachfront and enjoyed the shallow waters. Best Restaurants in Bantayan Bantayan Burrito Company This is where we met our expat friends. The burritos were as excellent as the company. The atmosphere is an inviting spot to sip on a San Miguel. Local Seafood Restaurant across from Coucou Hotel This place had made to order food, a rarity in a lot of the Philippines. The food was really good for a change and for the right price.