Rushing Through Sta. Fe

This was not how I envisioned my Bantayan Island visit. Our entire trip was enveloped with time constraints. Not to mention I was two months pregnant which forced me to move a bit sluggish and overly wary.

Sta. Fe was the only municipality we set foot on. And this is where the island's white gleaming beaches are, so that alone made us slightly content even though we only had an hour to frolic in the water.

Sands fronting Marlin Beach Resort, just a few meters from our guesthouse.
We (I was with my friend Xhy and my sister Gabe) were to head back Cebu City that afternoon, so we had to cram as much activities as we could in the morning. After an early dip we were famished for brekkie, so we walked from the beach to the carinderia beside Arjaymay where we had dinner the night before with an entourage of boatmen and trike drivers convincing us to book a Virgin Island trip - which we repeatedly declined even with such low P700 rate for the three of us.

The carinderia was already packed when we got there. Let me tell you this, when you're at some beach town, it's never too early for barbecue! So yeah, we ordered grilled liempo. And while we were waiting for the food, we found a bat hanging upside down right above our table! Just when we were about to complain, we found out that the creepy creature was actually the owner's family's pet.

And we called it, Batty Bat.
Seriously, a domestic bat? We watched in shock and amusement as one of the staff took the bat with her bare hand and relocated her somewhere distant from the customers - which by the way was useless since the bat crossed wires to get back to our area. You guys gotta see it to believe it!

After our meal, we all agreed on a quick trip to Ogtong Cave before checking out of the guesthouse. We hailed a couple of pedicabs, I rode with my sister. We were charged P40 to Sta. Fe Beach Club (where Ogtong Cave is located) and another P40 going back. Price is already good for two passengers.

The island's Ogtong Cave.
There is a P60 admission charge if you're not a guest of this pricey resort. To tell you honestly, this amount is just a bit too much for a not so grand subterranean cave. But if you're looking for something else to do aside from swimming and sun soaking, then it's still worth the visit. After all, the entrance ticket lets you wander around its well-manicured garden which also (sadly) boasts a small collection of exotic pets.

Left: Sta. Fe Beach Club's pool area. Right: Its cliff overlooking the water.
Though we were in a hurry to leave, we had a round of drinks and some munchies at the resort's restaurant which were surprisingly reasonably priced. After which, we met up with our pedicab driver at the gate and he drove us back to Sta. Fe's town proper.

Noon time was approaching and we had to check out of our room at Onde Guesthouse. But before we do so, we needed to have lunch first. And instead of capping off our island visit with another barbecue feast, we bought cans of corned beef from a small sari-sari store and cooked them at the guesthouse's common kitchen. We did so not only because we were trying to save money real bad, but because this preggy traveler was craving for it!

[This is part of the Voyaging Visayas Series which took place February 2010. Price of goods, transportation and so forth may already be different.]

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