Traveling Around Olango Island

© CEBU navi SAKURA ｜ vol.4 Jul.-Aug.2016

Olango - Full of Smiles　

Olango Island is 20 minutes away by banka boat from Mactan Island. Time flowed by gently as Olango Island came into view. When I was walking in the bright sunshine, I met a woman coming out from the house. "Are you Japanese?" she asked with a smile. "Yes" I responded. "Anata no namae wa nan desu ka (what's your name)?" she asked in halting Japanese. I told her in Japanese her Japanese was very good and she beamed with a great big smile. After that, everyone I saw, adults and children, passed each other with a smile.
I saw a group of a few people having fun at a karaoke bar. Everyone here seems to loves karaoke, regardless of age or gender. On the roadsides, jackfruit, rimas, and chico grow; coconuts and bananas are everywhere as well as many BBQ shops. There are no mountains so it's easy to go anywhere by bicycle, tricycle, or motorcycle.
There aren't any streetlights so when night comes, it gets dark. However, people chill out and play cards by their house lights. The island was enveloped in silence momentarily; the ripples in the moonlight gave me a peaceful feeling.

A group of boys shouted "Take a picture of us!" and posed when I walked by with my camera. They smiled as I pointed my camera.

DAY 1

AM 11:00 * Santa Rosa Port

I arrived to the pier by banka boat.
I walked down the long pier towards the tricycle platform. Tricycle fares vary depending on your destination on the island.

AM 11:30 * Talima

Let's check in and
explore! The major roadways have been paved.

Mini-coconut

PM 12:00 * Candagsao

I was going to go around the island by bike but all the Japanese off-road bicycles were gone. They're quite popular, so they go quickly every morning. Candagsao is still filled with nature, so there are many unpaved roads.

PM 1:00 * Caw Oy

Fresh-cooked chicken legs are so delicious.

Many banka boats gather at seafood restaurants to eat fresh seafood.

A concrete mixer appeared suddenly in an unusual place on Olango Island. People gathered around to watch the paving work under the bright sun.

PM 2:00 * Shalala Beach

The small "Sharara Beach". The waterfront was as shallow as a children’s pool with almost no waves. The water seems warmer there.

Shalala Beach Family

Children playing with rental boats. Rest in the cottages or the shade of a tree where it's quiet and peaceful. I heard there's a shop nearby where you can drink delicious coconut juice.

PM 3:00 * Olango Wild Life Observation Deck

There's a sturdy deck for you to do bird watching. You have to walk over hundreds of stones to get there. From the deck, you can see the bird sanctuary reaching out, into forever.

Bird Sanctuary The Olango Stone Bridge
Sign in at the reception before you go! Some parts of the looong stone bridge are not very flat. There are some crumbling and sinking stones. There is a bench along the way for you to take a break. See tropical fish swim and sea urchins in the low tides along the stones. A rainbow-eyed mudskipper clings to a rock.

Rainbow-colored eyes mudskipper

Please watch your steps.

Is it a tern? I saw a wild bird flapping its wings many times in the strong winds. In the evening, a huge flock took off into the sky, their audience gasped in awe.

The best time to see large flocks of birds is either in the early morning or at dusk.

PM 4:30 * Banka boat Makers

The banka boats you see in Mactan Island are actually made on Olango Island. There are skilled craftsmen but there seems to be worry about a shortage of successors. On a different note, there are chicken fights held in this neighborhood and it's bustling with young people.

A near-complete banka boat

PM 6:00 * Talima

Guard house at high tide
Even at night, some people try to gather sea urchins and starfish in the tidelands. Before dawn, parents and kids will walk and talk with a small bucket in hand.

Young sight-seeing celebs from Manila

Sea urchin

Starfish

DAY 2

AM 6:30 * Guard House

Guard house at low tide
The guardhouse that watches out for destructive dynamite fishing and poaching. These days, dynamite fishing has decreased but, that doesn't mean surveillance has also decreased. There are still 6-7 staff watching 24 hours a day. They also have a dog named Blackie on their team. The songs and calls of over ten different kinds of birds welcome in the dawn.

Talima Nightfall

The hazy moon of Talima

AM 10:30 * Santa Rosa Port

Basketball gymnasium between Santa Rose Port and Talima.

Shell decorations are transported from Olango to Mactan Island. The underlying whites and neat designs are beautiful. Robust, Olango men are entrusted to load up the banka boat.

Worker watching TV after the loading is finished. Everyone seems to love this drama.

The 20-minute sea route back to Mactan Island. A massive supertanker crosses in front of the banka boat.

Schedule

DAY 1
AM 9:40　Punta Enganõ Port arrival
AM 10:40　Punta Enganõ Port departure
AM 11:00　Santa Rosa Port arrival
AM 11:30　Talima Resort Check in
PM 12:00　Candagsao for the bicycle rental
PM 1:00　Cow Oy
PM 2:00　Shalala Beach
PM 3:00　Olango Wild Life
PM 5:00　Talima Resort arrival

DAY 2
AM 10:00　Talima Resort Check out
AM 10:30　Santa Rosa Port arrival
AM 11:00　Santa Rosa Port departure
AM 11:20　Punta Engano Port arrival

Expenses

Punta Enganõ Port Fee 10php(in Car)
Banka boat Fare Rate (One way) 15php/person
Punta Engano Port Terminal Fee 5php/person
Tricycle Fare Rate
※Santa Rosa Port→
　　　Talima→Candagsao 180php
※Santa Rosa Port→Talima 150php
Tricycle(6 hours reservations) 500php
※Negotiations required
Shalala Beach Entrance Fee 20php/person
Olango Wild Life Entrance Fee 100php/person
Santa Rosa Port Terminal Fee 1php/person
※ Rates and times are subject to change.

Mr. Andres and his son are tricycle-drivers and looked after me over these two days. They are such nice people, their personalities truly reflected Olango Island.

Smiles of Islanders　

Lovely smiles from some
girls

A songstress of Cow Oy gave an emotional performance at an early afternoon karaoke festival!

People posed for me when I pointed my camera. But some girls were so shy.

Boys excitedly watching the
construction