After spending the night at Bantayan Island, the next morning following a quick breakfast, I went on a long walk along the long shore of the island. I passed through nearby fishing villages and other resorts surrounded by tall coconut trees. It was low tide and many fishermen and even young children from the nearby villages have come to harvest oysters and clamps with their bare hands.
Around 7am, the boat that will take me to nearby Virgin Island arrived. Going there only takes 30 minutes from Bantayan Island (45 to an hour if you're coming from the furthest part of Bantayan). The boatman encountered a little difficulty of steering the small boat towards the deeper part of the sea because of the lowtide, the ocean rocks kept on scraping the bottom part of the boat.
Once he managed to steer clear of the obstacles our trip to Virgin Island started. The water was calm and silent with only the sound of the boat engine making noise. I saw a few birds hovering above us, larger than most birds I usually see in the big city.
Upon arriving I was greeted by a few dogs who were pets of the caretakers of the Island. I understand it is a private one and again owned by some lucky dude. (Which reminded me to put "buy an island" on top of my to-do list if ever I win the lottery). Virgin Island (or Silion Island) has a wide picnic area in front of the boat docking area. The white sands are said to be formed from coral remains and the island itself lies on top of a coral bed, thus explains the rocky area on the shallow part of the beach visible during low-tide.
I sat down for a few minutes before taking my leisure walk around the shore. With each step I make, the dogs would follow me as if they want to catch up a conversation.
I dipped into the shallow water and because of the low tide, swimming to the deeper part means going further into the sea. It would have been perfect if it were high tide. Afterward we had lunch with some of the caretakers. We brought along fish to grill and to be shared with them. In return, they also shared some rice and an island cooked meal consisting of vegetables and fish.
My stay at Virgin Island, albeit short was a great one as I've explored Bantayan Island the previous afternoon by riding on the back of a motorcycle. What better way to cap my stay than to explore a neighboring island as well.
Before leaving I took another round of walk along the shore taking a few more photographs and with a schedule to chase (the 12 PM ferry back to Hagnaya port), I left the island back to Bantayan Island, a few minutes after 10:00 AM.
Even if it was a quick visit, It was still better than spending my morning working in front of a computer. While riding the pump boat back to Bantayan, I hatched up a plan to go on a longer trip next time. Let's say, a couple of weeks or better, a month compared to the usual 5 day break. Anyway, this trip was just the 1st and 2nd day of my 6 day journey to Cebu and Bohol.
-The island has an entrance fee of 300 pesos per pump boat. (good for 4-6 people)
-Pump boats can be rented at a fee of 600-800 pesos (4 persons)
