Stories of Places, People and Photography in the Philippines and Beyond
Just across Inasakan Beach at Ilin Island is another interesting island called Ambulong. Coming from a local word “bulong” which means “medicine”, the island is known as an “island of healing.” Local tourism are intending to make the island known for its medical tourism. It’s barely one fourth the size of Ilin but it also has its a few villages. For my visit, I was able to explore a couple of places perfect for quiet and soulful retreats.
Cansubong Cave Resort is not the only place to visit at the island of Ilin. Not only is it the biggest island in the group but it also has around 5 beaches, several dive spots and an abundance of shells that the local harvest. And near its northern coast is another interesting island detour before we explore another beach.
We woke up at about 3:30 am to prepare for our trip to Gaspar Island. It’s great to have fellow photographers like Oggie and Allan on a trip since they understand the importance of capturing the best light in the scenery. Most locals would have wondered why we would want to sail to the island at 4 am in the morning not understanding the photographer’s view of things. Maybe one reason why our boatman missed our target departure of 4 am. Or he just probably overslept a bit. Still, we managed to arrive before the sun rises on Gaspar Island, …
Even before Boracay and Puerto Galera got its fame as some of the most popular beaches in the country, there was the Great Santa Cruz Islands and its famous rare pink sand beach stretching three miles across the island shores. An old coral vendor on the island reminisced the days when they would get a large number of tourist in the area and they would get considerable profits selling some of their wares. But since the kidnapping and abduction incidents in the nearby areas, people are now scared to visit the island and its popularity went downhill from there.
