Malapascua Island, a three day getaway 2021
"Malapascua Island"
Malapascua Island is located in the northernmost tip of Cebu. With its pristine white sand beaches its commonly referred as the “Boracay of Cebu.” a smaller and less commercialized version of the world-famous and heavily-promoted Boracay Island.
The island’s name ‘Malapascua’ is derived from two Spanish words, “mal” and “Pascua”, which translated in English means, “bad” and “festivity”. According to the history books, a Spanish ship named the island after getting stranded during Christmas on 25 December 1520 because of a strong storm. The Spanish were stuck on this small, isolated island away from home, for weeks and spent Easter there as well.
To get there from Cebu city, you need to travel more or less 4 hours to Maya port. Travel time mostly depends on the traffic situation. Once you arrive at Maya Port, you need to take another 40-minute motor boat ride that will take you to Malapascua Island. And once you get there, paradise awaits.
While we were at Malapascua, we just spend most of our time on the seashore, swimming, strolling along the beach and taking pictures of the views of the tropical island. Being here after hours of travel from the busy life in Cebu City is worth the wait.
We put up our tents near the beach, we made a bonfire and we spent the whole night swimming, stargazing, talking and laughing on silly things.
There were chances that we find fishermen bringing in their catch and we bought a couple of fish for our meal. Some of them just give their catch as a present to us as visitors, the people here are friendly and hospitable. You can see the smile on their faces as you pass by.
On the second day, we enjoyed just walking, playing in the sand, building castles, writing names, jumping for wacky shots, taking scenic photos and videos.
In the afternoon, from where we camped, we took a five-to-six-minute ride on a motorcycle taxi a.k.a . habalhabal, following the twisting path through Guimbitayan village to reach the town proper. We visited our departed love ones, lighted candles, and prayed. The cemetery is located on the sea shore with the dazzling view of the bright skies and clear waters. We went to their local market to buy some necessities and visit the nearby Shrine of Virgen de los Desamparados de Logon - The Mother of Malapascua Island. It is said by believers to have performed a miracle on this island in 1890. The image is said to be made of wood that has never burnt and has in fact been growing in size right through until the present day. Devotees from all over the Philippines and even from abroad visit the island for the feast day which is held every May 11 of the year.
We spent the whole night again the way we did on our first night and enjoyed staring at the skies, lying on the beach while listening to the rhythm of the graceful waves kissing on the gorgeous white sands. We were able to unwind and forget the stress of the city life and appreciate the simplicity of living and the beauty of God’s creation.
On the 3rd day, as we prepare to go home, we got emotional that our vacation is over and we get to embrace the reality of the city life and indulge ourselves again in the rat race. But we’ll be forever grateful that we experienced the world to move slow in this alluring Malapascua Island, that once bonded our family together and made memories that will forever be cherished, for the rest of our lives.
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