Isla Manoc: The chicken-less island

on a pinhole.

Excerpts from Discovering Carnaza Island.

We were all prepping up to get into beach bum mode when Ate Jennifer [local] approached us and told us to try going to this remote island between Cebu and Masbate. I was about to check with my friends if they want to go but before I can say another word, I saw very big affirming smiles. So off we go to Isla Manoc [later found out what the correct name of the island is as we heard her saying 'Isla Lamanok'].

pia aka mama pig.

Up until now, I'm still not sure whether the island is called 'Manoc' or 'Manoc-manoc'. I'm having difficulties finding an online reference that would put the confusion to rest. What I know is that it's between Masbate and Cebu. One thing remains sure, we heard Ate Jocelyn [local] wrong. We thought the island was called 'Lamanok Island'. Fail. 
.....
So we popped into one of smaller outrigger boats primarily used for fishing and off we go to Isla Manoc [Manoc Island]. Ate Jocelyn was kind enough to make these arrangements with her neighbor.

the cast.

Isla Manoc is composed of 2 islands connected by a shallow sand bar. According to the boatman,  the name came from the islands' figure. From a far, it looks like 2 chickens facing each other. He said, one is the cock [not the cock you're thinking, perv!] and the other, the hen. Another version also talked about hearing chicken crows in the island on midnight. ~Eerie. Note, the island is has no permanent residents due to the scarcity of fresh water so I don't think you can find any chicken roaming, scratching for food.

The islands are located in the Visayan sea, in between Masbate and Cebu. It serves as a temporary shelter for tired fishermen and migratory birds. It's around 45 minutes from Carnaza. The ride's a bit rough but I think it's because we were on a small boat.

The hen.

The hen.

The cock.

Interesting enough, one side of the island has rough waves crashing the sandbar while the other has calm and nearly steady waters. The sand isn't very fine. It's composed of broken down corals. So walking barefooted could become a bit challenging. [Learned it the hard way.]

rough on the right. calm on the left.

rough on the left. calm on the right. [view from the cock island]

lab-lab time.

practicing tsunami walk.

We simmer the hours and the sun's heat with glimmering sounds  of laughter and awe. We grilled the 2 kilos of fish we bought earlier that day, snorkeled like our first time and swam like kids on a kiddie pool. Saying we had fun is an understatement.

farrah aka bb pig..

Around 1:00PM, we decided to go to another island, Isla De Gato. I'm not sure how much time it'll take for us to get to the island. I was out to charge myself for another set of fooling around. On the way, we passed by the other side of the island. We were amazed with the rock formation and white sand shorelines tucked in between. I saw a spot with a long stretch of shoreline and suddenly thought of just stopping by to explore the area. Unanimously, we decided to just spend the rest of the day there.

mind play: a cat and a turtle.

on the way to Isla De Gato. sun-bathing or sleeping? 

Pit Stop.

It turned out to be a very good decision as we were able to harvest bags of edible sea urchins locally known as swaki.

swaki

4:00PM. We decided  to go back to base camp to witness the sunset. Off went our boat with restless spirits still bagging with us our fresh catch.

Ended the day with a spectacular view of the sunset over a cliff beside our base camp. It was like orange, yellow, blue and violet ink was splashed across the sky.

Whacky Thoughts:

Sometimes, taking sound decisions together or by majority can yield unexpected good results. It's best to take everyone's choice into consideration as a sign of respect of individual diversity. Just as long as everyone stands by one decision, nothing can go wrong. [I hope. :D] \m/

Budget Breakdown:

Island Hopping. Boat Rental - 800.00

2 kilos of fish for lunch - 160.00

Afternoon snacks (swaki) - Free!

Entrance Fee - Free!

Contacts:
Roger/Neli Recla via Hazel Recla Beloria - 0929.718.9927

Related Stories:

Carnaza Island: a series of unplanned events.

Discovering Carnaza Island, Cebu

Whacky Notes: Carnaza Island Must Know

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