Island Breeze Magazine | Destinations and Travel Shows - The Complete Guide to the Island of Philippines

To appreciate Camotes, one has to bite it and chew it, preferably in little pieces. Its proximity to mainland Cebu is both a blessing and a bane. It has enduring legacy at every turn. Its people do not fit the paradigm of a fixed entity, handcrafted from the same mold, thrown into a wood-fired kiln, coming out semi-chocolatey.

It is quite common to meet families of spinsters and bachelors, and medicine men performing ancient rituals, like planting camotes (sweet potatoes) with nothing on. These people emerged from a cocktail of civilization and history borne by the sea. Truth to tell, Magellan and his men had dropped anchor in Camotes Sea on the way to plant Spain’s Cross in Cebu.

Camotes lacks the mystic of Bali and the colors of Caribbean. Yet it moves through the light speed of the 21st century. And the time warp can be a hazard and a boon. MTV and CRV have come like uninvited guests, co-existing peacefully with hilots and tambalans.

A few years ago, a strip of land was cleared for six-seater planes. The idea was to bring in tourists. Instead, cash-driven lab-aseras (fish mongers) chartered flights to sell their catch in the city! In 1997, when the first jet-propelled fast craft appeared on the horizon, skeptic islanders raised their eyebrows, saying investors were just throwing away their money. In hindsight, the coming proved to be more than worth it. Investors and speculators, reminiscent of the Gold Rush have staked their claims making real estate prices skyrocket.

But amidst all these dynamism and frenetic activity, there is always the gentle and polite side of Camotes. A poet once remarked, “I see smoke from dried leaves swept for burning, and I can smell them. Against the trees and the sunset, it is a reassuring feeling of neighborhood, of a provincial community, of life at a standstill, a feeling that most places, in their desire to get there, have already lost.”

When men, women and families gather, they buzz cheeks, they kiss hands, they go through social rites that help preserve the grace of a community and a fraternity about to be tainted by the homogenizing impact of globalization.