My stomach groaned in disagreement when the group decided to take lunch in Cresta de Gallo, a small island off the coast of San Fernando, Sibuyan, Romblon. Well, I had no problem per se with having lunch in Cresta de Gallo. It's just that I felt like someone or something had been intent on taking my lunch away!

Lunch had been pretty much elusive that day. En route to Cantingas River Resort aboard a crowded jeepney, we were promised by our guide that the food was ready. When we arrived at the resort, there was no lunch in sight. It turned out that it was waiting for us on the beach. So we settled our stuff in and hopped on a small trike which took us to Azagra, a fishing village about 4 kilometers from Cantingas. The trike was too small, it was a wonder how 10 people, including the driver, were able to fit inside.

As the trike wound its way to Azagra albeit with difficulty, I temporarily forgot about my hunger. I worried for the safety of my companions who I was sure were not used to riding on a crowded trike, let alone a minute one.
Being the host/organizer/leader of this trip, I was somehow responsible for their welfare and safety. But they were all having fun, relishing the novelty of the experience. I had no business raining on their parade, so I silently prayed that we reach our destination unharmed and unscratched.
[Road to Azagra. Our guide told us they're planning to make this site an airport]

We arrived in Azagra safe and sound. And utterly famished. The last meal we had was 6 hours ago. I was not sure about the others, but I couldn't ignore my hunger any longer. If I were to decide, I would have taken lunch under the shade of some rickety beach hut situated right beside a dirt road, facing the sea. The smell of food wafting through the air made my appetite more aggressive. My travel companions had a different idea. They decided that lunch would be served in Cresta de Gallo, after 45 minutes. I felt like I was outnumbered, 9 to 1. My stomach was close to doing a revolution.
[Our unofficial guide, Dhie of Islandgirltraveller]

Someone suggested we could perhaps have lunch on the boat. We all rebuffed the idea because it sounded silly! Haha. Granted, the sea was calm, but the boat wasn't large enough. It would be uncomfortable and too much of a hassle to spread our food on board. In retrospect, it would have been an interesting experience - eating on a boat en route to Cresta de Gallo!
[Leaving Azagra]

When I saw the pocket of white sand which seemed to float above the sea, I knew my agony was soon to be over. Lunch at last! We have finally arrived in Cresta de Gallo.
[Cresta de Gallo from afar]

Next post: The Beautiful and Remote Island That is Cresta de Gallo