Shoe Island, Capoocan (Calumpihan Island)

View of Sapatos island from Kasabangan Falls in Cabucgayan, Biliran

Shoe Island or Sapatos island in the vernacular is called so because from afar it indeed looks like a shoe. Officially, the island is called Calumpihan. The island can be seen from the Biliran bridge. We have been planning for sometime already to visit Shoe island because looking at it from Google Earth, we noticed that one part of the island had white sand on it. Although part of the town of Capoocan, Leyte, we had to go first to Cabucgayan town in Biliran to get to Shoe island. It was about 20 minutes by boat to the island. We were quite lucky when we went there as there were a number of dolphins which accompanied us part of the way. We had planned to have our lunch at the Cabucgayan Boardwalk before going to the island, only to find out that they were not able to catch any crabs, nor was there fish as it had been too windy the past few days and the fisher folks didn’t venture to go fishing. Luckily, I learned that the parish priest of Cabucgayan was a classmate. Fr. Jessie Sentina happened to have visitors that day so that when I called him up he readily invited us for lunch as he still had plenty of leftover. So we had lechon as our baon to the island, courtesy of Fr. Jessie. There were six of us who went to the island that afternoon: Ronnie and two friends of his: Antonio Naboya and Victor Avila, a seaman, Fr. Monie Calubid and Elnor, my driver. We pitched camped for an overnight stay at the island. We discovered that the beach was composed of rough coral stones, not fine white sand. We had a good time anyway whiling away the night over tuba and lechon. Rain started to pour at midnight as we took to our tents. The following morning after breakfast, two of my classmates in Biliran: Fr. Jessie and Fr. Tony Sevilla from Caibiran, together with the Mayor of Cabucgayan, Engr. Arnelito Garing arrived. We had another meal as they brought with them another lechon.

The view of Sapatos island as we approached it coming from Cabucgayan.


Fr. Mony, below, having a grand time taking in the view of the sea and the mainland of Leyte in front of him. One can faintly see, at the right, the bridge connecting Leyte and Biliran.


The mayor of Cabucgayan, Arnelito Garing with Fr. Jessie Sentina, the parish priest of Cabucgayan and Fr. Tony Sevilla, both classmates arriving by speed boat.

The Mayor and the parish priest of Cabucgayan practicing shooting on the beach.

A close-up view of the coral stones on the beach.

Antonio, Victor and Ronnie looking on as Elnor prepares our breakfast.

 Victor on a pensive mood contemplating the sight of the sea.