Day5: Watching the Waves

I got up at 5am. I went to the gazebo to savor the relaxing morning sea breeze. The sun hadnt risen yet. But the waves were already in surfing mode. I thought it was a good day to surf. The wind was blowing from the sea towards the shore. The waves were tall and white and foamy. And the roar of the surf was quite loud. Ive seen these kinds of waves in Sydney, where surfing is a national pasttime. Then i saw a dark tanned muscular figure approaching my location. I knew he was a surfer. Ive seen him countless times in the resort, together with his other surf dudes. His name was scott, and he comes from hawaii. He was checking the surf. He thought it was a good day to surf as well. Then came another surfer, Michael, the owner of the resort. When they began talking in surf lingo, i excused myself and headed straight to Cloud 9. It was a mere 5 minute walk, and as i approached the famed site of the annual surfing competition, the sun had began to rise. Darn, i forgot my camera. It was too late to go back to my room. I just had to capture the image in my mind. I took my shirt off, laid it on the sand and sat on it. I noticed two surfers doing some exercises by the shore. After a few minutes, they hit the water and rode their surfboards. I got these photos after breakfast. My telephoto lens didnt reach far enough to see the surfers in action. But i managed to get photos of the waves. This time of the year is like practice session for the surfers. Come September, according to the locals, the surf will be roaring mad.

Day 4: Bad Trip

Somehow i knew. I was already awake at 3am, anxious about the trip home. Im always like this, not getting enough sleep on my last day, of any trip, in any place. Im always excited to go home. It was still dark then, so I waited until daylight to check on the weather. The sky was gray and covered with rain clouds. And the wind was cold, and strong, gusty. We had packed our stuff the night before, so  when our ride arrived, we said goodbye to the staff and headed to the airport. Along the way, the weather had gotten really irritating. It rained like it was monsoon season already.   

When we reached the airport at 1030am, only one passenger had checked in. We checked in our bags and waited at the departure area. An hour after, the waiting area was full and all seats were filled. Most of the passengers were standing, huddled in groups, and talking aloud. The plane was supposed to have landed, but it didnt. I realized something was wrong when i saw the station manager suddenly appear in the center of the crowd, clasping his hands, and appearing a bit frightened. He announced, quite soft spokenly,  that the flight was cancelled due to bad weather,  a force majeure. He said we can have our flights rebooked in 2 days, which was the next available flight. I sat there motionless and  dumbfounded. This was the first time i experienced a cancelled flight. Had it been a different airline, they would have paid for our extended stay. Unfortunately, this was Cebu Pacific territory. Fortunately,  the staff did rebook us on the next flight. Other passengers were fuming mad,  but there was really nothing they can do. Either we fly back on Wednesday, or take the wooden ferry from Dapa or Del Carmen to Surigao, which is not a good idea at all, considering the personal accounts of the locals. When we got our bags, we hitched a ride back to General Luna in the back of  a pickup, owned by Michael, the owner of the resort we stayed in, who was taking the same flight to Cebu, en route to Singapore. When we got back to the resort, the staff were teasing us. We got our room back. Jr wanted a cheaper room, but i thought, what the heck, this is still a vacation, an extended one. We spent most of the day listening to our ipods. In a way, i felt happy, if only because i'd get to taste their fruit pancake with bottomless maple syrup again, which was so delicious ( not even pancake house can rival it!). Looking back, maybe it was another blessing. Experiencing big waves is one thing, flying in really bad weather  is another. Better Delayed than Dead.

Day 3.1 : Big Jump

When we visited  Taktak Falls in Allegria, we chanced upon a couple of kids, aged 10 or below,  who were doing more than just taking a dip. They were taking a dive, literally.   They climbed the trunk of a tree one by one, using their hands and feet, with the agility of a trained athlete. Upon reaching the top of the tree, and after realizing there isnt enough space for all of them and not enough branch to hang on to, they jumped one by one and free falled precariously into the cool mountain water below. After completing the dive, each one of them would come out of the water, shivering, climb onto the cement and ascend the tree again, repeating the dive over and over. The only reason  i stopped taking photos was that i feared i might  run out of space in my memory card.

Day 2 Sunset

Day 3: Road Trip

It was our last day in Siargao.Sohoton caves was to be our final itinerary, but is now erased in our list. Its located far ( which meant bigger waves ) in the other big island of Bucas Grande,in Socorro, and its a 2 hr travel by boat ( which meant prolonged torture ).Instead, we decided to circle the island by motorbike. In this remote part of the archipelago the habal habal is well suited to the needs of the locals. Since it is the "only" mode of transportation that is affordable, most bikes here have beeen fitted with a custom made roof and provisions for as many passengers it can carry. It can accomodate atleast 4 people,with ample space for an infant or market produce. Jr rode the modified a comfy new Suzuki while i rode with Levi on a 12yr old prehistoric Honda with no roof, no suspension,and butt cracking seats.


It was a sunday and the weather seemed cooperative, like the day before. We headed first to the local church.We missed the morning mass. It was already deserted, except for 2 elderly women still sitting on the pew, whether they were praying or chatting was difficult to tell. i asked the drivers who their patron saint was. T hey havent got a clue. They even argued for a while,and it seemed like their combined memory bank would be of help,but they never came up with a name. The parish church had iron gates which permitted a good view of the altar. It was a blue altar, symbolizing the sea. IT was adorned with seashells.It was quite lovely and unique.We never would have understood the mass anyway, so a few minutes of praying sufficed.

We circled the town proper to take pictures of the boulevard. It had a unobstructed view of Guyam and Daku Islands. What caught my attention was the Tsunami Alert Sign fronting the local school.Kids and adults alike were taking bath in the waters. a bit farther away, kids were playfully jumping off the pier. From here, it was an 8 hour long journey through the towns of Dapa, Del Carmen, San Benito, Sta Monica, Burgos, San Isidro and Pilar, then back to General Luna. The distance we covered is prob around 200kms.Most paved roads are within the town area, the rest is either mud or rock. Looking back now, it was so exhausting, i mean really back breaking exhausting. But had we done it using a car or a van, it wouldnt be as exciting, and not at all adventurous.

A beach in the town of Allegria, north of the island.

A little girl's playground.

A river near the town of Del Carmen is said to be infested with

crocodiles, according our tour guide.

A tsunami sign is posted in the town proper, in clear view

of the townfolks.

Near the boulevard, this wooden bridge serves a good vantage

point to observe the magnificent view of the ocean.

The boulevard. On the left is Daku Island.

During low tide, locals hit the water to scavenge for squid, in

a beach in San Benito.

A beach near the town of Pilar.

A local boy in Del Carmen who wasnt camera shy.

Teens frolicking in the water in Del carmen.

This wooden boat ferries passengers from Del Carmen to Surigao City,

a 4hour journey through difficult water.

Cant remeber where this photo was taken.

Taktak Falls in Allegria.

Day 2: Island Trip

When i woke up, i walked towards the balcony, my eyes half closed, eager to see what the weather was like. The sky was blue and the sun was about to burst out of hiding. A perfect day, i figured. We still had no plans that morning. And so, the only logical choice was to go visit the islands. After breakfast, we got our stuff and headed towards the blue boat docked by the shore.

As the boat headed towards deeper water, i began feeling dizzy. The boat was shaking a bit. We were passing the area of Cloud Nine Resort, site of the annual Surfing Competition every September, and the spot surfers frequent. The ride was uncomfortable for about 20 minutes, then it calmed down. As the boat glided along the coastline, my gaze was fixed on the seemingly infinite stretch of white sand and coconut trees surrounding siargao island, until it was interrupted by a vision of people, huddled together over something. It was a funeral, in the local cemetery, by the beach. A couple of kids were happily stomping their feet in the water. We had reached the town proper of General Luna. And in front of us, lies our first destination.

From afar, it looked like a piece of white trash floating in the water. As we got nearer, it was a small island, probably 200 meters in length, surrounded by blue green water. There was not a single tree standing, nor any structure that provided shade or shelter, unless you make one yourself. When we got off the boat, i got my camera and began taking pictures. My photos will explain the rest. We didnt stay long because there were no fishes/corals around, plus Jr felt a persistent stinging pain on his R eye, which more or less gave the cue that it was time to leave the water.

We decided to go straight to Guyam Island to eat lunch, and skipped Daku Island for tomorrow ( there was yet no foreboding of the "terror in the sea" we were about to experience). We paid 20 pesos to get access to the island. Aside from the caretaker and his family, the island was deserted. We chose a well shaded area underneath a tree and began eating our packed lunch of spicy seabass in olives, pepper and tomatoes, and fried fish fillet. Sarap. Lunch was over, yet Jr was still complaining about his eyes. I told him its best if we go back to the resort.

As the boat gained speed, Jr noticed that we were headed towards the open water .I asked the boatman why. He said it was a shorcut, and the route we took earlier was still inaccessible because of the low tide. I asked him if the waves there arent big, he said no. At that point, I knew it was a bad decision, and my heart began pounding. As soon as we passed the surf behind Guyam Island, the sky turned gray, the wind turned gusty and big waves of up to 10feet began undulating in front of us. The boat was going up and down, following the troughs and crest of the waves.Then, big waves began lapping against the side of the boat. It seemed liked a storm appeared from nowhere. I was scared and terrified. All I could do was yell at the boatman for putting us in a very precarious situation. For the first time, i thought it was the end of me. I couldnt open my eyes, so i kept them shut. Still feeling the gyrating movement of the boat, and the strong spray of water and wind blowing against my face, I held on to dear life by praying Hail Mary over and over. Donning the lifevest never ocurred to me, only praying did. Until it was gone. The boat wasnt shaking anymore.I could hear the engine humming again. Over the horizon were the rock islands in front of the resort. We were safe. I felt relieved. It was a close encounter of sorts, one that still haunts me when i see big waves in Discovery Channel. As for the boatman, I wanted to crack his skull open just to see if there was an actual brain inside it. But then again, maybe, it wasnt his fault. One word of advise, though: Never trust a boatman who is cross-eyed.

Siargao Diaries Day 1: Room with a View

We ( me and my buddy Jr) were booked on a 1055am flight to the island of Siargao. We left Bulacan early to catch the first of 2 flights to our island destination. When we arrived at Terminal 3, the counter for our cebu flight had just opened. We were first to queue. This is where the comedy starts. As the check in officer encoded our names in the computer, he was surprised to see too many tickets being printed. It took a while before he realized we were taking 2 flights. Then he asked me if our final destination was Surigao. I immediately corrected him. Then he asked me how to spell Siargao ( hehehe ). So i did. He left for a few minutes to ask his coworker for the airport code for Siargao.At this point, i feared for our bags. It had happened to me before on a flight to Busuanga, when our bags were left back. Fearing that we wont have any clothes to wear, i asked Jr to carry the other bag and checked in our gear bag. When we have boarded the plane,it rained. I got a bit worried when our plane had not taken off as scheduled. It had been delayed because of Pres GMA's party, so I wasnt the only passenger who were giving the flight attendants a disgruntled look. After 45 minutes, the plane took off.

We arrived in Cebu before 10am. We were still on time. When we heard our flight number being called, we followed the short queue of passengers headed to a small plane, prob 60 seater. We settled on our seats and waited for instructions. 10 minutes before the scheduled time of departure, the FA announced over the speakers, " Welcome to Flight 5j 569 bound for Ozamis. " Both of us jumped off from our seats and hurriedly got our bags from the overhead compartment. Honestly, I don't even know where on earth Ozamis is. I approached the other FA but she was as clueless as we were. The foreign passengers remained seated, while the other local passengers were laughing in disgust. After about 5 minutes, the FA was back in the intercom, not the slighest bit apologetic for the confusion, this time announcing the correct flight number. We settled back to ur seats, quite relieved actually. Thankfully, the flight was smooth, and short. We were in Siargao Island in 35 minutes.

Upon disembarking, all i could think of was my brown adidas bag, whether it flew with us on the plane, or if it was en route to another airport. Luckily, Jr immediately spotted it while the airport crew were loading the baggages onto the baggage cart. With all our stuff accounted for, we found ourselves mounting a habal habal, at a cost of 400pesos each. The trip was bumpy,with most roads unpaved and rocky. And the driver, even if reminded how wet and slippery the road was, drove really fast. After 45 minutes, we reached the town of General Luna, site of the famous Cloud Nine. This is where all the action happens, and where most of the resorts are located. We finally settled in OCean 101 resort, owned by Michael, an australian and her wife Wilya. Liezl, one of the staff, showed us around, accompanied us to our room on the 2nd floor of a concrete building. The balcony had a spectacular, unobstructed view of the Pacific Ocean, with a couple of rock islands nearby, being bashed by equally tall waves. We had reached the resort past 2pm. There was no activity to do now, but eat, sleep, roam the grounds, experience the sunset, and be ready for the next day. Not bad for our first day.