This must have been the most grueling road trip we have ever done, ever. Over-excitement clouded the fact that it's a long (LOOOOOOONG) way to Surigao (with side trips to Tinuy-an Falls and Enchanted River), and that a 3-day trip was simply too hectic. Not to mention the 2.5-hour ferry ride from the Surigao port to Siargao. Our group was of 3 families, bringing 3 cars, carrying 15 heads in total (half of which belonged to our group, with 7 members. Lol). Even our designated drivers needed to stop and rest from time to time.
As a result, we were only able to "experience" Surigao City within the four walls of our hotel, and had to compress our Siargao island-hopping tour to just less than 3 hours. The most regretful part was, we didn't get to surf. We were at the surfing hub of the Philippines, and surfing was the activity we chose to forgo. Such great sense of judgement.
We stayed at Patrick's On The Beach in Siargao, which was owned by Andreas, a German immigrant, and his Filipino wife Elizabeth. Both were very accommodating, and Andreas himself picked us up from the Dapa Port and drove us to the resort. He even served us his own rum concoction, which he dubbed "Yohoho Mango Rum." He told a [made-up] story behind the name, something that I thought was unecessary (lol), but we all sat through it anyway because Andreas was telling it very enthusiastically and animatedly. Haha!
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| Waiting for the ferry to Siargao |
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| View from the ferry |
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| We have arrived! Hello, Siargao! |
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| Entrance to Patrick's On The Beach |
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| View from our cottage |
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| The Yohoho Mango Rum |
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| Me and Christian just chillin' |
If I remember correctly, it was past 2PM when we arrived, and with every intention of making the most of what's left of our day, we squeezed in an island-hopping trip. Everyone was ready by 3PM, and when we got on the boat, manong bangkero couldn't help but utter, "ang late niyo dumating, ma'am." Sorry na, kuya. Wag ka nang strong. :)
We enjoyed the island tour nevertheless, especially Naked Island, where it was all just bare sand and water. Three hours later we were back at Patrick's for our pre-booked dinner by the sea (although it was too dark to see anything beyond our cottage).
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| The Anung Family |
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| The Yoshidas |
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| Le cousin Janniv |
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| Le cousin Joyjoy |
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| Le cousin Christian |
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| Moi. |
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| Mother |
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| Auntie Virdz |
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| The berks |
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| The wives of the berks |
Honestly, if not for the innate beauty of our destinations, I would have dismissed this trip as a chore. ESPECIALLY on the last day when we had to wiggle ourselves into the "bangka" (the guard wouldn't even refer to it as a ferry) back to Surigao City. The heat, coupled with the battle for oxygen against maybe 300 other passengers, could have dehydrated us into human raisins. It reminded me of that train we once boarded to Ayutthaya in Thailand (enough said). Nonetheless it was a good experience--sort of an adventure. It was actually a test of grit, and I knew that I passed when I found myself lying comfortably at a spot on the side of the boat, which was supposed to be a walkway (just one wrong move and I'd be swimming with the dolphins in the water. LOL). It's fun how these situations force you to find the luxury in austerity.
I won't expound much, since it wouldn't be fair to write about Surigao/Siargao based solely on a glimpse. Maybe we'll be back to explore the place better.
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| YEBAH |
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| Passed by Lake Mainit on the way back to Davao |
