Siargao Island: The Surfing Capital of the Philippines

And so I thought I went to Siargao to surf. But no. Ugh.

After 26 hours of anticipation (and loads of boat mishaps) we finally reached Siargao. Whew! We were dropped off at General Luna's Boulevard and observed that people were flocking at the beach at noontime. Everybody's so excited to welcome the summer season in the country. 
First thing in order was to find a place for us to stay. Good thing we contacted a habal-habal driver, Lolong (0946.648.7954) prior the trip. He assisted us in finding a place to stay and for looking a boatman for our island hopping tour the next day. He also served as our "on-call driver" during our stay there.

General Luna's Boulevard, Siargao

We first went to the Cloud 9 Surfing Area and checked out the resorts and inns around the area and found out that it is more expensive to stay there. Take note that this area is 3 kms. away from General Luna's town center and if you go there to surf you would probably wanna stay on that area but if not, you can scout some cheaper ones near the town center. Also, the fare for a habal-habal ride is 25 pesos per person/per way (not that cheap) so you better plan your activities ahead of time. You may also opt to hire a motorcycle for around 500 pesos/24 hours.

We then found the Joy and Acoy's Pesangan Lodge which is 0.5 kilometer away from the town center. All of the rooms have ensuite toilet and bath so the choice was narrowed into either a fan room (500 pesos) or an AC room (800 pesos). We chose the basic fan room with two double-sized beds, an electric fan, a veranda, toilet and bath - very basic. What we loved about this place is its close proximity to the Pesangan white beach - a few strides away. 

We took a much needed siesta after fixing our stuff. And after a couple of hours we've decided to check out the Pesangan white beach just a few meters away from the lodge. Locals and tourists alike were enjoying the beach at that time. The sand is ivory whitish and the water was so inviting. But then we needed to go to Cloud 9 to surf. Excitement!

Joy and Acoy's Pesangan Lodge
Fan room - 500 pesos

Pesangan White Beach
24 tumblings away from the lodge

We decided to walk our way up to the Cloud 9 surfing area. It's 2.5 kms. from the lodge and we endured it. About 2 habal-habal drivers checked on us if we would want a ride but we refused. This part of the town seemed to be an old school rural area. Houses are very far from each other and all you could hear are the sound of the waves and the sound of humming insects around. 

And then we saw some kids who were playing kadang-kadang - a traditional Philippine game. It was so refreshing to see this game in action - I teach this to my freshmen kiddos. I even borrowed a pair but didn't manage to even balance myself to stand ('pag teacher 'di pwedeng hindi marunong?). It is also noticeable that certain areas are being developed. And then we reached the Cloud 9 surfing area.

According to the locals there are two surfing areas; for the Beginners and for the Professionals. We checked out the Pro area first. As we were about to walk on the famous boardwalk, it started to drizzle. And then it rained hard. We ran into this native hut where the spectators for surfing events are usually stationed and were stuck there. It was so frustrating to finally be there but can't seem to find a way to surf. And then my surfing-in-Siargao-dream fell apart. Me and J stayed in the hut. It was getting dark and it seemed that the rain won't stop. It was dark and we were cold. 2 hours of laughter-silence-stories-memories. A very well spent 2 hours.

kadang-kadang
I tried it but I failed

hot bodies everywhere

rain, rain go away Carla wants to surf

Drenched in rain water, we took a habal-habal to Ronaldo's Inn and Resto Bar. We had some grilled isaw (5 pesos), liver (20 pesos),  pork bbq (20 pesos) and chorizo (20 pesos). Fresh from a hangover of the best isaw I've ever tasted, everything tasted ok. What I didn't like about their grilled food was their barbecue marinade/sauce which tasted like sweet Pinoy spaghetti sauce. Not that good. 

cheap but eek!

On our scheduled island hopping day, I woke up early to catch the sunrise. We brought our coffees with us and upon learning that the entrance to the Pesangan white beach was still closed, we looked for a way to get into the shore. Until we saw this trail leading to a cemetery. Yes, a cemetery off the beach - just the perfect place to rest...in peace. We waited for some time until we experience my the perfect sunrise to-date. I truly adore sunsets but upon seeing this wonderful sunrise in Siargao, I think I will be starting to catch sunrise more often.

the perfect place to rest... in peace

the most grand sunrise to-date

At around 6:30 a.m. we were fetched by Lolong and brought us to where our boat was. Our boat was huge. It can fit up to 15 persons. Nice! We had Kuya Lito (0907.310.3333) as our boatman and 2 more companions. There were 3 boatmen plus me and J - great! We availed of a Sohoton-Siargao islands package (Sohoton and Bucas Grande will be featured on a separate post). What I loved about this package was that we practically owned the huge boat for the day and we controlled the pacing of the whole tour. We asked Kuya Lito to cook our lunch for that day. He obliged and we brought it with us on the party boat.

pwede bang matulog pa?

The standard Siargao island hopping tour consists of 3 islands. First on the list was the Naked island. True to its name, the island doesn't have any tree or shrub. We basked in the sun and dipped into the clear waters of the island. 

Naked island

Next was the Daku island. This is the biggest among the three islands. It boasts a very lush vegetation and a long stretch of white sand. There are cottages for rent - daytrip and overnight accommodation. And then someone asked us if we would probably want some coconuts. We said yes and right away a kid went up to the tree and grabbed some coconuts for us. And right there, they opened our fresh buko. An instant 25-peso happiness. And then we did what we do best - chill. 

Daku island

pabili ng buko, dalawa (sabay akyat sa puno)

summer bummer

Lastly, we went to Guyam island. There is an entrance fee of 10 pesos each person here. They say that it is best to view Siargao sunset in this island. And so we did. 

Guyam island

We went back to General Luna's Boulevard to check out the scene there. I was also trying to see if I can still go and proceed to my much awaited surfing in Cloud 9. And when we were at the Boulevard, we saw this aurora borealis-like phenomenon (until now I didn't know what that was). It was truly amazing. For almost half an hour I was just staring at the sky. It was just so great. 

ang lakas maka-aurora borealis

So there. We spent almost 2 full days in Siargao and I failed to surf. We didn't even get to check out the Beginner's area in Cloud 9. I went to Siargao and I didn't get to surf. Boo me. But hey, there's so much more to see in Siargao. We haven't even explored other towns which I heard boasts some nice beaches. Hmmm. This might be a sign that we need to go back to this island paradise eh? 

Check out Siargao accommodations here