Areal shot of cloud 9 taken at 600 feet around 6 in the morning
At first I thought it was all hype. All of them said that its one of the best place to go. You can see it on vlogs. Instagram posts. Facebook. Celebrities flock. Some even moved in for good. I thought it was all hype! And I was wrong. Siargao is truly one of the best attractions, Philippines has to offer. I was hooked by Siargao's Magic!
Never had a chance to surf. Imagine I went to Siargao and didnt surf? Stupid me.
This is the famous Cloud 9. Its the popular surf spot where surfers from beginners to pro athletes go. Young, old. As long as surfing is in your blood, this is the place. This is the sanctuary. I have my drone with me that time and I really wanted to take a photo of the place from top. I flew for about 600 feet and took a shot. It was really breath taking. I never saw Cloud 9 anything like it. You can see the waves crashing as surfers go crazy attacking it. I never had a chance to surf though due to the tight sked we had. But i did tried something better!
Im just so happy i rode a bike again. Now Im having thoughts to buy a motorcycle
I rode a motor bike! Its been a while since I rode one. The last time was when I was still in Highschool and Im just riding mountain bikes ever since. I was really anxious and I had that fear I may crash. Then that quote hit my head saying " Everything that you ever wanted is on the other side of fear ". So there. Right at that moment I was cruising!
Bike has no registration. 1st ticket in Siargao. Ride impounded
We travelled almost 50 kms all over Siargao with our bikes! One of the most unforgettable moment was we were riding early evening and its dark. You can see coconut trees on your left and coconut trees on your right. And theres this one straight road ahead and theres the moon shining at its fullest and its brightest in top of the road. Too bad i never had a chance to take a photo. Its all in my head now.
The calm after the storm. Wer just so happy our trip was smooth even after the storm.
When we arrived in Siargao, it was raining. There was actually a typhoon and our departure flight from Clark actually got cancelled. We actually lost one day of vacation. Well, theres nothing you can do for things you cant control. And its better to be safe than sorry. Good thing my brother, Kuya Bam and his wife Ate Ley opened their doors for us and let us stayed at their home for the night. Early next day, we went on our trip to Siargao.
The rocks are so sharp its hard to move around.
We went to the famous Mangpupungko Rock Pools! Its like 30Kms away from the main city of General Luna. It was a long ride. It was fun though. I havent cruised that far using a motor bike. We arrived at the place and there was time restrictions when to enter and went to get out.
This place is jampacked with people!
The pools are only swimmable during low tide. If the tides hit, its gonna be nasty. Coz the rocks, corals there are razor sharp. I swam a little. But my main concern is again to take photo of the place. Its really beautiful from the top. Im just glad i have a drone to capture this images. Im so happy. Weather was really nice as well. Bright and sunny.
This place is best probably for a pre wedding venue
We went to this place called Corregidor Island in Dapa, Surigao del Norte. Its really amazing coz you can see the rolling hills! Its a beautiful place. It has grass not that tall. You can see cows grazing. Its kinda like Batanes actually...
Thats nico and ara sweet-sweetan sa damuhan
Theres a little trek though I don't mind. Its good exercise actually. I really like the slight breeze... what I dont like is when the sun is out, there is no shade so good luck getting your skin burned. Its all worth it though.
Im not sure if this island goes underwater during lowtide. Probably. Sobrang init dito.
We also went to this place called the Naked Island. You dont have to get naked to go there unless u want to... haha. The island has no trees whatsoever so goodluck getting toasted. You can swim there. You can also snorkel around if you want to. Its one of those destinations if you pay for island hopping. This photo is actually unedited. It came straight out of the drone.
I really wanted to swim during this times kaso sobrang init! Kumain na lang ako. Haha
Then we went to Daku Island to get some lunch. The island is a long stretch of white sand beach! Its really beautiful. Theres cottages there to hang out. The locals serve lunch there. They prepare it there as well.
This is too much effort! We were staring at Kuya Tata kung kelan ba sya matatapos. Haha
I would like to take this opportunity to give thanks and promote "The Best Siargao Tour Guide " led by Kuya Tata who organised our island hopping trip and also prepared this amazing lunch for us. Search them at facebook.
A photo with Kuya Tata. He's the guy to bump into if you want to go around the island.
Just look for Kuya Tata thebestsiargaotourguide on IG. Amazing isnt it. We had fish, BBQs, shrimps, kebabs and fruits for dessert. So good! Diet ruined. Haha.
Guyam Island! An island with the best Mango Graham shakes! Tattoed in my head
This is Guyam Island! We stayed for here for a while and had snacks. Tried one of the best Mango Graham shake I ever had. Swam a little. And yes took photos of the island.
Im dreaming of this right now.
The shake is so good. Really refreshing. According to "ate", this is their best seller. So i tried it and true enough it speaks for itself. For hundred pesos (around $2) for a glass, its really good. You have to try it once you visit the island.
At first I wanted a shot with no people in it but it wouldnt be that interesting.
We also went to Maasin River! The famous river where you swing around a coconut tree like tarzan onto the river. I saw kids doing 360 dives up there! Its really amazing. You can actually ride a raft here and paddle your way and explore the river. Due to lack of time and its getting dark, we skipped that part and moved on to the next spot...
I forgot to mention that this place has a lot of beautiful ladies.
Sugba Lagoon is one of the most visited place in Siargao. There, you can jump of a 15 foot high plank, paddle the kayak, go snorkling..
I envy people who can float at their backs. Hindi ako marunong eh.
Since its a lagoon and the place is surrounded with small islands, the water is very calm. We have to cut short our time there because its getting dark and the place is about to close. We really had fun there..
I forgot the name of this island. Will edit as soon as I remember. :P
If ever im going back to siargao, im gonna buy another gwapitos shirt and go surf.
I really miss this place. If I ever I have a chance to go back, i'd definitely would. What I like about Siargao is the people. Everyone is smiling. Everyone is chill. It has a pretty laid back environment. I also love the food. Its very diverse. The place is packed with foreigners a lot of the locals serve different kinds of food. I also like Siargao being traffic free unlike here in Manila. Its really fun riding a bike there. One of those things that I really enjoy.
Here in Manila, 1 liter of Red Horse is already priced at 200 pesos. Its absurd.
Best part doing in Siargao is drinking at the beach. Listening to the sound of the waves as you finish that bottle. Staring at the sea. Burying your feet into the sand. Lying down at the sand. Looking at a gazillion stars. Watching it fall. Simple things that you dont do in the city.
Everytime I look at my own pic I laugh.
I really love travelling. If I have a ton of money in the world you wont see me in one place for a really long time. Id probably go travel around the world. See different cultures. Eat different kinds of dishes. I never wished of anything else actually. I just wanna go around. I promised to myself after the quarantine, I'd go travelling. As of now, out of the 82 provinces in the Philippines, ived been to 40 of them. Thats almost half. Im hopeful to have more projects in the future. Projects that would set my foot to different places.
Yessss the travel group. More lakwatsas to all of us after quarantine!
Shout out to my friends who were with there with me. From right thats Dan, Nico, Ara, PV , me.. then Mark and Meg. Thanks guys! Lets do this again! Where next??? We really had a blast out there in Siargao. I cant wait to go back. They say that its better to wander when you are able.
When we go old, we might lose that chance. Thank you for reading. Its quite long. hehe
To be honest, this is my first time to see Banaue Rice Terraces in real life. I have been to Sagada a couple years back but never tried to visit one of Philippine's beloved attractions! I was lucky. Because that cloud on top of the photo is rain. Real heavy rain. About 30 mins after this photo was taken, heavy rain poured. We were like ants being played by a mean kid with a bucket of water! The place is really spectacular. Why am I here again in Ifugao? Well, I have this project for HABI Philippines and I was tasked to photographed the different disciplines in weaving. I am fortunate enough to be chosen as their photographer. Only a few can have an opportunity like this. I really worked hard for this. Blood sweat and tears actually.
Anyway, I am travelling with Dr. Norma Respicio. She is a professor in UP Diliman. She will accompany me to the different weaving places around the country. The photos that I took will soon graze the pages of this coffee table book that HABI will make. So I cant post them yet. I can post some scenic photos though just for this blog. This is actually my 5th province. I will make a blog out of the different provinces as well soon. We stayed at Banaue Hotel. Place is really nice. Its kinda outdated but its alright. What do I meant by outdated? Windows doesnt have screens. Toilets have no bidet... but theres hot water and thats fine with me.
The view of the restaurant is pretty insane! You can see the clouds swoop down the mountain side as the birds fly so high and wildly. I am really enjoying this hot cup of brewed coffee along with my toasted bread with butter and scrambled eggs! This reminds me of getting a toaster soon! Anyway, this place rocks. I really love this spot over here.
From Banaue, we have to go to Bontoc to take pictures at this town called and called Lagawe. Its a small town but rich in culture. There were reports that police intercepted a bus harbouring passengers smuggling large amounts of Marijuana. That means bus is not coming and we have to ride a tricycle going to Bontoc. It was a long ride. Like 2 and a half hours. Its bumpy. Loud. Kinda dangerous because of the potential mud slides and rock debris falling at the side of the mountain due to heavy rains. Thank God we arrived safe in Bontoc.
Bontoc is already industrialised. I guess this is the center of commerce in the mountain province. Last year i was here for the Lang-ay festival. Different tribes from different areas dance and showcased their beautiful costumes at the streets! I dont really watch festivals. I think that was my first time and it was really good!
At Bontoc, we visited a town called Samoki. Its a town rich in harvesting rice, selling meat (mostly pork) and weaving. We talked to the elderly people who still do the art of weaving. Few of them still do it. Sadly its a dying culture. I just hope that more people will appreciate and patronise this dying art. A piece of cloth about 3-4 meters long will be finished for a week if done straight and non stop. Thats why that piece of cloth is quite expensive. But the hardwork to make that is all worth it.
People live here in a very simple life. They dont live lavishly like the most people. I saw this old lady feeding her chickens as she sit down in her make shift wooden chair. This photo had a deep impact in to me coz it may come unusual but this is their way of life.
We have to go back to Banaue to visit this town called Lagawe. From Lagawe, we have to go to this place called Kianggan. This place is believed to be the origin of the Ifugaos. On our way, we stopped for a while to take a photo of the beautiful Bay-yo Rice Terraces. It is really something. Looking at it along with the cold air will give you goosebumps. Its so serene and really a sight to see.
My journey to Banaue and then going to Bontoc is one of my most memorable moments of my travelling live. Inspite of the heavy rains, we managed to visit the places that we need to go and meet people that we would want to meet. Somehow this job requires a lot of patience and hardwork. You have to prepare physically or you'll get sick quickly. Good thing we passed all that and did our job even though we soaking wet. Truly the places up north is must to visit. If ever i had a chance, i would definitely want to go back.
