Surigao del Sur Road Trip

Part of the big Caraga region, Surigao del Sur is the 56th independent Philippine Province. Its capital town, Tandag, is also the seat of the provincial government. A rustic province with most of the national road still unpaved, a trip through Surigao del Sur offers you a spectacular view of the coastline with waves crashing mildly to wildly against the shore, the green to gold hues of rice paddies and the imposing and majestic mountains of the province. Surigao del Sur has one of the remaining largest forest covers in the country.

The municipalities in the area are clustered in three based on their proximity and accessibility to each other, namely Bibahilita, Macasaltabayani, and Canmadcarlancortan. Our road trip took us to the Canmadcarlancortan cluster.

There are two things to enjoy in these areas -- seafood and surfing. Fish are always fresh when you buy from the market. Everyday fisherman would bring in their haul in the morning and in the afternoon. All you need is a grill and some salt for fine feast of roasted fish. Some soy sauce and tomatoes to go with it wouldn’t be bad either. Crustaceans are often costly in most urban areas of the Philippines, but it is relatively cheap here. It is best to get the female crabs for a meaty feast. Steam or curried… it’s definitely heaven to a seafood lover like me.

Then there is the surfing. With the vast coastlines and the waves coming from the Pacific Ocean, there are annual international surfing competitions. Top surfers from Australia and the US would come to the waters of Surigao del Sur, particularly that of Lanuza. The best time of the year for surfing would be from October to November when waves reportedly reach up to two stories high. How cool is that!

For those who are still unsure of surfing, letting yourself ride the waves is a fun enough activity. Smaller waves could carry you along a few feet. You may emerge with a lot of sand on the bottom of your suit, but hey, as long as you fun with your friends!

Quick Tips:

Extreme adventurers must make a stop at Lanuza where surfing is big time. There are several resorts that have instructors that could teach you the basics of surfing, as well as rent out surfboards. For beginners, it is better to use a longboard than the shortboard. Long boards allow you more time to balance yourself before you tumble into the water. And believe me you will tumble! The short board is much lighter thus give you less time to establish yourself on the board. By the time you do so, it would have slipped off you and you would have been back in the water.

If you are more interested in watching surfers, the best time to go is late November when they hold the international surfing festival. Waves are bigger and the pro surfers are there to put up a show for anyone who cares to watch. Great bods and lots of beer would surely give anyone a good time.

Now, if you are the type who is more interested in eating than physical activity, Surigao del Sur still has the seafoods for you. The best way to enjoy a meal is cook it yourself! Buy fresh fish from the market and have your resort or your restaurant grill it for you. Imagine the curlicues of smoke that go up in the air when you slowly unearth the flesh from the lightly toasted skin. Simply delicious! You can taste the flavors of the sea with every bite of freshly grilled fresh fish. Styrofoam containers are a must if you plan to bring home some booty back home. Stock up on ice to make sure that the fish stays as fresh as possible.

In Cantilan, you can hire a boat to go island hopping. Make sure you stop by Auqui Island and General Island.

You can check out the Wow Philippines website for more info here.

And for the Canmadcarlan cluster, here.

Best Way To Get Around:

My road trip’s take off point was from Davao City. We took a private car with a friend driving. The trip usually takes six to eight hours depending on which point of Surigao del Sur you aim to go. There are also regular Bus trips from Davao City and from Cagayan de Oro City. There are Seair flights from Cebu everyday but the time varies. Those coming from Manila often take a plane to Butuan, but that would still be around four to six hours to Surigao del Sur depending on the location you are planning to go to.

My buds and I decided to do a road trip for this Holy Week. Early morning of Maundy Thursday, we set of for Surigao del Sur. Our target was to go around the CANCARMADCARLAN (Cantilan, Carmen, Madrid, Carascal and Lanuza) network.

By Black Saturday, we decided to check Lanuza out and see how fare their surfing rates. After asking around, we ended up in Lanuza Bay Surfing Company. Their room rates were pretty reasonable. P200/head for the dormitory rooms, and P450 for twin sharing. Their surfing rates aren’t that bad either, at P200/hour for an instructor and P250/day surf board rental.

They made surfboards from the local tree Amakan which costs P3,500/sq foot. Some of those Lanuza-made beauts are exported to California even! Proudly Pinoy-made surf boards.

Anyway, I had first dibs trying the surf board as we crossed the delta to the beach. Lying prone on the board while maintaining balance was not easy during the first time. It kept tilting precariously. But once I got the hang of it, I was able to traverse the delta by paddling. When I got to the other side, I could already feel the adrenaline pumping. When I saw the waves racing to the shore, I was ready to hang ten. Or at least try to.

Philip and Ilongo were the instructors assigned to our group of seven. I was instructed first. I just had to do what I did crossing the delta. Paddle. When a good wave came, Philip gave me the initial push and shouted, “padol!” and paddle I did.

It seemed like I was the most excited about surfing, as I did not stop trying to stand on the board for the two hours we were on the beach. The other guys would take breaks or pass the board to another. I kept going at it non-stop.

Despite my tremendous effort, I could not stand up from the short board though I was already able to more or less determine a good wave to ride. Until Philip told me it would be easier using the long board. Once I was able to exchange the short board I was using with the long board, Philip helped me launch. A good wave came. I was able to stand for two seconds. Woohoo! The adrenaline just kept pumping harder after that. I only stopped trying when all the other six people were already on the shore resting.

After everyone had taken their baths, all the bruises and body aches started to come out. I had a cut on my chin, bruises on my pelvis, thigh, knees and right elbow. Despite all that, I was perfectly satisfied with the day. It was a good end to our long break. And at the back of my head, I was thinking, I can try this again!

This November 20-25, they will have the 3rd International Longboard Invitational and the 5th National Surfing Open. Contact Poktoy Palm Haven at 09064413025 for accommodations and details.

I wasn't exactly sure how we got to Cagwait. It wasn't even part of the plan of our road trip. We left the planning to our newly-married friend whose initial destination was another resort in another municipality which name he just got from the Internet. After following the directions given to him, we found the place and there was a unanimous, "this is it?" reaction. Well, there wasn't any beach to speak of as it was several houses in the middle of a mangrove reservation and no place to swim in.

With words unspoken, it was decided to look for another place. The quest went on for three hours. I drifted in and out of sleep during that time. Around 3pm (we left at 4am), our friend just took a turn somewhere and decided to check in at the first place we saw. This was in Cagwait. The first resort we saw: Chiara Beach Resort.

I thought, what an interesting name for an isolated place like this. The people looked as if they weren't used to visitors because they kept staring at our vehicle as we passed them by. When we met with the owner, he happened to be German. That's why it was Chiara! He has been living in the place for a number of years already and even married a local.

It was settled that we stay there for the night. The beach wasn't exactly that exciting to look at. We've all seen better, but after being on the road for almost twelve hours, anything was acceptable.

I decided to grab a couple of people to play frisbee by the beach. The beach's sand was light brown with some pebbles scattered here and there. The waves were quite inviting for body surfing, with a height from one to two feet. The shoreline was long and littered with coconuts, which could have been brought in from the other island by the waves.

When we got tired of playing frisbee we took a dip, or more appropriately, the water kept dipping us. It was a great game of which person can travel the farthest riding the waves. I think the girls won that one out attributing it to our smaller frames. At the end of the day, the bottoms of our suits were filled with sand but our hearts were brimming with fun.

Everybody trooped to the rooms to change, but my partner and I decided to stay a bit to watch for the sunset. The copse of coconut trees actually covered the sun setting, but the clouds gave us a show as it started changing hues from red to purple to dark blue. It was magnificent.

Even if it was not what we planned for, everybody had a nice time at Cagwait and look back at it with fond memories.

It was already the second day of our road trip. We left Chiara Beach in Cagwait and decided to proceed to Cantilan, one of the places we originally intended to go.

The trip actually took quite a while, about three hours of traversing more rough roads. Everyone was in a somber mood because the first day didn't turn out as planned. Thankfully, the sea was in sight most of the way to calm our minds and appease our souls.

We finally got to Cantilan, but it took a while before we could find a decent resort. The beach all had dark sands, way below our standard. No one seemed really pleased with how the trip was going. Finally, we just decided to stay in the first resort that we see.

When we went to look at the resort, I saw several islands in the middle of the sea. I asked the lady if it was accessible by boat. It was, which lightened us up a bit. "Let's just go island hopping in the afternoon!" An idea which everyone agreed to.

We settled in our respective rooms and got ready while the resort caretaker contacted the boat operator. After we had our lunch we were on our way.

Our first stop was Auqui Island. The boat ride took almost an hour. But it was well worth it. We could already see the a large volcanic rock outcropping protruding from the ocean. The waves from the Pacific was clashing wildly against it, creating a steady rhtyhm. Its anger was beautiful, mesmerizing.

As out boat neared the island, the water changed from dark blue to turquoise. There were splotches of white sandy bottom but the seabed was mostly covered with sea grass. Since it was low tide, our boat couldn't go too near the island so we walked the rest of the way instead.

We weren't the only people in the area. Some locals from Cantilan were looking around for shells, seaweed, crabs, and conch. Some were having a fun time swimming at the other portion of the island which had brownish sands and clearer water. A far cry from the wild side of nature found just a few hundred meters away.

Finally we got to the outcropping. The volcanic boulders were sharp and slippery, but we continued to climb up. We were too curious to see the Pacific Ocean. And it made great photo ops, of course!

As we settled on the rocks, there was another outcropping much further out in the sea. Bigger waves crashed against it. The mere sight of it looked perilous, especially for a person like me who can't swim.

While I sat there, I thought to myself, God is really creative. He can create quiet beauty and he can make wild mystery. Both tantalizing to people.

While I sat there, I felt like I was in a world that was my own.

A whole afternoon of trying out surfing had most of the gang become aware how laundry in the washing machine feels. Everyone tumbled and turned in the waves and would be taking home a souvenir of bruises here and there.

After we have showered and eaten, we decided to go to the Boulevard we saw when we got to Lanuza. Spanning probably more than a kilometer, it actually drew our attention because of its bricked walkway, iron-wrought benches and fancy lamp posts. We all felt it was an odd thing to have for such a small sixth class municipality. For a town which road needs work, the Prospero Pichay, Sr. Boulevard stood out in its extravagance. But we had to give it to whoever made it, it was beautiful.

I had no idea who Prospero Pichay, Sr. was, but logic tells me that he is (was?) the father of the Surigao Congressman running for Senate during the May 2007 elections. And this congressman was someone I would definitely not vote for. But hey, like him or not...that Boulevard is probably a favorite spot during the International Surfing Festival every November.

The day has long gone and the night has nestled itself comfortably into the sky. Everyone was pooped from the afternoon extreme sports. But the cool sea wind was beckoning, telling us to take some time to just sit on the benches and enjoy the sound of the sea.

As we sat, ate chips and told stories, I felt it was a nice way to cap the day. We all lived in a place where the night was greeted by a barrage of lights and drowned by noise pollution. That time, we were facing the ocean, with only pinpricks of light from the houses on the shore and the sounds of nature emphasizing the silence. The light from the lamps actually set the ambience for the evening rather than overpowered it. The crescent moon and the generous sprinkling of stars were simply breathtaking, a sight to behold. The waves that were beating us up just that afternoon has quieted a little. They came at slow intervals, lapping at the shore and sucking at the sand. Our usual loud voices were noticeably slightly toned down, though unintentionally.

I guess in the silence of our hearts, what was happening that moment was something we city folks rarely get to experience and something we want to enjoy the fullest.

When we finally left the Boulevard, our bodies may have been tired but our souls were refreshed by God's wonderful creations.