SURIGAO - DAVAO ORIENTAL LAND TRIP 2016

We flew from Manila to Butuan airport for this  3 nights/4 days holiday in Eastern Mindanao.  We have arranged for a hired van to drive us for 4 days  (Tip:  make arrangements for a van-for-hire before your trip.  Search the internet for contacts.)

DAY 1

From Butuan, we drove for more than 4 hours (130kms. away) to our first stop - MacArthur's Place in San Agustin, Surigao del Sur.  MacArthur's Place is a resort by the beach, with several rooms that you can book while in Manila.  The resort has the basic amenities (rooms with aircon/ bathroom, a restaurant, and some huts).  This will be our jump-off point to Britania Islands, a cluster of islets along the shores facing the Pacific Ocean.

Bridge in MacArthur's Place, going to the boat.  One islet in the background.

We hired outrigger boats to take us the islands; the boats can fit 20+ passengers.  We bought some packed food for lunch.   After only a few minutes, we reached the first island, Hagonoy.  We had our lunch under the coconut trees, as the island only has a few trees and sand, nothing more.  (Tip:  bring food and water, as there are no stores in the island).  Hagonoy Island has crystal clear waters and fine white sand.  This is the best place to swim because there are no rocks on the beach, so spend as much time as you want in the water; the other islets are not a good spot for swimming.

Hagonoy Island

Girls' jumpshot on the sandbar

my jumpshot in Hagonoy

After lunch, we took the boat and transferred to the other islets.  The boat dropped us in one island, and we walked on shallow waters to the other island.  (Tip:  Wear aqua shoes or strapped sandals when walking on shallow waters.  Flip-flops are not recommended.  Place your gadgets in waterproof bags.  Bring a waterproof camera.)

a portion of the Britania Islands

we walked to the other islands

We returned to the resort before sunset, and had dinner in the restaurant (seafoods and inihaw na baboy).

DAY 2

We checked out of MacArthur's Place early, and started our drive south to Aliwagwag Falls in Davao Oriental (200km / 4 hour drive).  Along the route, we stopped at Libuacan river in Tagbina, Surigao del Sur.  The place is a mini Enchanted river, with clear, cold water.  (Tip:  do not dive into the deep part of the river as there is a super strong undercurrent.)

We reached Cateel town at noon, in time for lunch.  Right in front of the Aliwagwag Falls Eco park are food stalls that offer rice and several dishes.  We bought food here and had lunch at the tables provided.

We entered the Aliwagwag Falls Eco Park (just a few steps from the main road).  If you plan to swim and take a dip in the falls, change into your swimwear at the dressing room before you enter the park.  The park is very new, with clean facilities, paved pathwalks, and huts for rent.  There is also zipline from the falls to the river below.  The view is awesome; water is so refreshing; so relaxing to soak yourself in the pools.  It is so easy to lose track of time as you enjoy the company of friends in the falls.

entrance to the park

the falls look small, but really huge up close

By the bridge

We drove back northbound to Bislig before sunset (110 kms / 3 hour trip).  We had dinner at a local restaurant; stayed overnight at a small hotel in the city.

DAY 3

We left the hotel at 6am, enroute to Tinuy-an Falls (about 20 kms away from city proper).  We bought breakfast in the city, and planned to eat in the falls area.  We drove on unpaved roads most of the time.  We reached the falls in less than an hour.

We rented a hut and ate breakfast there.  We also took a bamboo raft and floated underneath the cascading water of the falls.  Water was cold; having water fall on your back feels like small rubber pebbles hitting you.

Under the Tinuy-an Falls

The falls has several levels; take the stairs to the second level (maybe a few hundred steps) and you will reach the dam-like falls (as shown in photos below):

We spent a few hours at the second level falls, enjoying the water massage on our backs.  Then we drove off to Enchanted River (55 km. / 1.5 hour ride) in Hinatuan.  We parked the van a few meters away from the park entrance, and took a shuttle to the park.  We rented a hut inside the park and left some of our bags there since we are having lunch at Sibadan fish cage restaurant (15 minutes away from the river).  

(Tip:  the Enchanted river will be full of people on a weekend, and the swimming area will be jam packed at noon.  We opted to return to swim after lunch, when there will be less crowd.)

At noon, fish-feeding time...you cannot see the river from where I stand

We took a small boat (pay P100 per person) to Sibadan.  We ordered grilled seafoods for lunch.  We swam in the fish cage and were fascinated with a domesticated stingray (named Brenda).

We returned to the Enchanted river by boat at about 2:30pm; by then, the crowd has already thinned, and we had more room to swim in the river.  We were so amazed at how clear the water was - like in a tiled swimming pool!  The underwater shots and videos we took are amazing!

We left the Enchanted river park before 5pm, and drove to Butuan City (3 hour / 140 km drive).  We spent the night in the Almont Resort hotel in Butuan. 

DAY 4

On the following day, we went to see some historical landmarks in the city and tried the durian icedrop and toasted siopao in the supermarket, before heading to the airport for our return flight to Manila.

Praise God for these awesome creations in this part of the Philippines!

I have posted a video of our entire trip on Youtube: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbfG3Ojs85c

HONGKONG TRIP

I have to accompany my wife to her business trip to Hongkong recently; so we let our daughter tag along as she has never been to Hongkong.

Tip 1:  Upon arrival at the Hongkong airport, convert your money to HKG dollars at the airport if you don't have any HKG dollars with you to pay for taxi or the Airport express, BUT only the money you need for transport out of the airport.  I later found out that the money changers in the city proper buy US dollars at a higher exchange rate (+10% more vs. airport's).

Tip 2:  The airport is so far from the city.  If you want to save on transport going to Hongkong Island or Kowloon from the airport (and you don't have much to carry), better use the Airport Express trains.  Very convenient, fast, and cheaper than taxi. 

We planned to take the Airport Express train to Hongkong station.  So we bought tickets for three passengers at the ticket counter just right after the immigration area.  Ask if there are discounts for group fare.  We got ours for HKD210 for a single-journey ticket for 3; this ride normally costs HKD100 per person, if you are not in a group.  We carried our luggages into the train, got off at the Hongkong station, and took the Airport Express Shuttle bus to our hotel.  

Tip 3:  There are several shuttle bus routes, so make sure that you take the right bus number.  The bus moves around certain hotels, to bring passengers to and from hotels in the route.

Commuting via the Hongkong MTR trains takes a while to get used to.  We have to read the maps inside the train station to know which train to take, and which ticket to buy.  One thing good is that we can be guided by just reading the easy-to-understand maps...find out which direction we want to go and follow the sign which shows the last train stop.  Once we get to your station destination, we read the map on the walls  to find the exit code for the street where we wanted to go (example exit A5 for Nathan Road).

On our first day, I brought my daughter to the Kowloon side.  We walked to the Avenue of the Stars where we saw the hand prints of Chinese movie stars (I only know Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan and Jet Li among the prints on the floor).

We went shopping in Tsim Sha Tsui on the Kowloon side, and Central in Hongkong Island.

Tip 4:  Make sure that you know the exact model number of the item that you plan to buy, and check the internet for prices, or check the price locally before you go to Hongkong.  Otherwise, you might end up paying a lot more for the item if you don't have any idea how much it really is (stores can display prices which can be hundreds of dollars more than the normal price).  Know how to haggle.  Check the other stores for prices of the same item.  Read the tips on the internet for bargaining in Hongkong (e.g. http://gohongkong.about.com/od/shoppinginhk/a/bargaining_hk.htm )

Tip 5:  If you are on a budget but want to try authentic Chinese food, go to the smaller streets and look for a restaurant where the local Hongkongese eat.  On one evening, we found a very small resto, probably with only 5 tables, packed with local folks who just came from work.  There was no menu in English, but there were photos of the food to order.  I just caught a glimpse of what the other tables are having, and ordered them.  My daughter loved the noodle soup, and she can never forget that experience.

SAGADA - BANAUE TRIP 2013

I am starting out my very first blog, to give very helpful tips to travellers like me, above 40 years old.

What did I bring for this trip?

5 gallons purified water, water bottles beside me that I can easily reach while driving, loose pants, sandals, plenty of snacks for the kids and adults, and talkative companion to keep me awake.  

May 2013

We started out late evening, leaving at 11pm.  I was driving my car; friends are in another 2 vans.  

Tip:  Find out which driver knows the route, and advise driver to wait at major crossroads (in case you lose the convoy).  

Driver in 1st van drives so fast, that I had a hard time catching up...good thing I have this Garmin GPS with me.  We took San Simon exit in NLEX, all the way up to Cabanatuan City, where we got stuck in heavy truck traffic.  We should have taken the SCTex-La Paz route instead, to avoid Cabanatuan.  Look-up this route in Google maps.

I already lost the convoy in Dalton Pass, so I was driving alone until I reached the intersection in Bagabag (watch out for this fork after Solano in Nueva Vizcaya).  GPS says to take this route to Banaue, so I called up the other van to confirm this route.  The other van has taken the highway going right (wrong way!), which is going to Isabela.  Now, they have to make a U-turn and head back to Bagabag.

Tip:  better go to the toilets in Solano gas stations, as there will be no more along the way to Banaue.

Banaue rice terraces

We reached Banaue at 7am, and had breakfast at People's Lodge...nice meal of rice and beef tapa.  Toilet in the second floor will be always occupied, but there is another one downstairs.  We drove to Banga-an, along very muddy and bumpy road (under construction).

Tip:  If you are going to Sagada from Banaue, you can skip this Banga-an rice terraces, as there will be plenty of terraces-up-close along the way to Sagada.

Banga-an village

We hiked a little to a small hut where an Igorot lolo sits.

Wear ordinary clothing during the hike in Banga-an, as you will be walking along paved pathwalks (slippers, rubber sandals, shoes are ok).  We drove back to Banaue town proper and had lunch at Banaue Homestay...very cozy and friendly staff.  After lunch, we headed straight to Sagada.

Took more than 2 hours from Banaue to Sagada.  The view from the mountain top was majestic.  Watch out for the right-turn going to Sagada, along Halsema Highway, after Bontoc.  Road is still being repaired, so prepare for a bumpy ride going to Sagada town proper.  We found our home for 3 nights, in the Rock Inn and Cafe, a few kilometers before the town proper.  Rocky driveway, so we have to let our cars crawl.  Rooms were ok, just for sleeping.  We took a room with 3 double-deckers, so 6 people can stay here.  We had our dinner there (do not order the spaghetti).

Woke up in the morning amidst thick fog, wow!  Even though it is May, prepare for thick sleeping attire (sweater and cotton jogging pants).  We drove to Bana's Cafe for breakfast of rice and bangus...coffee is freshly brewed (nice aroma!).  Bought Sagada Tshirts in nearby store.

After breakfast, we drove to Sumaguing cave to explore.  

Tip:  Wear dry-fit shirts and shorts, rubber sandals or trekking shoes (prepare to get wet), no need for jackets (although it will be cool inside the cave; you can see your breath while inside), caps/hats; bring ziplock for all electronic gadgets, waterproof cameras, headlamps, small backpack, light water containers (you will need not more than 1 liter inside),

You can wear sandals or shoes while walking inside the cave.  The guide we hired (there will be plenty waiting near the cave entrance) carries a gas lamp to light the path, but still you might want to have your own headlamp (don't bring a flashlight as you need both hands free).

cave entrance

A few minutes of walking, sliding with your butt, sometimes on all fours, before you reach a point where the guide will tell you to leave all footgear (take off shoes, slippers, sandals), as we need to walk barefoot.  From this point, we walked on wet ground and small springs, and sometimes have to slide on rocks and cave formations.  Cold is bearable and not too much; water is just like something from the ref.  Be very careful on one spot, where I slipped and slide on my back to a very deep, cold, pool of water.  I was wet from head to toe.  Thanks to the ziplocks!

after the wet fall

rock formations inside the cave

We spent the whole morning for the cave exploration.  You will marvel at God's wonderful creation and His awesome designs!
 Lunch back to  town proper.  After lunch was the hanging coffins tour (you can wear anything).

pathwalk to hanging coffins

jumpshot near coffins

Next, we drove to Bokong falls.  Walked a little, down to the falls, and did some jumps.  Very nice, cool swim to wash off all the dirt from caving.  Water was tolerable.

bokong falls jump

Next day was the trek to the Big Falls, or Bomod-ok Falls.  We drove to the barangay road, and hiked for almost 2 hours along rice terraces (concrete pathwalks).  Walking sticks are provided by the guides.  Wear slippers or shoes, hats, and sunblock.  Bring raincoat or jacket, as there can be some rainfall.  There is a small toilet in the barangay center.

choose your stick

hike along rice terraces to Big Falls

Seeing the Big Falls was a great relief, after a lot of walking along paved pathwalk; just bring along your water container, food, and camera and swimwear if swimming.  

We had a picnic by the falls.  And went swimming in the freezing pool, something like water with ice cubes.  If you stay more than 30 minutes, you will likely have cramps (I did).

freezing waters

 Walked back via a different route where van was waiting.

On our last night, we had a bonfire in the Rock Inn.  Bonfire area has a roof, so don't worry about the evening dew.

Special bonus for us:  Look for the tree with plenty of fireflies, inside the compound of Rock Inn.  That was an awesome sight at night.  Praise God for this nice experience for us and the kids.

We drove back to Manila via the Baguio route.  If you want to buy vegetables for pasalubong but don't want to pass by Baguio market, there is a vegetable trading post in La Trinidad, right behind the market.  Prices seem cheaper than Baguio.

About the Blogger

I am 50+ years old, married with children.  Ever since childhood, I have been travelling around the Philippines, and later around the globe.

This is the stage in my earthly stay that I would want to explore the archipelago, plus visit interesting sites overseas.  I intend to do this now, before I reach the time that I will be completely home-bound.

Hope this blog can help travellers see what to expect, to do, to bring, to eat, and more.

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