after a 3 hour bangka ride from cinnamon island, tata and his crew safely delivered us to the dapa pier on siargao island. dapa pier is a good 30 minutes away from the main resort hub of general luna (conveniently known as "GL").
 |
| approaching dapa pier on siargao |
from the pier we took a padyak to the jeepney terminal and from there we hired a tricycle to take us to our inn. our driver coincidentally was tagalog, from the same province as adri, and was quite talkative during the ride so the half hour on the main highway passed quickly.
 |
| our bag matched our tricycle! |
 |
| the main highway at siargao island |
we were surprised to find out that la luna was across the street from the beach, but since we were just staying a night, it really didn't matter much that we weren't on the beach front. GL has an extremely laid back ambiance: the essentials seem to be a surf board, a motorbike and a bathing suit! no surprise that many a tourist decided to make their vacation permanent!
 |
| the la luna island resort |
 |
| surfboards and motorbikes everywhere! |
 |
| waiting for a boat at the beach |
 |
| tiny guyam island |
 |
| the beach at guyam island |
the second stop was daku island. daku literally means "big", in reference to the island and the beach being bigger than guyam. the beach was perfect for swimming, the slope being more steep than guyam so that the water came up to our chests just a couple of meters from shore. the waves were also stronger, so it was more convenient to stay farther from where the surf could knock us around on the sand.
 |
| daku island |
 |
| this hermit crab entertained us for at least 10 minutes |
 |
| flags and huts on the beach |
the third stop we saved for last: naked island. it was perfect for sunset because the island was actually naked. it did not have any palm trees or talisay trees to provide shade, just a few patches of grass and beach morning glory vines on the sand. the large strip of sand was always exposed, unlike some sandbars which would disappear under high tide.
 |
| naked island |
 |
| sunset on naked island |
a couple of whimbrels flew around the island, probably waiting for the beach goers to leave. according to our boatmen, many birds took refuge on the island during the night so that it was filled with birds in the early morning. naked island is a beach combers paradise, washed up on the sand were several broken pieces of corals, driftwood, shells and all sorts of sponges.
 |
| assorted sponges on the beach |
 |
| perhaps not naked for long! |
naked island is also the farthest island from the beach at GL, and when we looked back from the direction we came from, we could see both guyam and daku island, perched on top of the flat horizon.
 |
| guyam island on the horizon |
 |
| daku island on the horizon |
as the night began to creep in, we headed back to our beach on GL. the sunset was beautiful as golden light slowly bathed the blue skies. in the silence we could hear the roar of the waves of the pacific ocean in the distance.
 |
| pink sunset fingers |
it was dark when we arrived at GL and we walked quietly through the coconut grove back to la luna with philippine nightjars calling around us. we had a long day filled with sand and sea, we could barely stay awake through dinner. tomorrow we would check out the surfers at cloud 9.
cloud 9 was named after the chocolate bar of my childhood (do they still make it now? i'm not sure.) it is a very popular surfing area, even in the international circles, and it's the reason for siargao island's popularity. surfing season is actually late in the year, during the -ber months, but surfers come throughout the year. not being water babies, adri and i were not really interested in trying it out, but it was fun to watch the early morning surfers catching the waves.
the best spot to watch the surfers is from a pretty boardwalk which takes both active and vicarious surfers nearer to the big waves. it is built over shallow tidal pools filled with interesting creatures.
 |
| the boardwalk at cloud 9 at 6am |
 |
| white phase eastern reef egret |
 |
| dark phase eastern reef egret |
 |
| grey-tailed tattlers on the beach |
as we made our way to the viewing deck, we could see a few early surfers making their way to the reef, and a few others already out trying to catch the waves.
 |
| out to catch the waves |
cloud 9 is known for its clear, tube like waves which form as the wave crashes. the waves break over a reef off the shore at cloud 9. seeing the big waves, the rocky reef and the white foam, i could see how surfing could bring about such an adrenalin rush. but for me, i suppose it will remain a spectator sport.
 |
| crystal tube waves |
 |
| wipeout! |
and so, despite being non-surfers, siargao island was still a good stop for our surigao adventure. sun, sand and surf: always a good combination. just another bit of tropical paradise in the philippines.
 |
| a bit of paradise |
ganda ng black phase eastern reef egret! it's one of my most wanted birds (together with the white morph coucal) =) you guys had such a wonderful vacation! =)
ReplyDeletethanks maia! Yes, the dark eastern reef egret is very pretty especially with its yellow eyes. I hope you see it soon, after all, "umitim ang tagak!"
Deleteeeek! dark phase eastern reef and the white morph coucal.. me wana see too =)
Deletetotal envy trinket! i think that i should visit siargao one day too if only to see the sunsets.
ReplyDeletecheers to you both adri and trinket. enjoy!
:)tinggay
thanks tinggay! go, go, GO! The beaches are waiting for you!
Delete