Bayanihan in Ayoke Island (May 28 – June 2, 2012) is one of those things that should make every traveler feel good about themselves. Just writing about this one makes me feel good already. I’ve heard so much about Ayoke Island from friends that I’ve been raring to go there for some time and spend a couple of days exploring the island. Unfortunately, my weekends have either been booked for roadtrips that this one has really been left in my travel-shelf gathering dust, just like the many, many books I’ve bought and have yet to read.

When my brother showed me a poster of an event in Ayoke Island spearheaded by Gawad Kalinga (GK) and sponsored by Cantilan Bank Foundation Inc. (CBFI), that was the writing on the wall for me. It’s like the universe has conspired to give me the necessary nudge I needed to finally go there. And go there I shall. The even however is for one week and since I’m a working stiff, I’ll only be able to lend my assistance for the weekend. Better than nothing I suppose.

The great thing about this is that I get to visit the island for a couple of days and contribute a few hours of my life making some other folks’ lives a little bit more comfortable. This is like having your cake and eating it too.

Here are some of the things I’ve heard about Ayoke Island. Mind you, these were just things I was told, I haven’t had the time nor the desire to verify if what I’ve been told were true. So if you’re reading this and you know some of the things here aren’t true, do me a favor, leave a comment and keep me honest.

- Ayoke Island doesn’t have electricity. There used to be a generator on the island but the locals had to shell out a few bucks they don’t have for the privilege so that went out the window. These days, they’re into alternative energy which is solar power. Imagine that. The energy generated however is not of the magnitude that folks will be able to charge their mobile phones. So folks, if you go there and you must have a living, breathing cellphone, keep this in mind.

- Fish in the island is plentiful and disgustingly cheap. My brother told me that when they were there (with the GK crew I think) and they shared food with the locals, the latter went for the Bangsi (flying fish) instead of the Lapu-lapu (grouper). Apparently, Lapulapu is much more common than Bangsi.

- Ayoke is corraled in with only one passage way (a gap in the corrals surrounding the island) that can be used to enter and leave the island. You guys need to keep me honest on this one.

- Ayoke has big enough waves for people to surf.

Hope some readers of this blog will be able to join me for this event. See you there!

For more information about this event, you can call 086-2125489 or email the organizers at cantilanbankfoundationinc@gmail.com. Featured photo from www.journeyingjames.com

Last Good Friday, I went from San Francisco to Brittania in half a day.  I wish I could say that it’s from North America to Europe like what my title says but it isn’t.  I’m actually referring to San Francisco, Agusan Del Sur and Brittania, San Agustin, Surigao Del Sur.  The beach however is neither North American nor European; it’s 100% tropical Philippines.

Brittania is gaining popularity among local tourists because of its accessibility.  It can easily be reached by public transportation though having your own private ride would be much more comfortable.  It also helps that the roads going there are already paved which makes commuting fast and stress free.

Going There

Public Commute

There are buses that ply the San Agustin route so having your own transportation is not a necessity if you’re adventurous enough.  If your jump off point is Butuan City, there’s a Bachelor Express bus that goes to Tandag, so you can take that.  If you’re from Davao, there’s also a Davao Bachelor Express bus going to Tandag.  You’ll have to get off at San Agustin, Surigao De Sur, specifically Brgy. Brittania.  The conductor should be familiar with that area.  If you want to make sure, here’s a link to a google map.

http://bit.ly/I3kjja

If you’re from Manila, you can just take the plane to Butuan City, rent a multi-cab to the  bus terminal and take the Tandag bound buses.

Driving

From San Francisco, it’s just another 30-45 minute drive to Lianga.  The main thing to remember when going to Lianga is that when you reach Barobo from San Franz, you need to take a left when you reach the Barobo market junction.  Going right will take you to Mangagoy, Surigao Del Sur.

Another 10-20 minutes after taking the left turn Barobo will take you to Lianga.  There will plenty of signs so you won’t get lost but the thing to remember is the name of the place, Brittania, San Agustin, Surigao Del Sur.    The landmark for you to take the right turn for the Brittania jump off is a chapel, so watch out for that one.   Check out the link to the San Agustin map as well to be sure.

The Brittania Experience

Brittania boasts of a cluster of islands (24 to be exact) that’s realy good for island hopping.  The islands are close to each other so you don’t spend a lot of time in motorized bancas.  Here are a few pictures I’ve taken of the beaches and the waters that are really inviting.  These are taken from Naked Island (a sandbar) and Hagonoy Island.

I can only show a few pictures because I kinda messed up with the other pictures I’ve taken.  I still have to master that ISO setting so what can I say?

Nevertheless, there are a lot of things that Brittania can compare with the top beaches in the country.  There are islands there where the sand is as white and as fine as Boracay (I kid you not) and the water is as clear and as warm as the best of them.  If there’s ever a best time to go to this place, it’s now.  There’s few people that go there for now so if you’re still in your summer break, this is a must visit destination.

Must Try Things

Apart from the pleasure of the beach, there’s a thing or two that Brittania visitors need to try to complete the experience.  Both are related to food.

1. Sea Urchin – if you haven’t tried it yet, you have to try it there because it’s cheap and well, it has an interesting taste.  Just ask for the locals or wherever you’re staying if they’re serving it.  They most likely have it in their menu.  This one is taken raw.  The taste is like tasting a non-salty sea, a little bit yummy and at the same time it feels like you’re eating something yucky.  It’s an acquired taste so pair it with rice and just savor the aftertaste.
2. Aninikad – this one are small seashells.  You know those little crawly things that you see during low tide.  The locals pick these things up and serve it to visitors.  Cooked of course.  The interesting thing about this dish is how it’s cooked.  The locals clean the shells up with the fish net (I think) to remove all the sand and grime.  This is while the shells are still alive.  Then they take a huge cauldron, fill it up with sea water and then pour all the shells in it.  Since the shells are in their element, they sort of peek out of their shells.  Once they’re legs or appendages are showing.  The cauldron is then placed on top of a fire, and left there.  Effectively boiling those hard shelled little things to death.  It’s then easy picking for the eaters once the Aninikads are served as they’re already half out of their shell.  This one’s yummy and really good paired with ice cold beer.

Lodging

In the Brittania jump off point there are already establishments that offer board and lodging like the La Entrada Resorts and Restaurant, the Mac Arthur’s Place, La Isla Gloria de Britania and Joan’s Resort.

So what are you waiting for?  Brittania, still untouched by commercialization is waiting to be explored.

A couple of months back, the usual crew went back to Siargao Island to watch the First Siargao International Surfing Festival. Unfortunately, a major disaster hit the competition that practically beat the crap out of it. Nah, there were no typhoons or storms or any natural calamity during the competition. Whatever disaster there was though took the form of people and politics.

First there was the decision to politicize the event. No longer would there be any Billabong participation whatsoever, everything was taken care of by the tourism boys and girls. Then there’s the scheduling. From the usual October schedule it was moved up to September to coincide with the fiesta celebrations of General Luna town. It’s a fiesta right, and the big waves should do the saint’s bidding right? Wrong.

Putting Billabong out of the picture was a sure fire way to ensure that the world’s top surfers won’t grace the event. And why would they? The company that puts money in their board shorts aren’t exactly strangling them to attend the event so good luck with that. Despite the sponsorship of big local companies like San Miguel wasn’t enough to drag them out of their beds.

The September schedule also was all wrong. I was there when the finals of the National Surfing was held and it was painful to see very small waves offering little if no resistance to the finalists. In fact the first runner-up lost because he wasn’t able to ride any wave at all. The organizers might as well have declared the finals a no contest. That’s how bad it was. By the way, the finals ended well into 7pm and the contestants were only visible because of moonshine. Not sure if something like this happened before but for sure, surfing competition is NOT a nocturnal event. Attendance on the day of the National Finals was also abysmal. There must have been less than 50 people watching it including the surfers. Epic fail.

The opening of the international surfing competition was also pretty funny. When it was time to do the traditional breaking of the surfboard (intended to signal the start of the competition), the organizers brought in a makeshift styro board heavily wrapped in packing tape. It took the VIPs (local politicians) at least five minutes to break it even with the generous assistance of some folks who proceeded to tear it apart. We didn’t stay long enough to see if there were any big waves during the actual international competition as we’ve seen quite enough and we’re not sure if the big waves will come.

Looking at the pictures of the finals of the international competition however, the big waves did come towards the day of the finals. Too bad we didn’t have enough time to wait for them waves, instead, we visited one of the more unusual products of nature that lay hidden in Pilar– the natural swimming pools in Pilar called Magpopongko. More of this in the next post.

It’s been more than six months since I last traversed the road leading to Cagwait White Beach. I was bitching non stop then because the roads were just atrocious. Muddy, unfinished, and totally washed out. Imagine my surprise when driving along the same roads yesterday, everything was paved from San Francisco, Agusan Del Sur to Tandag, Surigao Del Sur. And we’re not talking a short trip here, were talking about 120 kilometers from end to end. I was amazed at the progress that happened in just 6 short months.

The trip was that enjoyable. Well except when the significant other was driving. Seeing the wellpaved roads, the speed demon in her came out and she was attacking these roads at 140kph. That woman is out of control. It would have been great had we been driving a 4×4 Subaru Impreza. We were driving a frigging Honda CRV! And you know what happens when you negotiate twists and turns with SUV’s at top speed. Those damn things drift! Because of it’s high center of gravity, any momentary loss of control and everything goes belly up.

I was shitting in my pants but I couldn’t really say anything as she was in the zone and nothing I said was reaching her. Fine, I got chewed up really bad when I voiced my complaint so I just sat there scared out of wits but stayed silent the whole time like the sissy little boy that I am.

Imagine zooming down those flat roads– virgin forests to your left, lush yellow green rice paddies to your right with the horizon going on and on. Man I could see myself riding a Ducati and going full throttle for hours on end. Except that I don’t have a Ducati. Oh well, one can dream.

Perhaps the coming election has a lot to do with these roads being done on time. I couldn’t really complain as everything was just marvelous. Kudos to the provincial government of Surigao Del Sur for getting this done. Or should I say kudos to the people for paying their taxes. At least we know that our taxes are working for us. Majority of those taxes may have ended up in a few people’s pockets but hey, non-politicians can’t be choosers so we just have to be thankful with what we can see and experience. Don’t agree with me? Well that’s too bad.

As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words.  Then how about 20?
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Eye candy.

First there was one elf.

Then there were two.

And everything became black and white.

The elves on the second level.

Surrounded by gushing water.

The required photo.

BELVES. Bathing Elves.

Brokeback Waterfalls

The elf was wondering if he should pee.

This is the third level of the falls

Elves on Top

Pretentiously dramatic shot

This falls is in the middle of the jungle.

In the jungle, the mighty jungle.

An orange in a sea of green.

Weird-assed fruit bearing tree.

A DRAGON!

The Lizard King

Dead men tell no lies.

They say that practice is totally different from what you learned in theory. Very true indeed. One can even say that sometimes, what you read in the internet isn’t exactly how it is in real life.

And that’s how my Tinuy-an Falls quest started; with a few internet queries, an exaggerated gasp of admiration, and a few directions.
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After my awesome experience with the Hinatuan River, I was already bent on going to Tinuy-an Falls after seeing how beautiful the waterfalls looked with its series of water curtains. That not everyone can go there, just like the enchanted river, only increased it’s value in my eyes.

So when my vacation time arrived, there were no questions as to where to go; Bislig City is ‘it’ and their hidden gem of a waterfall, Tinuy-an Falls.

But as they say, a little knowledge is dangerous, and kids, this is very true, don’t be like this pinoytraveller who only does very little research and leaves a lot of things to chance.

So far however, chance has a way of making things very, very interesting for me. When I visited the Bislig government website to do my err.. research, it only says that Tinuy-an Falls is only 18km from the city, and a route was even given:

Poblacion->San Isidro->Burboanan->Tinuy-an

Easy as pie right? I should just go to Bislig City in Surigao del Sur, ask around for directions going to Poblacion, and from there get some kind of transportation that goes to San Isidro then Burboanan and then voila! I should already be in Tinuy-an. More research? Puhlease.

Bachelor Express Terminal Butuan City

So at 2:00 in the morning, I was already at the Butuan bus terminal waiting for my two elves, my usual travel companions in this part of the country. That things weren’t going to be very smooth sailing started the moment I sat in one of the terminal’s stools. First, I saw a black cat. And not just any black cat. This black cat is pregnant! Have you ever seen a pregnant black cat? Right? Right?

So for the 2:45 am first trip, naturally, the elves didn’t arrive on time. It was the black cat of course. No question about that. The elves only arrived around 3:30 just in time for the 4:00am second trip. I wasn’t really pissed because I already expected things to go wrong, what with the pregnant black cat and all.

4:00 AM Trip – Butuan City – Mangagoy [Ticket cost P236]

When we finally got seated on the bus, I asked some of the passengers if they were from Bislig City and if they know the way to Tinuy-an Falls. Of course I already have the directions but you know, sometimes you really have to confirm the veracity of what you have.

Good thing was, some of them are from Bislig City. But the not so very good thing was, they have no idea how to go to Tinuy-an Falls. Hmm, bummer that one. I tried to steer them in the right direction and asked them how if they know how to go to Poblacion or San Isidro? I only got empty stares.

‘Oh boy, things are really starting to unravel now.‘ I thought as our bus sped down the Agusan Del Norte highway en route to Mangagoy.

I told one of the Bislig residents that it really doesn’t matter as we can always ask the guys from the local tourism office in Bislig. The passenger said ‘But the tourism office is all the way in Mangagoy‘. Crap.

7:57 AM Bislig City – Middle of Nowhere

I was looking for some big structures or anything resembling a public market when we arrived in Bislig City. When the bus parked in a practically deserted bus terminal, we got off after confirming with the bus driver that it is already Bislig City. The driver asked if we really wanted to get off there and not in Mangagoy. It seemed to me that the driver knew more about the Tinuy-an Falls and he just let those Bislig residents go on and on and on.

So what do you do in the middle of nowhere with nobody coherent to ask for directions? Why, take pictures of course!

Elves With Shades on the Boulevard

Here’s the very nice Bislig City boulevard. Can you picture yourself here at night, holding a very cold bottle of beer and dipping really fresh grilled fish in vinegar and soy sauce and hot chili? That’s what we did in Siargao, but that’s another story.

After the photoshoot, we talked to some locals who were sunning themselves along the boulevard. The guy we asked said that we should look for transportation going to Tinuy-an Falls in the Mangagoy Market. My heart sank. We were still in Bislig City and the guy was saying that we should go all the way to Mangagoy.

I asked the guy how long it would take for us to arrive in Mangagoy? He said, pointing to something in the distance, that is already Mangagoy. WTF! It turns out that Mangagoy is actually part of Bislig. And we only have to ride a tricycle to get there.

8:00 AM Finding Neverland, Shangri-la, and The Carenderia To Rule Them All

With renewed enthusiasm, we asked the tricycle driver we hired where to find a transport that will take us to Tinuy-an. He said that there’s really no public transportation that goes to Tinuy-an. But there are habal-habal’s that go there, and he could even get some guy to take us. I knew then that the curse of the pregnant black cat was finally lifting.

We immediately agreed and asked him to take us to a really good place to eat. Sensing that we were hungry, he said that we should just eat in a carenderia where food is readily available. He took us to carenderia Halang-Halang (literal translation, Hot-Hot or Spicy-Spicy). The little carenderia had very simple food to choose from, but they sure know how to make them very delicious. We ate like it’s going out of style and our total bill amounted to— P220 for three persons. That’s less than US$5! How’s that for a full third world meal?

9:00 Reunited with the Habal-Habal [Cost P100/head]

By 9:00 am we were already on our way to the Tinuy-an Falls. The Habal-Habal driver charged us P100 per head for the 15km ride. This time however, instead of just us and the driver, the tricycle driver decided to tag along so for one motorcycle, there were 5 persons riding it. What could be more fun? And with the really gravelly and rough up and down terrain any slip and we could lose our kneecaps.

9:30 AM Tinuy-an Falls at Last

But, luck was on our side and we arrived safely at the foot of the Tinuy-an Falls after a 30-minute ride. And as you can see, all those weird situations, the very dangerous habal-habal ride, and even the incident with the black cat all melted in the background as we looked at the magnificent Tinuy-an Falls.

Tinuy-an Falls at last! Not enough water though. lol.

– CLICK HERE FOR MORE TINUY-AN FALLS PICTURES –

Going Back

5 hours later, we were back in Carenderia Halang-Halang, had another sinful feast then waited for the bus going back to Butuan.

All in all the daytrip cost us the following:

Butuan – Bislig Bus Fare – P236 X 2 = 572
Habal Habal Fare – 100 X 2 = 200
Food 80 X 2 = 160

That’s less than P1,000 or $20 per person, but the experience itself is priceless.

Ok, some pointers.

1. The first trip to Bislig is around 1:50 am from Butuan. Just ask any tricycle driver to take you to the bus terminal. However, I would advise you taking the 3:45am trip as it would be the perfect time to arrive in Mangagoy.

2. Do not get off at the Bus terminal in Bislig! There’s nothing there. Ask the driver to drop you off at the Mangagoy palengke or market.

3. Hire a tricycle and ask the person to take you to Halang-Halang carenderia. Fare should only be around P7 per head.

4. Talk to your tricycle driver and ask him to help you get a habal habal driver.

5. Have your breakfast at Halang – Halang while waiting for your Habal – Habal driver.

6. Buy lots of food and water if you wanna have a picnic at Tinuy-an Falls
There are lots of cottages at Tinuy-an Falls that you can hire for P100/day but there are no stores there. Entrance fee is at P10/head.

That’s it. If there’s anything else you need to know, send me a note.
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After some idle time, I decided to cut short my account on Hinatuan’s Enchanted River. Perhaps its just boredom or maybe its the lure of another spot waiting for me to set foot on. Right now I’m salivating on the thought of going to Tinuy-an Falls somewhere in Bislig, Surigao Del Sur. I know, I’ve been focusing on this part of Mindanao but I don’t fault myself for it. Surigao has awesome spots that are just waiting to be discovered and broken in. Too bad that they’re not so accessible but who knows? Maybe in the future when things turn for the better, this part of the Philippines will be the next great destination. I just have to do my little share of opening it up so that others can see what they’ve long refused to see.
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#2  An old woman that we spoke to during our visit said that if you have a video camera, you will be able to capture ‘unearthly’ beings in the background.  She said this matter of factly that I just had to try taking a video of some kids jumping from the riverside trees down to the river. Nothing out of the ordinary appeared.

#3  One tale that’s oft repeated is about a few guys who left fine meshed nets in the deeper part of the river for three days (the local fishing term is “namukot”). This is a fishing lure that almost always guarantees lots of catch. When the fisher folks returned after three days, their fishing nets were hanging on the trees by the river bank.

#4 It is said that no matter how hard you fish in the enchanted river, you won’t be able to catch one. There was the case of the famous spear fisher who spent an hour and a half underwater only to come up with nothing. He can clearly see the fishes but he can’t hit them with his spear gun. Another was told of some folks from Mangagoy who brought with them their fancy fishing rods with the reels and all. One man in particular spent half a day fishing and didn’t catch a thing.

#5 The old woman in #2 said that you can catch fish in the river. You only have to “ask” for it.

#6 Frustration seeping in, some folks allegedly resorted to dinamite fishing just to get to the very big fishes that you can clearly see from the top. At first they thought they caught a lot because lots of dead fishes were floating around when they detonated their dinamites (the morons). But when they hauled their catch, there were only five fishes. The rest of the dead floating fish disappeared, just like that.

#7 At the very head of the enchanted river is a cave that’s accessible when the tide is low. Some foreigners were able to gain access and came to the end where there’s no water and they actually walked. The end of the cave was a small low ceilinged room where there’s a table made of limestone and a few limestone chairs as well. Apparently they took a picture of it but it wasn’t with the river caretaker when he told us this story.

After swimming for a while. We had to do some dangerous stuff. Jumping off from the river cliff. It’s not that high mind you but when you think about where you’re going to be jumping, looking down at that blue, blue, bottomless water, it makes you think twice. But we jumped anyway. Heck, you only live once.

When it was my turn, I summoned all my courage, closed my eyes and took the leap. I thought my eardrums would pop. I felt a stinging sensation in the inside of my arms (maybe because I was flailing too much) but I felt deep satisfaction for having jumped.

I’m not so sure if I will be able to return to this river again. I’m just glad that for once in my life I was able to see it with my own eyes. Not many Filipinos can say they did.
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Looking at the enchanted river for the first time simply took my breath away. Yes the picture wasn’t deceiving at all. The water is blue and you can see down to its bottomless pit. Seeing the river in front of my eyes, I didn’t know what to do first. Should I jump in first? Should I take pictures first? I decided to do half-half. Take quick pictures first and then plunge in.
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V

The river’s water is blue! And it looks like a huge V! lol. When I jumped into the water, I was expecting some difficulty swimming– it being a river and all, there’s bound to be less buoyancy compared to deep sea swimming so you’ll have to paddle more to stay afloat. But that wasn’t the case here. I had no trouble keeping afloat at all. Maybe it’s all because of my baby fat (harhar) I don’t know. It’s just a joy to swim in that river.

The water was cold but not cold enough to make you shiver. It’s a refreshing kind of cold. I tried opening my eyes under water and when I came up, there was no sting at all. Maybe it’s the mixture of the fresh and seawater that toned down the water down. Of course, I have to taste the water as well (not swallow it though) there are traces of salt in it but it’s still freshwater.

Tale #1 It is said that the enchanted river’s bottom has never been reached.  True on any given day, one can see the bottom from the banks of the  river.  However those who have ventured down say that there’s still a  crevice that is enough for one man to go down into.  To this date a few  brave souls have already tried only to come back and say that they can’t reach the bottom.  It is a bottomless pit.

Sitting by the river bank, looking at the bottomless river, it’s like staring at an abyss. And you know how it is with the abyss. You stare at it long enough, it starts to stare back at you as well. In no time I was expecting monoliths to come up from down there and swallow me whole. Instead I saw lots of Nemo’s friends playing near the rocks and some colored fishes as well that are big enough (some bigger) to be grilled.

…to be continued
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Finding The Enchanted River of Hinatuan, Surigao Del Sur

As with most of my trips, this one’s a spur of the moment thing.  The significant other was supposed to meet me in Manila but since it’s a long weekend, I convinced her that I should be the one going home to the province instead.  The roundtrip fare nearly cost me an arm and a leg, but that’s the consequence for unplanned trips ( I paid P7.5K, ouch!).
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They say the road to hell is paved with good intentions...

There’s no lack of companions when going to any part of the country as long as you shoulder everything (in this trip, I did). But since Hinatuan is a bit closer to home and I knew that there wasn’t bound to be any expensive destinations in that area, I happily treated my elves (two of them) for the entire trip.