I had long dreamt of witnessing the world-renowned tubes and barrels of Cloud 9. So when I won a contest by Dispatch Magazine last May 2011 with round trip plane tickets to any local destination I prefer as prize, I, without thinking twice, chose Siargao.
Cloud 9, Siargao Island
During the early eighties and while in Bali, famous surfers Steve Jones and Tony Arroza told another legendary surfer and traveler Mike Boyum about this island in Siargao called Pansukian. Little did they know that Boyum not only visited Pansukian but went as far as today’s Cloud 9.
Pansukian Island
I know why you’re all here. You saw the words topless and naked. I am so sorry to rain on your parade but, unfortunately, you won’t be seeing anything here that’s naked aside from the islet that is Pansukian or Naked Island.
Guyam Island
On our third day in Siargao, we were told by Wave Cave’s lodge caretaker, Kuya Manny, that our three-part island hopping activities will kick off in Guyam Island. In the Bicol region, guyam means langgam or ant. And so when the word guyam was mentioned I immediately thought of an ant and its minuscule size. Wonderful beaches really make me ecstatic that I sometimes forget things including asking why Guyam was named as such.
Daku Island
Foreign Tourist 1: Hey, I heard of this amazing beach in the Philippines. Foreign Tourist 2: Yeah, I heard of it too. Boracay. Me: *troll face*
Tree Top Adventure
For two seconds, I became a stone. You know, that thing that falls down the ground before you can even blink.
Subic Homes
I sleep in forests and mountains with all the eerie noises and movements but you can never make me sleep inside an old, filthy, and freaky house. I’d rather be wide awake in a garden with mosquitoes chasing after my blood than dream of unworldly creatures/entities that may be roaming inside the house.
Azalea Residences
Today I’m not going to talk about taxonomy (and bleed ourselves to death) nor Azaleos’ female counterpart (and how dry it can be). So, no. It’s Azalea but not the shrub. I’ll simply share my story of how our weekend staycation in Azalea Residences went and how it can be the new black in the Summer Capital of the Philippines, Baguio City.
Dipolog City in One Day
Who would want to miss a smoke-free city with its almost zero-crime rate? Surf the net, book a plane ticket, fly for only 1.5 hours to the Northwestern part of Mindanao, and set foot in Dipolog City. View Larger Map
Weekend Getaway: Travel Missions
Weekend Getaway isn’t only about vacation and the good life. All Weekend Warriors must complete three Travel Missions for them to know what it is like to be a native/local of the destination they are visiting. If the warriors fail, they will go home and will leave the vacation unfinished. BUT if they get to complete all travel missions, big prizes await them. As for us, 20K worth of shopping spree courtesy of Blued and hotel accommodation by White Knight Hotel Intramuros made the whole trip a lot more exciting. Yey! But first, let’s all find out how our travel missions ended up and if we did bag home the extra rewards.
