Magic in Surigao

Everything about my 7 days spent in Surigao Island, Philippines can only be fairly described as magical. This stop is the reason I came traveling to Asia.

I am very fortunate that the owner of the ecolodge I was staying at in my previous location, Ros, was heading to Surigao the same day as I. She was very kind and invited me to come stay at her friend’s cottage where a group of her friends were conducting an art workshop with the local children.

Her friend, Lee, has a dream cottage located on the beach of a very quiet, curious fishing village on Surigao Island. His house is perfectly located beside a white sand swimming pool-like bay, with mangrove forests and hidden beaches within short kayaking distance.

I was pampered with the warmest Philippino hospitality, eating freshly caught seafood at every meal: crab, fish, prawns, shrimp, and clams.

Lee’s house is very near to quiet, secluded surf spots that most of the foreign tourists don’t know about. I spent 2 perfect days warming up with some surf at a spot within walking distance of his house. I can’t imagine a more scenic place to surf, with emerald green water, white-sand beaches, and palm trees lining the shore.

On the third day the others were finished their art workshops, and so we all took a Bangka boat ride out to one Lee's friend’s favourite secret surf spots. On the way there, we were delighted to see flying fish skipping across the water within a few metres of our boat.

While we were surfing, a perfect rainbow formed above our heads. According to the people on shore, there were actually two rainbows surrounding us and a day moon in the middle. Magic.

At night we had fun: One evening we took a boat ride out to a tiny deserted sand island for a bonfire, another we partied at the local jungle disco, and for the final night’s send-off we enjoyed some classic Philippino karaoke.

After 4 days in heaven I decided to spend a day or two with the foreign travelers at the big surf break called Cloud 9. The surfers were unhappy because the waves weren’t going, but it was perfect for me because there were plenty of smaller waves to be had that are more suitable for my ability level.

I finished the week off with a day trip to a nearby island were they have some caves that can only be reached by swimming.

The caves were amazing, and my favourite cave was one where we swam in through the bottom, climbed up a natural ‘staircase’ to a cliff on the outside, and then dove from the cliff back into the water.

On our way back I was treated to the most beautiful sunset I have ever seen. The picture at the very top shows the view pretty accurately. I don’t have any photo editing software on my computer, so the all the photos I put on my blog have the actual lighting and colours.

Currently I am typing this post on a sleeper ferry that is heading to a big city called Cebu. Cebu is north of my current location, surrounded by a group of islands that should have many fun activities and beautiful sights.

I think I just had my final send-off from Surigao: While I was on deck admiring the full moon and silhouette of a volcanic island, I heard splashing. Below me were two dolphins jumping along beside the ferry. Wow.