Landing in Siargao, the so-called “surfing capital of the Philippines,” was like finally arriving in the lush, green tropical paradise that I had envisioned when planning my trip weeks before. Immediately it was noticeably greener than all the other places I had been to in the Philippines, and the island simply had a natural purity that I hadn’t sensed on Palawan, Luzon, or Malapascua.
Within minutes I fell in love, enjoying an uplifting feeling that I had saved the best for last.
I was initially attracted to Siargao because it’s a surfing destination. I wanted to witness the Philippines’ most famous wave, Cloud Nine, like art lovers want to visit the Louvre in Paris, like nature lovers want to do an African Safari, or like mountaineers want to see Everest. At its best, the wave is a powerful, barreling right that can get massive in the months of September, October, and November.
Luckily, however, Siargao isn’t just about surfing because when I was there the waves weren’t anything special. To be clear, Cloud Nine is no secret. It can get crowded. But there are plenty of waves around the island where you can surf, sometimes all by yourself. Thankfully, even without much swell there were rideable waves at the various breaks around the island’s main tourist town, General Luna, and I was able to paddle out without any searching.
MOTORBIKING
When not in the water, I spent one day covering about 150 kilometers on a motorbike. The distance wasn’t by design I’ll admit. I seemed to miss every road sign I was looking for on the first pass and traveled down the wrong road on numerous occasions. Sometimes going over 10 kilometers before turning back.
None of the extra ground bothered me because it was a way to see more of the island. I was trying to get to the Magpupungko Tidal Pools but made it all the way to Barangay Santa Fe when I took an early turn before the road to Pilar. Once I made it to Pilar, I blew past the road to the tidal pools and made it all the way to Pacifico before turning back. I also happened to miss the turnoff towards Pilar a second time and went all the way Dapa. Google maps lists the round trip from General Luna to the tidal pools at 70 kilometers. I definitely rode twice that distance. If I had been with someone else, they undoubtedly would have been annoyed at the situation. Being by myself, I loved simply seeing more of the island.
MAGPUPUNGKO ROCK POOLS
When I eventually arrived at the rock pools, I spent about 45 minutes there. It was beautiful but really not much to do. I ventured onto the tidal flat and swam in the large tidal pool that makes the place a popular destination. It was beautiful for sure but there just wasn’t anything to keep me there for an extended period of time. Some kids were loving jumping off the big rock into the pool, but it’s only about 10 feet high and didn’t compare to some of the more exhilarating leaps from earlier in the trip in Palawan. More of a place for families to spend a day than the adventure traveler.
One thing about Siargao that I will never forget is how well I ate on a tiny budget. My $10-a-night room happened to be about 500 feet down the road from a barbecue joint named Ronaldo’s. It was ranked No. 12 out of 35 restaurants on Siargao by Trip Advisor. For me it was perfect. I ate tasty bbq pork and chicken skewers with rice and easily filled up for less than 150 pesos per meal. Adding a couple of San Miguel beers, I feasted every night for less than $4.
Lunches were a similar situation as I found an inexpensive spot where the food was delicious, the staff friendly, and it was easy to get to. Every day I enjoyed a banana shake, chicken or pork curry, and rice. So good and so cheap.
OLD FRIENDS
My final night in Siargao I was able to meet up with two friends who I had met in Malapascua. We passed each other on the main road earlier in the day and stopped to say hi and decided to meet back up for dinner that night. I took them to Ronaldo’s and then we headed up the road a few kilometers to a bar at Cloud Nine. We were the only ones there except for employees, which were one old English guy and four Filipinas.
After a little while playing pool, I started to see lightning flashes in the distance, and less than five minutes later one of the Filipinas, Sunshine, stated that the rain was coming. I have no idea how she knew, but she said it pretty matter of factly.
Sure enough, minutes later a few drops started to fall as I was saying goodbye. I hopped on my motorbike and jetted up the narrow path to the main road. I maybe got 50 feet down the road when the sky unloaded on me. From dry to pouring rain in an instant. I looked for an overhang that might provide temporary protection and found what looked like a food stand on the side of the road where a local was already waiting. I remained for about five minutes until the downpour let up a little bit. It was still raining but at least it wasn’t a deluge. So I went for it.
SOME DRY SEASON RAIN
Within a couple of minutes it started to rain hard again, but because I wanted to make it home, and since it was still plenty warm, I just kept going. I was squinting through the rain trying to keep the huge raindrops from stinging my eyeballs while trying to be able to see as much as possible in the night. The road was virtually abandoned of course. Nobody would venture out in this unless absolutely necessary.
I only passed one other motorbike and he had full raingear on. Lucky him. Despite all this, halfway home I realized how much fun I was having. I screamed out in joy knowing the rain was drowning out all sound and the yell would only be heard by me. I held a genuine smile on my face for the last mile until I reached the hostel, at which I discovered the driveway was fully flooded already.
It was funny to be in the Philippines for a month and have to wait until the final day to experience the intensity of true tropical rain. It was as if the travel gods wanted to make sure I got the full experience before I left.
In the morning it was sunny again. I sadly returned my motorbike, for which I paid 600 pesos per day for three days, and picked up some laundry before checking out. I had a van arranged to take me to the airport for 300 pesos.
Bye-Bye Siargao, hope to see you again one day.
