No Laswit in Lagoon

I visited Surigao del Sur around the third week of February with these two places in mind: Cabgan Island in Barobo and Laswitan Lagoon in Cortes. Blogs I had read mentioned that the laswit or splash of the ocean over the 30- to 40-ft tall rocks that surround the lagoon can be experienced from October to March. Man, oh man, were those blogs wrong. There was no laswit when I visited.

No laswit here, just a calm pool

On the other side of the rock wall the Pacific Ocean was doing a good job pummelling the rocky shore (but not strong enough to scale the 30- to 40-ft high rock wall of the lagoon). And that is where the handful of Laswitan Lagoon hopefuls made the most of their visit. My friend and I ,on the other hand, stayed in the lagoon, our private pool, where we soaked and caught up with each other's lives.

On the other side

The Pacific waves hello

My friend's father who lives in Tandag said the best time to go is from November to December, maybe even January. But the ultimate time would be when there's a coming typhoon. I guess I'll have to go back when there's a typhoon brewing.

Expectation. Photo from sarwrites.com

Laswitan Lagoon
8AM to 5PM
Fees:
Entrance fee Php 20
Lifevest rental Php 20/hour
Salbabida (ring buoy) rental Php 20
Open cottage rental Php 200
Table rental Php 100
Toilet and changing rooms are available for free

Location: Laswitan Lagoon is located in the municipality of Cortes in Surigao del Sur. The lagoon is about 3 km from the highway. The road from the highway to the lagoon is rough and uneven. If commuting, you will have to hire a habalhabal (motorcycle) from the highway.

Cabgan Island in Surigao del Sur

After half an hour's boat ride from the sleepy poblacion of Barobo in Surigao del Sur we landed on the beach of Cabgan Island. Not a soul was in sight, only the clear turquoise water, white sandy beach, and the abundant green of trees.

We landed in paradise

We grabbed our plastic bag of lechon manok and rice (hurriedly bought at the poblacion) and looked for a spot to have our lunch (we found a wooden table). I wanted to jump in the water asap so I only explored the opposite side of where we were (it was also a white sand beach), and not the side of the island that faces the Pacific Ocean (that area is a cliff where one can watch the strong Pacific waves hit the island).

The beach opposite of where we were

After the quick exploration, we ate lunch under the shade of trees, and then it was time to turn into a prune in the clear seawater. Ahhh, the island life, it sure makes me lazy!

How to go to Cabgan Island: Take a bus or van to the municipality of Barobo and alight at the old market of the poblacion. Behind the market, find a pumpboat to take you to Cabgan Island (I am not sure what the right rate is, but we paid Php 1200 for a boat that could carry about 8 passengers). It will take about 30 minutes to reach the island.

Reminders: Cabgan Island is uninhabited: no houses, no sari-sari stores. Don't forget to bring food/snacks/drinks. Please please please bring your trash back with you.

Bislig's Marvelous Waterfall

The beach, the sea surrounding the islands of Britania, the river. If you run me through the wringer, I'd probably fill a barrel. But that's not enough. Off to find another body of water!

Stop #4

Tinuy-an Falls

Brgy. Burboanan, Bislig City, Surigao del Sur

From Hinatuan, it's just a one-hour bus ride (Php55) to Barangay Mangagoy in Bislig City where one can hire a motorcycle to get to the waterfall. Of the many habalhabal (motorcycle) drivers who flocked at the bus terminal in Mangagoy, we picked Dondon [0908 382 5809] who agreed to take us to Tinuy-an and back for Php400 (2 pax, roundtrip). From Mangagoy to Tinuy-an Falls, it's 16 kilometers of mostly rough road.

As seen from the parking area... this is not the grand waterfall. Nope, not yet.

This is the bottom level.

Entrance fee is Php50 per head. Tables and chairs (Php100-200) and cottages (Php300-500) for day use are available. There are also rooms (Php600, 2 persons) for overnight stay. Camping (bring your own tent) is also allowed for Php100 per person (on top of the entrance fee).

The grand waterfall

A little bit about Tinuy-an Falls:

♦ Tinuy-an Falls is a three-tiered waterfall: bottom level is 3 meters high, second level (the grand waterfall) is 37 meters, and the topmost level is 5 meters.

♦ It is 95 meters wide and is said to be one of the widest waterfalls in the Philippines.

♦ Tinuy-an is Visayan for "intentional". According to the Bislig Government website, legend has it that "the Magdiwata Mountain settlers were enslaved by cruel tribesmen coming from hinterlands of Agusan. The settlers were forced to hunt with their masters, construct barotos (small boats) and perform forced manual labor. Tired of being slaves, one day, while rowing the barotos boarded by their cruel masters, they intentionally shoved the barotos towards the waterfalls killing all their cruel masters." But this got me thinking...how could they have shoved the barotos without endangering themselves? Did they jump off at the last second? Possible. It is shallow (see left photo below).

At the topmost level

Pay Php100 to get a beating

Activities at Tinuy-an Falls:
♦ swimming - if you don't trust your swimming skills, life jackets and salbabida (life buoy) can be rented for Php30 per hour. Changing rooms are available.
♦ picnicking - as mentioned, there are tables and chairs or cottages for rent.
♦ camping - they have a camp site, but bring your own tent.
♦ hiking - to the upper levels. Guides are there to lead the way; no guide fees but donations are most welcome.
♦ rafting - if you want to get pummeled by the strong waterfall, it's Php100 per raft ride.
♦ gaping - yes, I gaped at its awesomeness.

I thought that guy was the raft master...no, he was just enjoying the mist.

If staying overnight in the city, stay in Brgy. Mangagoy, not Bislig. Mangagoy is livelier—there are more accommodation options and eateries here—than Bislig. Before going to Tinuy-an Falls, we dropped our bags at Tfanny's Inn, where we will be staying a night. Tfanny's Inn is just a 5-minute walk from the bus terminal.

Tfanny's Inn

P Castillo St. Mangagoy, Bislig City, Surigao del Sur

(086) 853 6304 / 0919 470 8998 / 0912 200 8159 / 0930 795 8703

Rooms go from Php 650 (for 2 pax, two single beds or one double bed) up to Php 1200 (3 beds for 5 pax). All rooms are air-conditioned and have its own toilet and bath. Towels, toilet paper, and soap are provided. Some of the rooms have TV (cable). Breakfast is free and is served from 630AM to 10AM. I can't tell you what they serve for breakfast—we were not able to avail of it because we had to leave very early the next day in order to catch the bus to Cateel, Davao Oriental.

Butt–rosying Route:
A Beauty T(r)ip
In the Beginning: Cagwait, Surigao del Sur
The Quickest Island Hopping Ever
Hinatuan's Enchanted River
Bislig's Marvelous Waterfall (you're here!)
Cateel Just for Aliwagwag Falls
Pit Stop: Aveflor Inn and Museo Dabawenyo 
Suggested by a Davaoeña: Marina Tuna
Sunset Beach Park and Monfort Bat Colony in Samal Island
Butt–rosying Route Equals...

Hinatuan's Enchanted River

A motorcycle (from MacArthur's Place to the highway, 10 mins, Php20), a bus (San Agustin highway to Barobo terminal, 1 hour, Php40), a van (Barobo terminal to Hinatuan, 50 mins, Php40), and a total of 71 kilometers, we arrived in Hinatuan in the dark (it would grow darker after an hour when the electricity in the town goes out—brownout).

We were to visit the Enchanted River, about 15 kilometers from Hinatuan town proper, on the morrow. Arnel [0909 931 8570] would pick us up at 7AM on his motorcycle (Php 300/2 pax/roundtrip).

Day 3. Arriving just before 8AM, we were the first guests at Enchanted River (open from 6AM to 5PM; entrance fee of Php 30). I am glad we got there early; I do not like crowds. But I am not glad we got there early; the water wasn't as clear as I had seen it in pictures. One of the workers said when the tides go out (it was high tide that morning), that's when the river becomes very clear.

Le Rivière Enchanté. An attempt to make it sound captivating.

In my mind, I was expecting the river to be huge, but it wasn't. It was very deep though. I am a very bad swimmer, and a life jacket is in order (rented at Php15 an hour).

Activities at Enchanted River:

♦ swimming — changing rooms are available.

♦ boating — outrigger boats (up to 4 pax) can be rented for Php160 an hour. The boatman can take you to Sibadan fish cage, a cave, and one or two resorts. Each of those places would charge an entrance fee.

♦ diving — if you wanna check how deep this river is. I remember seeing a tarp about diving but I don't remember how much it costs.

♦ picnicking — tables and chairs or cottages can be rented for Php100 to Php200. They also have an area for grilling.

♦ observing the fish frenzy — all humans must be out of the water from noon to 1PM for the fish feeding. Fish have lunch too.

The night before we visited Enchanted River, we stayed at James Pensionne in Hinatuan proper. It was one of the pension houses the lady I was sitting beside in the van suggested. The other one she suggested was full and we took whatever was available at James Pensionne: single fan rooms for Php250 a night (other room types were already booked). These single rooms share a common toilet and bath (separate for men and women) at the end of the hall. I am not certain if the bigger rooms have its own toilet and bath.

James Pensionne

Sullano Compound, Brgy Aquino, Hinatuan

0910 619 5112

A warning: I am not sure if the bed bugs attacked in this pension house or somewhere else, but I can tell you I got 12 nasty bites at the end of this 6–day trip.

Butt–rosying Route:
A Beauty T(r)ip
In the Beginning: Cagwait, Surigao del Sur
The Quickest Island Hopping Ever
Hinatuan's Enchanted River (you're here!)
Bislig's Marvelous Waterfall
Cateel Just for Aliwagwag Falls
Pit Stop: Aveflor Inn and Museo Dabawenyo 
Suggested by a Davaoeña: Marina Tuna
Sunset Beach Park and Monfort Bat Colony in Samal Island
Butt–rosying Route Equals...

The Quickest Island Hopping Ever

Since I took too much of your time when I rambled on about the beginning of the trip, I apologize. This time I will be quick. Quicker than my quickest island hopping ever: Britania Group of Islands in San Agustin, Surigao del Sur.

To get to this group of islands from Cagwait White Beach:
Cagwait White Beach to highway, habalhabal (motorcycle), 5 mins, Php10
Cagwait to Brgy Salvacion, San Agustin, bus, 1 hr, Php40
Brgy Salvacion to MacArthur's Place, habalhabal (motorcycle), 10 mins, Php20
Britania Island government fee Php25
Pumpboat rental at MacArthur's Place for island hopping Php 1000

Hagonoy Island

 

The other side of Hagonoy

Naked Island

Just like Siargao's Naked Island, this is a big mound of sand. Not a tree, a hut, nor a naked person in sight.

Sand all around


Buslon Island

Buslon Island (right) and two islets (left, only one islet visible in this photo) that can be reached by foot during low tide.

Hiyor-hiyoran Island

Any one of the islands (except for Naked Island) would have made a good place for camping but staying overnight and cooking in the islands are prohibited. If one must stay overnight, one can do so at the mainland, where the jump off for island hopping is. There are a couple accommodations to choose from.

We did not stay overnight but we chose to rent a boat at MacArthur's Place [0999 991 0845 / 0932 882 3460 / 0939 916 3745]. Actually, Mr Pacheco, the owner of Spacebar Beach Resort in Cagwait knows the owner and was able to negotiate the island hopping fee to Php1000 for me and my friend (it is normally Php1500 for up to 10 persons). The staff let us leave our bags in their sari–sari store while we went to the islands. Coming back, we were able to shower and change—MacArthur's Place has shower rooms and toilets.

We took only two hours to visit these four islands. There's no time limit for island hopping, but we were in a hurry. Time check: 4PM. We were still two hours (plus an hour or so of waiting for bus/van transfers) away from our next stop and we did not want to arrive in the cover of night in an unfamiliar town where we have yet to look for a place to stay in.

Butt–rosying Route:
A Beauty T(r)ip
In the Beginning: Cagwait White Beach, Surigao del Sur
The Quickest Island Hopping Ever (you're here!)
Hinatuan's Enchanted River
Bislig's Marvelous Waterfall
Cateel Just for Aliwagwag Falls
Pit Stop: Aveflor Inn and Museo Dabawenyo
Suggested by a Davaoeña: Marina Tuna
Sunset Beach Park and Monfort Bat Colony in Samal Island
Butt–rosying Route Equals...

In the Beginning: Cagwait White Beach, Surigao del Sur

It all began with scoring a cheap ticket (like how most of my trips begin) to Butuan ten months before the travel date. One way. Morning flight to Butuan from Cebu and I can be in Enchanted River, a place whose blueness I have been drooling over hopping from one to blog to another, in Hinatuan by lunch.

Or not.

Sometime between purchasing the ticket and the actual date of travel, the airline changed their flight schedule (like they annoyingly often do). From five in the morning, it was now at two in the afternoon. A nine–hour difference from the original schedule. This means I can either get a refund or have it rerouted. (Did you know that if Cebu Pacific changes the schedule with more than an hour difference, you can do this—refund or reroute without any fees—even if it's a promo ticket?)

Round hard head that I have, I had the ticket rerouted to Surigao (Surigao del Norte) even if everyone I had asked recommended going via Butuan when going to the southern part of Surigao del Sur. Even my friend from Surigao del Sur. Why? Because the road from Surigao del Norte to Surigao del Sur is in pretty bad shape.

True. For all their good intentions, my friend, the tourism officer, and everybody else who gave advice, I still took that discouraged route. Brave? Practical? Or plain stupid?

On good days, practical. It's not so bad. Just red and dusty unpaved mining–town roads, especially around Carrascal, about 100 km from Surigao City. On rainy days, practically stupid. This route has to be avoided. Landslides are sure to happen. On any day, whether dry or rainy, stupid reckless drivers need not navigate this road. Many have gone over cliffs, so the locals say.

Long story short, Hinatuan out of the picture for day one. Cagwait, in. This way we would not have to go back and forth (Hinatuan is still about 100 km farther). Cagwait keeps a little C–shaped secret and this is stop number one. Cagwait White Beach.

It was a long way to Cagwait White Beach from Surigao City:
Surigao Airport to Surigao Bus and Jeepney Terminal, on foot, 5 mins
Surigao City to Cantilan, van,  2.5 hrs, Php170
Cantilan to Tandag City, van, 2 hrs, Php150
Tandag City to Cagwait, jeepney, 1 hr 20 mins, Php35
Cagwait to Cagwait White Beach, habalhabal (motorcycle), 5 mins, Php10

Tips:
♦ There are vans going straight to Tandag City from Surigao City, take that if you chance upon one.
♦ From Tandag City to Cagwait, take the bus, not the jeepney. It will be faster.

Cagwait White Beach was deserted when we got there. The water was calm and clean. The sand not white but fine.

There are a few resorts along the shore. We checked only about four places and decided to dump our bags at Spacebar Beach Resort [0920 343 9000]. It's the only place with a pool (how ever weirdly constructed their pool looked). And a slide. Not that any of those matter to me. After six hours and five modes of transportation, nothing mattered but a place to dump my things in. And to jump in the sea.

Spacebar Beach Resort

Clockwise from top left: Double room (Php850); Dining area; Slide; Pool

The rooms in Spacebar Beach Resort range from Php690 (single) to Php3500 (for a room of up to five persons). Use of their weirdly put together pool would entail Php100 per head for adults and Php80 for kids. To use the slide would also mean to pay some amount.

There are no carenderias around Cagwait, so that left us with two choices: the resort restaurant (expensive fresh seafood) and the sari-sari store next door (noodles, canned goods, junk food). We decided to splurge a bit for lunch the next day and had crabs at the resort's restaurant. Expensive (we had to shell out Php365 each) but the food was fresh and delicious. Finger lickin' good crabs.

Would I go back to Cagwait White Beach? Yes. I like peaceful deserted beaches. (But it's probably not as deserted during weekends.) Next time I would probably stay at least two nights. To make up for the loooonnggg travel.

Would I stay at Spacebar Beach Resort again? Yes, because the owner, Joedic Pacheco, was friendly and kind to us. But if I were with a bunch of friends and budget for accommodation was limited, I'd stay at the municipality–owned Cagwait White Beach Resort [0949 848 6178]. They have rooms for as low as Php 700 (aircon) for 3 persons, Php750 (non aircon) for 10 persons, and Php 1700 (aircon) for 10 persons.

Would I eat at Spacebar's restaurant again? Yes, for the crabs cooked by Mr. Pacheco! That's if I remember to increase my budget for food. If not, it's drool and suffer for me.

Butt-Rosying Route:
A Beauty T(r)ip
In the Beginning: Cagwait White Beach, Surigao del Sur (you're here!)
The Quickest Island Hopping Ever
Hinatuan's Enchanted River
Bislig's Marvelous Waterfall
Cateel Just for Aliwagwag Falls
Pit Stop: Aveflor Inn and Museo Dabawenyo
Suggested by a Davaoeña: Marina Tuna
Sunset Beach Park and Monfort Bat Colony in Samal Island
Butt–rosying Route Equals...

A Beauty T(r)ip

This, my friends, is how to get rosy butt cheeks and sparkling libat eyes (cross-eyed): Go on a roadtrip with a dozen or so transfers. In my case, a 600-something-kilometer roadtrip along the eastern provinces of Mindanao on different modes of public transportation. This is my butt-rosying (and butt-numbing) formula:

Day 1
Cebu to Surigao City (Surigao del Norte), taxi and plane
Surigao City to Cantilan (Surigao del Sur), 117 km, van
Cantilan to Tandag City, 52 km, van
Tandag City to Cagwait, 43 km, jeep

Day 2
Cagwait to San Agustin, 30 km, bus
San Agustin to Barobo, 37 km, bus
Barobo to Hinatuan, 34 km, van

Day 3
Hinatuan to Mangagoy, 37 km, van

Day 4
Mangagoy (Surigao del Sur) to Cateel (Davao Oriental), 75 km, bus
Cateel to Davao City (Davao del Sur),  191 km, bus

Day 5
Davao City to Samal Island (Davao del Norte), 15 km, jeep, ferry, and tricycle

Day 6
Samal Island to Davao City, 15 km, tricycle, ferry, and jeep
Davao City to Cebu, taxi and plane

and habalhabal, tricycle, pedicab, and pumpboat rides in between.

And, to get the sparkling cross-eyed look, this roadtrip by the numbers:
6 days
5 provinces
630+ kilometers
22 hours on the road
7 stops
11 transfers
4 vans
6 jeepneys
4 buses
8 motorcycles
3 tricycles
2 taxis
1 pumpboat
2 ferries
2 pedicabs
2 airplanes
2 "resorts"
2 inns
1 pension house
2 beaches
5 islands
1 river
2 waterfalls
1 cave
1 museum
12 bug bites
and
2 friends

Details on these beauty t(r)ips as soon as I get the cogs on my brain working. Putting a trip (this trip!) that happened five months ago on paper is hard work. I need to oil these rusty cogs real good.

Butt-Rosying Route:

A Beauty T(r)ip (you're here!)

In the Beginning: Cagwait White Beach, Surigao del Sur

The Quickest Island Hopping Ever
Hinatuan's Enchanted River
Bislig's Marvelous Waterfall
Cateel Just for Aliwagwag Falls
Pit Stop: Aveflor Inn and Museo Dabawenyo

Suggested by a Davaoeña: Marina Tuna
Sunset Beach Park and Monfort Bat Colony in Samal Island
Butt–rosying Route Equals...