May 1, 2012 Island Hopping in Surigao City
It's labor day and a holiday on a Tuesday! Since there was nothing to do at campsite, my colleagues decided to do some island hopping at Surigao City. We are the Bulalo Tribe, named after a dish frequented previously at an eatery in Surigao city during our first months of exile in Surigao. The tribe was picked up at 7AM at campsite by a Fortuner we requested from the company to bring us to the city. Arriving at the city, we had a quick breakfast at Jollibee then bought food items from the market for lunch.
The previous week, we made an arrangement from a boatman along the boulevard. And from the agreed 9AM picked up from a location near the Surigao City port, we embarked to an adventure.
Crossing Two Islands by Foot
First stop of the adventure after a boat ride of less than an hour: Cantiasay-San Pedro Footbridge.
One has the experience of travelling between two island by foot via the 391 meters wooden footbridge connecting the island of Nonoc and Hanigad islands. These two islands are still part of the Surigao City jurisdiction. San Pedro is a barangay at Nonoc while Cantiasay is a barangay on Hanigad's part. Several parts of the footbridge were shaky and old. And walking from end to end was really fun. Water is clear that you can see some starfish and sea urchins on the shallow part of the bridge. Somewhere in the middle is this archway to allow passage of motorboats. There are some fish cages also that line up the eastern side of the bridge.
And as I've said the footbridge is old and shaky. One has to be careful though when walking so as not to step on weak platforms. Homer was the victim during that day. Good thing he did not fall into the water and got a scratched only.
Our boat docked at Cantiasay side but we explored San Pedro's end first. Playful kids were having fun at the water that time. Some even tried to impressed us by back flipping into the water.
We walked backed to Cantiasay where out boat was waiting for us. The kids we saw earlier at San Pedro followed us, perhaps they want their fun times be captured by my camera. We took caution on walking by the foot bridge this time.
More photos before we headed to the next island: Hikdop Island.
Spelunking at Buenavista Cave
It took another 30minutes from Cantiasay to Hikdop Island. During the trip Mario and Jess had a good nap. The boys must be tired and we still add the early wake up call. Hikdop Island is still part of Surigao City situated on the east. We immediately noticed as we near the island, the unspoilt cove with clear blue waters inviting for swimming and snorkeling. We unloaded our things and the food items we bought for lunch. We prepared the fish to be grilled, seaweeds and other cooked meat we bought at the market eatery. We even asked the caretaker of the area to bring us some fresh coconuts. I got the feeling that I'm an outcast of the popular Survivor show by then. Loved the experience.
After we had our fill and some time checking out the waters nearby, we packed out things and left them at the boat. Around 130PM, we started the trek to the Buenavista Cave. It was an exhausting one given that the sun was still high.
There's an entrance fee to the cave for a minimal fee of PhP30 per head. I don't know where the fee will go to but none-the-less, we'll be able to enter the cave.
Buenavista Cave has three entrances leading to a main chamber. One will really marvel on the crystalline structure inside. Plenty of different formations of stalagmites, stalactites and column can be seen. But the grandest among these was the "throne". A crystal formation of a king throne deep into the cavern. There's also an underground pool of water near this throne, which we did not dare to check. The floor was muddy considering of the dripping water from the ceiling and bat droppings. We did see some snakes, birds, bats and crickets on some area of the cave. I noticed some vandalism also on some areas. I despise these people who don't know how appreciate and preserve nature. I've seen even a candy wrapper or two. The gallery below will speak on my behalf of the grandeur of the cave.
Swimming at Basul Island
Basul Island is a small island off the coast of Surigao City. The island is uninhabited. There's an entrance fee of PhP50 and PhP100 boat docking fee collected by the island's caretaker. From Hikdop Island, we passed through these dangerous currents before we reached Basul Island. I got goosebumps there. We docked safely anyhow. Thanks to our boatman who really knew how to maneuver his boat.
Okay, time's up for the day. We changed into dry clothes out into the open. That was just one naughtiness of the tribe which was started by Mario. Sorry, no photos of that fellows.
The sun was about to set and we need to end the tribe adventure. Another adventure added to the timeline of our lives. This was just one of the bonding moments we will forever cherish.
The sun was about to set and we need to end the tribe adventure. Another adventure added to the timeline of our lives. This was just one of the bonding moments we will forever cherish.
We boarded our boat back and traveled for 30minutes. The service van was already waiting the port area when we docked. Then off we went back home to Taganito.
"Too often travel, instead of broadening the mind, merely lengthens the conversations." - Elizabeth Drew