Sohoton Cove, Surigao Del Norte

Most Filipinos enjoy summer in resorts, beaches, or eco-tourism spots. I prefer to have one of my summer days on a beach, basking under the scorching heat of 36-38 degrees Celcius. Filipinos call it "Hirit sa Tag-init!"

The Philippines is composed of 7600 islands. It is known for its widespread of beaches that will wow you beyond your imagination. Its coastal region composed mainly of beautiful, picturesque sand, and pristine seawater.

Me and my two friends decided to visit Sohoton Cove in Socorro, Surigao Del Norte. Sohoton Cove is one of those places that is not yet flourishing with foreign tourists. Not many blogs have information about this place. Mainly because it is in Mindanao, a far-flung area and a flight away from Metro Manila, the capital of the Philippines. Hence, a thorough research is much needed.

Gladly, it is 2017, many DIY tour agencies have discounted tours, especially for joiners when you reach a certain number. I found Explore Adventure Travel and Tours on Facebook. They offer the Sohoton Cove Package tour for only Php 1950 per pax to visit these amazing destinations:

1. Bucas Grander
2. Crystal Cave
3. Bolitas Cave
4. Sohoton Cove
5. Hagokan Cave
6. Magkukuob Cave and Cliff Diving 
7. Turtle Island 
8. Marka-a Island 
9. White Sand Island
10. Club Tara
11. Tiktikan Lagoon (Jellyfish Area)

You can check them out on Facebook or call these numbers: 09098707093, 09561353315, or 09222881118. The itinerary is a 2D1N trip, ideal for short weekend getaway takers like myself.

The tour will involve water activities, boat rides, cliff jumping, swimming, cave exploring, snorkeling, and island hopping. So be sure to bring a couple of swimwear, goggles, sunscreen, shades, waterproof cases for your cameras and phones, extra batteries for your gadgets, and some snacks. Our tour package includes breakfast, lunch, dinner, and night accommodation.

I am from Gensan; our jump-off point is in Davao. Gensan is about a 3-4 hour bus ride. I took the bus from Gensan around 6:00 PM on Friday, and arrived in Davao around 10:00 PM the same day. We left Davao around 10:30 and reached Surigao del Norte at 6:00 AM the next day. We just slept in the car. We ate breakfast at our stopover before we headed to the boat arranged by the organizer and started our tour.

Sohoton Cove is picture-perfect. The water was enticing for being so clean. No wonder some tourists named it the "Little Palawan of Mindanao." My most unforgettable part of the trip was when we went inside Hagokon Cave because it felt like the cave was snoring. "Hagok" is the Bisayan-term for snore. After swimming, the guide will tell you to climb some steps inside the dark cave, will then be asked to jump off a 10ft-high cliff to exit. It was so much fun.

There is quite a list of things in this itinerary, so please manage your expectations. Time is limited in each place. The visit to Sohoton Cove needs to be timed with the rhythm of the tide because when it is high tide, you cannot enter the cove, as the entrance will be covered by seawater.

On our first day, we visited almost all the places on the list from 6:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Most of them are adjacent to each other, covering 5-15 minutes at boat ride intervals. After 5:00 PM we were left to our disposal to do personal necessities like take a fresh water bath or swim more. We stayed in Bucas Grande for the night. Our sleeping quarter is a dorm-type, bahay-kubo-theme room shared with the other campers. If you are uncomfortable with these arrangements, you can opt for an exclusive trip. Just inform your agent. There are other resorts in the area like the Club Tara. By the way, a gentle reminder that if the guides provide you with a life vest, make sure to wear it. It is for your own safety.

On our second day, our call time to depart the island is 7:00 AM. But due to some circumstances, we left Bucas Grande at around 9:30 AM, and by then, the tide had been so low, making us unable to cross to the open sea. We were stranded for two hours in that part of Bucas Grande because the boat's propeller would hit some corals. Us, the passengers, were transferred to a smaller boat first to lighten the weight before our bankero (boatman) could push the boat to the open and continue with our plight homeward. 

This trip's takeaway is that pitfalls may come along the way, how you react in the situation matters. Finger-pointing or blaming someone will not aid the situation. Instead, remain calm and offer a solution to help the situation.

Here are the photos I managed to take with me.  

Legazpi, Albay

After years of wondering how on earth Mt. Mayon was called one of the world's perfect cone volcano, seeing it in person, all I can say, it's no doubt "AWESOME!"

Now, that it has been one month passed since I set foot in Legazpi, Albay, I still can't get over from the intense feeling of excitement I was feeling way back when I am still planning what I'm supposed to do in the place.

Legazi, Albay is not on my top list of places to visit. It just so happened that it was the destination for our WSC 2k17. I am part of CFC-SFL and one of our goals each year is to join the "World Singles Congress" held in different places of the Philippines come single men and women either to have a spiritual renewal or personal retreat away from their day to day hassle and joggle.

Just to make this statement short, below are some of the details of my trip to the Magayon (beautiful) Mt. Mayon.

1. Transportation

Coming from General Santos City in Mindanao was a bit of a challenge for us travelers from the far out south because we have less number of flights and limited destinations to access. Either we book a flight to Cebu or Manila then book another flight to legazpi or if your coming from Manila, you could take a bus ride to Legazpi for 11 hours. In our case, we had a limited number of vacation leaves so we opted on booking two flights which only took us 35 mins, Manila to Legzpi. 

Upon our arrival in the airport, we hailed a taxi for a flat rate of Php100.00 and directly head out to Legazpi Convention Center. If you are heading to this same direction, you can ride a tricycle instead, the center is just a 100 meter distance from the airport. And if you don't have much luggage with you, you can take about a 15 minute walk to be there.
Their normal means of transportation in the area is tricycle and jeepneys  (PUJs) which you can ride for Php8.00. Cab taxi for hires are also available. 

2. Where to Stay

During our stay, we rented out a home stay for only a hundred peso a night, too cheap eh. One of our seniors in the community has friends in the area who helped us out. I observed there are also several inns, small hotels and room rentals converted to transient homes downtown.

3. Where to Eat

There are several fast food chains in the city such as Jollibee, Ministop, McDonald, Mang Inasal and 7-Eleven. Also some restaurants that serves Bicol specialties if you are searching for some home-made delicacies but expect it's a bit pricey compared to fast foods. 

4. What to Do In Legazpi

Taxis and PUVs could be hired for a price range of Php 1,800.00 - Php 2,500.00 halfday city tour and a minimum of Php 3,500.00 for a wholeday countryside tour. If you are in Legazpi and want to hire a ride and driver, you may contact Ms.Cherie of Bicol Tour Packages who I happened to look up from Facebook on these numbers: 0928 4508 200 and 0926 8168 980 for queries and reservations. Below are their suggested itinerary: 

City Tour: (Halfday)

Lignon Hill

Japanese Tunnel

Daraga Church

Cagsawa Ruins Park

ATV Adventure

Sumlang Lake

Albay Cathedral

Albay Countryside: (Wholeday)

Sto. Domingo Church

Busay Falls

Mayon Skyline

Kawa Kawa Hill Natural Park

Hoyop Hoyopan Cave

City tour destinations (additional dependent on time schedule)

Hope this will help you with your trip plans. If you have questions, please do not hesitate to place a comment below.

Valencia, Negros Oriental

Valencia is a first class municipality in Negros Oriental and a few kilometers away from Dumaguete City.

It is a vast land of several water forms such as lake, falls, rivers, hot springs and etc. Few of which are developed under the direction of the municipality's eco-tourism sector. I could not fathom and tell you in details how much I admire the places I've visit in this small town. 

Tejero Highland Resort and Adventure Park

Tejero Highland Resort and Adventure Park is said to be the newest attraction therein to offer relaxation and recreation facility of all ages in your family member. It features a zipline, ATVs, slides, natural pools, hotel and restaurant. 

Are you fond of walking? How about a short distance trekking?

Here in Tejero's, you can enjoy hiking in fresh nature scent while enjoying distant chirping of birds, shwooshing rhythm of the water as it sings a soft whisper. Follow the yellow dots painted on the stones or trees. It will surely lead you nowhere but to stop in the middle.

Hahaha, I'm kidding, oh right!

We kinda lost our way as we follow the other dots up the river's stream. We must have missed out something hidden on the tall grasses therein. In the end, we never finish the trek and end up taking turns at taking each other's  photos.

To get to this resort, we rented a public utility multicab (16 seater) in Dumaguete for Php 2000 to take us to Valencia. Along the road, I noticed that every houses we passed by has Rambutan trees but funny to know, they sell it for Php 50 per kilo (a bit pricy) and Lanzones which they sell for Php 100 per kilo. Can't it come cheaper? 

Casaroro Waterfall

The water that drops by Tejero Nature Camp came all the way from here. After a three hundred plus steps down and uphill the stony and unpaved road is this magnificent view of Casaroro Waterfall. 

In every place I went during this trip, I took a stone as a souvenir. Aside from that, its a way for me to remind myself constantly of the place I see.

As it turned out, the water is too cold in this part of Negros. We didn't dipped our exhausted bodies for too long in this pool of raging turbulent water.  

Below photos shows balanced stone statues. Visitors came to this place and made those. My curiosity is knocking in my brain as to the reason why. My guess, maybe it's a part of their respect for some mythical creature guarding the place otherwise it's just a product of their artistic imaginations.

The environmental fee in this area is very cheap for only Php 10. Manang who cashes out environmental fees from tourists, sells "Mango Float" flavored ice candy. It's quite delicious and worth trying at a price of Php 10 only. Another three hundred plus more steps, we're already heading out Casaroro.  

Smoky Mountain in Valencia?

We are scheduled to go to a hot spring after Casaroro, my friend's brother who knows the place quite well, suggested that we go to Ocean 24. Along the way, we stopped by this smoky mountain. The pungent smell of sulfur is all over the place. They say it's a volcano's crater. Not surprised when they say a geothermal powerplant is nearby.

Ocean 24 - Hot and Cold Swimming Pool!

I thought we're really heading to a natural hot spring but was surprised when I realized where heading to a hot and cold swimming pool. Hot water from the spring is being mixed with the natural water for the hot swimming pool. 

Natural hot springs most of the time are at an extreme temperatures enough to scald off or caused terrible burn on someone's skin. So once you see a hot spring, don't immediately run and try to jump in. Always remember "Prevention is better than cure."

Saying "Chada" Valencia,

Shi E La

Bais City, Negros Oriental

Dolphin Watching at Tañon Strait – Bais City

Bais City is a city of 80,000 population in Negros Oriental province of Central Visayas. The major economic activity is sugar cane growing with a few wealthy families dominating both the local politics and economy. Main tourist attraction in this part of Negros is whale and dolphin watching in the Tañon Strait between Bais and South Cebu. You can reach Bais City by bus from Dumaguete. (Reference: https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Bais_City)

On August 29, 2016 at 06:30 AM, me and my friends head the direction towards Bais from Dumaguete City. My friend’s cousin gave us a lift to Bais letting us save on a bus ride to the city. It was a pre-planned trip. The planning stage gave us enough time to review some blogs and manage to get contact information from people living within the city to arrange us a boat ride. Nearing our destination, we got directions from Ms. Raquel Abanto (mobile: 09394481119) on how to get to Canibol Port where our rented boat (for the day) that could accommodate 15-20 persons is waiting for us.

Tip: If you want to see the Dolphins, be in the port earlier than 7:00 AM because as the sun rises high up in the sky, you’ll get a very slim chance of seeing them. We reach port at 08:00 since it took an hour or more to be there. Slightly worried that we are already late on schedule, the boatman, Kuya George and the local guide assured us that the Dolphins could still be seen far north from our current location. We sat on the boat hoping and patiently waiting that our boatman would announce, “The Dolphins are coming!” hahaha. Kidding aside.

It’s already 9:00 and still no signs of dolphins… by the looks of it, we are nearing Cebu Island’s shoreline. I am already losing hope. But we we’re constantly reminded by the local tour that the dolphins are still out there. We could already see other boats turning back. I was thinking, maybe the dolphins are already on the mode of hiding. Until, the local guide announce that the whale could already be seen. Excited, I stood up from where I am currently seating and head out from the boats shade to get a better view. There it is!

The whales might be too shy to be seen beacuse they hid as they heard our boat is coming! Slightly frustrated, I sat down again. And the boatman said, let’s go to see the dolphins. And then I was like, “oh? More is coming!”. (#excited) 

From afar, we could see boats encircling a certain part of the ocean. From a wider view, I could see some happy jumping and hear happy giggles (imagination) of creatures busy swimming and showing off to their new found visitors.

We savored every minute of being able to see and ride in the waves with the dolphins. We took as much selfies as we could.

After a while, we decided to go back since it's almost 10:30. By means of going back, we did not literally go back and head the port’s direction but instead, we sashayed towards Manjuyod’s White Sandbar.  

Manjuyod White Sand Bar – Bais City

This pristine 7 kilometer stretch of premium white sand can be accessed via a short 15 minute boat ride from Capiñahan Wharf in the South Bais, Bais City Negros Oriental. It is basically an island towards the North Bais Bay in Tañon Strait that emerges only during low tides. On the island you can find wooden houses built on stilts—and which, during high tide, appears to be floating on the water. These cottages could be rented for overnight says and can be booked at Bais City Tourism Office. (Reference: https://www.dumagueteinfo.com/other-destinations/bais-city/manjuyod-white-sand-bar-bais-dumaguete/)

Tourism Office can be reached at (035) 541-5161/402-8174 Fax (035) 402-8181. Boat rate is Php 2,500 for a group of 15 and Php 3,000 for a group of 20. This is already basically for an entire day of use. (Reference: https://www.dumagueteinfo.com/other-destinations/bais-city/manjuyod-white-sand-bar-bais-dumaguete/)

We reached the location in no time but the tides are still high so we can't see the pearly white sand bar. However, we never missed the opportunity to swim under the scorching heat of August sun, eat some huge freshly gathered ocean crust seashells and crustaceans while waiting for low tides to come.

Since the place is a bit becoming popular with tourists, activity such as banana boat ride is also available for Php 500.00 only. For a group of five, you could already take two tours above sea water ride.

After an hour or two, the sand is slowly coming into view. The magnificent horizon allowed us to take some more deep-seated feelings with the place of fresh air, esteemed calmness of the sea and serene fulfillment as we took jump shot after jump shot.

walking above the powdery sand in the middle of the sea

cheers to more happy memories Bais!

Loving more sun,

Shi E La