April 5, 2010

Surigao Del Sur Escapade Part 1


    We departed for Surigao Del Sur at around 1:00 am last April 1, 2010, Holy Thursday from our meeting place McDo Bajada, Davao City . There were eight of us, Edwin, Jacquie, Skit, Gina, Dexter, Amai, Michael and myself. We rented a van (L300 Mitsubishi) which unfortunately had a defective air conditioning unit which we didn’t notice much since we were all excited and the air was still chilly. We stopped by Nabunturan for peeing and eating. We slept most of the way and were awakened by the bumpy roads when we entered Bislig proper at around 5:00am. When we got to Mangagoy, we had breakfast at their public market. We proceeded to Bgy. Barboanon at around 6:45 am and approximately arrived at Tinuy-an Falls at 8:00am. The roads going there were not cemented but were not that rough. The first thing that greeted our sight even before we entered the place was the first tier of the falls.

We then paid the entrance of P10 and P100 for the cottage and entered the place and saw the 2nd tier of the falls which dwarfed the first tier. We climbed up the man-made stairs to see the 3rd tier. There were 4 tiers, but only 3 were visible and because of these tiers, the falls earned the nick “Little Niagara Falls of the Philippines”. All in all Tinuy-an Falls is around 55 meters(180 ft) high and a width of 95 meters which is said to be the widest in the country. One can’t help but be awed by the splendour of the cascading waterfalls and the equally magnificent foliage with century old trees surrounding it. 


The place is well preserved and clean and one can bathe in the cool water until your skin wrinkles. The water is cold at first but once you get in you don’t want to get out  At around 12:00 noon, we didn’t bring any lunch so we were forced to leave the place.
We returned to Bislig City and had lunch at an eatery named Bags fronting the Bislig Municipal Hall. We then departed for Hinatuan at around 2:00pm and arrived at the famous Enchanted River after an hour. The road was covered with lime so the ride was not that rough. There is entrance and the cottage fee but you are free to give cash donations. The place looks smaller than the pictures but the hues of green and blue of the river were as brilliant as the pictures. The place is also well preserved and clean. We only get to bathe on the side of the river since it is very deep while experienced swimmers dived and frolicked on all parts of the river. The river is a bit salty and they say that underneath the caves surrounding the river is where the sea meets the river thus the color and the taste. It was beginning to get dark so we left at around 4:30 pm.
We arrived at Terraza Victoria in Barobo at around 6:00pm where we stayed for the night. The place was neat, cozy and affordable. The owner and the receptionist were very accommodating. We had dinner at a local eatery where the lechon manok costs P180. We were expecting that most eatery would serve crabs or seafoods but we were disappointed and were told that we have to travel an hour to go to Lianga where a place serves eat all you can seafoods. We slept early at around 9:00pm because were all exhausted. To be Continued...

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