Siargao - The Philippines (Entry 4)

Siargao

Day 4 - 1st July:

This was the best day on the island yet. It started with a 5am surf at Cloud 9.
The waves were staggeringly perfect, the water warm, the vibe phenomenal.

Even though I'm the furthest thing from a morning person, you can't help but be stoked when you're awake at 5am on a hot and humid tropical paradise, the suns already out and crisping your shoulders and nose, there's a handful of travellers and locals combined all trying to score the waves and cheering each other on.

After the surf I treated myself to a delicious cappuccino and an Asian spicy fried rice breakfast with an egg on top at Kermit resort.

When Georgie, Harry and Ellie woke up they had a quick bite to eat and we all got ready for a day trip to Sohoton Cove.

Things you need to know about your trip to Sohoton Cove:

• It takes about 1.5 hours to get there by a really loud engined boat (travel expense: 5000 pesos)
• While they do have snacks available there (the most incredible chocolate I've ever tasted / crisps etc) it's best to pack yourself a light lunch. We ordered sandwiches from Kermit Resort. 
• The boat ride can be a bit choppy depending on the weather so if you suffer from sea sickness then it's best to pop a pill beforehand.
• For the girls: Just a tip... wear your hair in a tight bun. I tried to plait mine loosely and it didn't last long at all. My hair was flying every where and knotting up - a headband isn't a bad idea either.
• For the girls: Don't bother wearing a stitch of makeup - it's going to come off. The boat ride splashes water onto the boat and onto you - plus you'll be going swimming and jumping off caves into the aqua blue water anyway so save the makeup for another time. 
• There's a fee you need to pay when you get there (and they don't accept cards). It depends on how many people you are but it's a couple of hundred pesos for the day at the cove. This will cover the boat trip you'll take with tour guides when you get there, a guided cave tour where you get to climb up to the top and jump into the water down below - petrifying but so worth it!!! It also covers your kayak ride, one kayak per person, to go and see the jellyfish sanctuary. The jellyfish don't sting so you're welcome to gently touch them.
• There are souvenirs there, from keychains to fridge magnets. They're all very touristy but if I'd had the bucks I'd definitely have gotten something to remember my trip there. My favourite was a little fish keychain going for 80 pesos. Everything ranges in price though so bring a little extra for that if you want. 

It was a really amazing day trip and well worth the long ride there. If you ever find yourself on this incredible island then the Sohoton Cove is definitely something you can't miss out on.

When we got back we were all knackered, sipping sleepily on Happy Hour mango daiquiri cocktails, slurping up some amazing Kermit pasta and discussing our plans for the evening.
I could have easily gone straight to bed at 7pm. It had been a full day of activities - but the others were quite keen to go and check out the nightlife again so after a 20minute nap I joined them at Buddha.

Buddha is a bar you just have to go to if you're in Siargao! It's got live acoustic music, karaoke, giant jenga, swinging hammocks and tons of travellers flock there to enjoy the chilled out vibe.

Buddha - a great bar with live music in Siargao

We left at about midnight - bumping into my surf instructors brother on our way out. He asked us how we were getting home and we told him we have one motorbike. There were four of us so he offered to take two of us home to be safe. 

Our motorbike wouldn't start, the battery was dead so it was really lucky that we'd bumped into Eloy's brother. 

Instantly we had tons of offers from his friends, all offering to help lift us back home. 

(You never really know if they expect a tip afterwards or not. Some do. Like when I was in the airport in Cebu trying to catch my connecting flight to Siargao, someone offered to push my trolley and show me where to go even though I didn't really need help. 

They can be a bit pushy. 

Anyway, so he got me all the way to my gate and then said he accepts tips. I told him I had nothing which was the truth and he said he could take me to an ATM. Little did I know the ATM was ALL THE WAY out of the airport again... it worked out for the best because there really aren't many ATM's on the island (the closest to me right now is in Dapa which is a 20 minute bike ride away). So after drawing some pesos I had to go all the way through check-in and bag scans again!

Still - I wish people would help you out of the goodness of their heart. This guy in Cebu even told me how much to give him!!! I didn't even tip my massage therapist in the hotel that much! Cheeky bugger... It did teach me to be a lot firmer with them again in the future though.) 

Despite that, I can definitely say that over the past four days on the island I have completely fallen in love. I've fallen in love with the Philippines people, I've fallen in love with Siargao Island, I've fallen in love with Kermit Surf Resort and I've fallen in love with the people I've met along the way. My trip would have been completely different if the other travellers I've met hadn't been here - so I'll be forever grateful to those who have included me in their plans instead of me having to enjoy Siargao by myself. 

Siargao - The Philippines (Entry 2)

Siargao

Day 2 - 29th June:

Rolling out of bed this morning I was ready to make the most of my first full day in Siargao.
I pulled on a brown hippie skirt and a bright orange tie dye crop top over my bikini and headed to breakfast.

I ordered the omelette with mango and banana fruit pieces on the side, a banana shake and a black instant coffee. Just as I was munching away, the rain began.

I decided to wait the rain out and read my book for about an hour while I woke up with my caffeine fix. 

I can't really imagine a better place to just slum out for the day. It kind of reminds me of a beach bar back home called PiliPili - just better. 

After about an hour the rain still hadn't subsided. I didn't have anyone to talk to - and I had nothing to do. No one was around. It was only 9am and the loneliness made me just want to have a glass of wine or a cocktail already. It's astounding how quickly one turns to alcohol when they need comforting. 

I resisted the urge and decided to plop my Go Pro into its waterproof casing and take a walk under my umbrella. I wanted to go and find the market which was apparently just around the corner but the rain was pelting down and my skirt was getting soaked in the puddles flooding the dirt road. 

Me attempting to smile..... 

My Go Pro underwater casing started fogging up so I was worried it was going to damage my camera so I removed it. Apparently it's pretty common for the underwater casing to fog up and you can buy special anti-fog accessories for your casing. It still makes me laugh how many additional things you need in order to own a Go Pro. 

I didn't get very far on my walk until my frustration got the better of me. Nothing was going right. The worst part of all was having no one to talk to. I thought traveling alone would be so freeing and wonderful. Time just to myself sounded like just what I needed. I'm a bit of a recluse anyway back home. I don't go out much and I adore quiet days staying in by myself - but then why was I finding this so hard???? 

I think it comes down to wanting someone there with me to enjoy the experience. There was no one to laugh with, no one to make plans with - no ones energy to feed off. My own energy and soul felt depleted. I was so ready to enjoy the day but the rain wouldn't stop, the Go Pro casing was fogging up, the yoga I'd been anticipating in the Cloud 9 Tower above the ocean had been cancelled. 

I had nothing to do. 

This is supposed to be a paradise Island - had I known it was El Nino I'd have changed my holiday for another time. It wasn't Kermit's fault - not all all! They've been amazing to me. Last night when I was ordering dinner I was looking at all of these pretty shell necklaces they had for sale and Gianni smiled at me and said if I like one I could take one. I asked him how much and he said I could just have one. It was really sweet and a lovely gesture. I even got a Kermit water bottle (seen in the top photo of this post). 

It was the rain. It was El Nino. The rain was making it impossible to do anything at all, including getting a tan (which I so desperately need)!. I literally haven't used my sunblock I'd so carefully decanted into two 75ml bottles once. 

If there had at least been some sun I'd have been happy to beach-bum it alone on the white powdery sand and read my book. Relax. But the sand was sludge and mucky, the skies were clouded over and the flooding was just getting worse. 

The fact that Sam and I have been in a major argument has really been getting me down too. I miss him and need to feel some love and affection but lately things have been seeming so distant and different. I hate feeling so insecure about it and us. I felt this major weight resting on my heart, along with a serrated knife twisting into my pulmonary artery. And no I'm not over-reacting. I'd honestly never felt this alone and uncertain - and all I needed was a hug... and someone to laugh with and share something fun with. Even my surf instructor wasn't around in the morning to hang out with.

I had a surf lesson scheduled for 1pm and I decided I'd go even if it was raining - I mean, you'd get wet anyway right?! So all I could do was wait around the resort blogging and surfing the net, listening to Jack Johnson until the instructor rocked up.

I went onto google and typed in: 'Things to do in Siargao.'

There had to be something! 

Everything available online was for when the weather was good though. 

I wrote a couple of things down anyway:

• Visit the Sohoton Cave at Bucas Grande
• Visit the Magpupungko pool
• Visit the market (when it clears up...)
• Yoga in the Cloud 9 Tower (when it clears up...)

They were the top things that took my fancy. I took my list to the owner of the resort and asked him when these would be possible. Most required boat trips and taxi services so I'd have to arrange it through them. 

He told me that a group had gone to the Sohoton Cave this morning before the rain had started! I hadn't known and was so gutted!!! They make sure you have a good group going before booking the trip because otherwise the travel expenses are really expensive for just one person... it's also obviously not that fun to go alone and don't I know that now!!!

Gianna, the owner, said he'd speak to a couple of the other people and try to arrange something for later in the week. I then asked him about the rest of my list, determined to make something out of my time here! 

*

Tuesday I am scheduled for a 5am surf followed by a day trip to the Magpupungko pool thanks to my chat with the owner. He said it takes about an hour to get to the pool from the resort and an hour back and I could spend as much time there as I like. 

In the afternoon once we get back I've got another surf booked in with my instructor.

So tomorrow sounds more promising. 

At least I've started a plan... and raining or not I will be going bloody through with it!!! I refuse to waste my only time here. 

Wednesday there's yoga scheduled again in the Cloud 9 Tower so I am praying that the weather comes right so I can do that. Yoga and meditation sounds like just what my soul needs right now. I need to get back into a good head space. I haven't been in one lately. There's so much stress pulling me down and worries building up inside me. I've been asking so many questions about myself and my life. I'm just in a really uncertain and vulnerable state right now.

After the yoga I've decided I'll wonder through the market on the way back and then would love to take out the resorts SUP board and paddle around on the calm water. There's also said to be some good bars to go and see in the evening on Wednesdays so that sounds like what I need to do so that I can go and make some friends (hopefully). I have to try at least.

Thursday there will be island hopping and more surfing. The island hopping is something I've been really looking forward to so I am asking every blogger and reader out there reading this to PLEASE send positive vibes and cross their fingers and toes that the weather will be good on Thursday. 

Friday morning there's more yoga in the tower and I also have a massage I can have at any time during my stay here. 

*

I don't want to plan each and every day out to a T but I do want to know that I have things to look forward to instead of sitting around and doing nothing. 

It might not go according to my little plan as I've done it above and that's fine. At least I know there are possibilities. 

I know I plan too much and need to just let things happen more by chance - but right now feeling the way I do, bored and alone, I want to try and prevent that from happening again.

My surf went amazingly. After just one lesson with the instructor, Eloy, I can already notice small improvements in myself. He really tries to make you understand your mistakes again and again until you get it into your head and fix them.

I've never received such good surfing advice and honestly think coming to Siargao to better my surfing was one of the best decisions I could have ever made. 

There was a bikini party at Pagoda Beach Bar and of course I was more than ready to go. I needed to meet people! I asked the owners how to get there, it's pretty close to the resort but I was a bit nervous to walk alone. He introduced me to two guys sitting at a little round table outside enjoying a Pinoyrinha cocktail. One was a naughty looking Spanish guy covered in tattoos and the other a fellow South African! I was stoked to have met someone from home. I sat with them as they finished their drinks and then we got up to go.
There were fireflies in the bushes and we all started trying to catch them. It was amazing! I'd never seen a firefly before and it was magical to feel like a child again catching fireflies under the stars.

Two other people that were on the same flight as me to get here, a girl called Ellie and her brother, Harry, joined us too. So did a Filipino / Austrian girl.
There were only two motorbikes between us so we all clambered on together like this:

I was on such a high from having met people at last! Chatting and dancing and singing, listening to a band singing Bob Marely songs. I was finally happy.

The party was fun! You could buy a bottle of rum and a bottle of coke for 100 pesos which is about R27.00 in South Africa ($2.00)! 

Everyone that had their bikini on got a free shot too, so off came my clothes to prove I on my bikini and then down went a shot of vodka. 

Pagoda beach bar is a three storey spiral tower overlooking the ocean. It was low tide when we went there so the water so far out in the distance, the moon was nearly full and the bar was pumping with all sorts of people from around the world. 

We all explored the flimsy tower that rocked back and forth whenever we moved until we got right to the top level and lazed around on some hammocks while we drank our drinks.

Once we were all pretty merry and dancing away I realised I had a bit of the reef in my foot from the surf earlier. The Spanish guy sterilised a pin and started digging in my foot to get it out - I'd had so much rum I barely felt it but Harry and Ellie held my hands anyway :)

When we got back to the resort (I have no idea what time it was) we were once again mesmerised by the fireflies but it wasn't long before I found my room and crashed onto my bed. 

Everything really has been so much better compared to the first lonely day and a half. By the time I went to bed after the Pagoda beach party I was truly smiling and feeling like planning my holiday in Siargao was definitely the right choice.