Food historians said that the truly Filipino food devoid of any foreign influences is the kilawin (kilaw or kinilaw) where the food is not actually cooked but soaked in vinegar and spices. It's also the local food particularly liked by Tutubi's friends from France that they intend to duplicate at home later.

Nope, this is not the actual Kinilaw Festival celebrated annually on October 2 in Surigao City. This is the "fiesta" prepared by Tutubi's friends from Cantilan while in Inijakan: a kilawin feast with the freshest ingredients

Tutubi just watched as his friends took out the goodies they bought from Cantilan public market and the others gathered fresh seaweed, called lato, also to make kinilaw, the almost equivalent of the ceviche of central and south America, which uses lemon instead of vinegar.

the freshest ingredients of a kilawin recipe: onions, ginger, garlic, bell pepper and chili pepper. In some parts of Mindanao, coconut milk is added to the recipe

freshly-caught fish kilawin

freshly-gathered seaweed, locally called lato. You eat it by dunking the green thing in spiced vinegar

Now, what are the secrets of the best kilawin recipe? The best way "how to make Kilawin" is to use the freshest ingredients, the right vinegar that's not too sour (tip: don't use commercially available vinegar, try the local ones), prepare it fresh, consume immediately (don't let it stand for more than an hour, and lastly, prepare it with love!

tags:
how to make kilawin, how to prepare kilawin, kinilaw preparation, kinilaw recipe, kilaw ingredients, how to make kinilaw, how to cook kilawin

Labels: Caraga, Filipino Cuisine, Filipino Food, Surigao del Sur

A small island off the coast of Cantilan, Surigao del Sur is gifted with a short yet stunning stretch of fine white sand beach visited by Tutubi on the way back to Cantilan town proper from Inijakan on General Island. In fact, Tutubi was so mesmerized by the beauty of the place that he took an unplanned dip for an hour in the water just to enjoy the place rather than be content with merely taking pictures.

the fine white sand beach of Casarica Island with Huyamao Island in the background





The very clear and greenish blue water beckons all to take a dip and no presence of dangerous under current, water depth is still shallow after a few tens of meters and waves are just splashes (you don't expect large waves here even if the island is facing the Pacfic Ocean since the white sand beach part is not facing the deep blue sea but the coastline of Surigao del Sur)

There are "ruins" of an altar/grotto (trying to mimic Willy's Rock of Boracay?) and a toilet. The local government of Cantilan once tried to charge visitors to the island but was discontinued.


How to get there:

mere ten minutes boat ride from Cantilan town by boat. ou can rent boats for PhP1500.00 good for island hopping to several islands including Ayoke Island, general Island, Humayao Island and Casarica Island.

Labels: Caraga, Island-Hopping, Surigao del Sur

Wherever Tutubi goes, he looks for something new, something different that a place can offer to visitors, tourists and explorers. He laments though that most of the time, most locals don't know the answer but he plods on searching for new "discoveries." In Surigao, he asked around for surigao delicacies, kakanin or unique food and got one good answer: the sayongsong.

The sayongsong, as it turned out, is a kakanin wrapped in banana leaves with looks and consistency similar to puto (rice cakes), it's made in Surigao (and some parts of Caraga region) from glutinous rice, calamansi juice, brown sugar, roasted peanut, as well as coconut milk.

sayongsong: it's like puto with cononut milk wrapped in banana leaves.

Tutubi was able to sample sayongsong when his friend bought a bunch for him to sample, reportedly costing P20 (such cheap price for a filling bunch). You can't find this pasalubong in Surigao Airport, just look for it at roadside stalls and public markets.

Labels: Caraga, Pasalubong, Surigao del Norte, Surigao del Sur

Inijakan Island or simply Inijakan, part of General Island in Cantilan, Surigao del Sur is a private resort and refuge of the true hero of EDSA-- Gen. Charles Hotchkiss (who was then a major when he defied then President Ferdinand Marcos' orders to attack the rebels holed up in the military camps during EDSA People Power revolution).

Tutubi was able to gain entrance to the private property built out of a cove on Inijakan Island (or General Island) through an employee of Cantilan Bank. He was able to spend several hours, ate a full meal mostly of kilawin and grilled fish, before hurrying back to Cantilan town proper before dark.

the wharf of Inijakan closely guarded by a dog


A breakwater or seawall was built to close the cove to prevent fishes inside from going out of the sea. Fishes reportedly seen were barracudas (supposed to be deep water predators), small flying fishes, lobsters and even the expensive and endangered mameng (napoleon wrasse). Lush forest lines the shore with wild plants, monkeys (philippine macaques), trees and birds can be seen flying around.

a racing boat parked at the green lagoon of Inijakan.


a seaweed farm that surprisingly grows lato, perfect for super-fresh seaweed salad or kilawin lato

many corals can be seen without getting wet but signs of dying and coral bleaching are visible. The man-made seawall that prevents water and waves from reaching them may have contributed to the death of corals.

the view from the highest part of Inijakan, where a chapel stands. There supposed to be a beautiful Ayoke Island nearby but was not able to visit by Tutubi. He wanted to see and taste a kolo fruit there

Also located on General Island is the reportedly enchanted Lake Danao where the tide is opposite that of the sea i.e. high tide when the sea is low tide and vice versa. A few minutes trek is needed to reach the lake but again, due to lack of time and clothes, was not even attempted by Tutubi.

As mentioned earlier, this is a private resort/hideaway of the Hotchkiss family of Cantilan but it's open to daytrippers, particularly wedding pictorials (prenups) for engaged couples. Tutubi has no information on contact numbers and rates though but you can try asking from people of Cantilan.

Location: General Island, Cantilan, Surigao del Sur (Northwestern Mindanao)
Coordinates: N9 24 50.3 E126 00 43.4

Labels: Caraga, Islands, Surigao del Sur

The last remaining hours of Tutubi's trip to Surigao del Sur was spend island-hopping to nearby islands of Huyamao, Casarica, Ayoke, Inijakan and General Island.

A quiet beach of fine brown sand in Carrascal town, adjacent to Cantilan became launch site of Tutubi's boat he got for PhP1500.00 from a nearby beach resort.

the fine brown sand Bonot Beach of Carrascal has shallow and serene water with several islets nearby with caves and probably bird sanctuaries.

not too many people on the beach resort except few children and dogs. this is said to be a popular picnic place for locals due to accessibility. Candido White Beach may be better for swimming but farther

the launch of Tutubi's boat

There's a supposedly beautiful Candido white beach part of Carrascal and marketed by Carrascal local government but Tutubi wasn't able to visit and verify the claim. Probably next time...

For the meantime, onwards to Inijakan Island :P

Labels: Beaches, Caraga, Surigao del Sur

A short "pitstop" for Tutubi in Lanuza after another brief stop at the empty Doot Poktoy Surfing Ground.

Marine Park Sanctuary is a fish sanctuary in Lanuza Bay with an outpost by the local Bantay Dagat, a promontory/watchtower plus a sanctuary cafe said to be serving local delicacies but Tutubi merely found snacks, junk food and softdrinks and none of the advertised Lanuza, Surigao del Sur delicacies that would have attracted tourists.

It is however a simple place to gather your thoughts or a "senti" moment

Marine Park Sanctuary, Lanuza, Surigao del Sur

Sanctuary Cafe as seen from the main highway

concrete steps leading to the outpost and get a better view. There's a minimal entrance fee but Tutubi were not made to pay due to the very, very short visit with just a handful of pictures

a short strip of visibly fine sand beach

the "coast guard" outpost

just a view of the sea, Paficic Ocean facing with waves smashing the rocky beachfront

Final comment: marine parks like this should be set up in many areas as possible. A place for fish sanctuary where they can spawn, regenerate and live undisturbed is higly beneficial in the long term for fishermen. No more illegal fishing methods like poison and dynamites.

Labels: Caraga, Surigao del Sur

Surigao Airport, located in Surigao City, was the landing point of Tutubi in his recent trip to the Surigao del Sur town of Cantilan, part of CarCanMadCarLan (Carrascal, Cantilan, Madrid, Carmen and Lanuza)

this the newbie guide to Surigao Airport, the gateway to Surigao del Norte, Surigao del Sur and Dinagat Island in Caraga region of Northeastern Mindanao

Surigao Airport Terminal Fee: PhP20.00

Flights to Surigao:

Manila to Surigao flight time is around 90 minutes

Philippine Airlines Flights: Manila to Surigao daily, Cebu to Surigao
Cebu Pacific Flights: Manila to Surigao daily, Cebu to Surigao

Cebu pacific uses a turbo-prop aircraft for this route to serve around 80 passengers per trip, the same airplane they use for the Manila-Caticlan flight.

Restaurants and pasalubong, souvenir shops:

there's only one small stall selling snacks, no real restaurant inside the departure area. there are several small eateries within the airport periphery in case your tummy complains.

How to get out of Surigao Airport to your destination:

Surigao Airport is just along the national highway. Just walk to the highway and board a multicab/jeepney/tricycle going to Surigao City proper
or to the Port of Surigao to catch the ferry to Siargao Island (for surfing fanatics) or to the bus terminal of Ceres Liner/Ceres Tours/Bachelor Express to get you to Butuan (which has an airport, so why bother?) or bus to Tandag, Surigao del Sur (fare is PhP240.00, travel time is 5 hours (with 1 hour of very rough road)) passing by the NPA-friendly mining town of Claver, Surigao del Norte then the so called towns of CarCanMadCarLan (Carrascal, Cantilan, Madrid, Carmen and Lanuza).

Labels: Airports, Caraga, Surigao del Norte

Touted as one of the best waves and surfing break for all levels, Doot Poktoy, located in the quaint town of Lanuza, Surigao del Sur hosts the annual Doot Poktoy Surfing Festival in November.

Tutubi visited the place early dusk, thus the gloomy pictures to check out the place.

Lanuza town's seawall faces the Pacific Ocean and it's understandable that storm surges or waves during the typhoon season can really bring in the waves, but the renowned waves were absent when Tutubi passed by, and even the crowds, spectators, newbie surfers or skimboarders were not there, to his dismay.

the beachfront of Lanuza, with Poktoy in view plus the small waves that could be harnessed by skimboarding, but skimboarders were not there. The beach seems to be fine gray sand so it's safe even for newbie surfers

the empty spectators place where crowds gather during the annual Doot Poktoy Surfing Festival...

The Boulevard, Lanuza's ocean-facing promenade


Out of curiosity, Tutubi asked a local why was the surfing ground called Doot Poktoy, he got the answer the doot, in the vernacular means to cross, while Poktoy is really the small island or sandbar, thus Doot Poktoy means "to cross" Poktoy.

Related Posts on Surigao del Sur and CCMCL (CarCanMadCarLan):

Surigao del Sur Tour
Best Surfing Beaches in the Philippines

Labels: Beaches, Caraga, Surfing, Surigao del Sur

A cold natural spring turned into a resort by the local government of Cantilan, Surigao del Sur, listed as a tourist attraction with cottages, shower rooms, (supposedly) overnight accommodations and events venue (weddings, debuts, parties reunions et al).

Visited by Tutubi just to check out the place and rate if it's worth going there:


There's just a big pool of cold water from the natural spring, natural mineral water, no people around when Tutubi got there except for a couple occupying a cottage high up the mountain slope (Tutubi noticed them engaging in some "sexy time" probably due to lack of motel or private space in the area).




Guests are required to pay a minimal entrance fee (P20?) but have to traverse about 1.5 kilometers of unpaved road from the national highway.

Location: Parang, Cantilan, Surigao del Sur
Rating: good enough for locals to spend weekends and cool down, not worth the trip for explorers as it's not really easy to get to.

Related Posts on Surigao del Sur and CCMCL (CarCanMadCarLan):

Surigao del Sur Tour

Labels: Caraga, Surigao del Sur

Tutubi has just visited Surigao del Sur, particularly the town of Cantilan, part of the towns of CarCanMadCarLan, a portmanteau of Carrascal, Cantilan, Madrid, Carmen and Lanuza. He did went around the province via Surigao Airport.

Prior to his trip, he compiled a list of "awesome" destinations in the province that include these Surigao del Sur tourist spots, interesting places and places to see and be seen.

Surigao del Sur Beaches:

Bahang-bahang Beach, Consuelo, Cantilan
Cagwait White Beach, Cagwait
Candido White Beach, Caglayag, Carrascal
“Doot Poktoy,” surfing beach in Lanuza town
San Pedro Beaches, San Pedro, Cantilan
Tapasak Beach Resort, Cota Beach, Cantilan

Surigao del Sur Islands:

Ayoke Island, Cantilan
Huyamao and Casa Rica Island, Cantilan
Bat Island, Bongtud, Tandag
Mancagangi Island, Bongtud, Tandag
Liungao "twin" Island, Bongtud, Tandag
Britania Island, San Agustin
General Island, Cantilan (home of Inijakan, pet project of Gen. Hotchkiss)

Surigao del Sur Waterfalls:

Sipangpang Falls, Cabangahan, Cantilan
Magkawas Falls, Lanuza
Tinuy-an Falls, Brgy. Burboanan, Bislig City

Caves /Caving/ Spelunking in Surigao del Sur

Pamutuanan Cave, Brgy. Yatimco, Lianga, Surigao
Campamento Cave, Lanuza

Other Surigao del Sur "Tourist Attractions/Tourist Spots":

Enchanted River, Brgy. Cambatong, Hinatuan,
Malinawa Cool Spring, Brgy. Parang, Cantilan, Surigao del Sur
Enchanted Danao Lake, General Island, Lanuza

Franky, as always, Tutubi was able to visit a few of these of which he found some of them boring, some were ok, one was missing while two others (islands in particular) stood out...just stay tuned for upcoming posts.

Labels: Caraga, Surigao del Sur

It is a common knowledge of Filipinos that the barangay, the smallest unit of government in the Philippines was named after the balangay (or balanghai), the ancient boat their forefathers used to travel across the seas and got in touch with other Asian civilizations.

It's the thrill of actually seeing the sites where the ancient balangay specimens were excavated, rather than being a part of the exhibit of archeology at the National Museum in Manila.

True to his being a history buff, right after checking in at Dottie's Place Hotel, hurried for quick lunch of chicken inato at Lutong Bahay ni Aling Cora, finished his work errand for the day and hied off, via a jeepney, to Butuan Regional Museum near the Butuan City Hall where he saw with his own eyes the things that he's been reading all these years.

picture of balangay on the Butuan tourism brochure. Picture taking is not allowed inside the museum that Tutubi followed even if others blatantly disregarded the rule-- Tutubi is not pasaway!

The balangay is a plank-built, edge-pegged wooden boats of yore that used to sail across the seas of the Philippines that enabled Butuanons (how people living in Butuan call themselves) to reach China where official historical accounts tell of Butuan Trade Mission in the year 1001.

bas relief outside the regional museum showing the balanghai paddled by ancient mariners.

Inside Butuan Regional Museum are two sections, Archeology that showcases Butuan's archeological finds unique and rare in the Philippines including the Golden Tara of Butuan and Butuan Paleograph. There are also skulls of aristocratic people recognized by the deformities in skull shape introduced during infancy to signify aristocracy as mentioned by the museum curator.



Sample items on display are tribal costumes of the Manobo people, a replica of a laksoy (nipa palm wine) distillery and various farming and hunting implements.

photo of the golden tara on the brochure. note the wrong information printed on the brochure regarding the year of Sailendra. Sailenda (or Sailandra/Cailandra) period was also the time when the Buddhist temples of Borobudur in Indonesia were built. The golden tara is thus proof of Butuan's link with the Sri Vijaya and other Asian people. The original golden tara, sadly, is now kept at Chicago Field Museum, USA

Besides the Golden Tara, other notable exhibits in the museum are the 14-15th century Butuan silver strip (or Butuan Paleograph), and the 10th century Butuan ivory seal, boring ancient writing/scripts still undeciphered up to this day.

Two other artifacts that give clues to pre-hispanic Philippines include the 15th century Calatagan jar that's still undeciphered and the Laguna copperplate (now known as LCI for Laguna Copperplate inscription), found in Lumban, Laguna, now displayed at the National Museum in Manila, has been deciphered in 1994 by a Dutch named Antoon Postma. The LCI is a debt pardon executed in 900 AD and is the oldest surviving document in the Philippines using an ancient script (Kavi).

The following day when Tutubi's peers arrived, he again visited the Regional Museum (where the curator recognized him) and shortly after went to the Balangay Shrine in Brgy. Libertad, which is the site of the excavations of ancient balangays the oldest dated in 320 AD according to carbon dating. Some of the balangay are still in their original excavation pit drenched in water years after their found due to the perennial lack of funds.





Tutubi will again visit Butuan this year to complete his unfinished business and also slated to visit the alleged true anchorage of Ferdinand Magellan in 1521 plus the place where the first mass in the Philippines was held, reported by chronicler Pigafetta as Mazaua, long claimed to be Limasawa in Leyte, but alleged by Butuanons to be their Masao.

If you still think Philippine History began with the arrival of Ferdinand Magellan in 1521, better read again about Butuan and other documents that pushed the frontiers of history to earlier times. It is sad, however, that when civilization was blooming in these islands, the white men came and changed the course of history, a process that bore both good and bad fruits.

Butuan is a historic City that claims “In the beginning, there was no Philippines but there was BUTUAN.”

---

How to get to Butuan Regional Museum:

from Montilla Avenue or Gaisano Mall, board a jeepney with signboard R-4 to take you there or flag a tricycle (minimum fare only)

The Balangay Shrine can be reached by public jeepneys with signboard Libertad followed by a tricycle ride. Taxis, though present, are rare in the city of Butuan. There's also minimal entrance fee at Butuan museum

Related Post:
List of Museums in the Philippines

Labels: Agusan Del Norte, Butuan City, Caraga, Museums, National Cultural Treasures

The landing of Philippine Airlines plane at Bancasi Airport in Butuan was the roughest Tutubi has had possibly due to the short runway of the airport. The plane feltlike it slammed on the runway as if it skidded before taxying to the terminal. This flight was due to Tutubi's "exile" for a few days in the historic city of Butuan in Agusan del Norte, Mindanao for a work errand and seminar. He was booked for few nights stay at Dottie's Place.

Traveled alone in this city ahead of all his officemates, checked in at Dottie's Place along Butuan's main artery,Jose C. Aquino Avenue, which would be his home for a few days loaded with official things to do but managed to squeeze sometime to wander around.

Tutubi's twin sharing room for he's expecting a companion the following night.

Dottie's Place's swimming pool is said to be the largest in Butuan according to his officemate who surveyed tghe area

Review and Comments: Dottie's Place is a nice, cheap hotel in the city with nice facilities for the price though there are cheaper accommodations available. The only problem he's had in this hotel was that on his first night, he received a call apparently from the hotel staff asking him if he ordered a massage. He later found out what the girl meant was if he wanted some "company" for the night. The security guard, unknown to the hotel management, is letting the pimp to do her job under his watch.

In later posts, Tutubi will take you on another journey in history as he explores the city of the balangay, the boat of ancient Butuanons and from where the barangay, the smallest unit of government in the Philippines, was named after.

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Where to Stay in Butuan (hotels/inns/pensions/motels):

Almont Inland and Convention Center
ALmont Hotel
Dottie's Place Hotel
Hotel Karaga
Balanghai Hotel
Butuan Royal Plaza Hotel
Luxury Hotel
Embassy Hotel
Emerald Villa Hotel
Jet's Inn
Luciana Convention Center
Lucianna Inn
FortuneInn 1
Fortune Inn 2
Hensonly Plaza Lodge
Lucky Inn
Imperial Lodge
Mavel's Lodge
Maxcer Lodge
Donia Lodge
Country View Lodge
Mitz Lodge 1
Mitz Lodge 2
Adlin Lodge
Orient Lodge
Julian's Pension
Beverly Pension
Majestic Pension
White House
Beehive
Wendells' Place
Caraga Ultimate

Source: Butuan Tourism Brochure

Can't recommend the best one nor the cheapest one, not much information available on the brochure.
Tutubi will update this page later for the contact number, details, room rates, official websites... :P

Labels: Agusan Del Norte, Butuan City, Caraga, Hotels and Resorts