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

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

For those looking for extra adrenaline rush and muscle-flexing beyond the usual beach bumming, there are many known and unknown places in the Philippines where waves can be found that surfers, both local and foreign, will find challenging. Herewith is a list of surfing spots, both for newbies and surfers looking for "killer waves," gathered from various sources including various travel shows on TV.

Best Surfing Beaches in the Philippines:

Aurora: Baler's Sabang and Cemento Beach
If the ending scene of Francis Ford Copola's movie "Apocalypse Now" was shot in Pagsanjan Falls, Baler's beach was the location shoot of the surfing scene. To get there, board a Manila to Baler bus of Genesis Transport bus (terminal on EDSA, Pasay City) or a flight to Baler via SeAir.

Camarines Norte: Bagasbas Beach in Daet,
A surfing beach in the Bicol Region ideal for surfing lessons with fine black sand. It can be reached by buses going to Daet (Amihan, Philtranco and Superlines) followed by a short tricycle ride to the beach facing the vast Pacific Ocean.

Surfer on a surfboard on Bagasbas Beach

Catanduanes: Puraran Beach, Baras
Known in the international surfing circuit as "Majestic," with its awesome long-barrel waves made spectacular by visiting typhoons

Eastern Samar: Calicoan Island, Guiuan,
The home of The Surf Camp with ABCD Beach has both left-hand and right-hand waves. Surfing season runs from April to November

Eastern Samar: Macate Island and San Vicente, Sulat town
An "off the beaten track" surfing destination without the surfing tourist crowd in the town of Sulat, Eastern Samar is Macate Island (and San Vicente) where about eight feet high waves welcoming surfers can on a deserted beach. To get to Sulat, book a flight to Tacloban City, from Tacloban Airport, get on the San Jose jeep to Duptours terminal or Tacloban Bus Terminal, followed by a van ride to Borongan (via Duptours with regular trips to Borongan via plus another jeepney to Sulat) or bus to Borongan to take you to straight to Sulat, Eastern Samar.

Ilocos Norte: Maira-Ira Beach, Pagudpud
In an secret area in Pagudpud known as Blue Lagoon. It can be reached by boat from Pagudpud's Saud Beach

Ilocos Sur: Kido's Point, Cabugao
Kido's Point, after Cabugao's surfing hero Kido Cabasug, is another popular surfing site in Ilocos Sur.

La Union: San Juan
Perfect place for longboarders. It can be reached by any bus to Ilocos (Vigan, Laoag, Pagudpud) and drop off near the San Fernando-San Juan boundary.

Sorsogon: Gubat Bay, Gubat
Located in the Bicol Peninsula in Gubat, Sorsogon south of Legazpi City, it faces the San Juanico Strait. It has three kilometers of gray-sand beach very good for surfing school.

Surigao del Norte: Siargao Island
Known as "The Surfing Capital of the Philippines" with the world-famous Cloud 9 waves of General Luna town facing the Pacific Ocean. Cloud Nine was named after a chocolate bar that surfers kept in their shorts. The surfing beach offers a powerful hollow right hander hailed as one of the ten best waves in the world comparable to the renowned surf of Hawaii and Indonesia. Besides Clud Nine, there's Jacking Horse, Tuason Left, Rock Island, Stimpies and Pacifico. Best time for surfing in Siargao is from August up to the start of November due to the presence of typhoon swells and winds. Waves are smaller from May to July while December to April the winds are strong with pretty big swell preferred by some surfers.

Surigao del Sur: Lanuza Bay,
With waves as high as 15 feet, it's known "Doot Poktoy." Alternatives to Siargao includes Lanuza Rivermouth, Sabang, Moshimoshi left and right, Badjang-BigStar

Zambales: San Narciso and Pundaquit, San Antonio
Good for newbie surfers, the beaches of Brgy Pundaquit in San Antonio and of San Narciso beckons Metro Manilans due to its proximity.

Skimboarding in the Phlippines:

Skimboarding (or skimming), another water sport gaining popularity is some areas is a boardsport in which a skimboard (a sort of little surfboard) is used to ride on an incoming wave.

Note that the places listed above are also ideal for skimboarding where the towns of Tanauan and Dulag in Leyte is gaining popularity.

Want to learn how to surf without heading for the beach?

For furfing lessons nearest Metro Manila, OceanWaves at Club Manila Eastin Taytay Rizal offers surfing lessons by appointment-only basis. Call 6312805 or 3575452 for details, cost and other inquiries. Facilities include a 14-ft-deep diving pool with four diving platforms and a 20-ft-high waterfall; and a 30-m wide, 76-m long family wave pool that’s only 4 ft deep. OceanWaves is open every day with two-hour surfing lessons scheduled at 8-10 a.m., 10 a.m.-12 noon and 2-4 p.m.

Labels: Aurora, Beaches, Boardsports, Camarines Norte, Catanduanes, Eastern Samar, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Sorsogon, Surfing, Surigao del Norte, Surigao del Sur, Zambales