Hello itinerants all over the world and hive community! What's up with you guys? It's been a while of hiatus for the reason that I've had some changes with my schedule lately. I literally felt very unorganized having a hard time managing it and I also had unproductive days just to give myself a much needed break. I am honestly glad to be here again interacting with some of my readers and reading interesting articles which are very calming to my mind in times like this actually I'm about to get burned out. Writing is one of the plenty things that calm me and helps me overcome my bad days. I hope that this post will somehow change your mood into a positive one by having a virtual trip exploring some places that you've never been to.
If you've read my previous travel blog, I've mentioned that I will featuring our hometown and nearby islands in my next travel episodes as the travel restrictions are gradually being lifted and hopefully can help rebuild our economy and people can at least take a break from this quarantine season and spend time somewhere at the beach. Rest assured that this time I will be more informative and give you nothing but the best travel experience.
For today's episode, I am bringing you to the City of Island Adventures of Southern Philippines which is Surigao City. I was born and raised here but I haven't really gotten the chance to explore most of its wonders because I stayed in Cebu for almost seven years. This travel blog episode is really special for me since I'll be sharing with you the places that I often visit since my childhood days.
HOW TO GET HERE?
There are available flights if you are from Cebu or Manila however the price is a bit expensive. But if you are a frugal traveler like me, you may also have a trip by sea. There are two shipping lines that head to Surigao from the Queen City of the South. The Cokaliong Shipping Lines and the Medallion transport. We took the Cokaliong shipping lines with a tourist accommodation. The ticket costs 1025.00 and it comes with a terminal fee of 25.00 pesos. The travel duration normally takes up to 12 hours depending on the weather and the vessel. Cokaliong normally departs 7PM and we arrived at Surigao around 4:30 AM. It was quite rainy when we arrived. We actually alighted off the vessel around 6 in the morning since it was still too early and the weather seemed cloudy. Another thing, it's better to buy water and snacks before going on board because the foods in the ship are quite pricey and limited.
WHAT TO DO IN SURIGAO?
1.) LUNETA PARK
- You may just wanna have a simple yet relaxing day at the park? The Luneta park is one of the most visited place in Surigao aside from restaurants and beaches. There's a play ground for kids and affordable snacks sold in the area. The toursim center of Surigao can also be found just within the corner. If you are looking for the best chess players in town, there's also an area who likes to play Chess. Sometimes they hold chess game events and everyone is welcome to participate. We used to have amateur singing contests but it eventually stopped due to unknown reason.
2.) SURIGAO FRUIT STAND
If you are looking for affordable and freshest fruits in town, this is the right place. It is open everyday from the earliest time in the morning. This is definitely my favorite place whenever I go out during my time off.
3. ) STREET FOOD SECTION
There's one common thing about traveling in a frugal way, EATING STREET FOOD! This is what makes the trip special and memorable. It's like you are hitting two birds in one stone. You get to live like a local and also you are able to save some penny!
4.) SUNRISE CHASING AT THE BOULEVARD
It's also one of the best things to do on every trip without spending a penny! Just Feeling the cold sea breeze with a picturesque ocean view. This is where I do sometimes jog in the morning. Surigao isn't that big as you think, you can actually just walk your way to these places since they are just walking distant and there isn't much traffic and pollution since it's more like a countryside than a city.
4.) MABUA PEBBLE BEACH
It is a long stretch of unique pebble stones beach that Surigao is known for. It takes almost 30 minutes to go there from the city. You have probably read my previous blog about it. You may wanna check the article here: MABUA PEBBLE BEACH SURIGAO | THE FRUGAL TRAVELER'S GUIDE
5.) LOOC BEACH
Looc beach is just few steps away from Mabua Pebble beach. The sands are finer than the other. Compared to Mabua beach, this one is a bit untouched and not so commercialized yet. You can also do camping in the area since it's pretty huge. There are cottages available ranging from 150 -300 pesos. ( No more than 6 Us Dollar ). I will be posting a travel blog about LOOC BEACH one of these days so please stay tuned.
That's basically it, if it happens that you have visited the place already, please care to share your experiences in the comment section below. Everyone's glad to hear the stories of yours! Just always remember that learning is a lifetime process. You can learn from your experiences, trips and from other people. The world is so vast. Explore and Learn! Traveling isn't is as expensive as you think! There's a so called travelling on a frugal way with a purpose! I will be posting the second part of my Singapore Trip as soon as possible. Stay tuned then.
DEUCES!
You may wanna check my previous blogs :