Whole day of Rolling Siargao Island Countryside Tour aboard a rented habal-habal. You will get to know the local people, history, products, culture and their vernacular. Rolling tour in General Luna, Dapa, San Benito,Burgos, and Santa Monica. Stop at Del Carmen – one of the oldest settlements founded by the Spaniards in the cluster of islands in the Pacific Ocean. Take a glance at Del Carmen’s more than 4,000 hectares of mangrove. Visit Pacifico Beach of San Isidro and a quick stop to Magpupungko of Pilar. Quick visit to Danjug Cave and a dip to Tak-tak Falls.

August 5, 2012

For our second to the last day here at Siargao (tomorrow we’ll already be leaving), we’ll be spending it to go around all the municipalities on the island via a land tour that will cover as many attractions as we could.

Sunday Mass at SantoTomas Church, Gen. Luna

We’ve started the day by attending the Eucharistic celebration at the Santo Tomas Church. It is just fit and proper to give thanks to Him for all the blessings He’d showered and of course for the opportunity to be here at Siargao.

Countryside Tour

After we’ve bought some bread and water for lunch, it is time for our inland tour with Kuya Long-long who decently gave us a discount from the usual 1,000php/motor rate to 800php.

KUYA LONG-LONG NUMBER: 09184738138

Magpupungko at Pilar Sights and Wonders

Location: Pilar

Magpupungko’s name is derived from the local word pungko meaning to sit down, in reference to the squatting rocks atop each other in the area.

The place also has a mini jungle trail that one could trek where you will hear mystifying  sounds of animals in the forest. The place boasts of a picturesque swimming pool that appears during low tide.

Pacifico Beach of San Isidro

Another popular surfing site in the island apart from Cloud 9

Taktak Falls of Santa Monica

Too bad for the time we went here the caretaker told us that it had been a dry season thus the reason why the water flow from the falls is not that great.

Naisip ko nga kaya siguro siya “Taktak” Falls is because it’s similar to a Pa’tak’ (drop) of water. LOL

Cloud 9 and it’s Glorious Cross

It is amazing to know that despite its locations (of being situated near the Pacific Ocean), Siargao is not repeatedly hit by typhoons. Ever wonder why?

It is said that the island of Siargao was protected by this Glorious Cross. The history of this landmark an be traced down from a local who had dreamt of putting up a cross on this very site (in front of the popular Cloud 9). In his dreams he was told that doing so will protect the island. And so he did, and until now indeed Siargao had never been badly hurt ever since.

More Roadside Pictures

Sunset Photo Ops at Cloud 9

Saver’s Dinner Meal

And since we were running out of funds by the end of the day, we decided to just buy a canned sardines from one of the stores along the commercial center of Siargao and bought 2 cups of rice back at Ocean 101 (with an amazing price of 35php/cup).

“Waste your money and you’re only out of money, but waste your time and you’ve lost a part of your life.” Michael Leboeuf

The above blog post is part of my surfing adventure series of posts in the Island of Siargao, the Philippines’ Surfing Capital that happened last August 2-6, 2012. | Wow! Siargao (Shar-gow): Three Islands Hopping | Surfing at the Philippine’s Surfing Capital: Siargao Island | Siargao’s Enchanting Bucas Grande Sohoton Cave | Siargao Countryside Tour: Inland Sights and Wonders  | What to do in Siargao: Suggested Siargao Budget Itinerary