Exploring Britania's Group of Islands at Britania, San Agustin, Surigao del Sur, Philippines

   Together with our youngest sister, we went to Tandag City Airport to fetch the rest of our siblings from Manila. My brother's and my other  sister's family are vacationing for a week in our province.
   Three months before their vacation, I emailed my sister to try the new route of Cebu Pacific which is from Cebu City to Tandag City. Tandag City is just an hour land trip away from our municipality, Madrid, Surigao del Sur.  
   Since it was the maiden flight of Cebu Pacific Air from Cebu City to Tandag City, there were some government officials from the city who welcomed the passengers. Local foods were served at the airport for the city officials and for all the arriving passengers. Since we already booked a lunch at Gold Bar Restaurant, we went directly to the restaurant located near the Boulevard of Tandag City.

We met some protesters along the National Road of Tandag City. We are on our way to the restaurant. The protesters are demanding the government to reduce rice prices. 

   The food was great at Gold Bar restaurant but it took an hour and a half for the food to prepare. We eat all the food that we ordered because we are all famished. Our lunch was served late at 2:00 o'clock in the afternoon.

   After our lunch, we went directly to Britania, San Agustin, Surigao del Sur. We asked people along the way because our driver is not well versed of the southern part of our province. We arrived at Mac Arthurs Place in Britania, San Agustin, Surigao del Sur at around 5:30 in the afternoon. We had our dinner at Mac Arthurs Place. Our food was all fish cooked in different ways. Soup fish, grilled fish, fried fish, and a local style of sushi (raw fish combined in vinegar, cucumber, and salt).  The food again was great but again, the food preparation took very long to prepare. Our local food here is very simple to cook. I really do not know why some restaurants here took so long to prepare our food.

   We rested at Mac Arthurs Place. We had to wait for an hour to enter our room because there was no electricity in the area. 

  On the following day, before heeding to explore the islands, we had our breakfast at Mac Arthurs Place. Our breakfast was on time. The life vests in the boat are enough only for all my siblings, so I put on a brave face during our trip. I did not have a life insurance! Our first stop was the Naked Island. Naked Island is a barren white sand island. 

My nephew Ej, and my niece Samantha are building sand castles in Naked Island.

Burying my foot in the white sand of Naked island.

A stone that looks like a seal in Naked Island.

After we enjoyed Naked Island, we went to another small white sand island. It is called Hagonoy Island. It has some coconut trees and a uncompleted nipa hut.

A signage in Hagonoy Island requesting all visitors to preserve the beauty of the place.

My 2 year niece Yufee is enjoying the breeze in Hagonoy Island.

This is the last island that we have visited. I am sorry I forgot its name. It has a cross on the right side of the island.

I hope to see you again Britania's Group of Islands in the future.

Me(leftmost), my niece Yufee, my sister Jesusa, my brother-in-law Eric with his wife, my sister Josiet, with their son Ej, my brother Jed with his wife Maila and their daughter Samantha. Taken in Naked Island.

The Enchanting Enchanted River at Talisay, Hinatuan, Surigao del Sur, Philippines

My siblings and I have decided to explore the beauty of the southern part of our province, Surigao del Sur. On our first stop was at Barangay Britania in San Agustin, Surigao del Sur. We visited Britania's group of Islands on our first day. I will post our Britania's group of islands experience later because I will share first the second tourist destination that we visited, the enchanting Enchanted River at Talisay, Hinatuan, Surigao del Sur. The road going to the Enchanted River is under construction. When we were travelling going to the Enchanted River, my 8 year old nephew said that we were like riding on a roller coaster. But the road was not bad after all. 

This is the entrance of  the Enchanted River. It has a Filipino inspired cottages for the tourists to partake the food that they brought. There is no restaurant inside the park. The parking area is located before you reach the park, so the driver brought us first to the entrance and went back to the parking area. Whole day Parking fee is Php50(US1.10) for each vehicle. The entrance fee to the park is Php30(US0.80) for adults and Php5(0.10) for kids below 4 feet tall.

The signage inside the park. The enchanted river is just a few meters away from the park's signage.

My brother in law said that the sea floor of the river is made up of limestone making the river's water to appear blue. This is the deepest part of the river.

The right side of the river where you can see clearly the deposit of limestone on the floor of the river. This is the shallow part of the river.

We left the Enchanted River before the "feeding" of the fishes because we have not booked any hotel yet to rest for the night in Bislig, Surigao del Sur. I hope that you will visit the enchanting Enchanted River in Talisay, Hinatuan, Surigao del Sur. Take care!

Huyamaw and Casa Rica Islands near Barangay Consuelo, Cantilan, Surigao del Sur, Philippines

   I live in the province of Surigao del Sur, Philippines. Our place is one of the poorest provinces in the Philippines. Though a poor province, our place is gifted with beautiful natural scenic tourist spots. But for now, our place is not yet on the local and international tourists radar. I cannot blame the tourists for not including our province on their itinerary because the road from the city going to our place is really bad. But since the Aquino Administration has lived up with its words, there is now a road rehabilatation in our province. Our small airport in the province will serve customers again starting this coming July 2014. It has stopped operating for a decade. 

   I am sharing with you the two small islands that are near in Barangay Consuelo, Cantilan, Surigao del Sur and are nice to visit if you happen to drop by my province. First is Huyamaw Island. It has a white pinkish sand. Pristine Blue Water. Untouched. To reach Barangay Consuelo, there are tricyles waiting for passengers in Cantilan near Espinola Store and Panadero. I forgot the name of the street where Espinola and Panadero stores are located but everyone in Cantilan knows where the two business establishments are. Please just ask around. The tricyle fare going to Barangay Consuelo is Php 20.00 (US 50 cents) per person. Before reaching Barangay Consuelo, you will pass and use a wooden bridge and for the first timers, it is a scary experience but worth the adventure. Travel time from Cantilan to Barangay Consuelo is roughly 15 minutes. When you reach Consuelo, ask around for a boat rental. Almost everyone in the Barangay owns a boat because the main occupation of the villagers is fishing. You can rent a boat that can carry 3-4 persons for Php700 peso (US12.00). Here are the photos of the white pinkish sands of Huyamaw Islands.

                                       

Leaving my footprints in Huyamaw Island

   The second island is Casa Rica. It has a white sand and the size of the island is 500 square meters only. The distance between Casa Rica and Huyamaw is estimated at 100 meters. Casa Rica is a favorite place of the locals of Barangay Consuelo to spend their Birthdays and other Special Occasions. You can bring in some fresh seafoods and grilled them in Casa Rica but please do not forget to bring back home your litter to help the place free of garbage. I see though some broken Beer bottles and I really appreciate people not to break bottles in the island for the safety of all the visitors. No entrance fee is needed to enjoy the beauty of the two islands. The best time to visit the islands is during the months of April up to October for it is the dry season of the year in Cantilan. Board shorts, comfy tee-shirts, and slippers are the best attire to wear and bring sunblock for UV protection.

   The fastest way on how to reach Cantilan, Surigao del Sur is by air travel. You can book a flight over the internet with Cebu Pacific from Manila to Tandag, Surigao del Sur. Flight time is 1 hour from Manila to Cebu. You will have a 2-3 hour stop over at Cebu Mactan International Airport because there is no direct flight yet to Tandag. The travel time from Cebu to Tandag is approximately at 45 minutes. Once you set foot in Tandag, take a tourist van ( parked and waiting for passengers outside Tandag Airport ) going to Cantilan, Surigao del Sur. Travel time on the road is around 1 hour and 30 minutes. Once, you are travelling on the road from Tandag to Cantilan, you will see some tourist destinations and surfing sites along the way.

   This is my "see-you-again-soon" photo of Huyamaw Island after our tour. Huyamaw island is the biggest of all the islands in the picture. Please visit our place soon and experience the beauty of the place and the hospitality of the locals in Barangay Consuelo, Cantilan, Surigao del Sur.