Early morning at 5 sitting down in a quiet corner of the room after waking up from the alarm clock that set me up, reminded me of going to Cagwait White Beach Resort located in Cagwait town of Surigao del Sur province. It has been in the fourth day in Tandag City and the plan must push through before I bid goodbye Tandag City in the sixth day.
Tandag which was declared recently as one component city of Surigao del Sur was lucky enough to become a city which hounded some questionable eligibility from Supreme Court decisions. Until last February the decision was final with other new cities of Caraga Region, Bayugan City and Cabadbaran City.
I have to take the advantage because Tandag is much closer to Cagwait White Beach which will take half hour of travel compare to my origin place Butuan City which has almost three hours.
I have been dreaming Cagwait White Beach known as Boracay of Caraga. In my first post I was just a passerby witnessing a billboard for Kaliguan Festival for a quick moment of time then gone, then go back to my birthplace Butuan City, the center of Caraga Region.
The windy morning greeted me as I move out from the door looking some chair at the center of the cafeteria I live. The morning was just quiet and no one else in sight making a move, not anything from the lighted streets leveled before my eyes.
Looking passed the street constructed in a mountain top while I am sitting at the rooftop of a three-story building. A unique parallel position between me and the street is enough like a closer world in the outside.
Sitting the chair in a quiet and still atmosphere, giving me some cool reminiscent after doing my job yesterday from those professional head teachers who want to learn more of computer programs. Some of them find it hard to communicate since they are getting old and hate the technical word of computer language. They spar the mouse in their hand like holding tight causing tired muscles clicking left and pressing hard. And maybe hearing the word mouse is not a joke because they believe it is a pest running in the corner of the house or ruining the crops in the backyards.
The cold wind started drifting my skin layer as I opened the glass in a table top to get a sachet of coffee. If someone witness something strange going at the top then it might kill me since a thief mission started before dawn. But they believe visitor started pulling up everything for his own mission.
Zipping a cup of coffee to fight against the cold wind is just a moment to get energize early morning before moving to bus terminal en route to Cagwait White Beach.
Bus Terminal to Cagwait White Beach
Leaving the building I find my way of hundred stairs in climbing up to the street of Tandag. Walking through a terminal bus in a near distance never mind the dawn started to emerge in a cool and quiet morning. Meeting few structures along the streets with few people moving till up myself in terminal. Seems Tandag was just a baby hungry for development as the state of city hood begin for years.
Sitting in a rural bus was just typical setting where few passengers coming from different locations in going to some rural areas of the province. I notice young man carrying 30 brand new laptops sealed in package to be distributed in remote areas the farthest from Tandag with no fear of apprehension from would-be robbers along the way when sky still dark. When asked where to deliver he answered to Tagbina.
Deal business in a far-flung town that is surpassing seven more towns I guess before reaching Tagbina. Business is part of struggle from day to day when strangers coming in and out in the bus. He talks anyone he meet in the bus and telling them could be the cheapest laptops you can acquire if you have me but keeping an eye to his valuable assets.
This young man is set to become an entrepreneur for life if anything goes alright in his travel for the rest of his life.
Technology has gone so far that started in the Western World, and now the demands of thirty laptops went through in no time in the remote rural town of the province. Peoples seems addicted to the technology and they can acquire easily through cash on delivery or installment process.
The price of laptops nowadays goes in a downward trend since oversupply and competitive market becomes apparent, added measure was the invasion of mobile computing world like the rise of smartphones and tablets.
This young man promised everyone of having the advantage, and business became his recipe in life. I almost forgot where I have to go then someone shouting for Cagwait, till that moment I consumed 30 minutes or more, when I move out from the bus I am already in the center town of Cagwait.
Embracing Boracay Of Caraga
Along the highway, there was an adjacent road in going to Cagwait White Beach Resort and you have to wait for single motor called ‘habal habal’ in local community to carry you to the beach. Since still 6 in the morning, wrap up myself alone do the walking for hundreds of meters till I drop in a distance and my forehead badly sweating.
I think I have a bad estimate when someone told me you can reach Cagwait White Beach Resort by walking. I guess it was just kilometers away.
Single motor or ‘habal-habal’ at last came to the rescue and drop me at the entrance of Cagwait White Beach. Of course, seeing a vast land of white sands was an exciting tone and lifting the spirit for those first timers wants to make historic visit in the ‘Unseen Paradise’. The white line curving in a distance paints a warm impression. Sunrise began spreading its rays that merge in the ocean and sands putting glowing effects in Mother Nature.
Skies were clear and the weather was perfect for just visitor and incoming visitors of the day. Exploring the scene of natures it is captivating to say what others telling when witness a horseshoe shape paradise resort facing the Pacific Ocean with clear blue water mixed of blinking crystal when rays started to elope with water that bounces the large waves in the shorelines.
High tide started to diminish as large waves contains the white sand beach like sometimes an angry mob in a friendly gestures. The sounds of the bouncing waves sometimes like a bomb, but if someone asked me how it did to my ears they are sweet like a gong of music spreading healthy tone inside the auditory nerve. They played like magic as the bluish clear water mixed in fine white sand leveled each other fighting in the shoreline.
I walked a straight line tried to investigate how Cagwait White Beach became famous in the minds of the local. I have not seen anyone in the beachline except on the base of the curve in the far where three peoples never end their revelry embracing the white sand beach for life. In this moment I owned the beach alone drifting in a quiet pristine paradise.
This place became Boracay of Caraga but in an opposite rivalry since Boracay already a populous shorelines bumping each other shoulders either foreign or local tourists along the way. But here in Cagwait White Beach is like walking in a no man’s land, at least I met two fishermen along the way busy untangling the net with their few catches.
It seems walking alone with my bare feet as I used to be, touching in the wilderness the cotton like sands which formed my feet across for miles. I have never felt exhausted and drained. Energy is continuing and soul is alive when heart engaging the distance of the sands. When looking back of what I accomplished I can’t believe of what I have done. Those falling sweats in the skin started influencing the healthy lifestyle in the sea.
At the end portion of the beach find my way of small rocks littered the sea. Sitting in one of the rocks find a resting place while looking back the baseline of the horseshoe shape paradise which becoming far away in the naked eyes. The white lines draw back the coastlines witnessing one end to the other end.
The waves of the sea started splashing my feet, my mind striking back how many miles it takes in reaching the opposite end of the white curve. The paradise is too long to explore and losing the time embracing the whole beach.
I was impressed when mountains and coconut trees forming alliance of Mother Natures behind a pristine white beaches. But if you know how mountains behave when it has its own threatening formations like when giant crocodile submerge in the sea waiting for a victim in a moments of fun and adventures. In a tropical place like Caraga, mountains and landscapes forming like wild animals added attraction before the eyes.
Digging More of Cagwait White Beach
Cagwait White Beach Resort became known before as Waikiki Beach in the Philippines when famous American pilot Charles Lindbergh witness the horseshoe formation while on plane likened in his hometown resort in Hawaii islands.
The discovery was just an accident (as stated by the traffic accident lawyer) when the purpose of coming in Caraga Region is for the wildlife campaign when the land in Cagwait mountainous area under concessions of logging industry turns out a sanctuary of Philippine eagles. Since then history became the tagline when Cagwait White Beach having a twin resort located in Hawaii Islands.
Peoples from different location of Caraga and Philippines started flocking to witness the celebrations of Kaliguan Festivals every June 24th of the year. Tribal dance takes pride wearing colourful ethnic dress in the middle of the celebrations with the beauties entrance vying for Perlas ng Kaliguan.
Kaliguan Festival started in 1996 that brought the tagline of Cagwait White Beach as the ‘Unseen Paradise’ but not anymore as far as neighboring towns of Surigao del Sur and the entire Caraga Region. In addition of road project completion from Butuan City in going to Tandag City, Cagwait White Beach pose a perfect conditions when escape from urban life.
Believing what you have seen the wonder of natures what to do is capture the sights and sounds that is lacking before the young years of life.
