caraga — Page 10 — Caraga rising paradise

Jumping Season – From Caraga to Duka

October 13, 2008 27 Comments

The paradise nature of Caraga was an inborn gift that spreads like a virus. Yes, because it affects the neighboring places outside, and became a tourists destinations as well. One thing in common, they are closer to Caraga.

It’s amazing in this blog when I jump-out from my home Caraga to our neighbor’s closest treasure – the Duka Bay Resort.

I remember my post jumping from Caraga to Boracay. I considered it as the most challenging part of my travel for being too far in a place where it is already overpopulated of different races coming from different parts of the globe. Well, I considered Boracay, a paradise after rising. Sooner of later, I hope it could not be the most abuse paradise on the planet.

Jumping to Duka Bay Resort was only a two-hour ride from the territory of my beloved Caraga. Butuan City is the starting point of my travel. Duka Bay Resort was located in the town of Medina, province of Misamis Oriental.

When I set my foot at the entrance of Duka Bay Resort, I felt the quietness, calmness of environment. First look at the tempting horizon, then the beach was full of trees to shade you from the sun, the milky fine sand mixed with white corals, and the sea itself was crystal jade of being a coral reef.

Along the far right side were different cottages made of indigenous materials piled-up along the side of the beach. From here, it will set you back and relax for a while. Turning your head left to right to swallow up the best of nature.

At the far left end, take a stroll there, you can find beautiful landscapes, highly elevated rest houses with hotel-like amenities, taking glance at seashore below were giant rocks forming instead of the sands. It is a natural haven of giant rocks, and not a small one the way I have seen it at Mabua. Of course the significant part is the presence of old trees along the side of the beach. Let me stop and say –I smell paradise here!

If you are a digger and want to dig more, how about riding a boat where the floor is made of fiber glass where you can witness the underground different species of marine life as you take your journey to the sea. Lots of colorful fishes roaming in, and even sea turtles live like what I did at Bagacay. If you are a diver how lucky you are, you will be seeing the beauty of life under the sea.

Duka Bay resort was a gifted place. Not just an ordinary beach but a sanctuary. It is one of the best diving sites for being a coral-infested area. As we know different marine life existed when coral reef lives. It is a home of my favorite character Nemo and his cabal of friends.

Duka Bay Resort was a second home to me. I have been there 3 times, and it seems the only place I have visited many times outside Caraga. The place gives me some inner strength and peace of mind being close to nature. Close to nature makes you a poetic person and a free man, wheww! Going back to Butuan City was the last thing in my mind, but the memories are worth living.

pix of fishes underwater from dukabayresort-tours

You can reach Duka Bay Resort at Medina for more than 2 hours by bus from Butuan City.

Scenes from Magpupongko – the future 7 wonders of the world

September 17, 2008 19 Comments

You should not be an alien to your own native land. But when I went to Magpupongko I became alienated. This is the place I have never been before. But now it became part of my life. Maybe, this is one way of championing the best of Caraga.

Of course, you will never forget the amazing Agusan del Norte, and the island adventures Surigao City. And now, the wonder of Magpupongko.

When I set my eyes to this place, I was so amaze with the natural beauty that scattered anywhere along the way.

Magpupongko was located at the town of Pilar – recently, the fishing capital of the Philippines, Siargao Island, province of Surigao del Norte. Magpupongko from the native word “pongko” which means to “sit down.” That’s the reason the place got its name because of the presence of giant rock sitting in a another rock, like this one

Or else, when I gave my shot far from it, I thought my friend is running away from the falling stone, or just give way to the falling rain. That’s it.

This is one of the beauties of Magpupongko. But it does not end here. You have to take for miles to witness different rock formations, emerges of different pools, the waves coming from the deepest ocean, the sands, and the islands. These will be your hotspots of the day.

What you see is what you believe – Magpupongko is a haven of pools – amaze me so much with its clear jade water after rushing in from the sea during high tide. When low tide comes in, different pools emerge along the coastline where you can choose which pools you want to suit your taste, and submerge!

It will set you for a long walk seeing different pools in the seaside, you will never get tired even for a hundred miles.

For family gathering, or for everybody, and counting.

For romantic lovers in a little cove for privacy – have the best pick of your own.

During high tide, pools have been nowhere, but still you can do the gymnastic dive. Be sure you are in the pools, or else, in the rock.

The magnificent giant waves from the deepest of the ocean are part of it. Witness how it formed before your eyes. Surfers are not allowed here. Warning, it’s deep, and smashing you in the bed rock along that line. Go ahead to General Luna’s Cloud 9.

Walking through the miles it will captivates you how rocks and fine white sands meeting in one place with lots of pools, and then in front of it the smashing of giant waves from the deep of the ocean.

If you are here, then let me know how you feel when natures became your friends here. Well, let me say in one word – Paradise!

special thanks to freida of butuanon dot org for some of the pix

You can reach Magpupongko from Dapa for 1 hour after reachingSiargao by MV RORO for 4 hours or by super cat for 2 hours from Surigao City, and from Butuan City to Surigao City for 2 hours by bus.

Siargao Escape – falling in love the sands of general luna

August 30, 2008 16 Comments

The series continue when going to Siargao Island as I jumped from one place to another. This time focus myself in the town of General Luna, Siargao Island, province of Surigao del Norte. It was such a lovely place for hideaway takers far from the bustle and hustle of the city.

General Luna not only endowed with beautiful surfing sites, islands and islets, rock formations, snorkeling, diving but the beach itself. It was just an opposite character of Mabua Peeble Beach where stones ruled and became endemic. While here it is not. Just a pure powdery white sands and became a hotspot for anyone who loves the sands and the seas. The coastlines were white, an inborn gift of rising paradise in Caraga.

When I’m in Butuan City, if someone talks about General Luna, the thing that bolsters my mind was the pristine white sands that are stretching for miles in the coastlines, and of course this is how Siargao Island became famous (but Siargao has many beautiful spots to offer aside from the sands). General Luna is one of Siargao gifted son.

The Coastlines, Islands And The Sands

Everywhere in the shorelines of General Luna was a luscious white line that symbolize of being a white achiever in the sands that makes me fall in love with white. I can see in my naked eyes while in the beach, in front of it, was the sweet Guyam Island that is drawing near with white line. In the near distance of Guyam Island was much bigger Dako Island in which half of it was a neat white line in the right side. Closer again was the white Bikini Island, all white and nothing else, it was called in other name as naked island because it’s a pure white sands getting naked and unleashed from nowhere – almost no green thing you can see and no dark spots at all. Closer again was another hot spot, the silent Corregidor Island. The farthest was a group of islands called La Januza, and spent your time there in a far away place that have never been touched and kissed by wild vacationers. When I see the pictures of La Januza in Balanghai Hotel in Butuan City, I could not believe of what I saw. The tantalizing world of curve white beach formation, and the romantic sunset in one of the islands, will put your soul in a calm and serene place. The pictures itself speak a worry-free and stress-free human world.

Walking in a distance, I usually drained my naked feet in this pure white sand beach making them smooth rubbing and tickling, and even, dancing and jumping for a moment. Even you take it for miles, you will never feel the strain because of smoothness of powdery white sands that completely startled your feet, and the joy of making it. You will be surprise of the revelation taking some steps, it seems you are just floating in a window of heaven where you are surrounded with white things, everything is clear and clean. Your eyes became watchful but for the love of nature that surrounds you. Of course, the refreshing cool winds follow you with sweet embrace, and gaze the never ending horizon in the sea.

The Surfing Greats

General Luna was a home of the best international surfing site called Cloud 9. But there was another water breaks that gaining fast ground for neophyte surfers which is Dako. In the new era of surfers, you can choose of which way to go, and mark your name as the best surfer in the world. You will never forget in your life you have been part of General Luna’s priceless possession – world class surfing sites.

In times like this, you should take all the opportunities and exploits everything that may come on your way. Show how your body energize and activates your sense of being, unleash the wildest part of you, like a soul in an ageing body and feel young again (but I’m not that old, huh!). This is the way I blend with nature in my days with General Luna. When I’m come back to my birthplace, Butuan City, it is surely a missed thing to do of my entire life.

special thanks to freida of butuanon dot org for the pix

You can reach Siargao by MV RORO for 4 hours or by super cat for 2 hours from Surigao City, and from Butuan City to Surigao City for 2 hours by bus.

Surigao City – city of island adventures!

July 26, 2008 35 Comments

The amazing sights and sounds sent you packing from one island to another. The best way of exploring virgin places as man and nature joined together in one panorama of the day. Adventures that you will never forget! Surigao City is the champion in this field.

Surigao City is the only city in the province of Surigao del Norte. It is one of the six cities of Caraga region. The other cities are Butuan, Bislig, and the newly created cities are Bayugan, Cabadbaran, and Tandag.

The beauty of Surigao City makes an intangible asset of Mother Natures when someone would like exploit the city of island adventures. The adventures will never forget till the end days of life.

Surigao City, if missing from Caraga, then Caraga is like a person without feet. Tourism can not run completely to the finish line. If the province of Agusan del Sur and Agusan del Norte offers its best in sights and sounds mostly of beautiful mountains, landscapes, and valleys, Surigao City offers its best more in blue crystal water, white sand beaches, islands and islets. Not mentioning yet the beauty of Siargao, and other places. Surigao City completes the person in Caraga.

Its geographic location is in the northeastern portion of Mindanao. It is bounded by Dinagat Islands on the north, the mainland of Surigao del Norte on the south, Hinatuan passage on the east, Surigao Strait and Southern Leyte on the west.

When I visited Surigao City, it is the best place for hopping one island to another. You can see some of the islands when you are in the beach. It has 17 islands all in all across the horizon. When you cross these islands the adventure within you started like a wildfire of challenges and excitements. You will discover the unspoiled natural attractions that are beginning to unleash and show to the whole world the innate beauty that have known for years. The nature was so close to you just like a long lost friend in time. And you can say I love this place, and settle for the rest of your life.

Places Of Adventure

Lots of beautiful things will happen as you started to explore the gift of Mother Nature. I will never forget the memorable moments in Mabua Pebble Beach, but at the far right end separated by the hill was the panoramic view of Looc Beach. One of a kind Silop Cave and interior stone formation of Buenavista Cave were just amazing. Basul Island was the nearest islet in the city characterized by white sand beach in the front and rugged rocky shore on the other. Sagisi Island is a tropical white sand beach and crystal blue water that provides excellent diving sites due to the presence of coral reef with lushly preserved marine life. Don’t forget the Sebale Beach famous for its white sand, and the serenity offers by its surrounding coconut trees. Danawan Island game fishing was once an international fishing competition host provider because of varied shapes and sizes of different marine life abound the area. Zaragoza Tourist Park facing the sea with its manicured bermuda landscape, picturesque rocks, and plants provides a soothing romantic experience in the sea breeze, and the Zaragoza Rock Formations defined by its unique, natural rock formations, a wonder of its kind.

What’s more was the interesting sight of the so-called Little Venice of Surigao – the Day-asan Floating Village where houses erected on wooden stilts and bedded rocks with paddle boats plying the various waterways. The little ‘San Juanico Bridge’ of Surigao City is the Cantiasay-San Pedro Wooden Footbridge – the longest bridge in the country that is made of wood which connects the two islands.

These beautiful spots I mentioned will not end counting this way but there are other places like the man-made Maharlika Training Center, etc. You have to give time to discover, and be an adventurer in your own niche. Besides, there are some places unaccounted for.

Surigao City is not just island hopping but has some special interests like skim boarding, game fishing, caving, and mountain climbing and trekking. You can rent the top paddle board gear and make a day of it anytime. Basically, a complete game of your life.

Happiness cannot be bought in this world. The heart of an adventurist explore the best of worlds surrounds you. Once it begins it will never stops doing the same thing all over and over again.

Welcome to Surigao City!

pix from surigao city government website

You can reach Surigao City for 2 hours from Butuan City by bus.

Bermuda Travel – thinking the best ship for caraga

July 12, 2008 8 Comments

When I was young, I have read the place called Bermuda. Well, this time I have to talk the place outside Caraga, and I’m referring to Bermuda. Caraga and Bermuda are two tropical paradises located each other opposite of the globe. Caraga in the future will become a tourist hub. But Bermuda already marks its name internationally in tourism industry. Two names will map out the best tourist destinations in the future.

Caraga lying in the southern part of the Philippines faces the great Pacific Ocean, and a home set of many voyagers in the past with the best ship – the Butuan Boat. Times have change. Caraga lured modern travelers and fun-seekers from the different parts of the globe, and feel the sights and sounds as it slowly became a most favorite place to visit in the country. Modern transportation facilities should be the top priorities, something that we should not forget, to answer the needs of visiting tourists.

But the tropical paradise opposite from the other end of the world facing the Atlantic Ocean, I’m referring to Bermuda, has already its world-class cruise facilities, the Bermuda Cruises. The fun begins by choosing the best cruise line, and you will not regret when choosing best cruises that will start the day – a perfect vacations right away. Well, that surely makes the difference. Canada Cruises and European Cruises are also tops the list of best cruises in the world for Canada and European countries, respectively.

Bermuda is about 600 miles off the coast of South Carolina, and almost perfectly free from hurricane-infected American east coast. It has a 21 miles pure paradise, and has almost perfect year-round climate to make your dream vacation a success. With the presence of Bermuda Cruises it’s really a perfect place for you and your family to visit Bermuda. How I dreamed the best cruise in Caraga. Hope someday I will be the one to first jump when it started to run in Caraga.