From Siquijor to Siargao

From Siquijor I went on to the island of Siargao. Siargao is further east of the country and is therefore not that easy to reach. But since many travelers are drawn there and Siargao should be really beautiful, I decided to take this long journey. Since I try to avoid flying, I took the ferry. Since there is no direct ferry from Siquijor to Siargao, I first had to go back to Cebu. However, there was also no direct ferry from Siquijor to Cebu.

First I took the ferry from Siquijor back to Bohol. In Bohol I then got on the next ferry to Cebu. In Cebu I finally took the overnight ferry to Surigao.

Ferries and flights are often late in the Philippines. It was therefore a big risk that I took three ferries in one day. I had booked all three ferries in advance as I was afraid they might be fully booked otherwise.

Catching the overnight ferry to Siargao

I was lucky and all my ferries were on time so I took the overnight ferry to Surigao at 9pm.

The overnight ferry was pretty basic. There were numerous bunk beds in a large hall. The beds weren’t really wide and there weren’t any blankets or pillows either. The mattress was just a leather mattress. I wasn’t really excited, but in the end it’s all an experience.

In the evening I first sat on the terrace for a long time and had dinner there. Somehow I wasn’t very interested in sleeping in this tiny bed.

But then, around midnight, I lay down. I spread my jacket and sleeping bag over the mattress and then slept on it. I was able to sleep for a few hours, but I got up at 5 a.m.

At six o’clock we arrived in Surigao. From there I had to take the last ferry to Siargao, which left three hours later. On the way to the terminal, children kept coming up to me begging for money.

Arrived in Siargao

At ten o’clock my ferry finally went from Surigao to Siargao. When I got there, I took a tricycle, which brought me to the hostel.

I first took a shower there and spent the day there because I was a bit exhausted. In the evening I bought some snacks from the shops next to the hostel and then went to bed.

The next morning I had breakfast in a small cafe right next to the hostel. The prices there were really cheap compared to others cafes and restaurants on the Philippines.

After that I met up with someone I had met in Moalboal.

Exploring the island

We rented scooters and then made our way to the Magpopong Rock Pools. It was a long way from our hostel, especially since I’m still quite slow on the scooter. It took a while until we finally arrived. However, I don’t think I’ll increase my speed in the next few months.

In the meantime we stopped at the Coconut Trees View Deck. A viewpoint where you can only see palm trees indefinitely.

Arrived at the rock pools, we parked our scooters and then went straight to the water. The Rockpools were crowded with tourists and I have a feeling most people just went there to get their perfect Instagram photo. Since most people stayed in the front part, we went a little further back. There we jumped into the water.

Later we went a bit further, where we found a small stretch of beach where no people were. We then spent the rest of the afternoon there.

It never ceases to amaze me how many people come to all these destinations just to get the perfect picture and then leave. In addition, these people are always far ahead and nobody bothers to really explore the area. Luckily for me in the end, because that’s how I always find nice, secluded places where nobody is.

Flat tires on the way back

In the late afternoon we started our way back. On the way back I suddenly heard a noise, which sounded a bit strange, but I didn’t think much about it. However, shortly afterwards my scooter started to drive a little strangely and always swerved a little with the rear wheel.

I then stopped and looked at the back of my scooter. Admittedly, I know so little about technology in vehicles, the scooter could have been completely broken, I wouldn’t have noticed it. Eventually, however, I noticed that my tire had burst.

I was quite thankful that I wasn’t alone that day and could be taken along immediately. We left the scooter on the side of the road.

On the way back to the hostel we stopped at a supermarket. But neither of us were really impressed by what was there. Although the supermarket was huge there wasn’t even a few healthy snacks or fruits and vegetables. We left the store a bit disappointed and drove back.

Solving the problem

First we went to the scooter rental and told them that the tire on my scooter had burst. The owners then wanted me to pay for the damage. I had also signed that in case of damage I would have to pay for it.

But since the tire burst out of nowhere and it could theoretically have been damaged beforehand, I didn’t really see it that way. The final price was 500 pesos ($14 AUD). But still it’s money that’s gone.

In the end I paid for the damage. But I got a new scooter including petrol, which I could then use the whole next day. If I had rented a new scooter the next day, I would have had to pay around 500 pesos. So in the end it wasn’t a big loss for me.

In the evening we went to a restaurant to eat. The food was really good, but like any restaurant in the Philippines, the portions are quite small for the price.

Rainy day at Maasin River

The next morning I first went to the same café for breakfast that I had been in the day before. After that I sat down and booked my flight from Siargao to El Nido. Booking a flight two days in advance is not the best thing to do as the prices are quite high.

However, I like being flexible and not having booked so much in advance. This always gives me the opportunity to be spontaneous when I travel.

When I finally found a suitable flight, I made my way to the Maasin River. It was quite windy that day and significantly cloudier than the day before.

I stopped again at the Coconut Trees View Deck and took some photos before heading to the Maasin River.

From there it was not far to the Maasin River. Of course I had to pay for everything there again. The Massin River was also pretty touristy again and half the people went there just for the perfect photo. In the meantime it has always rained a little, but the showers were over after a few minutes.

Moments by the sea

In the afternoon I drove back. Since it wasn’t dark yet, I used the time and drove around a bit. I bought some fruit and sat down on the beach with it.

When it got dark afterwards, I drove back to the hostel and gave the scooter back.

The next day I spent the morning in the hostel. In the afternoon I went to the beach, lay in the sun there and later watched the sunset. The beach I was at was called the Cloud 9 Surfing Area. This is the most famous spot in the Philippines to surf. There were countless palm trees on the beach itself, which I really liked.

The next day my flight went from Siargao to Puerto Princesa. From there I wanted to take the bus to El Nido. In the morning I went to the café where I had always had breakfast for the past few days. But then I just waited in the hostel for my taxi to go to the airport.

Since it was constantly raining in El Nido I left the Philippines earlier then expected and made my way to Kuala Lumpur. If you would like to know how my trip to Kuala Lumpur was, check out my next post Exploring Kuala Lumpur- Malaysia Travel Diary.