THE PRIDE OF RTR: TAGNOTE FALLS

I was hesitant to post this blog today because I knew that there is a sufficient budget intended for the development within the vicinity of Tagnote Falls next year (2015)! On the other hand, I think it is awesome to compare the pictures of “before and after” the development.

Tagnote Falls is located in San Antonio, RT.Romualdez, Agusan del Norte. Little by little the falls serves its purpose, thus entertain people at the same time uplift the economic activity of the area.  It is slowly gaining recognition over the internet. In fact, tourist arrival record showed a positive growth.

The accessibility to that attraction is quite good. . .The falls itself is naturally wonderful. It has its own way to lure people. The helpless “me” was tempted by its enticing cascades. The water is really cold.  It even rocks our world because it has so many rocks. Hahah!

So this is Tagnote Falls as of December 2014.

SHORT-TIME IN BISLIG CITY :-)

I can’t believe that I was able to visit 2 prime destinations in Bislig City for just 3hours. These are the Ocean View Park and Tinuy-an Falls.

Ocean View Park is 5-minutes away from Mangagoy Terminal. It is where the famous International Doll House located. While Tinuy-an Falls is 40minutes from Ocean Viewpark.

HOW TO GET THERE?

From Butuan Bus Terminal, take a bus bound for Mangagoy. Fare is less than Php 300. From Mangagoy Terminal, find a for hire single motorcycle. Be cautious, some motorcycle driver will charge you more than expected! I only stayed less than 2 hours in Tinuy-an falls and I paid Php300 for the roundtrip fare.

Entrance fee in Tinuy-an is Php50.00.  

After enjoying the ala-Nagiara Falls, feed your tummy with the delicious yet affordable foods in Viewpoint Park. You may ask the driver to drop you there. Fare from Ocean View Park to Bus Terminal is less than Php10.00.

Viewpoint Park entrance fee is Php20.00. 

TAGPUPURAN BLUE WATERS

My heart palpitates whenever I have a travel in Surigao del Sur. Yes, I fell inlove with the province. My excitement became immeasurable upon knowing that the place (Lingig) is new to my senses. The thrill escalated while looking at the Caraga map as I found out that it is the border town of Surigao del Sur with Davao Oriental. My curiosity got higher than expected right after google failed to give me a detail that pertains to tourist destination of the said area. I even lose hope and all of the sudden turned my computer off and decided to just cross the bridge whenever I get there. If there is nothing with the place, so be it!

Lingig is 40minutes away from Mangagoy, Bislig City. I’ve seen no plaza, malls, big grocery stores, hotels, and fine restaurants in the place. It eventually led me to commit a faulty generalization, thus assuming that Lingig is not worth a visit when talking about tourist destination. When I met the locals there, I immediately asked them about the place and learned about Tagpupuran Blue Waters. The adventure goes on…

Tagpupuran Blue Water Resort (TBW) is situated in Brgy.Tagpupuran, roughly 1 hour away from the Municipal Hall. The usual mode of transportation to get there is through a single motorcycle or locally known as habal-habal and fare is Php100.00. The road is a little bit bumpy and scary but the resort’s ambiance is worth a sacrifice. The water is really clear that you can see the unique features of starfishes with your naked eye.

The nice thing about the resort is that the management maintains its cleanliness. Cottages are cool and well-maintained... It also offers a good accommodation. For frustrated singers, be delighted as the resort has karaoke/videoke. All in all, the resort is perfect for picnics or any gatherings!

Below are the friendly reminders to those who are planning to have a trip in TBW.

souvenir items

•        Don’t forget to bring slippers. The beach has a lot of shells and corals which       might hurt your bare feet.
•          Wear glasses on your way to the resort. The road is unpaved, so expect dust.
•          Support the Indigenous People by buying their souvenir products.

After that short travel, I firmly agreed to the declaration that Surigao del Sur is indeed blessed with globally competitive natural wonders that runs from highlands to islands, from rivers to seas, and from mangroves to marshes. Never did I imagine that a beautiful white beach can be seen in the area knowing the fact that I only see mountains along my way to Lingig proper.

THE STRAND RESORT, CAGDIANAO DINAGAT ISLANDS

The Strand Resort is located in Brgy. San Jose, Cagdianao, Dinagat Islands. Fronting the resort is the tempting Tagbiyaran Beach. The beach is surrounded with coconut trees and it is considered as undisturbed since it is situated far from the populace.  Its sugary light brown sand is simply inviting. Its crystal clear water allows you to see the school of fish in the shore.  Once you drench yourself entirely in the water, you will definitely feel relaxed.

In a few meters, you will see the Sayaw Island. You will perfectly get fascinated with its rock formations along the shore. You will also see different kinds of shells nearby. Rest assured that you will be entertained by merely seeing its panoramic view.

If you wanted focus, peace and serenity, then do not hesitate to choose The Strand Resort. The place is really ideal for honeymoons as it does not have cellphone signals. Surely no one will ever disturb the intimate moments you both shared with your partner. Hehehe

The most accessible mode of transportation is through habal-habal. The fare is quite expensive but I still believe it has significant economic returns. You spend but then again, you help!

The room is fully air-conditioned. The staffs are friendly. Chairs and tables are really unique.They also have videoke sing-along and bar (which happened to be our convention area during our writeshop). 

VILLA AZARCON MOUNTAIN RESORT

Knowing the fact that Surigao del Sur has plenty of tourist attractions, each municipality in the province goes out from their shells and enters the spotlight to showcase what they got! The Municipality of Tago is no exception of course. Indeed it’s like a snake sloughing off its old skin, then surprisingly blooms like no other. With justice, you can label this place as the land of waterfalls. 

Villa Azarcon Mountain Resort is one of the Tago’s hidden treasures. The paradise is located in Cagpangi, Tago, Surigao del Sur. It is only 3 minutes hassle-free away from its junction because the road is more than okay. 

Just inside the resort, you’ll see the Gacub Falls. Man-made wonder fuses with natural wonder will definitely result to awesome creation, that’s what you can see inside the resort. Also, the landscape is far different from other resorts.

CALO HORSE FARM

Calo Horse Farm is a private property owned by the Calo Family which is located in Brgy. Sanghan, Cabadbaran City, Agusan del Norte which is more or less 15minutes away from the heart of the city.  It offers enjoyable horsebackriding and training for a very affordable price.It is one of the recreational activities you will surely enjoy in this place. The fee for 1 round ride is only P100.00 (minimum of 5pax)

The greenery spacious place is really conducive for meditation and camping. In fact, several campings were successfully done there.

The owner anticipated to make this place a mini-forest where hardwood trees (especially the endemic trees) in the country are brought together. I love green environment so I’m keeping my fingers crossed to his plans.

Other than horseback riding, the family is also known for their colorful candles. They even share their knowledge on how to make one! Candle is for sale and it costs P75.00. Candles are also for export. They also displayed variety of abaca products.

THE PRIDE OF SAN FRANCISCO(ANAO-ON)

It has been my lifelong dream to use my passion (which is traveling) into profession. Working in DOT is somewhat an answer to my dream. DOT serves as my gate pass to various travels. One more thing I like about this department is that it goes far beyond traveling, this department facilitates in the implementation of anything that has an involvement in giving a tourists a feeling of full satisfaction. My 2^nd official travel is San Francisco (Anao-aon), Surigao del Norte.

Not to mention, this Municipality is bestowed with a beautiful spot where City people are being lured with its look. A naturally pristine beach of San Francisco is a good example of a totally pollution-free atmosphere.This place has minimal internet information, no doubt, people from neighboring municipalities rarely choose this place for gathering.   

                                  

HELLO AGAIN TO DAHILAYAN: I LOVE DROPZONE

rates

Dahilayan is sweeter the second time around. All expenses paid by the Department of Tourism-Caraga Region and that perhaps made it sweeter.

Dahilayan is widely known for its zipline, tagged as “Asias Longest Dual Cable Zipline”. Evidently, the rate of their offered rides did not change. But I think several rides were added to satisfy the adventure-seeker’s desire.

This time I chose DROPZONE since I’ve experienced the thrill of the 940-meter zipline few years ago. After experiencing that 120 feet sky fall, I conclude that dropzoning is way better than ziplining. I’m running of words in describing how I felt after having that dropzone activity. It was indeed scary yet very fulfilling.  I must say, it was really cool! And if I am given a chance to be in Dahilayan again, I'd still choose that ride even if it's a bit pricey.

If I am to compare ziplining versus dropzoning?

Zipline- I say things like “wow….heaven” during the ride.

Dropzone- I say things like “oh my God…oh my God…please forgive me” during the ride. I was calling all the names of the saints I knew during the ride. hahahah

For dropzone video, CLICK HERE.

Since we finished dropzoning in less than 5 minutes, I swiftly went outside to try horseback riding. Horseback riding rate is P100.00 per 15minutes. If you only wanted to have a quick ride for picture taking purposes, you could just pay P20.00 to the in-charge. 

A SIDETRIP TO BLUEJAZZ RESORT AS PART OF OUR ITINERARY

BLUEJAZZ WATER SPORTS RATES

From Talicud Island, we rode a ferry boat going to Kaputian with a fare of P20.00/each. The trip took only 15minutes. From Kaputian to Bluejazz, the mode of transportation is either bus or motorcycle. Our cousin advised us to take a bus going to Babac Pier instead of a single motorcycle. As to my cousin, bus is safer compared to motorcycle. But time is really limited for us… so whatever it takes, we have to cross the bridge whenever we get there. Sadly, there was no bus available in that area and we have to wait for an hour for another bus. Since we were in a hurry, we hired a single motorcycle going to Bluejazz resort with a fare of P250.00 (good for 3).  The asphalt road is good but again the driver must focus on driving because the road going to paradise is a bit curvy. Kaputian to Bluejazz Resort road trip took 40 minutes.  

Entrance fee:
for adult is P90.00
for kids is P70.00

Unlimited usage of giant slides is P90.00

unlimited usage of giant slide cost P90.00 / head

RANDOM PICTURES OF BLUEJAZZ RESORT. I FIRMLY BELIEVE THAT THE PICTURE SAYS IT ALL. :-)

good for 6 pax worth P600.00

souvenir shop

 

kayak rate is P200.00/hour

TALICUD ISLAND, HOLY WEEK 2014

It was extremely hot 7 in the morning when we arrived in Sta.Ana wharf. Endless queue in paying ferry boat ticket pissed me off. Plus, people from different places kept on arriving from time to time. Some were haggling to the people who fell in line near the ticket booth. Some were even using their dirty tactics just to reach Talicud Island at earlier time.  We haven’t taken our breakfast yet. We we’re damn starving. I was about to give up. A large number of people drive me to push through with my travel.  I could assume that the place is worth a sacrifice.

“If you won’t stop pushing me, I will really kill you” I said with anger to a lady who pushed me just to catch the trip. I did try not to lose my temper but my life was at risk that time. One false move and you will surely find me lifeless in deep water since I do not know how to swim. Right after giving her an ultimatum, we were able to catch to MB Pacific ferry boat around 10:30AM. We arrived in Talicud roughly 12 noon. We went directly to my 1^st cousin’s house. We had our quick lunch and then proceeded to Isla Reta as part of our itinerary.

Isla Reta Resort is situated near the pier. Its panoramic view is truly superb and alluring that everyone is compelled to see the place. No wonder why those people in Sta. Ana wharf patiently waited for their turn to witness this God’s fabulous creation. The sandbars are really white and fine.Its surrounding remains clean even if there are many people who stayed there overnight. We were really enticed to swim in its clear turquoise water while looking to its charming façade. There were so many vacationers there. In fact, rooms for rent and even cottages were all occupied. Glad to know that everyone is allowed to set up their tents along the shore. I think it is more romantic to stay in a tent along the shore during night time while having a bonfire.