Cloud 9
Day 7 of 24When I first learned how to surf a looooong ass time ago, the first thing I did was find out where the local surf was. Then I started to research and learn about the California coast. After watching numerous surf videos and looking through magazines I learned about the different waves around the world. So of course, Cloud 9 has always been on my must see places since we're from the Philippines. I finally got to see it in all its glory.It started off a slow day. The plans were to go to Cloud 9 after lunch, so this was basically me all morning.
I honestly felt spoiled laying around in a hammock with the beautiful scenery, almost as if I didn't deserve it. I managed to survive my hammock nap. Above me there were about half a dozen dead coconuts ready to fall, but I made it.So after lunch (that finally didn't include pork) we finally headed out to Cloud 9. It was kind of annoying to find out that it was only about 10 minutes from where we were staying, becau
se we could have gone a long time ago. Anyway... we finally got there.
This beach was probably one of the most touristy spots we've been to. There was a lot of people and when we arrived to go to the beach, we were quickly approached by a guy renting out surfboards. As annoying as these Filipinos are when it comes to trying to make money, you can't deny their hustle.We rented out 4 boards and my cousin and niece got a board and instructor. The area we surfed at was right outside the Cloud 9 break. The water was glassy and clear and the waves actually came in sets. I'm not going to lie, it was hard. I had to get pushed into the waves because I couldn't paddle strong enough to catch them on my own. It's a whole new level than G-Town surf. The floor bed was rocky afff, luckily it wasn't a home for sea urchins. The waves weren't hitting strong enough to just "catch", but it was absolutely amazing. Sitting on a bord in the calm waters just taking in the Views was priceless. It was pretty awesome of an experience.
After our surf sesh, we refueled at this little refreshment hut on the beach. They had juices, shakes, coffee, teas, salads and sandwhiches. The pineapple shake was really good. I also left my comb there. Sadz.
There's a pier/boardwalk that takes you up close to Cloud 9 and we went there next to take pics. Man, the waves were perfect barrels. It was just beautiful to see what nature can do. It was like watching a surfing competition in real life.
[wpvideo 0OY7TbKg ]We got home before sunset. We were on the part of the island that doesn't see the sun set, so no picture ops on that. During dinner though, I experienced my first earthquake! I was at the table and just felt it shaking. I thought someone was moving it, but I felt the ground moving too. I seriously thought it was me and I was just loopy and about to pass out, but my cousin yelled out, "Hala, earthquake!" Then after about 30 seconds the trembling went away.Overall, Siargao is very beautiful. The colors of green and blue are unreal here. I've never seen those colors so bright and vivid in my life! According to my brother, it's a little too touristy, but I really didn't mind that because we were still able to get spotty LTE and 3G, but the overall area is still rather preserved. I would def want to come back and visit again.
This is probably one of my favorite last minute purchases before I left (please excuse the toilet paper right in the middle). I was almost convinced not to get my big ass floppy hat, but I'm glad I didn't listen. It was perfect for today.So we went island hopping. We visited 3 different small islands via pumboat. The boat picked us up from the shore in front of the little resort we're staying at.The resort itself is cozy. It's very simple with literally 5 beds/cots and a restroom in each room. The beds are arranged to where the only open space is the walkway from the door to the restroom. You don't realize how much you take for granted restrooms back home until you get to the Philippines. Yeup, the same "tabo" you use to bathe with is the same one you use to flush the toilet.
Afte a simple breakfast of coffee (3 in 1) and pan de coco, we waited around on the beach as they loaded our pumboat with the day's supplies.... and then we were off.
Island 1: Guyam IslandIt was a small little island that can be seen from the 2nd island we went to. We literally stayed there for pictures and then bounced. It was a really pretty island because you can see the mountains in the distance and nothjng but blue/green water in between. The land was filled with luscious palm trees that shaded you from the glaring sun. There was a rocky part on the beach that you can tell use to be coral reef. It really was a great spot for pictures.
Island 2: Daku IslandDaku literally means big. It really was one of the bigger islands that we visited. We stayed here for most of the day. Of all the islands, this was the only one people actually lived on. There were locals who lived here and some of them made their money by cooking for the island visitors. There were tables/huts scattered on the beach that you can rent out and locals can cook for you. We had lunch here and we spent most of our time in the water. The sand was white and soft and about medium sized grain and of course the water was clear.
Island 3: Naked IslandDon't be fooled, it's not a nude beach. It's a tiny island with nothing but 2 baby palm trees.... that's why it's "naked". It was a white sandy beach with literally nothing there. No form of civilization whatsoever..... it's really that tiny. One side of the island was wavy and rough and the opposite side was calm and glassy. We swam on both sides.
My dad finally took a break from taking pictures and swam with us. Him, BJ & I took our snorkling gear and swam around to see what we could find. The ocean floor looked like it use to be a thriving reef, but now it's like a recovering sanctuary. The water was clear, but still a little muggy because of all the seaweed. We were still able to find tropical fish though and found a few starfish under water. The first star fish my dad found, I screamed because he came at me out of no where. All I had been thinking that whole time was how I would react if I actually saw a shark.... so of course, when dad startled me, I screamed into my face mask, panicked a little, tried not to drown and swam away. BJ couldn't stop laughing. 🤦🏻♀️ I seriously was scared shitless. You would be too if you can see under water 10 feet ahead of you.We headed back home as the sun was setting. The pumboat couldn't drop us off at our resort anymore so we we had to get off at the pumboat docking station in town. That was the first time I've ever ridden a tricycle. It's literally a small motorcycle that's encased within a cab. As small as that thing is, we somehow were able to fit 6 people. My cousin and I sat at the back, I don't know about her, but I was holding on for dear life trying to make sure I don't fall out. Luckily the ride was only about 10 minutes.
Tomorrow... we finally visit Cloud 9. I can't wait!!
What was supposed to be a 2 hour ride, turned out to be 3 dragged out hours. It wasn't exactly a fun ride because trying to get into a comfortable postion was nearly impossible. The seats were more like benches instead of individual seats. Even with the bench layout, we apparently still have assigned seating. So the boat attendant made sure we were seated in the right area. There is about 20 of us and so there was a lot of moving around and shifting. It was really annoying how the people on that boat and at that port made everything so difficult. Anyway, I'm venting because I hated that part of the day.Upon exiting the ferry, we were greeted by motor cab drivers asking us where we were going. They were like ants scavenging at the site of food when they saw all the passengers come off. We had a quick meh lunch at a near by restaurant and were off again, this time traveling in an air conditioned 12 passenger van & the rest of the group was in the Toyota Hilux that was ferried over.
We had no idea where we were going, we just knew we weren't going to our "resort" and we were headed somewhere to swim. When we arrived at our destination about 40 minutes later, they told us we were traveling this time by pumboat, basically a gas driven canoe.
The ride to our destination was beautiful, loud af because of the engine, but the views were amazing. We went through mangroves that were sitting at the edge of small mountains. Then when we got closer to where we were going, it was like being in a Discovery Channel episode. You can really see the indigenous island people living in bamboo homes along the coast, underneath a canopy of palm trees. It was pretty cool to witness that in real life and not on TV. The colors of blue and green were absolutely breathtaking.
We ended up at Sugba Lagoon. It was really beautiful. It's a blueish-green lagoon that is surrounded by mountains. The little docking port for the pumboat was like the visitor center where we ended up renting a kayak and a paddle board. I was too excited to get into the water, so I forgot to take pics, except for the one below. It was really nice to be surrounded by so much nature.
Then we were off to lunch. We had a late lunch on Magpupungko Beach. It was a beautiful beach known for its tide pools. The waves there were perfect barrels, but I don't think they're safe to surf because it crashes right into the rocks. We got to use the full face diving mask and I just wanted to snatch all the coral fish and put them into an aquarium.Anyway, I'll let the pictures finish this post.
