Siargao back to Davao City

Despite one of my friends crashing his motorbike, and despite more than our fair share of rain, a week in Siargao was well worth it. I’d extended my stay three days already, and by Monday the 15^th it was time to get a move on. I needed to drive all the way back to Davao City to return the bike, then fly (yet to be booked) to Manila before catching my return ticket to China.

The most direct route from Surigao to Davao is about 400 kms, which would have been an easy two day trip. That route was almost entirely on the highway; well, there aren’t really highways in Mindanao, but it would be far from a scenic ride, driving mostly over flat land alongside trucks and numerous cars.

I was heading from Surigao (all the way at the top of the map) to
Davao; The most direct route would be through Butuan and
Tagum on the main road, but I wanted a coastal drive

Instead I decided to take a roundabout way, crudely planning a seaside drive with my pixilated printout map. I could read the names of towns along the route I wanted to take, which was good enough – just follow the roadsigns!

The screenshot on my
phone helped...

...as did my hand-written map!

The ferry from Surigao island left excruciatingly early – before 6 am – so I still had a full day of driving ahead of me by the time I reached mainland Mindanao. I managed to find the winding, two lane ocean road and started my journey south. I wasn’t always driving along the coast, but when I did the views more than made up for the extra travel time. I stopped for lunch in Cortez, a small town off the main road, where the kids’ reaction to my presence varied from inquisitive to startled. The local idiot – I shouldn’t make fun of him, as I think he was actually retarted – took a liking to me too.

Sunrise on the ferry back to mainland Mindanao

A deserted beach I stumbled upon during my coastal drive - any development opportunities?

I managed to reach the town of Lianga before nightfall. Bislig, the largest town in the area, was another 60 kilometers away, but fortunetly I found a motel in Lianga and called it quits for the day. Like most small towns I’ve encountered in the Philippines, everyone seemed curious and friendly – especially the kids.

View from the guesthouse in Lianga

The glass ocean

The next morning, on my way to Bislig, I stopped at the Enchanted River. The guys I met in Valencia had recommended I stop there, and it just so happened that it was along my route. Well, I had to drive for 20-30 minutes off the main road, but the drvie was fun and it ended up being a great side trip. I only spent half and hour there, but that seemed enough, especially since I wanted to have another productive day on the road.

Entrance to the Enchanted River

Now I understand the name; I've never seen water that color before!

By mid afternoon I’d passed through the town of Boston (no town sign to take a picture!) and reached Baganga, which had a guest house and not much else. Not far from town, on the inland road, was Aliwagwag Falls, a waterfall that I wanted to visit. The road also happened to be along the way back towards Davao, so I figured I would continue on, visit the falls, and hopefully find a place to spend the night before sunset.

Just south of Boston (no not that Boston)

Aliwagwag was a surprise gem, one that I only learned about from a local running a breakfast stall in Lianga and from the few road signs directing the trickle of tourists. Like the Enchanted River, the falls was a short but rewarding stop.

Aliwagwag Falls

My terrible selfie (I don't practice much).
Yes, the fake part of my tooth chipped
off again, so I spent the last week of
the trip looking like Jim Carry in Dumb
and Dumber!

Crossing the falls on Monkey Bridge...no slippage here.

From Aliwagwag I continued inland, snaking through verdant hills as the road rose in elevation and the sun dimmed. The scenery was amazing – probably the most beautiful I’d seen on my trip – providing endless photo opportunities. I tried to limit the pictures because as the sun lost its luster I still hadn’t seen any signs of accommodation. The smooth, paved road had given way to dirt and mud, making progress slow.

It was hard not to stop for photos...

 

As I manuvered around construction crews and bumpy terrain another obstacle came – rain. Bouncing over rocks and mud on the hard seat wasn’t fun on my bum, but despite the soreness that evening the drive was the most memorable of my trip. Fortunately by sunset the lowland town of Compostela, and its guesthouse, was less than 20 kilometers away. I still had another 10 to go before reaching consistently paved roads, and I couldn’t have been happier to reach smooth pavement.

Driving got bumpy

A reward for tolerating the rain!

The following day (Thursday) I made it back to Davao City. My flight from Manila to China wasn’t until Saturday, so I booked my ticket to the capital for Friday evening. Instead of spending another day in Davao City I hopped on the ferry to Samal Island, just acoss the bay, where I spent the night at a beachside hut.

My room had a bed…and well, that’s about it. There was a comunal shower (bucket of water with a tap variety), although I was the only guest. It was far from luxury, but hey, five star resorts aren’t really my (well my wallet’s) thing, and I can’t complain about sleeping a few steps away from the ocean!

My house for the night on Samal.

Only steps from my door.

On Friday, after a morning ride around the island, I took the ferry back to the city and managed to find the gas station where I’d rented the bike two and a half weeks prior. I think the taxi driver’s family was just happy to see that I actually made it back with the bike in one piece!

Naturally my flight to Manila was delayed, and when I finally arrived no one knew where my guest house was. The taxi dropped me off less than a kilometer away, but it was dark, my print out map was inaccurate, and I was unfamiliar with that part of the city. Luckily a local guy helped me to find the place. It wasn’t easy; he asked more than a few pedestrians as we drove around for a 20 minute ride through the neighborhood. He and his girlfriend were just being helpful, and of course refused when I offered to give them some money for gas.

The next day I walked around the Mall of Asia and explored a new area of Manila. There wasn’t much to see, but I wanted to soak in the warm weather while it lasted. That evening I flew from Manila to Xiamen, where I had an overnight layover, and the following morning took my connecting flight to Hangzhou. Trevor and I actually had the same flight back (the second part), so it was like we’d come full circle. Overall it was a great trip – to a familiar country, part of the time with familiar friends – but also getting out on my own and exploring new places.