This is a post by THH Louie and THH Jon.

     After spending the day at the stunning Enchanted River, we headed off to the town of San Agustin where Brgy. Britania is located. Luckily,  our boatman/habal-habal driver Romnick resides near the port. We scouted the beach for an area to pitch our tent on but it was no good since the shore wasn’t very wide and many boats were docked. It was also quite noisy because of the people doing karaoke.

     We decided to head further inland where Romnick’s house was located. We were going t pitch our tent on a flat area beside his house but he offered us his cousin’s hut which was vacant during that time since it wasn’t fully complete. We gladly accepted it of course and thanked Romnick and his cousin for their generosity.

The lodgings here cost about P1000 per night which I think is a hefty amount. Our tent really saved us a lot of money. Toilets weren’t a problem since Romnick’s parent’s house is just around the corner. There was also a well a few steps away from our tent where we took our showers. Taking a shower out in the open isn’t really a problem for us!

     Our Surigao adventures was suppose to end at the Enchanted River but luckily, I stumbled upon a post about the Britania Islands. I consider the beach as my second home even though I’m not as great of a swimmer as Jon is. He can spend hours and hours just swimming in the water while I stay ashore relaxing and staring at the breathtaking sight. There’s a reason why my friends and I call him “fish”.

     We were woken up by roosters early the next day. We agreed to join force with Kiko and Tope, a couple we met on the way to San Agustin, for the island hopping to save some money. The 4 of us was already prepared for the day when Kiko received a call from McArthur Resort where he and Tope stayed for the night. They were advised that they cannot hire a boatman from outside since they have an inhouse boatman and their own island hopping tour. The worst part is the resort asked (or should I say forced) them to just check out early which is rude and unfair since they had their room rented until 12 noon. No adjustments were made to their rent.

     We did not want to ruin the day so we just brushed it off and headed to the port. Finally we can just enjoy what we came here for.

The first island that we visited was the Naked Island. This island doesn’t have any trees at all so be sure to go their early to avoid the heat of the sun. This island is great for picture taking.

After a fair share of photography, we headed to Hagonoy Island. The sand in this island was so fine it makes walking barefoot a pleasure. The sand here is finer compared to the one’s in  Calaguas!

     In the middle of the island were coconut and talisay trees which provided shade. It allowed us to just sit down and relax in the island.  The view was just so spectacular you will feel all your worries drift away. We also explored the island during the low tide and found various sea critters. In most cases, island hoppers will have their lunch on the next island but since we didn’t want to follow the crowd we stayed and ate our lunch here. It’s a good thing our boat has a table in it ;). Lunch was prepared by Jon and nilasing na hipon was on the menu. Imagine having your lunch on an island paradise. Just wow!

 

     With our bellies full, we set off to the third and final Island. Boslon Island, unlike the 2 other islands, is surrounded by greenish bluish water and is very deep hence my life vest. My year end goal is to learn how to swim confidently in deep waters so I can join Jon in his adventures in the deep parts of the ocean.  🙂

     At around 2PM we headed back to the mainland. Tope and Kiko decided to  go back to Davao but Jon and I opted to stay for another night to save money on accommodations. Romnick and his wife offered us the space in their kitchen/living room and even provided us an electric fan and sockets to charge our gadgets. Since they didn’t have an extra mosquito net, we used our tent instead. 🙂

     We are so blessed to meet Romnick and his family. At a very young age  of 22, he provides food and shelter for his family. What a noble man he is and a generous one too! He said backpackers are welcome to his house anytime. Til we meet again our friend!

If you are looking for a faithful and generous habal-habal driver/boatman/guide, dont hesistate to contact Romnick. You can contact Romnick at 09299582345.

Click the video above to watch our Surigao/Davao adventure vlog!

Read about the majestic Tinuy-an falls here►

Read about the stunning Enchanted River here►

Read about the island paradise of Talikud here►