Surigao Adventure: Day 2a - Tiktikan Lake, Bucas Grande Island

Our first stop was the Tiktikan Lake or Lagoon Tiktikan.  On the way here was a spectacular view of the lagoon already with its clear bluegreen waters and lush green trees.

On the way to Tiktikan Lake

  

 

Lovely lagoon at our background

There were huts in this lake which one can rent at Php 3,000 per night, good for 5 pax already.  I saw some people riding a boat around the lake which I think can be rented also.

Information details

The huts and people boating

Another view of the Lake

The lagoon at low tide

We also had our lunch here c/o our contact boatman, Kuya Vincent.  Actually, we didn't inform him that we will avail his offer to cook lunch for us.  The couple who was with us during the tour, avail it so maybe they thought we will avail their lunch also.  Since we hadn't had lunch yet and our packed canned goods may not be enough to keep us full (since we don't have any rice) and I think Kuya Vincent prepared already lunch good for 4, we just took their lunch meal.

We're almost done eating when I took pictures of our food

Kuya Vincent charged us Php 350 per head for our lunch.  It consists of 3 types of fishes: 1 big grilled fish, 2 plates containing small sized fish cooked with sauce (like sweet and sour) and 1 medium sized fished.  The lunch also includes rice, softdrinks, banana and camote.  For the rate they charged us, I find it quite expensive.  But anyway, the big grilled fish was delicious.  The smallest fish was ok too.  Those were the only viands I've tasted.  That's why I find their rate of Php 350 expensive since, for me, it's not worth it!

After the Tiktikan Lake, our next destination will be the caves.  Please read them in my next blog.

More Surigao Adventure blogs here:
Day 1
Day 2

Surigao Adventure: Day 2 - Sohoton National Park / Bucas Grande Island

Whole day of Day 2 will be spent in Bucas Grande Island as per our initial itinerary.  This is located at the lower part of Siargao Island as you can see in the map from my previous blog but still these are part of Surigao del Norte.  Bucas Grande Island tour or also known as the Sohoton National Park tour is where you get to see various caves, lakes, lagoon and the one of a kind stingless jellyfish.

From Revlun Pension House, based from my research, we will just take a tricycle for about 30 minutes travel to reach Hayanggabon Port where boats are situated and the starting point for Bucas Grande Island tour.  Since it was a Good Friday, there were very limited transportation around.  We had difficulty in finding a tricycle.  There was even no any transportation in the Claver Terminal.  A few habal-habal were parked so we just asked them if they could take us to Hayanggabon port.  I know their rate will be expensive compared to tricycle but we are left with no choice.  This was my boyfriend's first habal-habal ride.  More details on transportation from Claver to Hayanggabon port here.

It was a Good Friday, almost no vehicles in sight

Once in Hayanggabon port, we met with our boatman, Kuya Vincent.  His rate was Php 3,500 for the tour for 2 pax with pick up and drop off at Hayanggabon Port and inclusive of all the fees.  Lunch was not included so we just packed some canned goods.  A day before, he advise us if another couple can join us in the tour, thinking the rate will be lowered since there will already be 4 of us, I agreed.  But when I confirmed, rate will still be the same.  I just let it pass, saying let it be our help on Surigao's tourism.  Besides, it is supposed to be a holiday (Good Friday), so it must be double pay work, we joked.

 

Kuya Vicent accompanied bigger group on a separate boat so he left us with Kuya Joxen as our tour guide (he does tours as well separately from Kuya Vincent but we wasn't able to ask how much his rate).  It took us about 45 minutes boat ride before we reach our destination.  Below are the tours we visited from Kuya Vincent's package, in order:

Tiktikan Lake
Crystal Cave
Bolitas Cave
Beach
Sohoton Cove - Horseshoe landmark
Hagukan Cove
Magkakuob Cove
Jellyfish Sanctuary
Coral Reefs Snorkeling
Island hopping: Club Tara, Cantiles Island (?), Hidden Resort

Please click each destination for my blog about it.

Here are our Day 2 expenses, good for 2:

Habal-habal to Hayanggabon port - Php 200 (20 minutes)
Water at Tiktikan Lake - Php 20
Tour - Php 3,500
Lunch - Php700
Tip to boatmen - Php 200
Lucky me - Php 40
Tinapay - Php 20
Water - Php 25
Balot - Php 17
Tinapay - Php 14

Total for Day 2:  Php 4,736

Day 1 expenses: Php 2,151

Total so far: Php 6,887

We brought some canned goods for our lunch but Kuya Vincent offers lunch to be cooked which was not included in the package.  So these canned goods were eaten for our dinner along with the breads we bought (there's no rice to be bought that night near our hotel since its a Good Friday, most stores are closed).

Here are the numbers of our boatmen:
Kuya Vincent -0930.802.8704
Kuya Joxen - 0909.204.4829

Other boatmen I inquired for the Sohoton tour:
Samy - 0907.715.7134 (rate Php 3,500 for 2, tours only)
Keni - 0939.438.0618 (rate Php 3,000 for 2, tours only)
Dodo (Sohoton Tourism Office) - 0939.904.7019 (rate Php 4,950 for 2, tours and fees)

Rice Terraces in the Philippines

Upon searching the internet for an interesting fact about Banaue Rice Terraces, I came across the Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras.  All of these can be found in Banaue, Ifugao Province.  (refer to Wikipedia about these here and here.)

This explains why I saw a lot of Rice Terraces when we visited Sagada and passed by Ifugao Province last 2009.  Pictures below show some of the various rice terraces we passed by.  I can't identify which is which.  Can you?  All I know is that I was able to visit this historical landmark of the Philippines which can also be seen in an old Php 1,000 bill.

I recall I found these rice terraces to be similar with each other thus I don't have much pictures of it.  But based on the pictures from Wikipedia, I believe we were able to visit those Rice Terraces in Cordillera, specifically the Batad Rice Terraces.  Nevertheless, it's nice to know that these amazing landmarks were man-made and were included in UNESCO World Heritage List.  It's more fun in the Philippines!

Java Jazz Coffee: A Review

During my impromptu Tagaytay trip with my boyfriend, our first choice of accommodation was Java Jazz Lodging House.  It is actually a coffee shop, Java Jazz Coffee, but they added a lodging house to accommodate tourist.  They only have 3 rooms available so by the time we were there, it was already fully booked.

This place was quite hard to find, although it is just located along the highway.  It is because their place is just small as well as their signage.  But good thing, their walls are painted in bright yellow.

Since Java Jazz Coffee's interiors were full of artworks / art gallery and museum type of ambiance, me and my boyfriend was encouraged to try out their food and of course their coffee after we looked for other available accommodation for this impromptu trip.

panoramic view of the art gallery

one of their seats

It was already late lunch, about past 1pm already.  There's only a couple dining in, so its a good thing that is not crowded.  We opted to seat on their somewhat Japanese style table with banig (traditional Filipino mat).   The other couple was just behind us at the same Japanese style table.  There's only 2 units of this type of table, so you can try it for a unique experience. 

Below are the food and drinks we ordered.  Apologies as I forgot each name and prices.  Maybe that's a good reason for me to go back ;)

This drink has a little liquor on it

Lechon Kawali.  Big serving of rice

I think this was the Cafe de Tagaytay. 

One of their pasta with cheese, beef and mushroom

I find their drinks interesting.  My boyfriend ordered for a drink that has a liquor on it.  It was too strong for me when I tasted it but for him it was ok.  His lunch for that day was the typical Filipino dish, Lechon Kawali.  The taste was ok according to him and the serving of rice was quite huge.

For myself, I ordered for a coffee since that was already almost snack time with pasta as my late lunch meal.  My pasta was good enough, nothing really special.  Their coffee, which I think was the Cafe de Tagaytay, was quite strong for me.  There's no milk nor creamer served together with it and I wasn't able to request for one.  So I just put more sugar to minimize the strong flavor of coffee.

Below were our orders for breakfast the next day. The place was still cozy and cool even when the sun is already heating up at around 9am.  This time, we just seated in the normal chairs and table.

Set breakfast: bacon, ham, scrambled egg, mixed vegetables and hash brown

Pandesal with cream cheese

Mango Juice

Hot Tsokolate Eh (without milk)

Our set breakfast was good enough for 2.  I like their hash brown as it is not too oily.  As for the rest, it was just so so.  I wish that they made the bacon crispier.  The serving size of the scrambled egg was too small.

The presentation of the pandesal with cream cheese was inviting but I got a bit disappointed when the cream cheese was spread to thinly onto the bread.  You wouldn't taste much of it.

For the drinks, my boyfriend's mango juice with ice cream was quite off for a breakfast meal but it taste refreshing.  I took the Hot Tsokolate Eh, which according to them simply means hot chocolate without milk.  Since I love chocolates, I enjoyed this hot drink.  It was thick and the chocolate or tablea is like in its purest form.  I remember I tasted the same when I was in Iloilo.  This comes in small serving as the thick chocolate is best consume just by a bit else you might get sick of it.  I think my hot chocolate is best partnered with the pandesal.

Overall, I enjoyed our food trip at Java Jazz Coffee.  I would love to go back and try out their other dishes, especially the coffee.  And maybe someday, I'll try sleeping over at their Lodging House.  If you love art or wanted to dine in a unique lay back style while hanging out with friends, then I would suggest this place.

Smokin' Hot BarBQ: A Review

I've seen Smokin' Hot BarBQ for quite sometime in Greenbelt 3 but it was only this weekend that my boyfriend and I tried it. With its name, it seems like an American restaurant so I expect it to be a bit pricey.  Besides it is located in a posh Greenbelt mall.  What's more, its part of The Bistro Group where their restaurants are known to be great tasting at the same time can be quite expensive.  But I was wrong.  I was surprised that Smokin' Hot BarBQ is a Filipino restaurant. And the prices? Very reasonable!

Their menu is complete from starters or appetizers, soup to desserts and even bar list.  A lot of famous Filipino dishes are listed on their menu like Sisig, Crispy Pata, Sinigang, Inihaw na Liempo and many others.  For appetizer, we got a hard time choosing from Kuhol sa Gata (Snail cooked in Coconut Milk), Nilasing na Hipon (Shrimp with Beer or marinated in beer) and Crispy Bacon Belly.  We opted for Kuhol sa Gata since we've been craving for it for the longgest time!

We found this Kuhol sa Gata very flavorful!  The spice from gata or coconut milk was just right.  The flesh from kuhol were quite big and almost all shells are not empty with it.  Serving size is good for 2-3 persons and price is only Php 215.  Now that's really value for money!

For the main dish, of course their specialty is barbeque!  I like how they have some kind of value meal but only to their chicken leg and tigh barbeque.  Good thing, my boyfriend loves chicken and as for me, leg and tigh are my favorite chicken part.  This value meal includes your choice of side dish (up to 3 choices) and your choice of number of chicken pieces.  We ordered for 2 pieces chicken with 1 side dish each.  But unfortunately, our server thought we ordered for 2 pieces chicken with 2 side dishes. 

Our choice of side dishes are Pancit Canton and Ensaladang Mangga with Bagoong (Green Mango salad with shrimp paste)

This combination was perfect.  We no longer needed to order for rice as the pancit canton replaces it.  We love the pancit canton, it was tasty.  It got even more flavorful upon putting some calamansi to it.  Serving size can be good for 2.  As for the ensaladang mangga, serving size was quite small but it really compliments the chicken barbeque.  The mangoes used were not so sour and the bagoong were not so salty.

And now for their specialty, the barbeque.  The chicken leg and tigh barbeque was cooked into perfection.  Normally, most grilled meats will leave you some portion burnt.  But not with their dish.  Meat was just right and quite juicy.  As for the taste, well of course it tasted like barbeque, nothing so spectacular.  I enjoyed my chicken when I put condiment on it.  I think that was barbeque sauce or some special soy sauce.  The serving size for this chicken leg and tigh combination is only good for 1 but my boyfriend and I managed to share this 2-piece chicken which already satisfies our hunger together with the other viands we ordered.  The price of this 2-piece chicken with 2 side dishes combination is only Php 385.  Not bad and can be good for sharing.

For the drinks, we just ordered for iced tea at Php 75.

Our total bill amounted to only Php 675.  And since I am a Premier card holder of The Bistro Group, I get further 20% discount on our total bill.  We only paid Php 588!  For me, that's already cheap considering its in Greenbelt!

I like how Smokin' Hot BarBQ has a value meal although its only for chicken leg and tigh barbeque. I thought it can already be a complete meal together with the side dishes.  Besides, it can be shared! I found that to be a very plus point for budget concious people like me. 

I will definitely go back and dine here at Smokin' Hot BarBQ to try on their other Filipino dishes.  I will also recommend this to friends and family, most especially to my brother who will be coming home to the Philippines soon.

Until next time, Smokin' Hot BarBQ!

You can check out their Facebook page for menu and other details

Surigao Adventure: Day 1a - Review on Revlun Pension House

Our first destination was in Claver, Surigao del Norte. Since we were advised by our boatman that the Bucas Grande Island tour will take us one whole day, we opted to just stay in a hotel that is near to Hayanggabon Port, pick up point bound to Bucas Grande Island. Our another option was to stay in any hotel in Bucas Grande Island where our boatman can take us there upon arrival in Claver but it will take us an additional transportation cost as it is not part of the Bucas Grande Island package tour.  Being a budget traveler, we just opted to look for accommodations in Claver or anywhere near Hayanggabon port.  The only accommodation I researched was Revlun Pension House.  Unfortunately, no contact details can be found over the internet.  So we took the risk of not getting any hotel reservations and just walk in, hoping that there will still be rooms available.  Otherwise, we can ask around if there are available hotels within the area, but this might be time consuming.  Another risk, it was Holy Week, so we expect a lot of tourist which will mean, no more rooms available.

Good thing, there are still a lot of rooms available in Revlun Pension House.  The establishment seems new or at least newly painted.  The rooms were situated in the second and third floor.  The ground floor was the reception area and beside it were other establishments like canteen, sari-sari store, bakery, etc.  There are also ample parking spaces in front of the building.  The reception area was just small and simple.  Since its our first time in that place, we ask the receptionist (manang) and some of her companions on some how to's in the area and of course, the places to eat.  Even if there is a canteen at the ground floor of the same building, the receptionist pointed us out at G-Ann's which they say was the restaurant where most tourist eat.  I'll blog about this restaurant soon.  I also learned from them that they are open 24 hours 7 days a week, even on holidays.

The room we availed was just a small and simple room with 2 single beds, small cable tv, air conditioning and rest room.  The first thing I checked was their rest room. I was surprised that it was very small!  I'm sure you're familiar with rest rooms in any aircraft.  That's how small it is or maybe a bit bigger.  I'm not sure if all their rooms have the same rest room size.  But nevertheless, it was clean, so as the room itself.  The cushion of the beds were just right, though a bit thin but still comfortable enough.    The pillows they provide have cute cartoon character design, hello kitty and tigger.  Each bed also have blankets and towels each.  They also provide few toiletries like soaps sachet shampoo and coreless toilet tissue.  Outside the room is a veranda with small round table and two chairs.

our room

the beds and restroom door at the back

small cable tv

Our toiletries

small restroom: toilet on left and shower and sink on right

Tigger pillow

Hello Kitty pillow

The veranda

The location of Revlun Pension House was perfect as it was just walking distance in Claver terminal.  The area was peaceful and seems safe or maybe it was Holy Week when we stayed there so the neighborhood was quiet.  There is also a nearby gasoline station in case you have your own car.  Globe signal was ok but there is no 3G network in the area in case you want to use it with your smartphone to connect to the internet. 

You may contact Revlun Pension House at 0907-244-5467.  I hope this number will last long with them since I learned that their previous contact number got lost.  By the way, our room rate was Php 600 per night.  Not bad.

More blog posts about Surigao here!
Day 1
Itinerary
Transportation and map

Surigao Adventure: Day 1 - From Butuan to Surigao Del Norte

When I was still researching about our trip to Surigao or Caraga Region, I know it will be an adventure trip. Why? Because, the famous destinations are quite far from each other which means we will endure a lot of commuting from one place to another especially when our flight will be from Butuan City. I prefer this to be our start and end point because aside from the fare being cheap, it is situated at the center which would somehow lessen a bit our travel time in some destinations.  You can refer to my previous blog for the map location of Butuan City and other famous destinations. Also, this trip will be an adventure because we don't have any hotel reservation on the first and second day!

Initially, our itinerary for day 1 was to travel from Butuan to Bucas Grande Island, Surigao del Norte which is about 3 hours away.  It wasn't hard to find a van from Butuan airport which will take us to Surigao del Norte since there are a lot of vans available at the parking area outside of the airport.  As mentioned in my previous blog post, all the while I thought you need to catch the 12noon last trip ferry from Surigao del Norte to be able to reach Bucas Grande Island. Our flight arrival in Butuan plus the travel time going to Surigao del Norte will not be able for us to catch the last trip. Good thing I learned that you can hire a boatman from Claver, Surigao del Norte to take you to Bucas Grande Island.  So this was our first destination, to reach the municipality of Claver.  This was our final itinerary for day 1.  You may refer to my blog post here for the detailed transportation info.

Upon reaching Claver, we were glad that the Revlun Pension House, the only accommodation I have searched to be near Hayanggabon port in Claver (starting point going to Bucas Grande Island), was very near the last van stop and bus terminal.  What made us even happier is that, they have a lot of available rooms!

Below are our expenses for Day 1 (good for 2):

Snack at airport - 150
Van from airport to Badas Junction - 400 (2 hours travel time)
Pepsi - 11
Van from Badas Junction to Claver - 120 (40 minutes travel time)
Revlun Pension House - 600 per night
Lunch at G-ann - 370
Tip - 20
Mineral Water - 30 (2 small bottles)
Dinner at G-ann - 430
Tip - 20

TOTAL for Day 1: Php 2,151

We survived the first day of our adventure. You may read my review on Revlun Pension House here.