The Siargao Hole

As the rain begins to fall on a morning that just has that feel like summer might be slowly coming to an end, I can’t help but think about our time in the Philippines. This blog has been long overdue; perhaps I’ve procrastinated intentionally for so long as to not to relive it in my mind due to the reality of being back in the swing of things at home. Did it even happen? Was it all a dream? It might feel that way now but it most certainly did happen, and yes, it was a dream, a dream we were fortunate enough to live through.

Siargao, the lesser-touched Bali. A young traveller's paradise and a place that absolutely epitomises island living.

Kea and I had decided that we wanted to mix up the way we had been travelling the previous three months. Instead of spending two or three days in one place, we would select four locations and spend considerable time there instead. This way, we would allow ourselves to settle into a place and really get a feel of what it must be like to integrate there. We opted for ten days in Siargao, and frankly, I didn’t really want to leave then.

Home away from home

Flying from the mainland to the Philippines' most easterly island on a small propeller-driven tin can in the sky was an experience in itself and the views from above gave us a taste of what we were to expect once we had set foot on the island - breath-taking, illuminating blue seas surrounding luscious tropical greenery as far as the eye could see. It really was Castaway-esque, although we landed in a more popular fashion.

We opted for an Airbnb with our own kitchen space, which turned out to be a good decision as it allowed us to explore the island's local markets. We hired a moped and took off, opting to explore General Luna (Siargao’s largest town) with recommendations from our host rather than those from Google or TikTok.

We headed to the seafront and the fish market and my word, I had never seen anything like it. What did I expect? We were in fishing heaven – the seas are so abundant in marine life, untouched by large corporations. Fish of all shapes, sizes and colours. King prawns, Crabs and Lobsters as fresh as they come lined the market rows, as well as fruit and veg stalls to one side.

If you know me, you know how much I love to cook and I hadn’t managed to do any cooking of my own for months; I was salivating at the thought of what I could conjure up. We chose the King prawns at a price that would leave Western fishmongers crying. I made my own fish stock from the heads, shells and veg, integrated that into a tomato sauce served with spaghetti and, of course, the King prawns cooked in garlic butter nestled on top. Not Filipino but bloody outstanding.

I’m getting carried away, but in essence, what I am trying to say is that this is just an example of how much we thoroughly enjoyed integrating into the way of life that the locals lived. We visited these markets and local shops nearly every day and in the evenings we would visit one of the many local bakeries so popular in the Philippines; at the start to get ourselves a nice sweet treat but in the end as much to speak to the woman who ran the shop, Chelsea - a local who became a friend of ours.

This is how Siargao felt to us, a beautiful mix of locals and travellers who, in my experience, got on as well as one could imagine. I really hope that it stays that way.

Surfs up

Siargao is also, of course, well-known for its outrageous natural beauty. Forrests of coconut trees, rock pools providing natural, crystal clear lagoons, postcard-worthy beaches and an array of tropical wildlife (don’t worry, we didn’t have another croc encounter).

But for a lot of people, which is why the Southeast area of the island is far more built up than the rest, it is the world-famous Cloud 9 surf spot that is the main attraction of Siargao. After surprising myself with how well I took to surfing at my very first attempt in Sri Lanka, I had waited too long to give it another crack. Unfortunately, Kea had developed an ear infection and could not get her ear wet, so she took on the role of chief videographer for the day.

There must have been a slight translation issue as the instructor took me so far out, away from the beginner's break and right out to where the waves get fruity. I put my faith in the instructor; he clearly saw something in me that I could not, and it paid off. I was up on that thing, riding the waves like a man born to surf. I exaggerate slightly. A few fails and a couple of funny falls aside, I did quite well. More importantly, I absolutely loved it and the instructor celebrated my success and winced at my belly-flops with me; another character that really did make our travels so meaningful.

We finished up and went for lunch at our favourite spot – funnily enough, an exquisite French bakery where we would get our daily pan au chocolat and baguettes for lunch.

All in all, what is most memorable for our time in Siargao was the total freedom we felt. You could drive from one side of the island to the other in an hour and as the days went on we began to find our favourite spots. We began to learn the tricks and the way of life, what to do when and what to see where. We made friends with the locals and began to integrate into their wonderful community. We made the right decision to take the last month at a slower pace; we became a Siargaonon.