Hi everyone!
It's been quite a while since my last Sohoton travel blog for the reason that work has been very handful most of the time. Also, I've been contemplating if I should continue to write the Sohoton travel blog or write my Zamboanga trip, instead. Because of my inner arguments, I had lost the will to write added by the factor of me writing something for work. Since I received a good news, I am now back on track!
Anyway, this would be the last blog of my Sohoton travel. As I mentioned in my first Sohoton blog, I went there twice. The first one was with my former colleagues, and a month later, I traveled with my high school classmates. In my two travels, we stayed in different resorts. Each resort offers various fun activities surrounded by nature as its common denominator.
So let's start on my first travel.
Island Paradise Resort
My first Sohoton trip was memorable but a bittersweet one. After the two-day conference in Butuan City with the other universities, we headed straight to our travel destination. It was the last travel with my Geo-SAFER Family whom I worked with for two years plus some of them were also my Phil-LiDAR 1 colleagues for a year. Since we were a large group, we decided our stay in Sohoton should be exclusive. And, Island Paradise Resort was the ideal resort for a group of 20 plus people.
The resort has only four cottages and another one for the caretakers and the chef. The cottages were built inland, and the other half was in the water. It can accommodate eight to ten people. When opening the door from the inside, we had one of the best views that I could think of. My line of sight was the verdant landscape and when I peered down, a calming torquoise green water was all I can see that kept on inviting me. Some of my colleagues jumpred straight into the water.
The place screams tranquility. It was a great escape for the piled up deadlines that await us in the office. There is no Wi-Fi connection nor a decent phone signal, so our attention was undivided with social media. And the food served was fresh and delightfully cooked.
The main passageway of the resort is highly influenced by the tides. During low tide, the water can go low where our pump boat can't cross any longer. We had to walk from the boat stopover to the resort. One of the boatmen walked first and we tailed him in line since there were lots of sea urchins of various sizes.
Since we had the lagoon for ourselves, we did various activities there like snorkeling and kayaking. There was only one boat available so while waiting for our turn, some of us were snorkeling or swimming. The marine ecosystem in the lagoon is rich and diverse. The water is so deep that I could not see the underneath clearly. But, I spotted school of fishes in the lagoon. When everyone had enough with the kayaking, I volunteered to do it again with Argine. Unfortunately, our boat flipped over. Hah! But even with the boat was sinking, I even had time to smile. I should've asked the boat, "Boat, can you handle this? I don't think you can handle this." Okay. Please laugh.
Tiktikan Lagoon and Lake Resort
Next is the Tiktikan Lagoon and Lake Resort. The resort is enclosed by turquoise green water with the lush verdant islet forest. It accommodates a nature-lover, mermaid soul, an adventure-seeker, and even a chill individual. The resort itself offers different activities.
Jumping Board
When we arrived, the first thing that caught my attention was the jumping board on two distinct levels. I was feeling giddy and eager to jump even though my heart was pounding like crazy as I ascend to the jumping board. I started at the first level and jumped twice as a warm-up for the subsequent one.
The view was breathtakingly beautiful. I had to take selfies before I jumped. Since it was my second travel, all the jumps were a brisk one. Plus, I challenged myself not to wear a life vest. A total opposite of my first jump on the first travel where it took me 10 minutes to stride out of the board while wearing a life vest. I even asked my colleagues to wait for me in the water and the other one who's holding the GoPro should jump right after. Yes! I was paranoid.
Rope Walking
There are two big ropes tied on the shaft where the jumping board was placed. The lower rope is where you walk and the upper rope for you to hold and maintain the balance. These ropes are attached at the other end which is the main entrance to the resort.
I attempted a couple of steps and then decided to step back. While my sister, on the other hand, successfully crossed twice. Some of my friends tried but fell straight into the water. It requires balance and strength and I was impatient at that time so I decided not to proceed with it. Or perhaps I'm just afraid to fall that's why I backed out.
Dragon Slide
After the jumping session, we went to the dragon slide area. I am not a fanatic of a slide since I dread I may knock my head again. But with constant persuasion from my friends, I gave in. I had to swim to the other end and enter the small passageway below the dragon slide. It was just a short walk and then on the right side, there is a cemented staircase that led us to the starting point of the dragon slide. The slide was rather deceitful. It was not just a short straight slide but a long whirling slide. It was not visible because it was covered completely by trees. But, there's no turning back.
We decided not to do the train-like slide. So my friend, Ella, went first. There was screaming and then it halted. So I went ahead. I was half-way when I saw her. She stopped at the dragon's mouth. Both our eyes were wide open as we both scream. Then Abeth went down too soon, and we screamed at the top of our lungs. My back hurt as I negated Abeth's force for the reason that we had a photo session on the dragon's mouth. Their faces were so hilarious and of course, mine as well.
Tiktikan Lake
After the fun activities in the lagoon, we headed to the resort's lake. The narrow strip of the islet isolates this 2-hectare shallow body of saltwater from the sea. From the resort, there's a cemented staircase and then we followed the rocky trail going to the lake. The hike was a short 5 to 10-minute hike with a canopy of trees. Different wooden sculptures are displayed as we ascend and then descend.
Going down, we got a sight of the calming emerald green waters of the Tiktikan Lake enclosed by the islets overgrown with forest cover. There's a bungalow situated near the lake and also, cottages and benches where some of us took time to chill and relax and just enjoy the invigorating greens everywhere.
When we got there, it was feeding time for the Bangus or the milkfish. Tiktikan Lake is a breeding ground for the Bangus where the fish dishes served in the resort are freshly caught in the lake. There's a wooden boardwalk and the two caretakers started producing a sound by pounding the boardwalk using his slippers. When the serene water started creating ripples, they began tossing the feeds near it. They tried making the Bangus go near the boardwalk and that's when we started to toss the feeds given to us.
As inviting as it may seem, swimming is not allowed in the area. We just immersed ourselves with the feeding and enjoying the view. But after the feeding, one of them offered to be the boatman. Only three passengers were allowed including the boatman, so we paired ourselves. I paired with my sister @goiinmary. We waited in the boardwalk where there's a hammock placed at the center tied around the branch of the huge tree. We also shouted just to hear the echos. As they say, never forget to be a kid at heart. Hashtag forever young.
When it was our turn, I couldn't help but be mesmerized by this beautiful lake. Boating and paddling while being serenaded by the orchestra of nature and stared at the reflections of the verdant landscape was such a beautiful experience. An hour in the Tiktikan Lake felt like a brief timeframe. I would never get tired seeing a refreshingly majestic view like this.
Karaoke Fever
Just a 2-minute walk from the resort, a cottage is situated on the slope. We had a karaoke night and brought along the beverages we purchased from the town. It was the last night of our Sohoton trip, so we decided to have a concert.
The piled and attached wood with buoys underneath is the docking area of the pump boat. At the same time, it is the passageway from the entrance of the resort up to the staircase of the karaoke cottage. Some stayed at the cottage but some of us went to the wharf. We lie there and stargazed. Surprisingly, the area had a phone signal. We stayed there for more than an hour to relax after a long and hectic day and just feel the cold breeze.
Travel Tips
- Buy food, drinks, or medicine either in Dapa or in Claver. If you're allergic to seafood, bring your own food as most of the food served in Sohoton is seafood. One of my colleagues was allergic and fortunately, I always bring my antihistamine with me. Perks of having allergic rhinitis. Also, we tried to buy some foods together with the boatmen but none of our choices were available in town.
- It is highly recommended to avail of a travel package tour to lessen the burden and travel expenses as well. Both of my travel, we availed the package tour. We are from Iligan City, and all the transportation, land and water, were inclusive in the package.
- The two mentioned resorts don't have Wi-Fi nor a strong network signal. But, some resorts have a Wi-Fi connection.
Summing Up
My Sohoton trip is truly outstanding. The place is overshadowed by the famous wall of the nearby island, but Sohoton can equally par with the other famous islands and other tourist attractions in the country.
Caves, lagoons, white sand, rock formations, stingless jellyfish, a diverse ecosystem, a labyrinth of interconnected clear water pools, limestone islets overgrown by forest ― to sum up all these, Sohoton is truly a sight to behold.
A two-day-and-one-night trip is enough to tour the Sohoton Cove. In any case, on the off chance that I could return there, I would love to have a three-day and two-night trip since staycation is also a thing in Sohoton.
Some pictures were taken from the server of my previous work. It's a shared account of the Geo-SAFER MSU-IIT employees.
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