Philippines is blessed with beautiful beaches and majestic sceneries. That is why foreign tourists who already went to these places can't help but come back for more. For us locals, we sometimes take it for granted. Although financially speaking, traveling is such a luxury for many of us. This the reason why most of the time only those who have the means can enjoy these places.
One of my lifelong dreams is to retire in a tropical island far away from the busy city. A candidate I have in mind is Siargao Island, located at the southern part of the country. For the week(5d4n) that we(my wife and I) spent there last 2017, it is on the top of our local beach destinations. The island vibe and the very accommodating locals were two of the many reasons why we see ourselves spending the rest of our lives there.
We were lucky enough that we had our trip there during their off season. It means less crowd, and a generally cheaper cost for food and accommodation. According to one of our boatmen during our island hopping activity that during September to October is their peak, because it is when the waves are best for surfing. It is also the time when they hold surfing competitions. Prices also soar during these times. So might as well avoid it if you are planning to go there, but if surfing is your reason for visiting the island, then those are the best times.
Now allow me to show you in photos and words why we love this place.
Beaches
Though Boracay holds the best white sand beach and shoreline for us, we still can't help but be amazed by what Siargao has to offer. We just love the scenery, and also the sound of crashing waves adds to the majesty of their beaches. Speaking of..
Waves
It was during this trip that I started experimenting on my photography skills, and waves are one of my favorite subjects.
We also rented a surfboard and tried to learn surfing by ourselves as hiring an instructor would cost us an additional fee. I just applied what I learned from watching tutorials. This is what you get when traveling in a tight budget. We didn't regret it, though if we'll do it again we would totally hire one.
Food
Our hotel accommodation has a free breakfast inclusion so we only have lunch and dinner to worry about. Most of the time we just have our meal at one of the local eatery near our hotel to save time and money.
Friendly Dogs
Every dog we saw during our trip were very friendly and my wife can't resist but pet them.
Overall Island Vibe
Well, if these photos can't convince you to book a trip to see it for yourself then I don't know what would! I, for one, would totally return there if travel restrictions ease up.
It's still a long way till retirement though, or maybe not. Here's me hoping to be a crypto millionaire in the near future, and maybe, just maybe, we'll see each other there!
Thank you for reaching this far, comment down below the emoji 🌊. See you on my next post!
Fin