We left Davao City around 5 in the morning. I dozed off for about an hour only last night.  I guess, due to the excitement, I was restless.

Finally, the wait is over.  We are on our way to Surigao! Yehey… 🙂

The road was very quiet. I was surprised that we have a thick fog surrounding Cabantian, Indangan and Acacia area. Tagum City looked beautiful too. So does Mawab and the rest of Compostela Valley. The roads were covered with fogs, the silhouette of the trees beside the mountains made a pretty sight with the golden yellow of the sun’s rays hovering over it.

Philippine country side is amazing, I thought. Specially , early in the morning! 🙂

Tagum City , early in the morning view. I loved the palm trees!

Somewhere in Compostela Valley.

About 4 hours on the road, running between 60 to 80 kph, we reached Bunawan. The home of the Philippine’s largest crocodile , Lolong.  He was named after the guy who caught him at Agusan Marshland.

From the main highway, we had a short drive through a rough road for about 15 mins. You won’t get lost since there are signages everywhere leading to the eco park where Lolong is housed now.

The road to Bunawan Eco Park, the home of Lolong.

 

The entrance fees were very minimal. Mama, Papa and Nanay Ligaya (my aunt who came with us) were free because they’re all senior citizens. 🙂

After paying, we proceeded inside the park. The local government is not done developing the place yet. But at least they got picnic tables and chairs, made of wood, under the trees. So we were given the chance to set up our breakfast after visiting the cage of Lolong.

Yes, this huge crocodile is in a steel cage, which I think is too small for him. Lolong used to live in Agusan marsh which is composed of at least 14,000 hectares. So imagine the space he used to have. I don’t know how that would affect him but I’m thinking,  he might not like it considering the big difference between then and now.

On the other hand, the people living in the marsh is safetier now, without Lolong there. Although, I am sure there are still a lot of huge crocodiles in the area. I mean, they’ve probably lived longer than humans at Agusan marsh right? So I’m sure they’ve bred and reproduced thousands over the years. It’s just too bad that nature and man could not co-exist. 😦

The Philippines’ largest crocodile, Lolong at Bunawan Eco Park.

After eating our breakfast, we went down towards the waterfalls. We could hear the cascading water while eating. So we thought we’d check it first before leaving. 🙂

The waterfalls. 🙂

John at the river.. 🙂

My sister, Pearlie with Ruben and Blaire.

Lolong’s Cage

Picnic area at Bunawan Eco Park.

My sisters, Pearlie and Daisy. With Ruben, Blaire and Marco.

After the photo op, we drove for about 2 hours going to Barobo, Surigao Del Sur. This is where we will be staying for 2 days. I’ll make a review of the resort in my next blog. 🙂

Licanto Beach Resort is just along the highway past Barobo, going to Tandag, Surigao Del Sur. From the market, it’s more or less a 5 min drive. What I liked about it is that they allow the guests to cook. So it is convenient, specially if you’re in a big group.

After settling in, my cousin Kuya Dodong, Nanay Ligaya, Daisy , Papa and I went to the market with Dandan driving the Nissan. Nanay wanted to buy vegetables because she longed to eat law-uy. 🙂 Visayans should know this. hehe .. It’s just fresh fish with a lot of vegetables in it.

I bought several kilos of Mol-mol, Talakitok and Lapu-Lapu. Geee, they were very fresh and so cheap at P140.00 per kilo! You won’t find that price back in Davao. When I go to the supermarket for groceries, I think it’s P400 per kilo.

On our way back to the resort, the rain poured! From what I understand, it rains in Barobo almost every afternoon. With the high tide coming in, the resort’s swimming pool was overflowing with sea water and rain water. My nephews loved swimming in the rain. lol The slide  gave them great joy too! 🙂

Swimming Pool with slide. This is filled with sea water.

Dinner that night were mostly grilled fishes. The taste is a little sweet. It’s normal when they’re very fresh. Even John, who doesn’t like seafood that much, made a fish sandwich. 🙂

John and I at the dining area of Licanto Beach Resort. 🙂

Ahh.. everyone’s happy. 🙂 Perfect ending to the 1st day of our Surigao Escapade…

Lea C. Walker

www.davaoproperties.com