The Tayang Ban Cave, Siargao Island

On the way to Magpupungko beach, from the surfing municipality of General Luna in Siargao Island, we passed by a simple tarpaulin signage which says Tayang Ban cave.  On our way back, we stopped by the signage, went to a small hut which is the reception area for the said cave and paid our entrance fee of around a dollar each. We were assigned a tour guide, which we had to pay separately and the fee was up to us.

The signage to the cave

I saw some pictures of the cave , beautiful with its blue-green waters.  However, we visited right after it rained, so the water was a little brownish. The visit was still good,  though, because of the experience.  

A claustrophobic like myself dislikes caves, specially a cave with small opening and one where I will be submerged in water. But then again, my 72 year old mom is into spelunking, and mothers always prevail.  Together with our driver, a local of Siargao but who hasn’t been inside the cave, we descended.

The entrance to the cave

Upon entry to the cave, we found ourselves submerged in chest-deep water- and this would be the case all throughout the caving experience. There are however some areas which are deeper, so it is best to hold on to either the bamboo rails, or the ropes. 

To the cave!

It was dark, and there were narrow passageways and only our guide has a flash light. I don’t know how to swim, so my feet had to constantly look for stones to step on so that I can walk my way to the other side of the cave. The experience was both scary, and exciting.

After what seemed like forever, for me, but which was actually only after 30 minutes in real life, we emerged in an archway, and a big pool.  We hiked up and passed by a deep diving pool.  We hiked up further, and was surprised that we emerged right at the other side of the road, where the reception area was.  Turned out, the cave was actually just under the highway!  

Light! Finally!

The hike up.

Sugba Lagoon, Siargao Island

Surfing is always the first thing to come to mind when one hears Siargao.  It has been the surfing capital in the country since the 1990s and the municipality of General Luna has hosted international surfing competitions. I was therefore not prepared when I laid my eyes on Sugba, Lagoon.  The pristine, emerald water surrounded by lush, limestone hills was in contrast with the lively, vibrant and full-of-surfers General Luna. 

Sugba, Lagoon is situated in the village of Caub, in the municipality of Del Carmen, where the airport is located.  The tourism office offers other tour packages which include the Kawhagan Sandbar, as well as the mangrove view deck.

The tour to the lagoon is arranged at the Mangrove Protection Information Center, where the tourism office is housed.  All payments are coursed through the tourism staff, who handles the dispatch of the boats.  Visitors pay the following fees : Php1,600 (USD32) for the pump boat , good for 6 persons, Php50 (1USD) warf fee and entrance fee to the lagoon , which is Php50 (1 USD) for locals and Php100 (2USD) for foreign tourists. Tourists may also opt to hire a tour guide for Php300.  In order to manage the number of visitors in the lagoon, the tourism office has set a limit of 4 hours stay in the lagoon, specially during peak season. 

The boat ride is a 30 minute cruise through the dense mangrove forest.  Del Carmen has one of the longest contiguous mangrove forest in the country, which is also home to saltwater crocodile. As we draw nearer to the lagoon, we passed through the hills, through what looked like a gate to this paradise-like place.  

We finally reached the place - and I can’t help but be in awe.  It was a beautiful, beautiful place. And very peaceful (we were there early).   The water is so clear that it reflected the color of the hills surrounding it- thus the emerald color.  

Guests may bring packed lunch, or order food from the restaurant in the lagoon cottage.  They serve seafood, and chicken too!  A diving board is available, free of charge, while kayaks and paddle boards are up for rent at Php200. 

Sugba Lagoon was opened to tourists only in 2015, and is only one of the many beautiful (and new) sights to behold in Siargao Island.   With more direct flights opened up between Manila and Siargao, the island has seen the number of tourists grow and more communities are opening up their beaches, caves, lakes, and waterfalls to visitors.  There is definitely more to see in this beautiful island!

Villa Escudero, a Taste of the “Old Philippines” and More

Every so often, I would play host to some foreign work colleagues who come to visit the Philippines.  I have toured them around the old Manila, and have also hiked the Taal Volcano a number of times with them.  However, it was only recently that I have visited Villa Escudero, and found that it would be a another good option to introduce the Philippines, its music and dances, its culture and history, the Filipino food, and a typical, beautiful riverside, all in one. 

Our family visited Villa Escudero during the Christmas break and both adults and kids loved it.  I have booked the day tour online, and for a regular price of Php1,600, one gets to enjoy a number of activities plus a Filipino buffer lunch, on the river itself, and by the waterfalls. Children 7 years old and below, and senior citizens enjoy discounts.  

We arrived at 10 am and proceeded to the big kiosk where the counter is.  As it is Christmas break, the place is booked, and I was glad to have booked online in advance.  We were given a welcome drink, and the stubs for the museum, carabao ride, and the buffet lunch. Between 2-3 pm, guests may watch the cultural show (included in the day tour fee of Php1,600).  Guests also get free access to the pool.  For extra fee, guests may also enjoy fishing and boating. 

We first visited the museum, which is a pink replica of a church from Spanish time.  It looked small at the outside, but once inside, I was impressed with the number and variety of the family collection, some of which are 300 years old or so.  I particularly liked the antique retablos, or the altars displays from very old churches.  These are really, really old and very precious because of its gold trimmings.  Of course there are antique sculptures of saints, and antique church items such us bishop’s chair, baptismal stand and the same.  There are also the prayle's clothes, some with golden thread, letters from the Spanish time and also anting-anting  (or talismans and amulets) worn by some in the olden days.There are also the clothes worn by the past presidents and first ladies of the Philippines.  We did take a lot of time exploring the museum.

The museum is a replica of a typical old church.

My niece and nephew were thrilled with the ride on a carabao-driven cart. carabao. It’s their first. All the way from the “carabao” stop to the  drop off point near the waterfalls, the passengers are serenaded with old Filipino songs (or what is known as harana).

The carabao-drawn cart ride

The buffet lunch is by the Labasin Waterfalls Restaurant , which -was packed when we got there.  We did have a hard time looking for a table, but a staff assisted us.  The lunch tables are right on the river, with feet soaked in running water. It is shallow, and very clear, so no worries.  Nephew and niece enjoyed getting not only their feet wet, but had fun splashing a bit of water at their dad. Lunch included different kinds of ensaladas, soup, grilled pork, grilled tilapia, kaldereta, camote cue and watermelon, among others, and are eaten with bare hands (chopsticks are available, though). Juices and sodas are charged extra.  After lunch, my nephew and his cousin Kyla enjoyed the waterfalls while mom, enjoyed her buko (young coconut) juice by the side of the waterfall.

The buffet table

After lunch, the kids went swimming by the pool, while mom and I had coffee.  Nephew also went river rafting.  By 2 PM, the cultural show started and we watched the song and dance performances. All the major regions in the Philippines are represented in the repertoire. The Islamic influence on the performances from the southern part of the Philippines is in stark contrast with the performances from the Visayan regions and Luzon, which mostly had Spanish influence, and of course the indigenous dance from Northern Luzon also stands out.  At the end of the presentation, we found that the performers are staffs of the resort, and their children or grandchildren.

Crafts given by the performers to my niece and mom during the presentation

The performers

After the performance, the kids went fishing, and nephew got his 2 fishes, which he returned back to the river.

Somebody wants her own catch!

We then rode the carabao-driven cart again on the way back to the parking lot.  The cart driver shared that Villa Escudero is now owned by the 3rd generation of the Escuderos, and they also belong to the 3rd generation of workers in the what used to be a 800 hectare hacienda. He also shared that the owners gave them, a total of 100 families, 300 square meters of land each inside the resort, where they live, and also cultivate some crops. Compared to how land owners in the Philippines treat and manage their staffs, this is unusual…and nice. No wonder I did not see a single grumpy staff in Villa Escudero and everybody was friendly and nice.

By 5 PM, we were ready to go home. We had to brave the typical San Pablo traffic, and reached home by 10:30!  But, it was a long, happy, and nostalgic day at the Villa Escudero!


How to get to Villa Escudero.

Villa Escudero is located in Tiaong, Quezon, and very close to the border of San Pablo, Laguna. 

• Take the SLEX (South Luzon Express Way)
• Exit at 50A (Lucena, Batangas, Legaspi exit)
• Turn left at Sto Tomas junction
• Drive straight, following the highway.  You will pass by the towns of Alaminos and San Pablo.
• After the Quezon Province Boundary Arch, Villa Escudero is immediately to the left . You will be driving along a dirt road, leading to Villa Escudero.