GENERAL LUNA 
... is just a small town at the very far right hand edge of the world.

It's safe, clean, and friendly, a laid back kind of place where you could stop by for two or three days, and not want to leave for a year. It's undeveloped and unspoiled, and that's the charm of it. 

Magellan landed at Suluan, about 100 miles due North. If he'd just veered to port a little, he might have hit Siargao, and the whole history of the Philippines might have been different. He would have got a very different, and much friendlier reception than he did in Mactan, near Cebu, where he died prematurely.

GL is known (by only a very select few) as a surfing spot.  

Just up the road, at Tuason Point, is world-class Cloud 9,  the best surf break (a barrelling right-hander) in the Philippines. A short boat ride out in the lagoon beyond takes you out to Rock Island, Stimpy's and a few more breaks, stretching right up the east coast to Pilar, Pacifico and Burgos. Just a short walk from the town is the Cementiri's, and Jacking Horse, and in season, there's even a mellow break in front of Dako Island, right in front of GL itself. When you can see that from GL, you'll know it's pumping at Cloud 9. The surfing season really comes from August to March, but you might be lucky and catch a good wave at any time. 

Every September, an International Surfing Contest is held at Cloud 9, with world class and local participants (who are learning fast).

The sea bed drops to 500 metres, then to 1500 just a mile off Tuason Point and the reef. Just thirty miles off GL, in the Philippine Deep, it's 10,000 metres (that's Mt. Everest plus another 3000 feet).

Typhoons in season pass GL to the North East, and they bring the big waves in over the deep water.

But GL has a lot more if the surf's not doing its stuff

ISLAND HOPPING

You should pop across the lagoon to Guyam, the perfect palm-fringed islet, or to Daku, with its very white sand beach (probably the best anywhere), coral reefs, and a friendly village, or Pansukian (Naked Island),  a white sand spit with coral all around. A day trip to all three by banca should cost around P1000. You could try renting a paddle barota (15 minutes to Guyam if you ever get the hang of it).

Guyam Island

Daku Island

Pansukian Island

If you're feeling brave or foolhardy, try rocky, jungled Hanoyoy, and see if all the talk about buried treasure and wak-waks (forest spirits) is really true - and if you want to, buy it - someone's trying to sell it over the internet for $1,000,000.

Beyond Dako are La Janosa, Mamon and little Antokon, with crystal clear water, coral reefs, white sand, rolling breakers and friendly villagers, for about P1500 ($30) return.

SOHOTON LAGOON

You must make a full day boat trip (or even over-night at the Secret Garden)  to Sohoton Lagoon.  It’s a magical place, overhung by jungle cliffs, where you can swim into caves with bats, strange fish, stalactites and rock oysters, and see weird corals, pitcher plants, cycads and wild orchids. But take a flashlight and go when the tide is low during mid-day – the only entrance to the lagoon is through a natural cave tunnel, hanging with stalactites, and with a strong current. The cost of the trip is around P1500 per person, but it's more than well worth it.

Sohoton - Going through the cave  

 Kayak through the lagoon      

Rounding the first corner

Down towards Union from GL is Pansukian Resort (Rambeau's), a very up-market joint, but until the bridge across to Union is repaired, you'll have to call a fisherman's boat to ferry you or swim across. You could stop in at Latitude 9 resort, by Union, which has a good beach, and good refreshment at Neneng's in town.

Up the East coast, just past Pilar, is Magpapungko, and its natural rock swimming hole scoured clean by every tide – a great place for a picnic.

Beyond that, you could go to Burgos, or Alegria, all with great beaches and surf breaks. You could visit all three in a day, for about P1500. Jun Gonzales has surf camps in Pilar, Pacifico and Burgos, and knows a bit more than most about that coast, and can arrange to take you for some wonderful big game fishing. There are cottages to rent at Alegria, which has a beautiful beach.

On the West side of the island are Del Carmen, San Benito, Supao, Tangbo, and other almost unvisited villages.

At Del Carmen (Numancia), in the middle of the mangroves, you shouldn't miss the famous crocodile.

Tangbo has a beautiful beach, and Tak Tak Falls are nearby

Well, anywhere that has any pretensions always has a waterfall, and so do we. Tak Tak Falls are a long way away, but you can reach them if you try.

Kaob island has its own secret lagoon, pristine corals and beaches, and the coral islands and limestone mountains of jungled Poneas island.

Take a regular jeepney trip from Dapa out to the wide highways to the backwoods of the island. 

Or do a genteel tour of some of General Luna's very own antique properties 

CAVING

There is a huge cave in the forest at Consuelo, with stalactites, stalagmites, rock crystals, piles of bat guano, a million bats, a great deal of mud and even a huge python, but you'll have to be fit to get there. There's another at Malinao, on the way to Union. 

There are also caves on Daku island. They are quite small, but they are full of Japanese treasure, fossils of prehistoric dwarves, wak-waks, etc, etc, according to local rumour. 

COCKFIGHTING 

Filipino cocks are quite small, but you will often see a GL man proudly stroking his cock in the street. 

Cockfights are on Sundays, about 2pm, out of town to the west, just past N&M and Jade Star. It's a great day out, if you're not a vegetarian. If you can understand the betting, win a little bit, but not too much - it's the locals' only chance to make a bit extra, so don't beat the bank. Tip – bet on and watch for the T shirt of the owner, not the bird – after a bit of a rumpus, both birds look tattered and patchy.

COMMUNICATIONS You probably came here anyway to get away from it all at the edge of the world, but now cell phones have hit town, and you can call anywhere in the world for about P40 (80c) a minute. There's even an Internet service or two in the town, and another at 101 Resort by Cloud 9.

DIVING & SNORKELLING

There's plenty to see (fish, corals, sea snakes, etc, but no big sharks) snorkelling on the  reefs around Guyam and Dako (you can just drift with the current along the drop-off). Around Pansukian the coral reefs are great, (even better at night time) and you can explore reefs in front of Tuason Point (but not, please, under the surf break itself), and in La Janosa and Mamon.  A huge underwater cave with four or five separate entrances was recently discovered under the first of the rocky islands in front of Tuason, and at the Blue Cathedral just off Caridad, north of Pilar. Underwater visibility and topography are outstanding.

Jaime Russillon - the Ex-Mayor of GL, personally and forcefully stopped dynamite and cyanide fishing in GL some years ago. He gave anyone he caught doing it a 'good slap'. He was making a marine reserve for part of the lagoon to re-establish the reef and fish population for divers and snorkellers. He banned anything but hook-and-line fishing within the lagoon, and supplied the poorest subsistence fishermen with barotos of their own, that they can rent & buy for just P10 per day. Regrettably, he was ousted in this year's elections.

FISHING

The sailfish and blue marlin season, when the big fish (sailfish to 40 kg, marlin to 200) cruise the deep water only a mile or two off GL, really hums from March to early May.  Contact Jun Gonzalez (+63 86 2319375) at Pilar for good sport fishing. But you could fish for coral trout, large snappers and other reef fish any time, or get a local fisherman to take you out to the Payaw, a floating fish attractor about five miles beyond Guyam, and troll for bolis (skipjack) or barilison (yellowfin). You can catch tanguigue (Spanish mackerel), huge Pacific tuna, and tayang-tayang (dolphin fish). In the lagoon, you can get bayo (Long Toms) - they're fun to catch but a little bony to eat.

GETTING TO KNOW PEOPLE

GL people are very friendly and hospitable, if sometimes a little shy. Smile, and you'll get a radiant smile back. The girls are very beautiful and very charming, but well-behaved. There's no hooker scene in GL, and nobody wants one.

Impromptu barbecue - these ladies help with my daytime job (making native jewellery)   

Local tuba (coconut wine) session

Karaoke is good fun - not a 'Hot Nightclub Experience' - but when you hear your own voice transformed into Enrico Caruso (or Elvis) you will be converted.

NIGHTLIFE - The Boulevard

The very latest addition to GL's amenities is the Paseo de Cabuntog just constructed along the town's seafront, between the new fish market and a new bar/restaurant to be run by the town council. But that isn't as bad as it might sound - GL's councillors used to run the 7-11 bar, which was tremendous, and Jaime Russillon has one of the best voices in town. GL's people have taken to their Paseo like fish to water, and every evening you will be able to see family groups and friends around, and they will almost certainly invite you for a drink and a chat.

GETTING TO GL (and back)

• Cokaliong boats leave Pier 1 in Cebu to Surigao via Maasin on Leyte most nights, at 7pm, for an over night trip arriving in Surigao City just before dawn, except for Sundays. Economy fare about P600.

• Boat service to the island, from Surigao to Dapa, is, scandalously, never very reliable. As of writing, (September 20, 2007 )  there are only two boats, Montenegro and Fortune Angels, leaving Surigao City at noon, and returning from Dapa, on the island, at 6am the next day.  Fare P90.

• Perhaps our local government will take note; you don't get no tourists if you ain't got no boats: You're in charge; tell the boat operators to make schedules fit for the passengers, not the crew.

• The fast boat (Montenegro) is, as usual, currently under repair.

• In emergency, or if one or all of them have technical problems, check out the pier at Bilang-Bilang or Pantalan 3 in Surigao City for small lanchas (pumpboats) sailing to Dapa, or, at a pinch, Del Carmen or Sapao, on the other side of the island from GL.

• Buses come and go to Surigao for Davao (for Samal Island resorts, Lake Cebu (T'Boli people), Mount Apo, etc and on to General Santos). 

• There are buses from Surigao for Butuan and Cagayan de Oro (Camiguin Island). 

HEALTH – There's no malaria in GL. Some big, fit visitors will tell you they caught dengue fever, but most would call it 'flu. There are no doctors on Siargao, so make sure you don’t get something disabling, and that you have a ‘get-me-out quick’ travel insurance. Alcoholism is rife in GL. Very good massage is available through local hilots, specialist masseuses (but don’t expect ‘extras’).

JUNGLES

The jungle is never very far away in GL. 

A saltwater crocodile, just six feet long, was seen in Sohoton Lagoon only last year (and I promise I wasn’t drunk at the time).  
 

MONEY – There’s no exchange shop or bank in Siargao, so if you need to top up on cash, you'll have to go Surigao, to the Equitable PCI Bank (ask for Ernie Mendoza), Metro Bank, or PNB (Philippine National Bank). They have ATM machines where you can use Visa, Cirrus, and local cards. There's a money-changer opposite Visayan Marketing.

MOTORCYCLES & JEEPNEYS

A habal-habal motorcycle, literally, means the kind of joyful coupling pigs do - makin' bacon – you'll see why when you see a full load of local passengers – they can take about six Filipinos but only two or three of you. A full day trip, all around the island, will cost around P1500. Sometimes, there are organised jeepney day trips for groups, with food and beer, to the waterfalls, caves, beaches, surf breaks, and one or two secret places, depending on who's taking you.  You could rent a motorcycle in GL, for about P1000/day, and get around the island by yourself. There are few road signs, so take a compass. 

Otherwise, you could get around by the regular jeepneys, which are not regular at all, and tend to arrive and depart at strange times. You can get a habal-habal to Cloud 9 from opposite Maridyl's in the main street for about P100/person (P150 at night), and jeepneys to Dapa. A habal-habal to Dapa should cost around P100, or the jeepney's only P25. 

SPORTS

Basketball
This must be the Filipinos' most popular national sport, and even if they're smaller than you, they're probably a great deal better – join the boys in a game in the street, or catch a match at the Municipal Stadium

Cricket & Rugby

Don't yet exist in GL, but with that many Aussies, and even a Pommy bastard or two, who knows? Footy ? Aussie Rules ? – who cares ?

Swimming

Well, perhaps swimming in GL’s lagoon at low tide isn't the greatest, but try it at high tide, or at dawn or dusk, when the water's freshest, or at night, when the moon's out and the water is phosphorescent. You can swim to Guyam in about half-an-hour if you're fit.

Dako has the nearest very, very good swimming beach at any tide,  and swimming at Mamon feels like being a virgin olive in a very dry martini.  

Sitting Around 

Probably the most popular active sport in GL, it's remarkably relaxing, restorative and healthful. Join in an impromptu party, or just sit by yourself.

Watch the fishermen at dawn, the clouds and the waves in the day, or the moon at night. 

It's up to you if you sits and thinks, or if you just sits

STAYING IN GL

Jade Star Resort
7 cottages + duplex
Duplex P1500 (5) Aircon
Fan room P300, P500
Cottage P800
Anita & Delfin
+63 9192344367

Satur & Honor
4 cottages 2 aircon
P500 Fan
P1200 Aircon
+63 919 3967553

Cherie Nicole

Shat's Resort
2 cottages (1 aircon - 6 P1500)
3 guestrooms
Bernie & Jocelyn Abadilla
+63 918 5415562

Traveller's Beach Resort
16 room

(2) P500
(4) 1200

Family cottage (10) P3000
Camilla Camingue
+63 918 5648185

Cabuntog
8 cottages aircon

Bunkhouse

Miriam
+63 919 363507

Pesangan Lodge
3 rooms at P500
Joy & Acoy 
+63 9165648155

Ocean 101 

A/C (good for 2) - P1200
Fan room (2) - P600
Michael & Welle

http://www.ocean101cloud9.com/

Jungle Reef Resort
4 rooms Low P300 High P500
Fan room P600 (4)

+63 921 8717343

Cloud 9 Resort

Sagana
6 cottages (4) $60 per head
Jerry & Susan
http://www.cloud9surf.com/

'Patricks on the Beach'

Close to the town centre, Pisangan (across the bridge towards Cloud 9 and turn right) used to be run in a very friendly way by several families, including Joy & Acoy, but they sold out to an arrogant little German. The resort has been tarted up, with prices jacked up. Beer from his 'Beach Bar' costs twice as much as nearby in the town. 'Patricks on the Beach' is heavily promoted on the internet.

Avoid it.

If you do stay there, see if you can find the orphanage. When Andreas Mikoleiczik took over the resort he solicited donations and partners through 'The Messenger of Joy Foundation' (registered in the Virgin Islands - http://www.mojf.org/ - google for cached pages) for a splendid-sounding 'orphanage/resort' -

'Good news!!!! God really is amazing how He put things together when He gives you a vision that only can materialize with He being in charge. The very same property on the Beach where I got married was offered to me and now we have our first Orphanage Beach Resort. What a God we serve!!!!

Can you just imagine to take street children from the dreadful streets or slums in Manila and give them a home on [sic] a loving & beautiful home on a gorgeous beach surrounded by crystal clear water with lots of fish."

Well you'll just have to imagine that loving & beautiful home, because it sure ain't there..

If you ask why I call Andreas an arrogant (and certainly hypocritical) little German, see the 1" barbed wire fencing he put up to 'defend' his property from 'the natives'.

He's not only padlocked the back gate from my garden to the beach, but now boarded it up. He's only a tin-pot little prat, but an irritant, to me and the town.

The 'Messenger of Joy's' sub-slogan is 'Love Made Visible' - and so it is.

Double check any 'Patrick's on the Beach' bills.

Stalag General Luna - Jan 2006

SURIGAO CITY – If you're ever stuck in Surigao, or just want a break, a bit of R'n'R in the city, or catch the sports or news on cable TV, try the Metro Pension Plaza or Jannex, both clean and about P500 a night (single), or The Gateway, a tad more expensive. 

At night, a good sleazy experience can be had at Valerie's or Eve's dancing girls joints, and it's even sleazier around the corner in places like Irish Jane's. Try the chicken barbecue stands by the pier in Bilang-Bilang, (Lottie's is the best). Join live singers and bands at Mario's, Coco Cabin, Jannex, for good local food. Try the Baho KTV if you feel like joining in with raucous 50's/60's sing-alongs (you really couldn't have a worse voice than some of the locals or the resident singer, and you could be ranked 'A Professional' with 90+% if you play the videoke machine right). 

Get your visa renewed, by Alex, in an hour at the Immigration office on Narciso Street near Philcom (photocopies first at the corner). 

Buy most things at Jerry's or Palma supermarkets, boating/diving/fishing gear at Visayan Marketing, electronics at Pat's, film at Karjel's and medicines at Mercury Drug. A tricycle trip in town should cost P5, but be a bit more generous late at night.

This is my house in GL - it's just 50 yards from the seashore, (unfortunately, next to the odious German) and has its own well and running water. 

It's also the WorldWide Headquarters of the Coconut Studio™ group of companies, a vast international conglomerate that supplies native beads to a couple of street markets in Majorca, Spain.

If I'm not at some mild party or other, or off on some bold expedition, drop in and say hello when you come to Siargao.

Richard Parker  - Siargao Island - April  2005 (Last updated Thursday, September 20, 2007)  

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