Beaching at Guyam

Guyam is a small island with rock formations on one side and a white fine sand beach on the other side. It has a lot of coconut trees and its calm clean and shallow waters makes its ideal for non swimmers. Birds also make a rest stop on the rock formations of Guyam.

Like Boracay, you can actually walk on the fine sand beach for about 30 feet from shore and still feel safe to play and swim around the beach area. Since I do not swim, I actually had a good time in Guyam.

Goin Naked in Siargao

A short boat ride away from General Luna in Siargao are three (3) beautiful islands, namely, Naked Island, Guyam and Dako.

Naked Island as the name suggests is barren with no plants or trees except for a small patch of grass. The sand here is white and fine, and the water clean and turquoise in color. If you do not mind getting a good tan, since there are no trees to give you shade from the sun, you will enjoy staying and swimming here.

Surfin Siargao

I was in Siargao 12 years ago when not too many tourists were going there. Stayed there only for a day and a night. But the little that I saw, I liked and I vowed to return.

Thanks to Cebu Pacific traveling to Siargao has been made easy and cheaper ( if you avail of promo rates). They have flights from Manila that connect to Siargao via Cebu. So finally this July I got the chance to stay for a week and took the opportunity to see more of this island paradise.

This time around there were more tourists and the majority were foreigners who came mainly for surfing. Cloud 9 ( the surfing area of Siargao) continues to be the main attraction of Siargao. In July, surf was mild which was good for beginners. Best time to go for surfers is from August to October where the waves are at its strongest. There is an international surfing competition held annually in September.

For non-surfers, Cloud 9 is still a good place to visit because of the beautiful seascape made rustic with the long wooden walkway that leads to the surfing area.

Kawayan's Pride

Worth a pit stop on the way to Laguna or Quezon along the Manila East Road in Pililia, Rizal is the Kawayan Farm and Restaurant. This place has a great view of Laguna de Bay and meals are served in huts made of bamboo.

House specialities include the jumbo lumpia (with generous fillings of lettuce of bamboo shoots wrapped in egg roll) and fresh organic lettuce salad which is served with their house dressing combined with tomatoes, peanuts, onions and mangoes.

Food is good and prices very reasonable so I always take a meal here driving on my way to Quezon or on my way back to Manila.

Quezon's Tilapia Dish

One of my favorite dishes in the popular Palaisdaan Restaurant (located in Tayabas, Quezon) is the house specialty, Sinugno. This is actually tilapia fish wrapped in mustasa leaves and cooked in coconut milk. Just writing about it now, makes me hungry and craving for another serving of this truly delicious dish.

So if you happen to be in Tayabas in Quezon make a lunch stop at Palaisdaan and order Sinugno. This restaurant also has local ambiance with dining offered at nipa huts floating on its fishpond. Its is worth a leisurely stop if you are in Quezon.