A Weekend in Lanuza

My friend invited me to a trip to Lanuza. It was a free trip. I would be with my good friends and I have not traveled with them before so this would be a new experience. How can I say no to that offer? I sent prayers to high heavens that I do not have to work that weekend. God answered my prayers so off we went to Lanuza one November weekend.

It was the annual surfing festival in Lanuza. Lanuza is a surfing town in Surigao del Sur. Their surfing season starts in November. My friend works for a company that is a major sponsor of the festival.

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We arrived at noon. The awarding of prizes for the champion surfers was scheduled in the evening so we had the afternoon to spare. Lanuza is a charming surfing town. You’ll meet kids slathered in sunblock carrying surfboards in the streets.

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Our first stop is the white house.

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This is a century-old mansion.

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A descendant of the original owners showed us around. We were treated to a rich cup of chocolate.

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Look at the dish dryer!
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We were all happy to see this plate. All of us had this plate at home when we were growing up.
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Our next stop is the Marine Sanctuary.

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We walked to a Bantay Dagat outpost.

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This is the view from the outpost.

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Our host took us to the next town in Cortez. He showed us photos of what we expect to see. We were convinced.  By the time we reached the site, we were blown away by the sight. It was an AWESOME place.  I have not seen anything like it before.

Friends, this is Laswitan in Cortez, Surigao del Sur!

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It looks like one but that is not a waterfalls.

It is actually a rock formation. Waves from the sea crash against those rocks.

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The waves overflow.

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When water drips down, it looked like this.

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You can actually swim in the lagoon. The unsafe area is cordoned off.

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We left at 5PM.  It is a beautiful place.

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It was so beautiful that my friend went back two weeks after. She told me that the waves did not crash against the rocks and the friends she brought there missed the experience we had.  I guess we were lucky to experience this phenomenon.

In the evening, we attended the award ceremonies.

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We went to Lanuza during the anniversary of Supertyphoon Yolanda. As part of the program, sky lanterns were released.

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We left Lanuza the next day but not before doing some activities in the morning. We were scheduled to do more sightseeing so we were not sure if we could try surfing. We spent some time on the beach to observe surfers.  Kids as young as this one already knew how to surf.

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We went spelunking in the morning inside the Campamento Caves. We spent almost an hour inside the cave.  There were lots of interesting formations inside. Can you see the bat?

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My friend took a dip at the Hubason River.

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We still had time to spare in the afternoon. So my friends took a short surfing lesson. Look at them!

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I was not able to try it because I got that monthly thingamajig.  🙁 So I just posed for a photo.

Thanks to my friend, Ernelyn, for inviting me to this trip.  It was one memorable weekend.

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