I went to Tandag along with some cousins from Davao, to attend a family reunion [Mama and Papa went there ahead. had to go on a latter date, coz I was savin up vacation leaves for Palawan. hehe] The reunion itself was on the third day so as expected, the first two days was nothing but piggin-out moments in some houses, as it was the weekend before fiesta. Luckily on my 2nd day, Uncle Paul decided to bring me to the port of Tandag. It's been really boring since I came so I liked the idea!
so that morning, we walked on roads I'm not familiar with, saw residents who looked at us strangely [coz Uncle Paul's in his summer attire, as in with the neon green shorts and big towel around his neck], not minding the 8am heat! just fyi, September's the driest month in Tandag. so when I say 8am heat, that's the 12 noon heat in Manila! Really it was hot, but the hike was a little bit exciting as I've never seen the pier before!
Finally after 10 minutes we reached the port. I thought it was closed coz no one's inside and there's no trace of any business. but no, it was open! and I think it's open anytime during the day coz we entered the gate without asking if we're allowed to do so! (hihi)
the first thing I noticed is the clear water. hmmm. very unusual! Uncle Paul said that it used to be a busy port. I wonder if the water's as clear back then! At the other side was the sound of waves hitting big rocks. Scary in a way, but it's tempting. Now I understand why Uncle Paul went there with a towel. he thought of swimming! in fact it was his childhood dream to jump off from the ledge. but since didn't have a towel and my shirt's see through when wet, I didn't want to (haha can't imagine myself walking on the same route, soaking wet. people might really think i'm a promdi!) and so I convinced him that maybe we should go back the next day when the tide's a little lower, and when I'm a little prepared.
sa pier. only one ship was there, but no one's around
how clear! unusual for piers huh? :)
Uncle Paul wants to jump, but he was hesitant. haha!
can't swim for now, so hanggang posing lang ako! hehehe then asked me if I want to see the "grotto". of course wanted to! I've heard a lot about it, I mean it has been a common line, "nakapunta ka na ba sa grotto" but ironically, even if I've been to tandag almost every summer, I've never seen it. and I never understood why I should. till that morning!
stairway goin to the grottoso we went there --just at the end of the street outside the port's gate. Going there, expect the usual --stairs, flowers, and finally the grotto. but up there, the view's different! At one side was the pier, and the blue-green water which I never thought could be more attractive when seen from afar. Then at the other side were the fishermen's boats, lined up like colorful toys! There’s nothing extraordinary with the grotto itself but for some reasons, the place is more serene than any other grottos I've been to. Apparently because of the seascape around. I just hated it a little when I noticed a couple of chippy wrappers around. tsk!
right view: the pier's blue water
left view: fishermen's boatsthe next day, we went back to the pier with Kuya Bong and Ate Clea, bringing my own towel this time. To my surprise, the pier wasn't as clean and appealing anymore. there were several detergent sachets floating. Perhaps going there during low tide isn't advisable. So we went to the other side of the shore instead [the village which could be seen from the pier], where there was this super classic videoke machine, and sang for P2 per song. haha magpakajologs daw ba. frustrated eh :-|
I hope that something comes up --perhaps a policy or a guard, so there won't be plastic wrappers floating around during the low tide. and I wish that DOT, or whoever concerned puts a trash can at the grotto, or at least a "clean as you go" sign. coz the place has a potential. pinoys are still a little stubborn when it comes to simple rules. sad! so there. I'm hopeful, lookin forward to my next visit. coz behind all those little rants, the place is still perfect for meditation. or camwhore-ing. or picnicking. or whatever you could think of when days are boring :)
