concentration to maintain your balance
on a board that’s just about 2 ft wide
and 6 ft long, while paddling from one
point to another. The sport also gives
your arms, back, core, thighs and legs
quite a workout. You can rent paddle
boards in Buddha’s Surf Resort for
PHP700 for 24 hours and at Sagana
Resort for PHP600 for the whole day
plus PHP300 for a lesson.
Pool jumping in Magpupungko
In the municipality of Pilar, in the
mid-east of the island and about
45
minutes north of General Luna,
the limestone tidal pools called
Magpupungko will appear only during
low tide, so any visit will require that
you first check out the tide time. The
name Magpupungko comes from the
Surigaonon phrase “nagpungko ang
bato”, referring to the place where the
rocks are on top of each other. You can
get to Magpupungko by arranging for
transport with your resort or renting a
motorbike (for an average of PHP500 a
day exclusive of gas), or a multi-cab (a
local passenger van). What to do here?
Make a splash and jump into any one
of the clear tidal pools.
Game fishing in Pilar
You can also go for big game fishing
in Pilar, where the annual National
Gamefishing Tournament has been
held for the last six years. The country’s
biggest game fishing tournament (we
don’t know of any other, actually)
S I A R G A O ’ S S U R P R I S E S
80
{
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(
Clockwise from top left) The
tidal pools of Magpupungko;
shopping for fish at General
Luna; the pier just beside the
market; (inset) catch of the day
PHOTOS
PACO GUERRERO
