Sarangani Adventure

coastal view

Sarangani has earned a spot in my travel plans.  I've never realized that a stretch of white sand beaches exists there...and not as expensive and as crowded as bora!  Kainnneeeessss, ngayon ko lang nalaman.  

The beaches we visited in Gumasa Glan, Sarangani were soooo nice! and take note...we were traveling on paved roads.  I was so sure that we were already in the middle of nowhere, but no bumpy rides on this trip...well except for the common minor ones that lasts a meter long.

We visited Isla Jardin Del Mar, Davak Ridge Beach Resort, Yoshikawa Crystal Island Beach Resort, and White Haven Beach Resort -- all in Glan. Enrico Dee of Byahilo.com even shared that there is an Indonesian community existing somewhere in Glan.

Before, when I hear of the place Sarangani, I always associate it with the Blaan tribe. Period.  And I know next to nothing about the Blaan culture.  Needless to say, I had this ambiguous assumption that Saranggani is this place in the province.  No imagery of beaches and great cuisines pass my mind...nor have I ever thought of it as a place to go to to relax.  Now I know better.

facilities and scenery is not to be frowned at
 @ Lemlunay Resort there is an infinity pool overlooking the
sea...

at the Lemlunay Resort
Will go to snorkle here next year!!! yeba! they have great
diving spots also ^.^

Sarangani Province has been an endless wonder for me.  While I was there gawking at new discoveries and listening to people talk about the place, I couldn't help myself from falling in love with it.  The cultural history is rich, the people are friendly, the beaches are white...and the sunset, regardless of the missed boat ride is just so worth it.  And yes, I know I've been ranting about beaches, as I am a beach bum, but I had my loudest shriek at the Pangi River when the group went down to experience tubing.  

For those not familiar with tubing, it's cruising the river the crazy way.  You don on a helmet and a life jacket ( we both had fun trying on our gear and pretending we are going biking =P ) and you subject yourself to the river with only a rubber tube to hang on.  And mind you, it's better to do this when the river current is fast --- and to make things difficult, There will be boulders bigger than you are.  If you come across one, as our guide would say, do not kick it.  And yeah, its not fun if you fall off the rubber tube, so as to not ruin everyone's afternoon ride, avoid drowning by hanging on for dear life.  And you can scream all you want.  Everybody will be busy shrieking too so don't worry about it.

all geared up for tubing!

expect to drink a lot of river water too coz the ride will
make you scream!!!!

Food there was a delight too.  We had bangsi and fresh greens paired with bagoong for breakfast prepared by Cresing's Food Products in Maitum.  Bangsi is salted flying fish and best eaten with vinegar and rice.  Maitum is best known as producers of rice and it also boasts of the best Bangsi in the province.  Cresing's also offered its world class coffee made out of brown rice, corn, and lemon grass.  For lunch we had chicken satay and hawaiian kinilaw amongst others in Lemlunay Resort.  And last but not the least-- the best entree we had for the day, actually, was Kalambingan.  Dishes made out of lamb and goat - papaitan and kaldereta prepared by Isla Meloussa Beach Resort. 


Little trivia: Meloussa is an "anagram" of Ssaloume.  


**Also the dishes they prepared for us were actually not common dishes served in resorts.  Most would offer bbq or grilled fish or any food that's easy to prepare.  In Davao, I seldom find these type of dishes and almost all of the time, I get to taste them in private functions within our family circle.  It is a special dish.  My dad used to have these dishes cooked everytime he celebrates his birthday =)

food! food! food!

We also visited Balungis Women Association and discovered that these Maguindanaoan women handweave silk into fine cloth.  We met some of the women and they who showed us traditional weaving.  They make bags, belts, wallets, and other cloth-based products.

DTI-Socksargen is actively promoting their OTOP (One Town, One Product) project.  A project that helps create jobs and business opportunities for the people in Saranggani.  Glan, Malungon, Maitum, Alabel, Maasim, Malapatan, and Kiamba -- all seven towns are now being supported by the local government for their financing needs as local governments identify, develop and promote a specific product or service to help their local economy. 

"Glan town chose to develop various coco-based products for food, beverage and handicrafts; fresh and processed mango for Malungon; marinated fish for Maitum; fresh cardaba banana for Alabel; fresh and processed cardaba banana for Maasim; fresh cardaba banana for Malapatan; and, abaca-based products such as T’nalak and other handicraft for Kiamba." -- Allen V. Estabillo, Mindanews

My experience in Sarangani has changed a lot of my expectations about the area.  And to experience it once is just not enough.  So for next year, I'm definitely coming back...especially now that I've learned that the famous Tarsier, only known to be found in bohol is actually endemic to this coastal province.  Surprise? yeah, me too ^.^