Relaxing Sunset View at Ocean 9 Villas and Cabanas, Siargao Island

Avisala!

It's been a while since I posted something and I honestly don't know where to start. Everything feels so foreign here and I feel like a newbie who's eagerly learning and trying new things. I guess this comes with the fact that I don't feel the same way about blogging as before. Now, I have to make an effort just to compose one coherent sentence. It's no longer my safe space where I can freely express myself. I guess trauma has a way of changing us in ways we can't fathom. I don't want to play the victim game, so let's focus on the positive things that happened which really helped me in coping up.

I spent my birthday on Siargao Island and I can say it's one spending that I'll never regret. It's funny and ironic that I posted something about Siargao on Facebook and here I am, trying to narrate what happened to that super spontaneous birthday trip. For context, I disagreed with that one article that Siargao is one of the cheapest destinations in Southeast Asia when it comes to accommodation. I was in Siargao last December (which I haven't blogged yet) and I can say it's one of the most expensive tourist destinations in the Philippines. Palawan might be on top of the list (both El Nido and Coron) and Siargao and Boracay comes close.

After settling at our Airbnb in Sta. Fe, we decided to explore the area. It was my first time in Sta. Fe since we mostly spent our time in General Luna during my first visit to Siargao. I can say that the trip was very different than the last time because we we more relaxed and had no strict itinerary to follow. We spent more of our time finding good restaurants and cafes.

One of the places we visited was Ocean 9. It's a beach resort and a surfing spot. There's an entrance fee of Php 100.00 if you're going to use the pool and the lockers, but it's free if you'll just stay for the sunset and just order a drink. We decided to just relax at the beach while waiting to watch the sunset. I ordered a mango shake, Ivana ordered a watermelon shake, and Gail ordered a fresh buko. We just lounged on the bean bags and recliners at the beach while watching the dogs play. I missed that feeling because it's been a while since I went to a beach.

Now I understand the older people because I'm already one of them. I just wanted peace, so I now choose my battles. We talked about a lot of things, but the one thing that stuck with me is that we are now so different from our younger and idealistic selves. In our twenties, we were so idealistic that we wanted to solve all the problems in the world. Now, we just want to focus on ourselves.

I was so into my Zen mode that I ignored the black dog. He wanted to play as he dropped his empty coconut shell near me. He's been playing with other tourists as they throw the coconut shell to the sea and he retrieves it.

I didn't bring my phone and if not for Ivana, I wouldn't have any picture for this blog. Good thing she convinced me to take photos of the place using her phone. I took only a few because I wanted to savor more of the sunset.

I guess priorities do change. Before, my thinking would always be on how I could make content out of the places I've visited. Now, while I still want to blog about it, I no longer have that content creator inkling to document everything or take as many photos and videos as I can. I wanted to appreciate the place more by being more present in the moment.

The Siargao curse is true and I'm one of those who have been struck by that curse. It is said that once you visit Siargao, it's either you have to go back for more or you'll stay longer on the island. Never in my wildest dreams that I would be able to visit the island this year as I made a promise to myself to rest from traveling for at least this year. However, spending my special day on the island is one of the best things that happened to me this year. While I still lament on how expensive the island is, I'll still definitely go back to the experience of "island life" that lured a lot of tourists to Siargao.

As the sunset reflected on the calm sea's surface, I also reflected on the things that happened to me and thought maybe those are bound to happen. Whatever was my decision at that time might not have mattered as things were beyond my control.

For those who know my story, you don't have to judge me because I can do that to myself 100 times over. However, I made a conscious decision to forgive myself and let go of the things that burdened me until now. There were also conscious decisions that will drastically alter the course of my life in the coming years, hopefully for the better.

While this post is more like an introspection than a travel blog, what I'm trying to get across is that Siargao Island is the place where you might find yourself. The tropical and laid-back vibe is a strong selling point of the island.

If you don't want very touristy places like in General Luna, you should consider booking a place in Sta. Fe and Ocean 9 is a great option with its beachfront, surfing spot, and captivating villas. However, you should factor in transportation in your decision-making process. As it's a little far from the main tourism road, transportation can get very expensive.

I guess that's all for this post. In my next post, I might make a list of the great restaurants and cafes to try in Siargao. I missed you all and I hope to see you soon!

Kim Ybañez

_{Welcome to Kim's small corner in Hive. He is a chemical engineer by profession but a blogger by passion. He is a wanderlust and an adventure seeker. Join his quests as he visits remote destinations, climbs mountains, tries new and exotic dishes, and explores his country (The Philippines). He's also a trying-hard photographer, so stay tuned as he shares his photos and his thought process while creating them.}

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