5 action-packed days in SOCCSKSARGEN!

It was my first time to set foot in SOCCSKSARGN Region. Iwas supposed to explore the region in four days, but later on I decided to extend my trip to 5 days. For 5 days I get to explore some of the best sites around the region as well as some off the beaten destinations.

Lake Sebu, South Cotabato

I f lewto General Santos City via Cebu Pacific. I booked the ticket last October 2009. My round trip fare is only PHP97.00. Yez, ninety seven Pesos!

Upon arrival, I immediately went to my hotel to fix my things. Later, Avel Manansala picked me up at the hotel. We then picked Orman Manansala to have lunch at Keiko Ken Kambingan.

Keiko Ken Papaitan

The goat dishes served were really fantastic!

From the Kambingan we then drove to the Gensan City hall. From there, I went to Bulaon bus terminal and took a bus bound for Malungon, Sarangani.

Sarangani now is my 42nd province that I have been to. You might wonder what I’m doing in Malungon. I visited the remote village of Sitio Lamlifew (pronounced as Lam-Lee-Faw) in Brgy Datal Tampal in Malungon Sarangani Province.

B’laan Weaving house in Lamlifew

Lamlifew is home to the B’laan tribe. I got to explore the community museum and learned so much from them.

Later in the afternoon, I went back to GenSan to freshen up and and have a quick rest. Later that night, we all went to Piyesta KTV and Resto Bar. Kaloka ang food Masarap! During our dinner, I got to meet Donna, the Kikay behind the Piyesta Resto bar, and the Kikay Much blog. I also got to meet Mandi of Gensan Gazer a magazine promoting GenSan distributed freely in hotels, airport and restaurants. Love the magazine. In fact I got 3 assorted issues and brought them back home.

Tuna Lumpia

During my Day 2, I waited for Sinjin to arrive at the hotel. He’s flying from Cebu. Too bad, Marc wasn’t able to fly from Iloilo to Davao then commute to Gensan.

When Sinjin arrived we then had a quick lunch then took a habal habal (single motrocycle) bound for Gumasa, in Glan Sarangani. There are a lot of vans and jeepneys bound for Glan, but the thrill of traveling by motorcycle is just so irresistible! So off we went to the white sand paradise in south Central Mindanao via habal habal. It was a challenge! over 40 kilometers of motorcycle ride isn’t a joke! Masakit sya sa hita at katawan ha! but of course, it was really really fun! Later sinjin nd I decided to just take a van from Glan town proper to Gensan. Di na kaya ng powers namin ang askit ng katawan! Ahaha

Gumasa, Glan sarangani

During the night Sinj and I went to Little Dubai Kebab Grills for the Byahe Na! Travel blog Tales Tips and Tricks

I am so excited to finally meet the SOCCSKSARGEN bloggers! It really was a night full of sharing travel experiences, adventures and misadventures. It was a fun night! I have learned a thing or two from that event and will definitely help me in my future travels.

From Marbel we then transferred to another bus, this time, bound for Surallah, South cotabato. Upon arrival in Surallah, we then transferred to a van that’s bound for Lake Sebu.

Yes, sinjin and I were going to the beautiful paradise of Lake Sebu!!! To say that Lake Sebu is beautiful is an understatement. It’s heaven on Earth. So serene. Perfect destination for nature lovers.

We stayed there for a night. On our Day 4, we traveled back to GenSan for a surprise dinner at the Sarangani Highlands. The restaurant is located on top of a hill overlooking the Sarangani Bay. the food is great but the ambiance is the bomb! The lace is perfect for intimate dining, or special events.

During our Final day in Gensan, Sinj and I both flew to Cebu City. I was on a cneecting flight for Manila with 6 hours free time in Cebu. I got to meet Cebuano travel blogger Ed of SoloflightEd for a super late lunch at Casa Verde. Ang sarap ng lunch! I ordered the house specialty, baby back ribs. Grabe ang laki! Kung gaano sya kalaki, ganun din sya kasarap!

After lunch, Doi, Ed, EJ Audrey and I all went to Coffee Dream in Park mall Mandaue for a quick caffeine fix. for a short period of time, I got to meet new bloggers and I am very very excited for our trip early next year! But before that, we’d still see each other this coming August, still in the Queen City of the South.

From Parkmall, the gang dropped me at the Mactan International Airport as I flew back to Manila.

It’s 5 days of adventure, and misadventures. In 5 days, I got to vist 2 new provinces, explored to new destinations, tried new foods, but most of all, met new friends.

Details of my 5-day trip soon!