Category: Philippines

Five Days in Lake Sebu, Glan and Gumasa, Sarangani

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Lake Sebu

Three scenic lakes, seven captivating falls, a bunch of endearing T’boli people, fascinating culture, pristine beaches and historical sites – what more reasosn can one ask for to visit South Central Mindanao? Of course I still get those “Aren’t these places dangerous?” or “We might get kidnapped for a ransom!” a lot of times until now. I’ve been saying this over many times, Mindanao has some insurgent spots but not the whole area. Lake Sebu, General Santos and Sarangani are one of those safe places to visit in Mindanao. I’m sure you’ll be aptly rewarded from your gutsy decision.

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South Cotabato Stay | Tierra Montana Hotel General Santos

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GenSan Terra Montana

General Santos is the gateway to South-Central Mindanao. We passed through the city going to Lake Sebu and also Sarangani. Our companions from Backpack Photography took off a day earlier than us so we had to find a place to stay for the night. Tierra Verde, was my choice from Jen’s Peter’s Philippines Travel Guide. Bidding farewell to our friends at KCC Mall, we took a cab going to National Highway and was pleasantly to find the said mentioned hotel is under a new management and no goes by the name, Tierra Montana Hotel.

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Sarangani: Visiting Glan’s Ancestral Houses

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Glan Heritage Houses

When it comes to colonial or ancestral houses in the Philippines, the Luzon areas first comes to mind, particularly Vigan in Ilocos Sur then there’s also the Taal Town down south of Luzon. So I was pleasantly surprised to know there are few ancestral houses that can be found around the main town of Glan municipality in Mindanao. The group decided to do a mid-day visit to Glan from Gumasa White Beach and have our lunch there as well. Coco Beach was kind enough to drive us up to Glan with their pick-up truck.

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Sarangani: Taking Time Out at Gumasa White Beach

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Gumasa White Beach

I can’t believe I thought about cheating this place. By definition of “cheating a place” is to roll in, run around, say I’ve been here and roll out through the great yonder. I must admit that there are instances I did that but stepping on the powdery white sand beach of Gumasa with my bare feet prevented me from putting on any shoes and sandals for a while. Gumasa is a place to stop, unwind and enjoy. And that’s just what we gladly did.

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South Cotabato: Wandering Around Lake Sebu

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Lake Sebu Net Tending

I was careful not to step into the water getting as close as possible to capture my subject. It was early morning and the light was perfect. The placid water only interrupted by the slow moving boat while a gentle mist lifts up on its surface. A boy, probably at least ten in age, sitting on the edge of the lake signature narrow boats was tending the nets. It’s a familiar scene on this part of the world known as Lake Sebu, yet a welcome and relaxing sight for a city dweller like me.

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South Cotabato: Lake Sebu’s Second Falls Hikong Bente

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The towering second falls of Lake Sebu, Hikong Bente teases with is raging waters cutting through the mountain vegetation clearly seen from afar as we went down the second zipline. We took a rocky habal-habal ride up to first falls Hikon Alu to get our gears and sprint back to Hikong Bente jump-off. Even from afar, we started taking pictures of Hikong Bente.

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South Cotabato: Spectacular Lake Sebu Seven Falls Zipline

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Lake Sebu Zipline

I must admit, I was thinking, “What the hell did they do to they do to the Seven Falls?” first I heard about a zipline being set up there. Marring the amazing sight of the falls with wires was the image that came to mind. But then again, I’ve heard and read from people how they enjoyed the zipline but I wanted to see it first and make sure they didn’t do anything drastic to the natural landscape. So the recent Backpack Photography gave me a chance to experience the getting famous Lake Sebu Seven Falls Zipline.

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