CarCanMadCarLan

CARCANMADCARLAN – is the acronym for the five towns within the first district of Surigao del Sur. It stands for Carrascal – Cantilan – Madrid – Carmen – Lanuza.

Coming from Surigao City, you can either take a Bachelor bus (for 160 pesos) or a passenger van (for 175 – 180 pesos) for the roughly 3 hour trip through one of the most scenic journeys in the Philippines, a trip punctuated with mountain ranges, small cascading waterfalls, white sand beaches, and some visible verdant green tiny islands dotting the sea nearby.

If not for the bumpy ride (it can be a bit rough riding from the Norte-Sur boundary for the last 1 hour of the trip) which will definitely make your bum scream in defiance!.......I would gladly go back & forth to Surigao City if only to get a regular dose of the fantastic landscape but alas, the bum does hurt a bit….lol

You can find anything you wish for --- rice paddies dotting the landscape between Cantilan and Madrid, mountains, swamps, and rivers between Carrascal and Cantilan, or the giant waves that surfers dream about (but I cringe upon! Hahaha) in Lanuza, or the waterfalls hidden inside the far flung barrios of Madrid and Carmen. If you are after a glorious suntan, you can head on to the nearby white sand-ringed islands of Cantilan.

Although there is a dearth of restaurants serving quality food, one can always opt for a seafood diet and head on to the floating restaurant at Bon-ot, Carrascal. You can select the seafood you want (as in, you choose the fish, squid, prawns, etc) and have it cooked the way you like it. For locals like me, we always have the SUTUKIL --- Sugba (grilled), Tuya (soup), Kilaw (raw salad). We are so fond of acronyms eh? Lol

The choices of accommodation are a bit limited though and is concentrated more in the town of Cantilan. You can go to Solar Lodge which is located near the San Pedro beachfront area. Or the nearby Zyphora Inn which also has a Friday night disco every week if you are the type who cannot go without the bright lights and fast music.

But the most precious sight in my hometown are the welcoming smiles……people are so friendly and always have a ready smile to welcome any newcomer to our hometown.

Welcome to CCMCL……