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Captivating view of Lake Mainit aboard the outrigger boat
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In December of 2010, my family traveled to Jabonga, Agusan del Norte to visit my hubby’s family and the rest of his kinsfolk. Initially, our children had expected the trip to be another lackluster post-Christmas holiday in a sleepy rural town. But, lo and behold, it catered to their abbreviated attention spans and found the trip really exciting - a blockbuster! For the first time in the history of our various Jabonga jaunts, we took time one early morning to take an exciting three-hour cruise around Lake Mainit aboard a huge outrigger boat.
Lake Mainit is the fourth largest lake and the deepest in the country. It is located in the northeastern part of Mindanao and shared between the provinces of Agusan del Norte and Surigao del Norte. Aside from Jabonga, the municipalities bordering the lake are Kitcharao in Agusan del Norte, Alegria and Mainit in Surigao del Norte. The lake derives its name from a Cebuano word “ mainit”, which means hot.
The lake's placid,crystalline and greenish waters took center stage and the cruise was memorable for the family to appreciate the majestic scenes and setting. The vantage point from the water gave us breathtaking panoramic views of the surrounding wilderness, mountains, hills, shorelines and other geographic highlights. The children particularly were overwhelmed by the lake's bountiful beauty that's brought before their eyes. It was an experience that they will never forget.
We’re all living demanding, metropolitan lives and the cruise such as the one we had was one great occasion to recharge - spend some time to de-stress ; to bask and be in awe for God’s amazing creations found in our treasured native province. There's no place like home!
Obviously, the Lake Mainit cruise turned out to be the highlight of our Jabonga trip. It's kinda retreat to nature and we truly had a great time- simply awesome!
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| All set to go lake cruising - whooah ! |
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| The huge white outrigger boat we used for lake cruising |
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The featured photos in the ensuing pages will give one brief glimpses of what the two provinces of Agusan and Surigao have to bare. I guess there are more reasons why we should be buoyed up to go see the local tourist spots more often. We don’t have to go elsewhere to find these charming tourist destinations. There is raw beauty and wonder right in the countryside and around the regions. There are lots of unheard of hideaways in the Philippines one could ever imagine. And pursuing a fascinating journey on a local tour - never mind the amenities - will acquaint one with the colorful and lively Philippine culture and further one's appreciation of his motherland.
Most of us has yet to see the rest of the Philippines and appreciate the pleasure of leisurely discovering our islands and enjoy what is truly Filipino! I enjoin everyone out there to embark to what promises to be R & R trips and experiences that will allow not only to discover amazing diversity of local scenery and culture but to get lessons from it.
No one should feel like strangers in our own country.
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| Terence strikes a pose infront of a huge white outrigger boat moored in a nearby dock. Seen across the lake is part of Surigao del Norte's mountainous terrain. |
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| The author flanked by her husband and son,Jombo |
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The Grana Siblings :
Fr L - R : Ino, Jombo, Mari and Akim |
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| a fisherman paddles his banca past an islet on his way to catch fresh fish |
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| An uninhabited islet lying offshore composed of rock with vegetation |
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| The GRANA Family |
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| Wild ducks in flight |
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| Akim - the 2nd of the Grana Siblings ( a Fine Arts Student ) |
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| a beautiful and breathtaking scene: mountains enshrouded in fog and mists |
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| The outrigger boat - an iconic colorful boat in the Philippine seascape powered by an engine, row or sail. |
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| Mari marvels at the awe-inspiring sight of the stunning view of Lake Mainit |
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| twin-peaked mountain as seen from the boat |
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| The Grana Family aboard the huge trigger boat ( pump-boat ) |
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| Flock of wild ducks flying to the sun | | | | | |
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| Fishermen on bancas catching fish using the traditional fish traps |
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| Ino - the eldest of the siblings |
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| The traditional banca as a means of transportation to carry goods,produce and merchandise to far-flung areas |
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| mountain range along the western side of Lake Mainit .It's surrounding areas are the ancestral lands of the Mamanwa tribe |
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| a beautiful cloud-capped mountain scenery |
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| The Shutterbug |
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| a hundred year old or so Acacia tree near lake bank viewed from the boat |
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| Jombo - The youngest of the 4 siblings |
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| The conventional Fishpen |
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| Stunning view seen from the Jabonga Fishport |
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| Our third son - Luis Mari ( an ex-seminarian ) |
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| the mountains covered by mist and fog, |
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| Akim rests on prone position on the outtrigger area while basking Lake Mainit's serenity |
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| The Honeymooners |
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| Photo shoot with the frolicsome GRANA siblings near the lake bank after the cruise | |
