The Other Side of General Luna in Siargao - Boulevard, Boardwalk and KTV

Aside from the hotels and resorts that line up the shore of General Luna (where Patrick's on the Beach is also located), I'd like to share with you the other side of this quaint little town off the coast of Surigao del Norte; I mean the more local and less touristy side.

After Peter and I checked out the surfers and the waves on Cloud Nine, we headed to the Boulevard where a lot of sari-sari stores lined up side by side. Nearly all of them offered freshly grilled burgers and fries. Absolutely every single one had a karaoke machine. Imagine about 30 different people, singing 30 or so different songs, all at the same time! Oh and It's not just foreign tourists that frequent this place. It seems the locals have developed a penchant for singing!

Only Php 5.oo per song!

I guess karaoke has indeed been ingrained in the blood of Filipinos because it didn't matter that these KTV stalls are side by side and you couldn't even hear the sound of your own voice singing;

there's a festive ambiance in the midst of it all and with cheap booze and food sold right there, you'd really have a good time there. We did!

Enjoying my Php35.00 burger with fried egg, burger patty, tomatoes and onions. Not bad!

Near the end of the Boulevard is a long boardwalk that leads to the open sea.

At night, both the boulevard and the boardwalk were lit up with white lamp posts and the boats were docked near the shore.

Peter and I explored these areas and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. We also noticed that even at night, the white sand of General Luna is really very evident.

The next day, before we headed to Sohoton Cove, we went to the Boulevard once again where the town market is also located.

Fishermen would bring their fresh catch to the market to sell to both tourists and locals alike. We bought some which we planned to grill for lunch over at Sohoton Cove.

In broad daylight, I noticed that near the Boulevard are the other important establishments in this municipality. The local hospital and police station are there and the rest of the Boulevard is actually a park where people hang out with their friends and families for picnics and what-not. Children would also play on the bridge by jumping into the water. What brave little ones this little town has!

Even if this side of town is not as frequented by tourists, the quality of the beach and the water here is even better that the beaches in Batangas, Zambales or La Union. This local public beach has similar quality to that of Boracay which made me even more attracted to the possibility of living here, even for just a little while like I did in Boracay last summer.

In the afternoon, when the sun is at its highest and hottest, the main street would be empty. People were likely taking their siesta, so I took this chance to walk around, buy myself some chips and just enjoyed the white sand street. I think their sand is even whiter than Boracay's which I really find amazing.

At the end of our little exploration of General Luna, Peter and I found an alternate route which led us back to our hotel (Patrick's on the Beach). There's this long, wooden bridge at the opposite side of the Boulevard. We just followed the path and after a few more steps, we were back at our hotel.

When you go to Siargao, do visit this other side of General Luna. It will make you feel like you're one of the locals which would make you appreciate this quaint little white sand town all the more. ^_^