All to myself | San Victor Island, Baganga, Davao Oriental

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Hello @worldmappin community! It's been a while! It's been over six months since the last time I posted in this community. A lot had happened lately including a Micro-papillary thyroid carcinoma diagnosis, a surgery, and the most recent one is a radioactive iodine therapy. I can't believe the year is almost over and I'm still here thriving each day!

Each morning, I feel extremely blessed and beyond grateful that despite all these I still get to do the thing I love the most, traveling. We'll get to the recent ones soon but for now, I'll take you to one of the destinations I've been to in my solo backpacking in the Southeastern part of the Philippines

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Smooth to start

After a quick stop at Mahoc Beach, we traveled for roughly 12 km and reached the Tourist Center that caters travelers wanting to visit San Victor Island also known as San Victor Island Retreat and Formation Center. I registered and boarded a small motorized banca to reach the island's white shore.

San Victor is not very far from mainland Baganga but of course, unless you are training for Ironman, riding a banca is still the best way to reach the island. It so happened that there's no other tourist that morning, I rode the banca with two employees who were about to report to work that day. Lucky me!

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Welcome to paradise

We reached the island in no time. Even a few meters away from shore, I could tell that deciding to include this island in my itinerary is the best decision of that day. The island may be small but half day here surely isn't enough.

First order of business was to pay the fees (entrance, environmental fees) in the cashier/front desk. There are no ATM machines in the island and signal could be intermittent (for digital payments), so be sure to bring a lot of cash with you! In the same area, there is a huge meeting/conference hall as well as an open-air hall equipped with wooden tables and chairs that are tourist-ready.

I booked a daytour in San Victor Island but if you want to stay longer, say 2D1N, you're in good hands; the island can accommodate tourists who plan on spending at least a night. You can choose from the various types of accommodation they offer (tent, rooms with and without AC). Name it, they have it!Just don't expect a 5⭐accommodation, this is a secluded island somewhere in Mindanao. Manage your expectations and book ahead as the island gets pretty crowded during summer.

For a while, I wasn't so sure of what activities to do in the island. Good thing, I was all by myself; there's no rush and no one else to consider. 😅 For the first few minutes, I decided to just chill and stay near the frontdesk/cashier. There were open huts/cottages erected near the shore but they'd collect another fee if I stay there so I found myself under the shade of tree instead. I'm not a picky traveler.

I soaked myself in San Victor's serenity. Aside from the recurring crashing of waves and habitual other sound of nature, birds chirping, leaves swaying with each gust of the wind, the island presented itself as a tranquil destination. One might arrive here with a heavy heart and leave with a renewed peace and bravery. Perhaps, this is the reason why they decided to erect a retreat and formation center in this island; they were right for doing so.

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Real discovery begins

It may not be evident in the photos I took but the waves were huge. I am confident with my swimming skills but acknowledging that I'm stranger to this place, I was hesitant to swim too far from shore. I was the only tourist that day so aside from the handful of workers who were busy attending to their own businesses, no one's gonna run and save me. Better safe than sorry. I still enjoyed playing with the waves by the shore. Picture me sitting by one of the trees below, waiting for the next big wave to come and surprise me with its strength, pulling me a little closer to the water, lips stretched all the way to both of my ears. A few of the workers who spotted me could've easily mistaken me for someone who's detached from reality but the truth is, I'm enjoying the present as much as I could thanks to San Victor.

The island was big enough that you'd need at least an hour, give or take, to explore it; this is in consideration with all the stops one has to make to take videos, snap photos and stare in awe of nature's unwordly wonders.

I was confused where to start my exploration but again, there's no pressure. I owe myself nothing but to be in the present. I walked across the forested part of the island, followed no path until I stumbled upon a few unexpected buildings. I saw a few houses (where the property keepers stay at nighttime I bet) and a small chapel.

I stayed quiet while I looked around. This might be a beach but it's no ordinary beach like Boracay or Alona Beach where you could burst the loudest noise and no one will care as these places are generally noisy.

I continued walking towards the eastern part of the island until I reached the other side. "This place kept unleashing its beauty, slowly but surely," I told myself as another smile was carved. The east side of the island is as adorable as where I first came from.

There were just two things I was able to note. First would be the waves; the waves on this side were bigger and longer, They looked like they could devour me or any living creature they'd come across. Second is that it would be scarier (for a normal person 😅) to stay here; no one's around not even employees as it's farther from the cottages and accommodations.

It's hard to pick which part of the island is more interesting to explore but if I had to pick, it would be the north eastern part of San Victor where I spotted a sweet surprise and perhaps the best thing about this tour.

In my continued exploration, I spotted what looked like a massive tree that was washed ashore. I continued walking towards it until I confirmed that it's indeed a dead tree that's now resting in the shore of San Victor.

I was mistaken tho; it wasn't washed from the mainland or elsewhere. It's from San Victor Island itself. Later on, I learned that this tree was uprooted during a strong typhoon years ago . I'm glad they didn't chopped off the branches and trunk. They gave this dead tree another chance to shine differently.

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Strangers save the day

As it was already getting hotter, I decided to walk back to the cottages where most of the big trees are to avoid getting sunburns. At this point, I was filled bliss and contentment for my morning tour here in San Victor. I was ready to inform the front desk to call the boat for my return trip to the mainland.

There was only one thing missing that I, alone, couldn't accomplish: photos of me in San Victor. All I had were a bunch of selfies that coudn't give justice to the astonishing views in San Victor. Before leaving, I asked a young man, prolly in his teenage years, to take photos of me. "Just one or two will do!" I asked kindly. To my surprise, he obliged saying that we should go back to the dead tree by the shore to take photos there, too. I couldn't believe what I heard and was hesitant at first knowing I'd disrupt his work. He was the kindest and convinced me with his remark "You're not here all the time"

The next thing I knew, we were under the sun and he gave me instructions which spots I should strike a pose for the camera. I didn't have such high expectations, any decent photo is much appreciated but when I reviewed his snaps, I almost cried in joy. The photos were carefully taken; the guy surely knew what he was doing.

He covered all angle, left no crumbs! Solo travelers are happy to meet this kind of strangers. Bless his hospitable heart! ❤

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