‘Value for money’ Suroy Camotes trail tour

PARTICIPANTS in this year’s Suroy-Suroy Sugbo Camotes trail enjoyed the island attractions at a slightly lower price.

Provincial Tourism Officer Grace Paulino said they saved expenses using five of the province’s Suroy-Suroy mini-buses from the cities of Naga, Talisay and Carcar and the towns of Sibonga and San Francisco instead of hiring Ceres buses.

The participants and the mini-buses also boarded the same roll on, roll off (RORO) ship from Danao City wharf going to the island instead of taking the Oceanjet.

The participants paid a minimum of P6,000 to as high as P10,000 or P1,000 less than the P7,000 to P11,000 price tag.

Paulino said the price discount depends on the accommodations participants would choose.

Paulino said they had to pay P25,000 per day for the Ceres buses.

Despite overcast skies, participants were welcomed with garlands of Capiz seashells.

The group headed directly to Lake Danao Park where they were welcomed by a cultural presentation of Bundok Kasikay, composed of students from Camotes National High School, this year’s champion in the Suli-Suli Festival of Camotes.

Neon orange and green banderitas were strewn all above the open field fronting the 7-kilometer stretch of Lake Danao.

A buffet lunch of seafood and roast pork or lechon was served to participants.

They also enjoyed watching or joining Filipino games like palosebo (in which participants climb a slippery bamboo pole that bears a prize at the top), cock fights and a kayak race.

Others chose to undergo massages from accredited masseurs under the shade of trees while the rest rode a “sakanaw” or “Sakayan sa Danao” (boat in Danao) along Lake Danao to visit an islet named “Isyang” after a local myth of the Lake.

The participants rendezvoused at the Santiago Bay Resort for a quick snack of native delicacies.

Participants were served dinner on tables set in the middle of the beach, because it was low tide yesterday evening.

Paulino said most of the participants left their contact numbers in the provincial tourism office.

“So if there’s a schedule we can call them. Those who joined for the first time read about the Suroy Suroy in newspapers,” she said. Correspondent Jose Santino S. Bunachita