Bakla Ako, May Reklamo?

“Surfing? Seriously?”

This was my initial reaction when I received an invite from GeiserMaclang about a month or so ago to join the Aloha Boardsports Inc. team in Lanuza, Surigao del Sur for a Media Surf Event. Less than a minute after reading the email from Charl, I RSVPd yes. I told myself that I had about a month to build up my confidence and to prepare myself for something I was completely scared of all my life - big waves! I do not know how to swim and I have had many traumatic experiences involving lakes, falls, and the ocean.

Prior to this trip, the only surfing I was familiar with was the kind that involves the Internet. I can safely say that I’m an expert when it comes to Internet surfing. But actual, real surfing? All I knew were the following: surfing is difficult, it is a very “manly” event and that there is little (to zero) space for gay guys like me, surfing is a sport for the rich, and that surfer dudes are hot. I was not really sure of all those and I knew that joining this trip would help me prove myself wrong - except for the knowledge that surfer dudes are hot. I could not afford to be wrong about that.

As I boarded Asian Spirit Flight 6K779 to Surigao City (Asian Spirit flies from Manila to Surigao City daily) with Markku, our friends from the national dailies, and the GMCI folk, I sucked up all my fear of the water and conditioned myself that I could do it. This trip would surely help me prove to my family, my friends and the whole world that even if I’m a raging homosexual, I can do things that many people think only straight guys can do. At this point (and until the end of the whole trip), Paris Hilton’s Nothing in This World kept playing in my head: “Nothing in this world can stop us tonight, I can do what she can do so much better.” We arrived safely and smoothly at the Surigao City Airport sometime before lunch. From there, we took a 4-hour van ride from the capital of Surigao del Norte to a place previously unknown to me, but I’m sure is very familiar among surfers - Lanuza, Surigao del Sur. It was a long and grueling ride on rough roads, but experience told me that it was gonna be worth it, well worth it!

Minutes after sunset, we finally arrived at our destination - the small but lovely town of Lanuza (will post a separate feature on this wonderful municipality). We were graciously welcomed by the Mayor, Geri Irizari, into the municipality by sharing with us information about the town, ecotourism, their conservation projects, their awards, and their Lanuza Surfing Festival. Oh and yeah, fresh buko juice and the local delicacy called Carlang (made from the root crop gabi) surely helped refresh us from that long trip.

Ernie at the LanuzaMunicipalHall

Fresh Buko Juice and Carlang

We then headed to 3E Family Lodge, our residence in Lanuza for the next few days. After freshening up, we were treated to a sumptuous buffet dinner with the hotties from the Aloha Boardsports Team and Onboard Philippines. Aloha Boardsports (the Philippine distributor for boardsports brands like Volcom, Lost and Dakine), Onboard Philippines (an local surfers-initiative that aims to promote the country through what is known as Surfing Tourism) and the Department of Tourism are working hand-in-hand to grow the local surfing industry by exploring the opportunities that surfing offers to the country and empower and support the country’s growing community of surfing enthusiasts.

Some members of theAloha Boardsports Team (Corey Wills, Lui Tortuya, Nikki dela Paz and Paolo Soler). Photo from the Aloha Boardsports website

During dinner, Aloha Boardsports President Freddy Gonzales introduced us to the whole team and shared with us the goals of Onboard Philippines to highlight the beauty of surfing and the local communities and bring attention to the places like Lanuza, which many of us do not know about. He added that even if we all live in a crazy modern world, the Philippines still has many places where we can enjoy crazy adventures!

Find more videos like this on The Bakla Network ..Crazy adventures! That got me thinking. I knew that the next day, I would be in for a crazy ride — the waves! I overheard the surfers talking about 10-foot waves, similar to those found in Siargao. I managed to conceal my hyperventilation (caused by the sight of hot surfers as well as the idea of 10-foot waves.) God Save the Queen! Save me! I’m a Queen! Mother Nature seemed to have heard my thoughts. She showered us with heavy rains that night, telling me that she’s the only queen in the village! I told her that I’m fine with being a princess, just please don’t rain on my surfing parade tomorrow.

A couple of beers capped the night and off we went to get some much-deserved and much-needed slumber. I knew I needed to have enough rest since the next day will require a lot of energy for me to scream for help, if I ever drowned in deep (or even shallow) waters.

With a renewed spirit (after a good night’s sleep), I finally convinced myself that I was ready for the big waves - even if I did not know how to swim. We headed to the beach for Surf 101 with the hot men we met the night before. At the sight of the big waves and the hot surfers already riding the waves, I almost backed out and almost decided that I would just watch by the shore and appreciate the beauty of surfing from that vantage point. Our female friends from the media got me thinking that if they can do it, so can I!

Hottie Paolo Soler rounded us up and gave us the basics of surfing — from the surfboard parts, the types of boards, paddling, standing up on the board, catching a wave, what to do if you fall, goofy and natural board stances, and the most important thing of all – having fun! Off we went buddying up with the pros who were tasked to coach us beginners and make sure we had fun. I was assigned to cute and wacky Lui Tortuya, who is a certified lifeguard and owns and operates a surf shop and surf camp in Zambales. With these information in hand, I gained enough confidence to ride the waves - or at least get up on the surfboard. He was patient enough to deal with my fear of drowning as well as my male ego, which made me a stubborn student. He held my board from behind and spotted the wave for me. When he decided that the wave was good enough, he would tell me to start paddling and then let go of the board. Whooosh! The first time I was released, I started paddling and got a natural high. So high that I forgot to actually try to get up and stand on the board and ride the wave - which was the main goal. On the second try, I managed to stand on the board for about 2 seconds before falling flat on my bottom. The third try was worse than the first two - I fell from the board even before I started getting up. More waves and more tries later, I finally managed to stand on the board and ride the wave… then fell to a deeper part of the sea where I couldn’t feel the sand. I instantaneously grabbed the surfboard, knowing that it’s also a floating device. The current was really strong that even if you just stood at one point of the sea, you would be brought at least five feet away from your original spot. Lui noticed that I was already exhausted and was already trying to catch my breath, he decided that I needed a break. I told him that it must have been frustrating to teach someone as stubborn as I, and he replied with comforting and reassuring words that it was not my fault since the waves were really not suited for teaching beginners. And yeah, that I should also start conquering my fear of the water and start swimming lessons.

I never thought I would enjoy surfing that much. I wanted to surf more but the weather did not seem to cooperate with us and showered us with rain. Even if it was okay to surf in the rain, we all were already hungry (we did not notice the time) and we all had to protect our bags and other equipment from getting wet in the rain.

We headed to Sanctuary Cafe near the Lanuza Marine Sanctuary for lunch. I think one of the best things about this trip was that I was never hungry - thanks to Charl, June, and Amor Maclang of GMCI. At every meal, I managed to eat more than I’m used to. If only someone took care of me like that at home and cooked good food for me, I would surely gain weight in less than a month!

Nature was kind enough to not shower us with rains the whole day. But despite that, we did not see the sun at all — the clouds covered them up. One thing I found out, the hard way, was that even if the sun ain’t visible, it still goes through the clouds and could cause sunburn. Lesson learned: even if it is a cloudy day, put sunblock on your body! I did not get really dark as I wanted. You know the kind that when you get home, people would ask you where you were over the weekend because of your nice tan. The kind that would make you proudly grin and say, “Oh, I went surfing in Surigao!”

In the afternoon, we went to a beach resort with kinder waves. We borrowed surfboards from the hot surfers, but I was too scared to go surfing without hot adult supervision. Most of us decided to just frolic in the water. It was in this beach that I had an epiphany of sorts — I have found my water sport! Frisbee! I played frisbee with some of our media friends and that’s when I realized that Frisbee was something I could manage to learn without drowning. Huh? Frisbee is not a water sport? But we played it by the beach. Beach is water ain’t it?

Dinner was served at a Dampa-style restaurant at a nearby town (nearby being 45 minutes of travel). The place reminded me of the Sutukil eating places in Cebu. They served kinilaw, grilled fish, seafood and what seemed to me like a staple in the area - shellfish cooked in one million different ways! As with the previous meals, I think I have gobbled up more than three cups of rice downed with softdrinks and beer! After dinner, we watched a video of the surfers riding the waves a day or two prior to our arrival. The waves are fantastic and so were the surfers. I was particularly impressed with Corey Wills who made it appear as if surfing is as simple as blinking your eye! I also noticed that in whatever they do, the surfers always have fun - be it riding the waves, watching videos of them riding the waves, or even at dinner.

A few beers and a lot of surfing and other stories later, we all decided to call it a night since we had to leave at the break of dawn the next day. The rains stopped us from enjoying the other world-class tourist spots in the town, we were not able to go caving and see the falls. But as they say, there’s always a next time. The place and the people are just so wonderful that I would gladly endure another four-hour bumpy ride.

And now I’m feeling what first-timers feel after surfing - body pains and sore muscles. And yes, even without the sun in sight when we went surfing - I have sunburns! Saying that I had so much fun in this trip is an understatement. Words can’t describe the whole experience. I guess you really have to experience the real thing to make you appreciate the beauty of this sport. Ask me if I’m willing to go surfing again. Without batting an eyelash and in a heartbeat, I’d tell you I definitely would (just make sure there are hot surfers by my side, I still don’t know how to swim!).

If you’re scared of the water of if you think you’re not gonna enjoy surfing, you’re wrong. Take it from me surfing is for everyone — girls, boy, bakla, tomboy!

I’m now a convert!

(More photos to follow!)

*I would like to thank Asian Spirit, Aloha Boardsports, Onboard Philippines, GeiserMaclang and the Municipal Government of Lanuza, Surigao del Sur — Mayor Geri Irizari (who was so kind and good to all of us, and he surfs too!) and the Lanuza Municipal Government for making this trip one heck of a good ride!