Gumasa Beach Glan Sarangani

1st Day of SOCCSKSARGEN trip

(Acronym for the provinces: South Cotabato, Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani and General Santos City)

  We took a very early flight to General Santos City. It's awesome because we were able to watch the glorious sunrise over the clouds. I traveled with my parents & my childhood friend Grace's parents. We looked forward to the promise of what Mindanao's gem has to offer. On our first day we stayed at Gumasa Beach. A white beach tagged as Boracay of the South. I don't know what's up with people trying to tag it Boracay. Can they not understand that every beach has it's own characteristic. 

At the parking lot of KCC Mall, we hopped on a public van going to Glan, Sarangani, It was about 45mins ride. The van is old but it was OK. When we reach the bus station we took a tricycle to stay at White Haven Resort. The tricylce is bigger than usual. I enjoyed the ride gliding through the well paved concrete highway. Sometimes we're going up on a steep up hill & rode swiftly down the on the semi-winding road. As usual my father was getting impatient with the trip. But once we got there, he fell in-love with the beach.

The white beach is almost empty except for the students who were camping that day. It is a beautiful pristine white beach. A bright sunny day was a perfect match for it. The sand is so fine like the one in Dumaluan Beach in Bohol, fine like Coffee Mate but not as white.

An empty beach just for us, the trip was truly worth it. While I was strolling along the beach, I saw a grand eagle soaring high and passing above the trees. Never have I experienced that, and never thought it's possible. It's truly wonderful site.

At White Haven Resort, they painted Coconuts and used it for decoration. They have humble accommodations. For lunch, the dishes are simple but tasty. The Chicken Adobo is yummy and so is the Grilled Tuna Tail. That afternoon we took a short nap, while my father & Tito Arman swam at sea in the heat of the afternoon sun. That afernoon just before we woke up it drizzled a bit.  The shore's texture became hard as a pavement because the very fine sand was compacted.

That afternoon we took a dip in the warm waters. The sea is still and calm. The sky played a beautiful symphony of colors. We watched the sunset until the sky turned deep orange to red.

The next day we took an early morning swim. At the shore, we met with a lady selling fresh and dried squid. Tita Josie bought some and had it cooked Adobo. It was a short stay in Gumasa Beach, we loved every minute of it. My father also asked how did I know of the place, well,my answer is "I love the beach & I will always find a way to find it". It was my usual kind-of beach, not crowded, non-commercialized, pristine & have a natural relaxing feel.

Flower of Umbrella Tree

African Tulip Tree Flower- my favorite flower of all time. For me it's a symbol of summer.

Fresh caught squid

Cramped in a tricylce

On our way out, I saw this big chunk of Lime Rock, it was the reason why the beach has a fine texture it was made out of powdered lime and not so much of crushed corals. The ride back was scenic with green lush coconut trees. Most of the houses in the area are still "Bahay Kubo"(native wooden houses on stilts) and sometimes you'll find there are pigs tied to posts at their front yard.