22/08/2025
I only go to Siargao for fun and not for romance. I donโt go to the island thinking I might find a guy during my visit. Thatโs never been the reason why I kept coming back. For me, Siargao has always been about freedomโthe salty air, the sound of waves crashing, the long motorbike rides, the late nights that turned into early mornings. It was the island I ran to whenever I needed a break, a reset.
Iโve been to Siargao three times before, and each visit felt like a repeat of the last. Surfing, island hopping, meeting people from all over the world, nights out at bars with friends. I enjoyed it, but nothing ever lingered once I flew back home. No deep connections, no stories worth holding on to. Thatโs why I never really expected anything different when I came back for the fourth time.
One night, my friends and I ended up at Harana. The place was aliveโmusic blasting, people dancing, the kind of energy that makes you forget about time. My friends immediately pulled each other to the dance floor, but I wasnโt in the mood. I stayed back, looking around, until I noticed him.
He wasnโt inside with everyone else. He was outside, sitting quietly, just watching the night unfold. He didnโt look like the kind of guy peopleโs eyes would chase after in Siargao. Not a tanned surfer, not a striking foreigner. Just an ordinary-looking guy, calm and almost unbothered by the chaos around him.
I donโt know what got into me, but instead of forcing myself to dance, I walked out and sat near him. At first, I thought it would just be a moment of silence, but we started talking. And it was easy. Effortless, even. I didnโt have to pretend or push myself to say the โrightโ things. The conversation just flowed, like weโd known each other longer than a few minutes.
It made me think about the kind of people I usually noticed before. Like many women who come to Siargao, I used to get drawn to the good-looking onesโthe foreigners, the surfers, the ones who carried themselves with that wild island charm. But with him, it was different. He didnโt have that kind of presence, and yet I couldnโt stop paying attention. He was easygoing, chill, and funny without trying too hard. And that, I realized, was what made him stand out.
For the last four days of my stay, we kept finding time for each other. He took me out for breakfast a couple of times, and once, he invited me for dinner. They werenโt fancy dates, but they meant something to me. I remember sitting across from him, laughing about the most random things, and thinking how rare it felt to be this comfortable with someone I just met.
Those four days went by so fast. On my flight back home, I caught myself smiling at the thought of him. The way he made Siargao feel different this time. Like it wasnโt just about the parties or the beaches anymoreโit was about the people you meet when you least expect it.
Now, even after leaving the island, we still talk. Messages, calls, little check-ins about how our day went. And recently, he invited me to Cebu. Said heโd show me around, take me to his favorite spots. I donโt know what will come out of this, or if it will turn into something more. But for once, Iโm not rushing to figure it out.
All I know is that after three trips of nothing but fun, it was on my fourth trip that I found something worth remembering. Maybe not love, maybe not forever, but something real enough to stay with me.
-Cara
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