We were waiting to jump on a bus to the main ferry port in Bohol, when a moto taxi rider convinced us to take a more direct, local and much cheaper route to the island of Siargao. So, three buses, two jeepneys, two ferries (one overnight), three motorised tricycles, one cheap hotel room and around 36 hours later we arrived at a beautiful resort only 150m from the world class surf break, Cloud 9!

Unfortunately, July is the flattest month for surf in the Philippines, so there wasn't much happening at Cloud 9, but the whole place still had an amazingly relaxed, super-friendly, asian-style surf culture. It only took a few hours before all the locals knew where we were from, how long we were staying and how interested we were in surfing.

Apparently every year in August and September Cloud 9 really turns on, and professional surfers and spectators from all over the world fill this sleepy little Island for their annual surf contest. The huge amount of empty resorts and ex-patriot owners were testimony to this. It was easy to imagine the bars, grassy foreshores and extended lookout towers filled with cheering, drunken 'Americanos'.

We found a great little local restaurant with deliciously big cheap meals and, partly due to a lack of other options, we ended up eating there at least once a day. For one meal, we bought a bag full of the local version of lobster (kind of like a large aquatic grasshopper nymph) and asked the chef to cook them up. She did a great job to disguise the slightly muddy taste of the crustaceans, and we licked our lips as we tallied another one up on our list of 'weird things that we've eaten'.

As the surf was so flat, we set about for a bit of island exploration. Fortunately, a French couple overheard us talking and, as the bangka's charged per boat rather than per person, invited us to join their boat with some more Frenchies and a couple of Germans. The small boat took us to Socorro and the Sohoton Caves, part of a small island off the southern tip of Siargao. This place was really undeveloped and full of steep forested limestone coves with turquoise waters. The boats took us through a network of estuaries and limestone archways, all the while we could count the fish swimming amongst the corals beneath us!

Before we headed out for the day, our Filipino crew helped us to pick out some good fresh seafood from the market. For lunch we parked at a small sandy cove and they cooked it all up for us. The most interesting dish was Kinilaw, which is basically raw pieces of local fish tossed together with vinegar, soy, lime, ginger, onion, garlic, tomato and chilli. We ate it with our hands whilst sitting on a deserted white sanded beach with our feet in the water!

After lunch we rowed over to a jellyfish sanctuary. It doesn't sound very exciting, but this was one of the highlights of our travels so far. The jellyfish live in a large cove that is cut off by the tide for most of the day. They are protected, so no motorised boats and no fishing. After rowing into the middle of the cove, all we could see were thousands of beautiful, peaceful jellies swimming all around us. Suddenly our skipper stopped and encouraged us to dive in for a snorkel! After a bit of reassurance that we wouldn't swell up like beetroots we took the plunge. It was a completely unique and surreal experience, freaky but amazing. Like something out of 'Finding Nemo' we were swimming through a forest of brown and pink Jellies. These guys don't have a concept of personal space, so it was a challenge to relax as they brushed past, and try not to make any sudden movements and splatter an unlucky fella into a hundred little pieces!

It was a long day, and as the boat sped back to General Luna in Siargao, we swayed, gently suspended from the water by a couple of stretches of rope netting! Feeling slightly re-energised by the time we got back, we decided to stay in General Luna for dinner before getting a moto back to Cloud 9. In search of a restaurant around the port, all we could find were a line of six or seven burger, beer and Karaoke bars, all identical and competing fiercely with their Karaoke volume. So we spent the night eating burgers, drinking beers and sharing the mic between us and an English/Filipino couple as we tried to sing louder than next door!

The most common phrase we heard during our stay was 'tomorrow, surfing better tomorrow!' from all the local surfers. Their optimistic predictions proved true a couple of days before we left, as the swell picked up. A German dude called Henning happened to be on a break from teaching kids how to surf in Samar, another island further north. He had just bought a couple of second-hand boards to take back and offered to lend Aidan one for our last couple of days. The famous Cloud 9 was typically crowded, especially on the high tide in the afternoons, but Aidan managed to get a couple of small waves there just after sunrise.

As the swell grew and Cloud 9 actually started to show some form, the crowds became too much so we tied the board to a motorbike and took off in search of uncrowded waves and also to have a bit more of a look around the island.

We stopped at a small village for a quiet breakfast and before we knew it, we had an audience of a hundred kids, and even a few adults, following our every move. Only a small and insignificant village on the map, we got the feeling that they saw a lot of foreign surfers ride past but none had ever stopped for breakfast. They were a little disappointed that Aidan didn't go for a surf in their little bay, but happily waved goodbye as we eventually set off again.

A bit further on, we found a little piece of paradise called Pacifico, with a near perfect lefthand wave, and only four local surfers. Aidan paddled out and caught a few before the tide went low, while Jess relaxed with a book on the beach. It was definitely worth the extra effort to get away from the crowds.

The roads were mostly unpaved, but we pressed on and explored dozens of headlands and bays with perfect uncrowded waves just waiting for the tide to come up again. Before we rode back to base, we managed to find a little inland waterfall to wash the salt off. Despite a great day and some nice waves, by the time we got back we were so sore and sunburnt from the hot, dry, rocky roads that we were swearing never to ride a motorbike again!

It was so easy to feel at home in Cloud 9, Siargao, and seemed obvious as to why so many ex-patriots had decided to stay permanently. We could easily have stayed longer, but our three weeks in the Visayas is already up, and we have a few other places in Asia that we still have to see. A tip for all you surfers and paradise lovers - get to the Philippines!