In the not-so-far outskirts of Surigao City, a throng of edgy, colliding rockers lies unusually subdued, well-rested, and only headbangs against each other when stepped upon. These are the pebble rockers of Barangay Mabua, simply known to travelers as "Pebble Beach." The place defies popular belief—much in the same way some reject the logic that thin women are the only vixens on Earth—that a beautiful beach, to be considered as such, should consist only of fine granules of sand. As this shingle beach dramatically demonstrates, these smooth, oval-shaped sedimentary rocks make a powerful case against the prevailing notion that only sandy shores are worth visiting.
A Woodstock of Pebble Rocks in Mabua
The Shingle Shoreline of Mabua
My Surigao City–based friend Nathalie accompanied me here right off the bat after my arrival. We took a twenty-minute tricycle ride at a semi-breakneck pace from the city proper. It was almost the tail end of the afternoon when we reached Barangay Mabua. The sky was already overcast with a golden glow slowly morphing into fiery red, as if cuing Cookie Chua to belt out a haunting melody of "Paglisan."
Nathalie wanted to show me the other side of the beach, so we hiked atop a small hill that offered a sweeping panoramic view of the surrounding landscape. From the peak, I traced the long rows of colorful fishing boats docked neatly along the pebble shoreline, stretching as far as my eyes could see toward the tree-covered rolling hills to the east.
Preserving a Natural Wonder
Standing there, I remembered the house I grew up in, where we had a small garden filled with pebble stones. We would use them to play "touchstone"—a game of throwing pebbles to try and hit another stone. By doing so, our garden quickly became bereft of them. I fear a similar fate for this unique shingle beach. I noticed houses nearby, including a large rest house featuring a spacious garden paved entirely with stones taken from the shore. While the beach likely holds millions of pebbles, if people continually carry them away piece by piece to decorate their personal lawns, it will only be a matter of time before Mabua is stripped of its defining character.
From a distance, the stones resemble loaves of bread scattered across the coast, but their subtle blue mineral particles and smooth gray surfaces lend them a shimmery appeal. They are solid, heavy, and ready to pack a punch! Skipping stones here requires extra effort, mimicking the form of an Olympic discus thrower.
A Taste of Local Delicacies in Ipil
As the sun dipped toward the horizon, Nathalie and I picked our way over the rounded stones back to the paved town road. We talked about our upcoming travel plans, and I learned she was flying off to Myanmar in a few days—a destination sitting near the very top of my personal bucket list. We passed a coastal resort that Nathalie mentioned was owned by a foreign investor. It stuck out like a sore thumb among the humble local dwellings. A short distance farther, she pointed out several newly constructed vacation homes owned by city residents seeking a quiet seaside escape in Mabua.
Soon, we reached the neighboring Barangay Ipil, where we paused to watch the sunset and enjoy a local merienda of sayongsong—a sweet, sticky rice delicacy made from ground rice, brown sugar, coconut milk, roasted peanuts, and ube, neatly wrapped in banana leaves. It sells for a modest five pesos per piece. We bought half a dozen from a roadside stall where a middle-aged American was animatedly sharing stories with amused locals who laughed at every twist and turn of his tales.
I devoured three sayongsong in one sitting, famished after a long day of transit and hiking. Though my body felt weary, my mind was beaming with fascination for this newfound coast and the delicious local flavor curing my hunger. As the golden sky gradually ceded to the darkness of night, a few local fishermen recognized Nathalie and greeted us warmly, offering a brief summary of their day's catch.
When the crimson sky faded into total blackness, Nathalie and I waited along the roadside for a tricycle back to the city center. I quietly bade farewell to an eventful afternoon, looking forward to the next day's journey to Bislig in Surigao del Sur to search for the majestic Tinuy-an Falls.
