Siargao Love Stories Siargao Love Stories

In our very first episode of Season 3, we chat with Nicole Serrano Honasan. Nicole is the owner of vegetarian/vegan cafe, The Beachbaby Cafe, in General Luna and a yoga teacher at Lotus Shores.
At the time we recorded this episode, it was a few days before December 16th, 2024 which marked the 2-year anniversary since Typhoon Odette hit Siargao. Nicole shares her story from Odette, recalling her experience, how she felt and what she was thinking. We also talk about her life in Siargao, her love of Siargao, her love of surfing and how it relates to her experience practicing yoga. We talk about our inner child, embracing change and aging — and just about life in general.

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Follow The Beachbaby Cafe on Instagram: @thebeachbabycafe.siargao
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Siargao Love Stories is back with a third season of stories about love and life on the tear-shaped island of Siargao, Philippines. 

We started this little island podcast back in February 2021 in the midst of a global pandemic. Two years later we’re back for a whole new season — and things on the island are a lot different now.

As Siargao gets busier and busier, we need stories. Stories about the individuals living and thriving on this island — the people that make Siargao what it is.
This season we go a bit deeper, exploring the nuances of romantic love as well as the many different types of love, with Siargao as the main character. We chat with a range of truly unique and interesting guests about everything from surfing, spirituality and self-love to the meaning of true partnership, toxic relationships, healthy relationships, dating on the island and everything in between.

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A huge thank you to our friend Chris Alfaro of Free the Robots for his music.

Join the conversation on Instagram: @siargaolovestories
Support the podcast by hitting 'Follow' on our Spotify and giving us a star rating.
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On December 16th, 2021, the unimaginable happened. Our small island of Siargao was hit by Typhoon Odette — one of the strongest storms on Earth that year and declared Category 5, with winds that reached over 260 kph. 95% of Siargao was completely destroyed, including the homes, businesses and livelihood of the local communities.

With signal down for days and no communications from the island, ⁠Lokal Lab⁠, a non-profit organization based in Siargao, led the charge and took action to get relief goods and shelter to the island fast.

In this episode, we speak with Kara Rosas, co-founder and president of Lokal Lab and the main point of contact in Siargao’s relief operations. Kara shares her experience and takes us behind the scenes of the relief operations from her perspective. We learn about Lokal Lab, its mission, projects and ultimate dream of empowering the local community to create a self-sustainable island. We also hear about incredible stories on the ground of local individuals finding smart and resourceful ways to help as many people in their own communities.

At the time of recording, it has been exactly one month after Typhoon Odette landed in Siargao. The reality of the situation is that there is still so much to be done and still so much pain and trauma that lingers, especially from those who experienced the storm first hand. But there is hope and it’s so inspiring to see the strength and love in Siargao’s community that there is no doubt we will rebuild from this and only come back stronger.

Donate to Lokal Lab and its ongoing efforts in Siargao ⁠here⁠.

In the Philippines, food and love go hand in hand. In this episode, I chat with three incredible Filipino chefs from Siargao, each with unique styles, different experiences, perspectives and philosophies on food.

You’ll first hear from David del Rosario from the wildly popular kinilaw-only spot in Siargao called Cev about leaving his corporate job to pursue his passion and purpose as a chef. Then we speak with vegan chef and owner of Malasa, Ramon Pastelero, about how his way of cooking connects with his spirituality. And last but not least, we talk to Andrew Malarky from the restaurant Wild about embracing our Filipino-ness using food as a bridge towards our own identity. What ties these very different chefs all together is their love of food and their craft.

For international residents who considered Siargao home, but were unable to return due to the country's lockdown — what is life like for them now? In this episode, we chat with Alex Goldyn, founder of Siargao's non-profit animal rescue organization, Puppy Puddle. Alex is of Polish descent, but has been living in the Philippines for 10 years and Siargao for five of those years. She's built a life here on the island and considered it her home. So when she left for a quick trip to the U.S. in the beginning of 2020, she never in her wildest dreams thought she'd ever be locked out, unable to return. Almost two years later, she still hasn't been back in the Philippines. In our first ever overseas episode via Skype, we talk to Alex about what that whole experience has been like, her own personal growth, lessons from her long-term relationship and, of course, that deep love for our dogs.

Gayle Villaluz Casaccia is the owner of White Banana Beach Club, a gorgeous resort and restaurant in Siargao, which she helps to run along with her husband. She’s also a mother of four girls — three of which she had with her partner from a previous marriage. Gayle is also a former employee of an Only Fans growth management agency, where she trained others on sex talk, fetishes, sexting and flirting. What a job.

When you see Gayle and her husband together, it’s as if they are still in the honeymoon phase — super affectionate and undeniably in love. You would never guess they’ve been together for 6 years. What people may or may not know is that Gayle and her husband are currently in a non-monogamous relationship — and in this episode, she shares her journey, her thoughts on monogamy and creating a partnership outside conformity as well as secrets to long-lasting love.