Mindanaoan Meets World by: Maria Irene Aserios According to a number of studies, sulfuric water has therapeutic, medicinal effects such as helping treat asthma, skin diseases as well as rheumatism. This is why a lot of people try to scout for places that have sulfuric water. In Camiguin, the governmentun, natural hot springs resort, Ardent, has fresh, hot sulfuric flowing water, which comes from Mt. Hibok Hibok. In Surigao del Norte, they have the Mapaso Wellness Spring Resort. Located about 2 kilometers from the town proper of Mainit town, Mapaso is where you can relax and loosen those sore muscles. Now I realize that that sounded a bit ironic considering that "mapaso" means "to get burnt" in Bisaya and "hot" in Surigaonon dialect! But really, this governmentun tourist destination is a good eco-tourism place to visit. Open from 8AM to 5PM everyday. Entrance fees: Adult: Php 25, Senior Citizen: Php 20 and Children: Php 15. You can rent cottages for as low as Php 250.00 If you want to make your stay more exclusive, you can rent certain pools there. Exclusive pool rental rates are Php 500, Php 750 and Php 1,000. The Php 1,000 private pool section is where the warmest water can be found. I stayed here the longest - I waded in the hot sulfuric water and really felt the tension in my muscles easing. Cool! Oh, by the way, do bring your own food and drinks. When we visited, there wasn’t a store in sight. There are stalls where you can change. I highly suggest that you also take a quick shower to close the pores of your skin. Hot sulfuric water can open your skin pores. Clean cold water can help close them. When I visited Mapaso Wellness Resort, I was with my mother and our fellow Girl Scouts officers and volunteers. The town mayor generously lent us a vehicle. There are habal-habals you can rent, too. Mapaso-Hot-Springs-MainitIMG_20130717_153606-800x600 Mapaso-Hot-Springs-MainitIMG_20130717_153740-800x600 Interested to visit? From the Butuan City bus terminal, take a bus going to Surigao. You have to make sure, though, that the bus is NOT a non-stop trip. Make sure that the bus can stop at Barangay Magpayang, Mainit (this is a roadside barangay). You can ask the bus dispatcher to be sure. Also, when you buy your bus ticket, request the driver or conductor to drop you off at the Magpayang junction. From the Magpayang junction, you can hire a habal-habal. Fare is usually Php 50 per person (a habal-habal can take up to 4 passengers). Til next ish! Do visit my blog Mindanaoan.com for more stories. Safe travels, everybody!