Sulat, one of the oldest towns of Eastern Samar, is not on any list of must-see places. It does not merit a footnote in travel books and many would be hard pressed to find it on a map.

But those who call it home, or who have had the rare chance to visit, are only too glad for the anonymity. It means that they can selfishly have the fifth-class municipality's unspoiled beauty all to themselves. But they may not be able to keep their secret for much longer, because word is slowly getting out that Sulat, a little over 30km south of the province's capital of Borongan City, is an ideal getaway for surfers.

Facing the Pacific Ocean, Sulat is gifted with tall enough waves—about six to eight feet high—to merit the expense and hassle of lugging a surfboard to this town about four hours away from the nearest major airport in Tacloban City.

Local surfer Divino Evardone says that a number of surfers from Australia—in perpetual search for new places to explore and surf in—have become regular visitors to one of Sulat's islands, Macate. They’ve been taking more and more of their foreign and local friends along because in Sulat they can surf to their heart's content without other surfers getting on their wave unlike in the more established and better-known surf spots in La Union, Surigao and Aurora.

There are also many sites to choose from—there are about two surfing sites near the poblacion of Sulat, besides Macate, there’s another one off the island barangay of San Vicente—and all are practically deserted, save for fishermen out for their daily catch.

Visiting surfers do not face competition for the waves from the locals. Only recently have a few Sulatnons started to take up the physically demanding and yes, expensive sport. Neither do visitors need to spend a fortune for the experience – a cottage on Macate rents out for only 200 pesos (US$4.75) for a whole day, 500 pesos ($12) if they want to spend the night.

Evardone shares that for four straight years, an elderly Australian surfer has stayed on the island for a whole month during surfing season—from August to January— just to get his surfing fix. And he's scheduled to come back yet again this year.

But even if people do get to hear about Sulat's considerable merits, they hesitate to make the trip because it can be grueling indeed, mainly because of the sorry state of the two main roads that link Sulat to the airport in Tacloban City on the island of Leyte.

Travelers will agree that the journey is definitely not the destination. The shorter three-hour route across the famous San Juanico Bridge through the towns of Calbiga and Wright in Samar, and then Taft in Eastern Samar will leave the visitor feeling like they just rode a jackhammer. They have to grit their teeth while navigating a seemingly endless series of potholes, road cuts and even remnants of landslides.

The longer, more scenic southern route via the town of Lawaan is easier on the backside because of the relatively smooth roads. That feeling ends at the capital of Borongan where the rocky roads start. It must be like traveling on the surface of moon with its numerous gaping craters. Because of the deep ruts, the 32km stretch from Borongan to Sulat takes about an hour’s ordeal of maneuvering through all the hazards that wreak havoc on any vehicle's tires and engine, even those of the buses and trucks.

Eastern Samar governor Ben P. Evardone said in an interview that the province continues to look for ways to ease the motorists' and residents' misery by spending on the long-delayed rehabilitation of the damaged portions of the national road. He added, however, that the provincial government can only do so much since funds for the repair of national roads are in the hands of the Department of Public Works and Highways. The province’s congressman, charged with networking the project, just said that he “was trying his best”.

This is a shame considering that the entire Eastern Samar is being developed as a tourist destination, with surfing as its top draw. Calicoan in Guiuan, a municipality at the southernmost tip of the province, is already getting considerable investments, with the Shimao group of China pledging to invest in a tourism complex. Korean and Filipino groups have already broken ground on their own projects. The development of the rest of the towns like Sulat, which has just as many surfing destinations as Guiuan, may not happen if the roads remain as they are.

But despite the terrible roads, some visitors still manage to make the trip to Sulat, for they know that rewards await them at the end of the challenging journey. And it’s not just the surfers who are happy to get there. Nature trippers are, too.

The beaches here can outclass many of their more popular counterparts in Batangas, Cavite and La Union. Yes, coconut husks and shells still litter the beach and the sand is not white, but having vast stretches of clean, clear ocean waters all to oneself more than makes up for that. No Megamall-like crowds or Boracay gangs here.

Then there’s the rich marine life, a feast for both the eyes and the stomach. Snorkelers can have a field day in the outlying islands of Agawan, where aquarium fish still dart around. Those who would rather stay on shore can enjoy a fresh catch of shrimp, crab, tuna or other coral fish on their plate. Avid bird watchers also have something to look forward to. Egrets abound, and so do olive-backed sunbirds and kingfishers, which find a safe haven here since the locals do not bother or hunt them down. Foraging hawks and eagles are also known to make a regular appearance.

The list of attractions goes on, and as Filipinos and foreigners continue their quest for undiscovered places, it may only be a matter of time before the town and the province get the top billing that they deserve, hopefully sans the bad roads.

How to get there: From Manila, take a flight to Tacloban City, then get on the San Jose jeep at the airport (50 pesos). You can ask the driver to drop you off at either the terminal of the vans (Duptours has regular trips to Borongan via the south road for 180 pesos, after which you have to take another jeepney to Sulat) or the bus terminal where you can take a bus to Borongan (via the older north road that will take you to straight to Sulat for 120 pesos.)

Sulat has no posh tourist facilities to speak of, although a local lady married to Hans Joseph Haury of Germany recently put up the Hans pension house for visitors. (By TINA ARCEO-DUMLAO/ The Philippines Daily Inquirer/ ANN)