Bye Summer

Summer is ending and after months of scourging heat, I’m really looking forward to the rainy season. But before I say au revoir to the Sun King, just a quick reminisce of this summer.

Escaping the city’s heat, most of my free days were spent at our favourite hang-out place– Bahay ni Lola in Mabini, Batangas. It became my second home and workplace also. Days were spent writing technical papers and grant proposals, reading books, sleeping on lazy afternoons, accommodating guests, and/or swimming with Sheldon.

Work also gave opportunities to explore new places.

First, a visit to Barangay Daraitan in Tanay, Rizal. This community and the adjacent indigenous peoples (IP) communities will be submerged underwater if the controversial Laiban Dam pushes thru.

Assisting the Save Sierra Madre Network Alliance, we also conducted an IP Summit for the Rehabilitation of the Kaliwa-Kanan and Agos River Watersheds which was held in Infanta, Quezon.  

The summit gathered almost 100 Dumagat tribal leaders from Quezon, Rizal, Laguna and Bulacan.

Another work brought me to the mountainous region of the country- the Cordillera. We visited the small scale mining communities in Barangay Virac of Itogon, Benguet - the site of the first commercial mining firm in the country. 

We interviewed small scale miners and documented their operations.

Aside from meeting new folks, also favourite part of these trips were enjoying native cuisines- tapang kalabaw with sinantol and lambanog (Quezon) and pinikpikan with etag (Benguet), yumyum.

Also highlights of this summer: spending lazy afternoons at UP Diliman and taking photographs of trees and shrubs in bloom; 

birdwatching in La Mesa Ecopark, and a recreational climb with friends at Mt. Gulugod-baboy, the highest peak of Mabini.

Goodbye summer!

xOxOx 

 April-May 2013

Four Waterfalls of Siniloan

Nothing to do on a beautiful day, so why not re-explore the hidden gems of Siniloan, Laguna. Magtanggal din ng kati ng paa haha.  

The destination: Mt. Romelo of the Sierra Madre Mountain Range. 

We started our trek at Barangay Macatad and after more than an hour of navigating the muddy trail, we reached our first stop - Buruwisan Falls.

Towering at the height of 180 feet, the picturesque Buruwisan Falls is the most known of the Siniloan waterfalls. Hundreds of tourists flock to this place especially on weekends.

Next - Lanzones Falls. 

This 70-ft waterfalls has mystique ambiance  After hours of walking under the sun, it’s rewarding to soak your tired body in its small and cold water pool. The surrounding sharp, jagged rocks are also ideal for practicing your rock climbing skills.  Too bad it’s high noon, so no birds in the area.

To reach the next falls, one must pass (and swim) this beautiful gorge.

And then... Batya-batya Falls. 

The name was derived from the deep catch-basin that separates the two-cascading small falls.

After another hour of river trekking upstream, we reached our last stop – Sampalok Falls. 

This is the most majestic of all the Siniloan waterfalls and very few visit this spot because of its distance from Buruwisan. It felt we have our own private water pool!

Late afternoon, we dragged ourselves out of the water and started our descent with smiles on our faces.

xOxOx

Mt. Romelo was a favorite weekend destination during our college years. However, incidents of robbery and hold-up became prevalent in the past years and we stopped visiting this place. Today, it seems local officials manage to stop (or contain) these crimes. Still, extra precaution and vigilance are advised when visiting this place.

Up and Under in the Land of the Terraces

Ifugao, the land of the Bulols and the world-renowned rice terraces!

For this 3-days trip, we stayed in the beautiful town of Kiangan. Towering above the capital municipality of Lagawe, Kiangan boosts some of the best rice terraces in the province such as the Nagacadan Rice Terraces, one of five rice terraces cluster in the UNESCO Heritage List.

First on our to-do-list, attend an Ifugao wedding. 

 

Under the bale (a traditional Ifugao house), we feasted on sinanglaw (an Ifugao version of papaitan) and drunk baya (tapuy) as much as we can while listening to the merrily beat of gangsa and dancing feet. We ended the day lazily lying on our back at the roofdeck of Kiangan shrine, a building commemorating the capture of General Tomoyuki Yamashita, officially ending WWII in the country. Too drunk to be able to take a good photo of the shrine, tsk.

Next day, we went to Nakuldihan mountain range to explore the Pangagawan Cave.

Hiking at the rice terraces and we saw some amazing flora along the trail. 

The entrance of the cave is a sheer drop of 75 feet. 

The ladder that was put by the local tourism five years ago is already rusty and unstable. We brought our rigging equipment and rappelled down the cave.

Spectacular limestome formations inside and after more than an hour of spelunking and squeezing between rocks, we reached the end of the cave- a small but gorgeous waterfall.

On the way back, we encounter this magnificent spider.

Last day, we went to the Nagacadan area to scale a huge 80-feet boulder towering above the rice terraces. 

Too bad, the boulder is not ideal for rock climbing but its face is great for rappelling exercise. 

Using the access stairs behind the boulder, we climb the top and took turns in rappelling down the wall.  

  

Above the rock, you can feel the rush while gushing breeze hits your face and in the horizon, stairs and stairs  of rice paddies trying to reach the sky.

We capped the Kiangan adventure with a feast on pinikpikang duck and “few” rounds of brandy. 

Thanks to Atty Gloria Rose for inviting and hosting us to her sublimely town and also to her family for their hospitality. Babalik ulit :)

KIANGAN, IFUGAO

Caraga's Jewel

Dazed still from my Agusan Marsh experience, I made an overnight detour to Surigao del Sur to visit another natural jewel of Caraga – the Tinuy-an Falls.

From Bunawan, I travelled to Trento via a motorela (tricycle) and then bus to Bislig City. The road featured spectacular view of Caraga’s mountains making the crowded and bumpy ride worthwhile. Saw two writhed hornbills flying lazily, another lifer yey!

It was already dark when I arrived in Bislig. Luckily I was able to find a cheap but decent inn. I got a big room for only P200.

Woke up very early and walked towards the nearby fishing community. Huts and fishing boats glow in the golden summer rays.

Breakfast of rice and humba (a Bisayan dish) then off to Tinuy-an. Habal-habal rental is a little steep but after haggling we agreed at P300.  I really wished I brought my mountain bike Ani here in Surigao huhu.

After an approximately 10 km of off-road, we finally reached Tinuy-an.

And then, pure awesomeness…

There are also access stairs that leads to the top of Tinuy-an. Beautiful cascading but smaller waterfalls.

 

Tinuy-an Falls is located at the forest where TICOP Corp, a paper company, once operated. Eventhough the company already stopped its operations in the said area, logging, both legally and illegally, continue to persist.  Hopefully something can be done to stop this environmental crime.

Flock of tourists started arriving by 10am, my queue to leave the place. Caught the noon bus to Davao City, my next region.

Adios Caraga for now!

 Bislig City, Surigao del Sur

05.10-11.12

Marsh Life

First time to visit CARAGA and during this solo backpacking trip in Mindanao, I was very fortunate to witness and experience the community life in one of the country’s most unique and biologically-important ecosystems - the Agusan Marsh Wildlife Sanctuary.

Composed of more than 10,000 hectares of rivers, lakes, canals, swamps and agricultural lands, the Agusan Marsh is the biggest natural basin in Mindanao.

For years I’ve been longing to visit this natural wonder and it was a super high when I reached the banks of Agusan River, the marsh’s “backbone”. Met my guide boatman in Barangay Flora of Talacogon and off we go... 

It took us an hour before we reached Barangay Sabang-Gibong, located in the intersection of Agusan and Gibong River.

For three days, I stayed in this Manobo community, live in floating houses, listened to their stories and experienced the wonderful yet hard life in the marsh.

Community life is based on the blessings and dictates of the marsh and the environment.


 


Homes are climate-resilient and designed to float (water rises as high as 30 feet during the great flood) and survived strong currents and high tides.

The lakes and river provides bountiful harvest yet drinking water is a scarce commodity. During the dry season, communities dig makeshift wells to access clean water. But during the great flood, people only rely on rainwater for drinking.  

End of the flood means mosquito season so always ready the mosquito net. Dry season brings opportunity to plant and harvest crops, preserve and sun-dried the catch. 
 

And ooh don’t forget the lurking crocodiles. It is estimated that more than 5,000 crocodiles still reside in Agusan Marsh. Witnesses claimed that crocodiles as long as 30 feet, bigger than Lolong (measured at 21 feet) exist and are still in the wild. Too bad, didn’t saw any crocs during the visit huhu.

Love the community food. Exquisite freshwater catch everyday, yumyum, such as: 

hipon

pasayang

shells
 
giant gurami 


Yet the marsh, it's lakes and rivers are under threat. Pollution 


 


and siltation brought by rampant logging in the surrounding mountains have high impact on water quality.  


 


Invasive fishes such as janitor fish also threaten the native wildlife. 



 

Hopefully local efforts to save the mighty Agusan Marsh be given full support by the different sectors both in the national and international level.

Last day, 4-hours boat ride to Bunawan and completing my traverse of the Agusan Marsh from North to South, woohooo.

My deepest gratitude to the staff of Heed Foundation and to the residence Barangay Sabang-Gibong for their hospitality and stories. Thank you all for a very wonderful experience.

Agusan Marsh Wildlife Sanctuary
Talacogon-Bunawan, Agusan del Sur
05.08-11.12