Wild Over Water in Cagayan (repost)

At last, after so many postponements and fickle-mindedness of some of the supposed participants, we finally pushed through with our trip to the province of Cagayan to experience an adventure of a lifetime…..rafting our way through Chico River. But little did we know that we will be getting more than what we have expected. The 10-hour freezing bus ride from Manila to Tuguegarao was worth it. I was sure glad I bugged Anton Carag every so often to accommodate our group. You can’t be assertive enough right?

We departed Manila on January 21 at 8:30 PM, with a 30-minute delay from the original schedule. We took the Executive bus of EMC Bus line in Roosevelt Ave. I would say the bus was surprisingly better than the other provincial-bound air-conditioned buses. It has a wide leg room, seats can be comfortably reclined, adding to that a leg rest. They even have a toilet on board. Everything seemed to be fine until we left the terminal. Geez, it was freezing cold in the bus and we thought we came prepared for it, bringing our jackets and bonnets, but they seem to be not enough. However, all of us were looking forward to this trip and nothing can spoil it for us.

We arrived in Tuguegarao at 6:30 AM. We, together with the other group from Soluziona consisting of 12 nice people, were met by Anton and Argel at the terminal. We then proceeded to Hotel Elina’s as Casa Carag does not have enough rooms to accommodate us. We dropped our bags, got changed, and walked to Casa Carag, which is just a few meters away from the hotel. When we entered the gates, we saw the rafts and other rafting equipment kept at the storage. I was getting more excited seeing all these. We had a hearty breakfast, then we made our way to Pinacanauan River, a 30 minute jeepney-ride from the city. The day’s activity schedule for the two groups was alternately done. While we do kayaking in morning, the Soluziona group will explore the Callao Cave and Sierra Cave and vise versa.

We took a wooden boat to the campsite along the riverbank. The view was just spectacular. We can’t help but be in awe as we cruise Pinacanauan River. We felt so lucky to have seen this part of the Philippines that most of us take for granted. The mountains of limestone served as a backdrop to the clear water of the river. As we head towards the campsite, we passed by an area where water falls from the mountain through the hanging vines and into the river. As newcomers, the boatman felt we needed some kind of an initiation. The boatman intentionally passed under the mini falls and we got an early cold shower.

We arrived at the campsite around 9:00 AM. We relaxed a bit while we wait for them to set-up the site. A bit later, Anton gave us the basic kayaking clinic. We were taught the different types of paddling, the differences of kayaks, the varied types of rapids, safety measures, and how to fully enjoy the experience. After making sure that we understood everything, well, okay almost everything, we rode the wooden boat to take us upriver. As we headed to the jump-off point, Anton gave us techniques on our approach to the rapids as we passed them. The rapids we encountered were Class 1 to Class 2+ max.

After a 30-minute boat ride up of Pinacanauan, we finally reached the jump-off point. We chose our kayak and paddle and positioned ourselves into it. We took advantage of the 50-meter calm waters to practice our paddling strokes. Here goes the first rapid, we are 20 meters away from it, I thought I was going to fall off from the kayak. But, and I proudly say, I got through it smoothly. Was it because of my rowing exposure? Well, what mattered was that we all got through it except for Bryan who fell off from the kayak. There must be a greater pull of gravity on his abdominal area…LOL. We passed through a number of rapids and they were quite challenging for a Class 1 to Class 2 rapids. One winning moment of the activity was when Chechu passed through this tree branch with mosquitoes, disturbing them from their sleep, and went straight to another tree branch on the side of the river and got stuck there. We thought that was funny until Bryan outdid her. Just as we were about to reach the campsite, we were asked by Anton to be as far away from each other as we passed through the last rapid for the photo op. It was after this rapid that Bryan fell off his kayak again and appeared to be chasing his kayak until he was caught by the safety kayak guide and brought him to the riverbank. It was a refreshing experience for everyone. As the other group arrived from their spelunking adventure, we had our lunch with a menu consisting of barbequed chicken, grilled pork and squid, and pinakbet (a local vegetable dish).

Shortly after lunch, it was our turn to explore the caves. We took the boat to go to the entry points of the caves. We registered and headed to the Callao Cave. Argel was now our guide. We had to take 180 steps up to get to the Callao Cave entrance. The cave was not really amazing given the condition of the inside brought about by the abuse of its visitors. It was just a 30 minute walk-through then we went down the steps and made our way to the Sierra Cave. Unlike the Callao Cave, the Sierra Cave is protected and guarded by DENR, and monitored by Anton’s group. To get to the entrance, we had to hike a trail covered with trees and loose soil. When we got to the entrance, it was really dark. Flashlights are really a must for this cave. Inside Sierra Cave are stalactites that are alive, a trail of mud in most areas, and a number of cave spiders. Another objective of exploring this cave was to be able to get through Celica’s Pass. Celica’s Pass is approximately a 20 meter passageway that is 1 ½ high and 2 feet wide. How on earth can we get through that? That was the challenge. Hya and Mac entered it first while we wait at the passageway’s mouth. We can hear Hya, the loud mouth that she is, giving instructions to Macky as they go through it. According to Argel, once we see the coins, we should head back. Normal time inside the passageway is 10 minutes. I felt the thin air inside the cave while we were waiting for Hya and Macky to come out, so I just couldn’t imagine how scarce the oxygen will be inside Celica’s pass. Hya and Macky finally got out but Macky was sweating a lot. It was BQ and my turn to enter. BQ got in first doing a snake-like motion to move through the passage while I was on an all four position behind him. We were doing okay until we reached this point where there was little room for our body to crawl. BQ worked his way through the slim opening gassing off in the process. Geez, a small amount of oxygen in addition to BQ’s gas……(I got through it by the way, the reason why I was able to write this one). I slid through the small gap and tried to motivate myself that I can do it. And so I did! Just a few more feet from there were the coins. We then headed back. It was Bryan and Chechu’s turn. We could hardly hear them from outside so we started wondering if they were able to get through, after a few minutes, we can hear their voices echoing and we cheered for them. Bryan was so proud and so was Chechu although Bryan buried some of the coins when he accidentally kneeled on it.

We went back to the campsite and took a much needed dip in the river. The water was cold but we didn’t mind, nothing can beat a nice dip in the water after a tiring but exciting day. But the adventure did not stop there. We packed our things and made our way to another area along the river where we will be watching the circadian flight of the bats. It was around 5:15 PM when we got to the area. We were waiting on the boat for more than 10 minutes and even made a joke that the boatmen are getting ready to don their batman suits as it seemed that the bats were not in the mood to be seen today. We waited patiently and kept our eyes on the hole on the limestone mountain on top of the river. Until suddenly, a throng of bats flew out from the hole, maybe thousands of them, and headed towards the trees to get their food. More bats followed continuously flying out of the hole for about 55 seconds and it was just AMAZING.

We took a quick shower at the hotel, had some rest and made our way to Anton’s place. Wine and cheese were on the table waiting for us. What a way to end an exciting day. We also had a chance to get to know the other group’s members better. As much as we wanted to stay longer after dinner, we seem to have drained our energy and were ready to hit the sack at 9:30 PM. That was definitely not so us but we have to get energized for the white water rafting the next day.

Wake up call was at 5 AM, breakfast at 5:30 AM, and we were ready to depart by 6:15 AM. It was a 2-hour jeepney ride from Tugeugarao to Tabuk. The morning breeze was cold but could not help but be amazed with the magnificent view of the plains and hills along the way. The mountain of Cordillera was also a sight to behold. After one restroom break and a lot of zig-zagging on the mountain, we reached the jumped-off point in Pasil River. We took with us only those that are essential and left our things on the jeep. The jeep will leave us there and meet us at the end of the river run. As usual, we took photos of ourselves and the view, and started to get our safety equipment like our vests and helmets. Anton gave us the basic rafting clinic discussing to us the varied paddling strokes, commands, right positions, responses to possible circumstances during the activity, rescue techniques, and safety measures. Then we were asked to group ourselves into five. As the rafts can only accommodate five persons plus two guides. So we decided to split our group based on gender. All the three girls in one group while the three boys on the other. We had on our boat Raddo and Tonio from Soluziona, while the boy’s group had to use the smaller raft, as they say the Ferrari among the rafts, and had Anton and another guide with them. There were a total of four rafts and two safety kayak guides. The kayak guides also served as the photographers as the rafts passed through the rapids. We were informed to expect a Class 3 to 4 rapids.

We were all set, Raddo and Tonio on the front row, being the heaviest, Chechu and I on the second, and Hya on the third, then our guides, BJ and Art (Temyong) at the back to maneuver the direction of the boat. We reviewed some of the commands and paddle strokes then we were off to the first rapids. The boys’ group was the first boat, our raft, then the next rafts were of the Soluziona group.

It was important that we listened to the commands of our boat guide whenever we pass a rapid to avoid flipping over from the raft or capsizing it. We were only on our second rapids when we saw the first boat pulling Bryan from the water. Our group really broke into laughter when we saw that. After two rapids, we passed by the Pasil River-Chico River Confluence. It was pure adrenaline-rush all throughout the way. We would make some stops to watch the other groups get through the rapids. And whenever our group got through one, we would have these high-fives of our paddles. Most of the rapids we got through on the first half were challenging. After almost 1 ½ in the water, we took a break and parked our rafts along the riverbank with two small waterfalls. We sure had a fun time talking about Bryan’s misadventure.

After a 40-minute break, we were back in the water again. As we would expect calmer rapids on the next few stretch, Raddo and Hya were allowed to take the kayak. After a few rapids more, there was a swimmers area when you get off from the raft and allow the current to take you downstream in a speed of 20 to 30 kph. I tell you, it was one hell of an experience. Then, after that stretch, we were requested to get back on our respective rafts, Hya and Raddo returned the kayaks to the professionals as the next three rapids were difficult and challenging. And so it was true indeed. There are holes in the water and these holes have the capacity to take you under and drown you eventually if you panic. These holes make a “washing machine” effect on the water. The lead boat came first, that was the boys’ group. Just as they were getting through the rapids, their raft was engulfed by the strong current. BQ fell from the boat and did not surface for awhile. He got caught in a hole, the worst that could happen, but thanks to his water skills. He did not panic and he said his vest saved him. He just curled himself, as previously instructed, and let the water take him up. When he surfaced, he was taken by the current and was taken from the water a few meters from the rapids. We thought that will be it, the next rapids was a little calmer than the previous one but has so many protruding boulders that made maneuvering harder. This was where Hya fell from the boat as she tried to adjust her footing but was caught off-guard when we hit a boulder. BJ, our boat guide was able to pull her out from the water immediately. We were on our last two rapids and had probably burnt all our energy but we crave for more. We can’t seem to get enough of it.

Our jeepneys were waiting at the riverbank when we arrived from the 4-hour river run. We headed for a late lunch at a kitchenette along the boundary of Tabuk. It was another hour ride back to Tuguegarao. We were dropped-off at our hotel. We started to pack our things as we will be taking the 8 PM trip to Manila that same night. We had a sumptuous dinner at Anton’s and all of us felt like staying another day. The bus left on time and we arrived in Manila at 5:15 AM on January 24. This gave us enough time to go home and get ready to go to work…..sniff.

It was an experience of a lifetime I can never trade for something else. Anton and his well-trained staff made the experience fun, adventurous, and safe for us. The equipments were also well-maintained and have passed international standards. Again, we learned new things along the way and gained new friends.

The Philippines is filled with so many wonders and I hope that other fellow Filipinos and our foreign friends take time to enjoy them. We should not be afraid to have a taste of what life has to offer. Make the most out of it. LIVE LIFE!


Ging Masinda
26 January 2005

for more photos: http://sports.webshots.com/album/260228255TFPzpJ

WOW Donsol

The idea of doing another trip to Donsol came out in January this year. I have done it twice already in the past and have had several whaleshark encounters, as well as manta sightings in Ticao, but what makes me want to go back. I guess, I just find it amazing to see the gentle giants of the sea gracefully cruising the waters of Donsol where planktons are abundant. Swimming with them is overwhelming. Though it takes a certain level of comfort in the water for the participant to really maximize the encounter. I wanted to share that experience with other people and help them understand the importance of being responsible to protect these creatures from near extinction.

I sent the email in January and got a good number of responses from people who’s interested to join. Then came March, additional people confirmed and PGMA declared a holiday on the Monday of the weekend we chose. It then became a challenge to me how to book 28 people given the limited number of resorts in Donsol. Getting the bus tickets was also a challenge as I originally reserved for 20 pax only. I had to divide the group into two to accommodate the others. After a 101 phone calls and email messages, all were set for the trip (and so I thought). Resorts had been booked, itinerary was confirmed, meals had been pre-arranged, bus tickets were purchased, and travel tips and reminders were sent out.


Our group took the buses of Cagsawa Travel and Tours. One group went to its Cubao Terminal while the rest of the group, including me, were picked up from its Ermita office. The Ermita group left at 715PM, 15 minutes delayed from the original schedule due to some complaints from the passengers. We were supposed to take the Royale Elite line but was given the business class instead. The Cagsawa staff explained that the Royal Elite line schedule for Ermita broke down and didn’t make it to Manila. After heaving sighs of frustrations, I resigned to the fact that we were really taking the business class bus. After 11 hours of land travel, we finally arrived in Legazpi. The vans I hired were waiting for us at the Satellite bus terminal. The other group from Cubao, missed their stop so they had to be picked up by the van from where they got off.

It was a winding and scenic one hour and a half ride from Legazpi to Donsol. We arrived ar Amor Resort at 8:30AM. The courteous and accommodating staff of Amor Farm Resort were there to welcome us. Agnes made sure that breakfast was ready when we got there. Agnes also helped us with the registration for the whaleshark encounter. Due to the volume of visitors for the whaleshark encounter, we had to wait for the Butanding Interaction Officers (BIOs) to return from a previous encounter trip. Visitors are not allowed to do the whaleshark encounter without a BIO on board. Our group alone occupied 4 boats. We started at 11 AM already and I was not really expecting to see as much as it was already late. Whalesharks thrive in the morning. Our boat had 2 whaleshark encounters while the rest had 5 and 6. Two years ago, I had 16 sightings. But it’s okay, though we only saw two, it was really up close and got to swim with them as well. We went back to the resort to have lunch and the rest of the group checked-in at Harong ni Lola Erna’ and Lopez Castillo Traveller’s Inn.

After the tiring 11-hour bus trip and whaleshark encounter in the morning, I finally had my much needed shower. The group met up again at 6PM to do the firefly watching along Donsol River. The river was dark and our boat was only guided by a tiny flashlight. It was enjoyable to see the fireflies light up the trees. My friend, Mythel, was awed like a child to see so many stars in the sky. You rarely see them in Manila because of the smug and lights in the city.

The next day, one group decided to do the whaleshark encounter again, another group did the boat trip to San Miguel Island for snorkeling, and the rest did the Manta Bowl dive in Ticao. The second timers for the whaleshark encounter were luckier and had several sightings. Our group who went to San Miguel Island enjoyed snorkeling. San Miguel, located in Masbate off Ticao, has a lot to offer its visitors. We took a side trip to the falls at the side of the limestone cliff. On our way there, we passed by the bird sanctuary where herons nest on trees. I felt guilty disturbing the birds in their sanctuary when the boatmen lighted some 5-star firecrackers to create a noise forcing the birds to come out of their nests. After the trip to the falls, we intended to have our lunch on the white sand island but when we got there, there were many locals having their picnic their. Manong said that it’s a usual Sunday practice of the locals there. So we ended up eating our lunch o the boat and did some snorkeling as well.

As much as we wanted to stay longer, we have a 645PM bus trip to catch at Legazpi City. We left the island at 1:45PM hoping to be back by 330PM. But the waves going back were bigger and our boat could not go faster. It was like riding the Jungle Log Jam going back. Water kept splashing at us and the boatmen were forced to remove the tarpaulin roof to prevent the wind from capsizing our boat. After the thrilling boat ride, we were back at the resort by 4PM. Took a quick shower and settled our payables. I was worried that the divers has not come back yet but decided to let the non-divers group leave for Legazpi already. The van ride to Legazpi city reminded me of Amazing Race as we were not sure if we were going to make it on time. Fortunately we made it to the station just before the bus was about to leave. I begged profusely to the driver to allow the divers group to be picked-up at the Banyag point. The driver agreed only to find out that the tickets of the divers were left at Donsol. We had to purchase new tickets for them but we were assured that the tickest we purchased in Manila may be refunded.

This Donsol was packed with a lot of adventures and (mis)adventures. I have never been tired from a trip but it sure was a lot of fun. Wouldn’t mind doing it again and again. I’ll probably just have to fine tune the schedule next time. It is advisable to do it on a weekday to avoid the volume of tourists. This will guarantee more sightings as the whalesharks will not be stressed by the number of people who keeps jumping in and out of the water just to see them.

It was great spending the weekend with my sister, friends, and the person I cared about the most, James. I also met new friends whom I am hoping to see again.

Amor Farm Resort (Agnes): (0917) 6941687
Rico Calleja (dive shop operator): (0918) 9252996
Edwin Ala (van for hire): (0918) 7293699
Cagsawa Travel and Tours: 5248704