Framed [Photo Hunt]

Kwebang Lampas, Pagbilao, Quezon

Framed by a cave's mouth

P.S.  I won't be able to visit your site this weekend---I'll be out of town.  Thanks for the visit.

Posted for Photo-Hunt

Culapnit Cave [My World]

Looking for some thrill and adventure while in Caramoan took me and my friends to Culapnit Cave on Good Friday. We walked for more than an hour (it felt like 3 hours) before reaching the cave at Sitio Bariw in Tabgon. Culapnit Cave got its name from "kulapnit" which means bat in the local dialect. Thousands of bats live inside the cave, good thing they were all asleep when we visited. I've always wanted to see thousands of bats flying out of the cave at dusk--unfortunately, it was in the middle of afternoon when we came out.

Various rock formations, stalagmites and stalactites are found inside the cave, marbleized patterns on the walls; a dried up cascading waterfall left a terraces-like formation. There was fresh, cool water from an underground stream. The cave is well-maintained---it's clean, no musky, damp odor and there were no graffiti on the walls. Some passages were too narrow we had to crawl on our stomachs to get to the other side.

that's me, crawling--my CAT instructor would be proud!:p
the mysterious cave-keeper

our guide/lightman

stalactites
a croc's mouth?

knee-deep in cold water

climbing to the exit

almost there!

My contribution to My World-Tuesday

Kwebang Lampas - Watery Wednesday

the mouth of the cave facing Puting Buhangin

This cave in Pagbilao Grande is known to the locals as Kwebang Lampas. It is at the far end of a limestone cliff in a cove with white sand beach called Puting Buhangin. Years of wave action has sculpted this rock into a unique sea cave. It's length is approximately 10 meters, less than 5 meters wide, and the cavern is about 6 meters high.

I'm a bit claustrophobic---earthquakes and the fear of being trapped flash through my mind when I am about to enter a cave. But there's also a sense of excitement and curiosity. The fact that Kwebang Lampas is just a small cave and its two openings comforted me somehow. And its interior was not dark and creepy as the other caves I visited before. The water inside the cave was shallow so we stayed there, soaked, swam, took photos and bonded.

Puting Buhangin---view from the cave's opening

he's no syokoy (merman) :D

old and new friends

the other opening---facing the bay

Get virtually wet at Watery Wednesday

Serene Lake Danao

There are places on earth that we must see at least once---for their beauty, their magnificence, their mystery. By a stroke of luck, fate brought me to Camotes Island. After I saw the spectacular view from my window, after I’ve sunk my bare feet into the warm white sand, after I bathe in the afterglow of a breathtaking sunset, I knew I found a piece of heaven that I'd like to come back to.

Camotes is not all white sand and beaches. There are rugged lime stone cliffs, rock islets, waterfalls, mountains, caves to explore, and a serene lake. I only have 2 days so I hired a habal-habal after lunch to drive me around. Jimmy, who brought me to the resort the night before, was my guide the whole afternoon. He’s a high school classmate of Imee, a lady who sat beside me in Ocean Jet.

One of the best places in Camotes is Lake Danao Park. It’s a lake park where you can do a picnic, fishing, boating, swimming, or just sit, put your feet up and contemplate. Lake Danao is said to be the largest lake in the Visayas and Mindanao with a size of 680 hectares. I asked Jimmy if there are crocodiles in the lake and he said there are none. But one of Santiago Bay’s caretakers told me there used to be a lot crocodiles in the lake. They were hunted down and the croc skins were made into leather goods in Mindanao. Nowadays, fresh water fishes are abundant and visitors can fish tilapia for about P80 per kilo. The place is so tranquil---you can hear your thoughts and the music of rustling leaves. I also love the trail around the lake.

the best place to relax

my favorite shot
trail beside the lake

We drove to Sonog Cave. It has a deep cavern with narrow crevices and an underground river. The water is so clear you can see the river bed. Unfortunately, I forgot to bring a bathing suit (again!). There are parts of the cave where I almost crawled just to get to the other side. Stories were told that during the World War II, the Japanese hid treasures in the caves in Camotes. Treasure hunters continue to search for the treasure up to this day. Jimmy, however, believes that it’s a stuff of legend…but it would be fun to do some treasure hunt in those caves! I wanted to go to another cave called Bukilat but it was getting late and there’s a sunset waiting to be captured.

underground river

Exciting Sagada

Kiltepan Viewpoint

While we’re enjoying the cool January weather, summer will be here before we know it. For the past 2 weeks, my friends and I have been talking about places to visit this summer. I’ve been dreaming of visiting Batanes but I learned yesterday that only Asian Spirit flies to Batanes. A bad experience with a small plane from Boracay to Cebu a few years back made me re-think the Batanes trip.

A trip to the mountains is my second option---Bukidnon, Mount Isarog or Mount Pulag. According to a Feng Shui expert (hehehe), it would be safer to go to the mountains instead of going to the ocean, so good-bye El Nido.

If you’re thinking of going to the mountains this summer, why don’t you try Sagada?

Sagada is a town in Mountain Province, 275 kilometers north of Manila (100 kilometers from Baguio). A 6-hour bus ride from Baguio or a 10-hour bus ride from Manila to Banaue plus 2 jeepney rides from Banaue to Sagada. Sagada has caves that can be explored even by trying-hards like me, with the aid of a local guide, waterfalls, underground river for the more adventurous and mountains great for hiking. The place has a quiet serenity only found off the beaten path.

Halsema Highway
Joan and Izsa at Atok rest stop

molesting Machete, Igorot Inn

Sumaging Cave is an exciting cave to explore. It has fascinating chambers and rock formations---there was a ‘cauliflower’, ‘rice granary’, ‘dancing hall’, etc. The guide even showed us a sea shell embedded on the cave’s wall. A part of the cave known as the ‘tunnel’ consists of a series of tiny passages requiring us to crawl on our hands and knees. And to cross from one cavern to the next, we had to hang on by the rope...there's a lagoon below.

Joan aka Spiderwoman

resting after exploring Sumaging Cave
moi, Joan, Izsa and Rey


lunch break with a view

rice terraces---giant steps leading to the sky

During the pre-Christian Sagada, the caves served as burial grounds for the locals. At the Echo Valley, hidden in the dense foliage are the hanging coffins “hanged” from the limestone cliff. The hanging coffins will be there for as long as the elements would allow them. They're precious tokens from a fabled past... adding mystic to an already mystifying place.

Echo Valley limestones

It took us about 4 hours to reach Bomod-ok Waterfalls by foot. Isza and I were the weakest link; our friends had to wait for us most of the time while we crawled our way up. But the refreshing scenery was more than worth the effort. There’s a crystal pool at the foot of the waterfalls where a swim invigorated our tired bodies.

trek to the waterfalls

In this trip to Sagada, we met new friends---officemates Mercy, Rose and Lindsay from MetroBank and college buddies Don, Tina and Cynthia. These new friends accompanied us a few months later to explore a cave in Tanay, Rizal. Don invited us to join his group to Mount Pulag last November but I got scared. I can only manage small mountains.:D

with new friends

breathtaking Benguet countryside
on our way back to Baguio

moi at Kiltepan viewpoint

Sagada locals are inherently friendly, hotels are clean and afforable, food is good, with fresh vegetables and fruits. When the heat of summer hits the city, and you're wiping the sweat on your forehead, think of the cool mountain air in Sagada...then pack your bag and start an adventure.