Miranda

Thursday, October 2, 2008

Breathtaking Casaroro Falls

the lush Casaroro Falls

The last leg of our wilderness adventure in Dumaguete was a trek to Casaroro Falls. At Forest Camp, we were told that Casaroro Falls is less than 3 kilometers away. Energized by the natural beauty of Forest Camp, we decided to walk to the waterfalls. The cool mountain air was refreshing but the steep mountain road made us breathless (yayabang kasi!). After about a half kilometer hike, I started yelling, taxiiiiiiiiii! We found a hut along the road and we sat there to catch our breath, then started eating our baon of puto and beef empanada. A habal-habal (again!) stopped by and offered to take us to the waterfalls (the driver was psychic!)…we didn’t argue, we didn’t think…we mounted the motorbike and yelled---yeeeehaaaaa!

Parts of the road were so bad I begged the driver to stop so I can walk! I was singing John Mellencamp's “Hurts So Good” while walking in the middle of a rocky road---the driver silently laughing behind my back, I'm sure! Then, back to the saddle once again until we reached the “entrance” to Casaroro Falls. Entrance fee is 10 pesos each.

The gate-keeper warned us of the 325 steps descent, and we were all excited at the sign "We burn fats...let's do the trek!". But I squirmed at the prospect of 325 steps on our way up. Oh well, I wanted to escape the urban jungle…so there I was, ready to discover the charming surprises of Casaroro.

not a threat but a warning

Going down the concrete steps to the river, we were surrounded by unspoiled tropical foliage, towering trees, an occasional wild flower, a clatter of wildlife and sound of rushing water. The flowing stream greeted us at the base of the 325-step crevasse as we walked through the dense jungle. There were a few huts, a couple of restrooms, and a suspension bridge along the way. Finally, secluded at the end of the rock crevices is the natural beauty of Casaroro Falls…the water plunges down from a narrow opening 100 meters above a swirling pool. Natural boulders surround the basin and the cool sprays were enough to revitalize my cramped leg muscles.

325 steps = how many burned calories?

walking down was a breeze
a walk in the park?
from 20 feet above
waiting for the weakest link
rollin', rollin' on the river

meditation at the waterfall
the majestic, breathtaking Casaroro

Our adventure trek to Casaroro Falls was a physically challenging experience, not to mention literally breathtaking. As expected, I was the weakest link going up the 325 steps but I made it without fainting! Surely, I burned a lot of calories that day (hehe).

Monday, September 29, 2008

Forest Camp in Valencia

wish i live here...in the resort, not in the wishing well (hehe)

It rained that Saturday morning in Dumaguete. Our itinerary was to visit Valencia, a town about 10 kilometers away from the city, to visit Forest Camp and Casaroro Waterfalls. I was secretly grateful that it rained…I woke up with aching limbs, and the wet weather meant extended bed time! But around 9 am, the sky cleared and my stomach was already grumbling. After a late breakfast at the Silliman cafeteria, we boarded a tricycle to the Valencia jeepney station.

All seats were already taken but instead of waiting for the next jeepney, we decided to sit on the “extensions”---these are small benches placed in the middle of a jeepney (it reminded me of high school and our habal-habal ride the day before). It was an easy 30-minute trip to Valencia. Valencia is a first class municipality, a quiet town located at the foot of Mount Talinis, with mountain terrains, a cooler climate, and a laid back lifestyle. No wonder many expats have settled in this town.

From the town plaza, we hired a tricycle to take us to the Forest Camp (50 pesos one-way), a resort and camping site with natural pools and cascading waterfalls. There are nipa huts for picnics, cottages for overnight guests, and a hanging bridge over a pristine, rushing river. Forest Camp is a verdant oasis, a great place to relax and be one with nature. Entrance fee is 60 pesos each.

destination map

"Rivers are magnets for the imagination, for conscious pondering and subconscious dreams, thrills and fears. People stare into the moving water, captivated, as they are when gazing into a fire. What is it that draws and holds us? The rivers' reflections of our lives and experiences are endless. The water calls up our own ambitions of flowing with ease, of navigating the unknown. Streams represent constant rebirth. The waters flow in, forever new, yet forever the same; they complete a journey from beginning to end, and then they embark on the journey again."

~ from Lifelines

a coconut tree house

April and Franzia
listening to songs of the river

guest rooms

Our Deepest Fear

Banica River, Valencia, Negros Oriental

It is our light not our darkness that most frightens us
Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light not our darkness that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous?

Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God.
Your playing small does not serve the world.
There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other
people won't feel insecure around you.

We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.

It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone.
And as we let our own light shine,

we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.

As we are liberated from our own fear,

Our presence automatically liberates others.

~ Marianne Williamson