Falling Mists

i was supposed to travel (by bus) to negros occidental last week but decided to stay in cebu because of the erratic weather. friday night my best friend called up if i wanted to join a trip to kawasan in badian.

that perked my attention as it's one place i've been wanting to tick off from my list but i was having second thoughts because of the weather. in any case, i found myself getting on a v-hire van heading to simala early saturday morning.

it is very filipino to have a religious icon somewhere inside any transportation and i spotted the sto. nino de cebu on the dashboard, i have a bible on my dashboard. perhaps to keep me sane when i get royally pissed at some stupid fellow cutting me off in traffic. i wasn't so sure if it was an omen, but the rain kept pouring outside.

the balikbayans wanted to visit the shrine to offer thanksgiving before heading off to kawasan but i secretly believed they were praying for better weather. you see, one has to trek for a kilometer and a half before you get to the waterfall and getting wet before you even plunge into the waters is not an excursion. ah, yeah, cursing probably. it is a bit odd imagining ourselves walking to the resort under umbrellas. hmmm.

note: iris like set-up of the chandelier set in the middle of the ceiling of the main church in simala. the small panels on the side are crests or symbols of various marian sects.

we headed off to badian via the carcar-barili road stopped over at the molave milk station in barili for ice-cream made fresh daily from the dairy farm just off the hill from the station. we're already getting drizzled with inclement weather, might as well freeze our guts from the inside-out. the ice cream is delicious though and you shouldn't miss that one if you find yourself heading in that direction.


from barili i slept through most of the way to badian and woke up when the driver pulled over the church that mark the entrance to kawasan falls. after getting our stuff we all started the trek and my hands groped for my camera as a verdant green scene unfolded with the road leading towards an evergreen path.

i purposely let everyone else walk ahead as i wanted to toddle along to get some pictures. curiously small but intricate white flowers growing amongst the shrubs caught my attention that would have otherwise been missed by anyone else.

further along the road i saw fighting cocks roosting on man made stilts and wanted to take a snap of the vivid contrast his fiery yellow and red plumage made against the green background.

just around a bend on the road, a small stall sold art work and human head busts carved from bamboo. very very creative :)

eventually, i got to a stone bridge that spanned a wide section of the stream. i wasn't really sure whether to go underneath the bridge and follow the dirt path or go up the bridge. i ended up going up the bridge only to find out it leads to a dead-end occupied by an electric water-substation.

heading back the dirt road, i quickly moved on with the sound of falling water getting stronger with each step. the first sight of the waterfall made me pause to take in the majesty of the scene marred by ugly man-made structures that lined it's side. the falling waters created a shroud of mist that enveloped the basin with a fine cloud.

feeling a bit disappointed, i went ahead and joined the group. i spied rafts moored on the basin shore despite the big sign that said rafting and diving from the waterfall is strictly prohibited.

people use the rafts to go underneath the waterfall and get battered to a pulp. just behind the waterfall there's a small cave curtained by the falling water. i gave in to the invitation to join one and had a jolly good time getting an aqua massage. felt like a troop of elephants walking on your back. then again, i thoroughly whooped it up like a kid so i guess rafts are okay. he he he

note: another macro shot of ants crawling all over the flower buds.

the water was refrigerator cold, i was so tempted to scoop some and mix some instant juice. then again, with everyone jumping in the water and doing their "thing" i wouldn't recommend it.

towards four pm we packed our stuff and headed back to the church. along the way i saw an old lady doing her laundry along the stream and took a snap. would have been a perfect amorsolo scene.

i guess the simala prayers worked. you see, the rain stopped at exactly the moment we parked at the church. divine intervention? you bet. my body is tired, my spirit is refreshed and my feet hurt. ouch.