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TRIP 1:
Early in the morning after breakfast you will be picked up by Peter
Palma. First the journey follows the spectacle coast approaching Sipalay.
If you like to and you don’t suffer from agoraphobia you should
absolutely visit one of the many caves in this area. The entrance isn’t
more than a 1 m big hole at the side of the road. Beneath the surface
you will feel like in a different world: Salt crystals of many, many
stalactites shine and glitter in the lamplight and are reflected by the
lake at the end of the corridor. |
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Next stop is the market to by your lunch for today: fresh slaughtered
chicken and fresh fished fish. Finally you continue going east towards
the mountains. At Peter’s farm you park the car and – if you are up to
it – change to carabao. These small water buffalos with the long horns
are strong, patient, and you can easily ride on their backs. Passing
small native houses with flourishing gardens, big bushes of bamboo the
leaves of which rustle in the wind, and crossing rivers in which
carabaos tenderly snore while bathing you reach an area with beamy green
rice terraces contrasted with the jungle. Finally you have to leave the
carabaos, too, as the path through the jungle follows the river through
tight thicket, over slippery stones, and along dangerous looking cliffs.
From time to time the forest is getting too narrow and you have to fight
your way through it with the help of a Bolo, a traditional, big knife.
So misanthropic this place is so big is the chance to see rare
butterflies, snakes, and monkeys. Hided behind banana palm trees, coffee
and cacao plants you find the entrance to the Bat Cave, a huge cave with
big stalactites and stalagmites and in which the river disappears in the
mountain. After the last
hours of exertion a refreshing bath in the cool wet might be exactly
what you long for. If you go deeper into the cave first one than a
second dome open upwards. Inside thousands of scared bats flutter and
spread an infernal noise. Back at the surface a rocky gate through which
the river passes form the spectacle background for the dinner: Natives
have roasted the chicken, cooked the fish together with onions, tomatoes,
and herbs in a hollow piece of bamboo, and the rice in a pot. Fresh
fruit is served as desert. This traditional food, as simple it might be,
tastes fantastic and is a real treat by all means. |
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After the break you can test your golden hand. The channel downrightly
gleams with gold powder and washing the sand you can even be lucky to
find nuggets. Of cause you can keep the gold as a souvenir. |
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When you got enough you
set out on the way back, this time through the channel. The natives go
this way wearing slippers or even barefooted, however, tender, European
feet might feel safer in waterproof trekking sandals.
Back where you left the carabaos you will be served with a fresh coconut.
After this you can decide whether you want to return to the car by horse,
carabao or on foot. With a good timing and the right whether you can
enjoy the colorful sunset all the time back. |
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Price: 1.400 PHP incl. Guide
and Lunch |
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