Shooting the Rapids and Eating Exotik
Trip Start
Sep 26, 2003
1
43
85
Trip End
Ongoing
Pagsanjan, Laguna, Philippines
Sunday, December 10, 2006
Arriving at Pagsanjan, we went to one of these boat rental places. We hired life vests and a banca. The way to the falls is not an easy traverse so you'll normally need two bangkeros to paddle you through the river and to go with you while shooting the rapids. There's a lot of tourists in the area and most of them are Koreans. We were captivated by the beauty of the scenery. Imagine yourself in a river between two mountains...what an experience! Along the way, we started to feel droplets of rain and it did pour on us but just a light one so we're already wet even if we haven't passed through the waterfalls yet.
Halfway our journey, we stopped by one of these small waterfalls and had our lunch there. After resting a little bit, we continued with our exploration and finally saw the majestic Pagsanjan waterfalls at the end of the river tour. It was indeed mighty and powerful. We all decided to ride the bamboo raft that will take you inside a small cave behind the waterfalls. This is exciting!! Can't wait to get wet by the strong current :) We just actually passed by the side of the falls but still the experience was exhilarating. It feels like you're on this old ship in the middle of the ocean and there's this big storm that blows a strong wind and splashes water over you. Even the sound of it is so powerful. Then there's such peace inside the cave. Reminds me of God's refuge in the midst of the storms in life.
After visiting the falls, we decided to pass by a nearby town called Paete, famous for its wood carvings. It's already late when we arrived there so most of the shops are closed. We just walked around the area and still found a few open ones. Then I was so happy to see a stall selling 'puto bumbong' (it's a purple sweet sticky rice cooked in bamboo) yum! I missed it so much and they only sell it here during Christmas season.
From Paete, Laguna we went for another jeepney ride to take us to a bus terminal going back to Manila. However, we saw this enchanting place along the way. It looked familiar to me for I think this is one of those highly recommended eating places that I've read about while researching on the net. So we got off to check it out...and it is indeed exotic as the name of the place suggests. "Exotik" is a restaurant that serves exotic food and they have this lovely garden. We had our dinner over there...what a nice way to end our night. Sometimes it really pays off to be spontaneous especially if you're a traveller and it's one of those things that I've been learning more about lately.
Oh, before I forget...I also had a funny experience in this place. There's this cute little store near the entrance which also sells some exotic products. They even sell this wooden colourful bags (see photos) which apparently they say is really popular in Europe. Though we thought...who would carry a wooden bag around. It's a bit heavier than a usual bag but makes you stand out in uniqueness for fashion's sake. I was looking around for fridge magnets, as usual. For those of you who doesn't know yet, I'm hooked into collecting magnets from places I've travelled into. Well, I just started it from my first few international travels and now I can't stop myself not to get one :) Now back to my fridge magnet hunting, I was happy to see some really nice ones and they really looked unique as they're made from different local materials. Then, my attention was drawn to this colourful butterfly magnet which looks so real. I hold on to its wings and to my surprise... it got away from my hand and flew. Whoa!!! It was a real butterfly!!!..I was startled and shouted. Evelyn and Ate Almina got scared as they thought something happened to me. As I tell them what happened, we all started laughing. I thought I found one unique magnetic ornament I could buy but it flew away. I think it's the first time I ever touched a butterfly :)
That's one thing I like about going out with these two buddies of mine. We don't meet up that often but whenever we do, it's always something special, memorable and full of fun and adventure.
