It was head over heels crashing the cold boring week when we traveled to the sleepy town of Abra
de Ilog, a town in Occidental Mindoro that is home to more than a dozen
of waterfalls.
Agbalala Waterfalls is the nearest attraction in town that can
be reached in less than 30 minutes via combination of tricycle ride and a little
trekking or walk along the beach.
The Casay beach looks ordinary in
an instant look and but taking a stroll on its medium, you will be
awed with the jade, orange and some transparent crystals littered among the
pebbles of the beach.
The pebble beach has different
shapes and sizes of shale rock formations and some even resemble the male
genetalia that became the source of laughter among the group.
You are Simply Rockin'
As we ramble forward along the
rocky shore, we were amazed with the formations of caves, carved naturally by
the waves. The sedimentary rocks that have formed for millions of
years was beautiful and gently sculpted by nature.
It was even made appear magnificent by the huge rock opening below where the turquoise seawater ragingly splashes in and out.
I am Falling, WaterFalling, in Love with Agbalala
Passing this little seaside
landmark, we walked inward to the forest leading to the site of Agbalala. It
was a revelation to see the sought after water body which was comparable to some well
noted waterfalls like Pagsanjan in Laguna and Cathedral Falls in Iligan; only Agbalala is well secluded and its
unspoiled condition have been well maintained. That day was salvaged from total disappointment during our recent visit at Bisay Waterfalls in Brgy. Lumang Bayan. There was a flaring feeling of celebration.
The rushing 115 feet water drop in
Agbalala was damn freezing cold which put everyone hesitant to jump into the
blue water pool. And instead of just killing our time staring blank at the beautiful waterfalls, as majority were coward to get wet, we decided to eat our lunch under the drizzling rain that made our wet
body shiver more tremendously and can only be mended by a shot of alcohol.
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Beautiful Agbalala Waterfalls in Abra de Ilog, Occidental Mindoro |
We Beat the Things that Have Almost Gone Wrong!
After an hour of nature tripping
in Agbalala, we traced our path back by crossing again the seaside of Wawa. But
we have never expected that the waves have gone higher and stronger as the incoming low
pressure area (LPA) intensified; making it difficult for us the
escape the raging waves hitting the wall stones where we sided. Seems like none among us have monitored the weather forecast, bummer!
It was a risky decision for all
of us to cross the breast high water seaside that have almost gone wrong after huge waves suddenly
rushed up hammering us all against the solid rocky walls. We can only be thankful that we survived and had only few scratches and bruises but what worried
us most was our dear friend Weng who incurred a head bump after getting bashed against
the rocks. It was a lesson learned never to cross a shore during a storm. I will surely remember that.
But the fun never stopped as we
made a visit to the small waterfall of Apyas before heading for the beach to have
a rest and to stir down our recent trauma. The small waterfall wasn't as gigantic as Agbalala but enough for us to cool down for a picnic with friends and family. We did not stay long and we immediately hit the beach for a wash.
While sitting on the beach and trying to pick up ourselves after the almost death defying stunt , we were entertained by the local Mangyan kids who boastfully flexed some acrobatic routines by doing a dozen of non-stop back flip tumbling on the sand. It was a jaw dropping act! AMAZING!
I was truly impressed and could only say WOW for what I have just witnessed from the indigenous children of Mindoro. I have never thought they could also do some stunts that mostly can be executed by trained athletes and street dancers. To compensate their eye catching gimmick we gave them some treats that put a smile on their face. The joy from their faces really did emanate from their hearts and their eyes truly speak of deep appreciation from the simple act of goodness given to them.
While sitting on the beach and trying to pick up ourselves after the almost death defying stunt , we were entertained by the local Mangyan kids who boastfully flexed some acrobatic routines by doing a dozen of non-stop back flip tumbling on the sand. It was a jaw dropping act! AMAZING!
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Together with the talented Mangyan children of Abra de Ilog, Occidental Mindoro |
I was truly impressed and could only say WOW for what I have just witnessed from the indigenous children of Mindoro. I have never thought they could also do some stunts that mostly can be executed by trained athletes and street dancers. To compensate their eye catching gimmick we gave them some treats that put a smile on their face. The joy from their faces really did emanate from their hearts and their eyes truly speak of deep appreciation from the simple act of goodness given to them.
It isn't Goodbye After All
The day satisfied our adventure
seeking mind and body. It was just a sad fact that among the fifteen waterfalls
we have only visited three. Well, those remaining 13 drops are surely a must when we
return to this tourism promising town.
The next morning we woke up with uneasy feeling with a hanging thrill in our hearts from this less traveled place in Mindoro as we reached the conclusion of our trip. As much as we wanted to stay, we needed to hurry to the port of Abra de Ilog to catch the 2 pm RORO bound for Batangas port.
While waiting at the pier, we decided to wander around the coastal area just below the port. We never expected that the plain view would be that mind blowing as the simplicity of the beach with a mountain on the background and some small boats parked on the shore was way picturesque to look at compared to other ports I have seen in Luzon.
We savored the high noon delight under the bridge to take shelter from the scorching heat of the sun until we saw the under rated beauty hidden under the port's bridge. The beams that hold the bridge look so classic with the strong waves hitting the steels that hold the ramp.
Leaning back on one of the beams gave me a cold sensation, as if there was small voltage of electricity that have run over my body. I could say that the cool hideaway beneath the port was a perfect refuge to find solace at the moment of distress or sadness. Eureka for me as I have finally discovered another place where I could reflect and just be ME where I could work my imagination especially when a writer's block attack. Viva Viva! But oppps, the ferry suddenly blew it's alarm for departure and we needed to run towards the deck and headed on a comfortable spot and waited for 4 hours until we safely reached the port of Batangas.
Our trip to Abra de Ilog was another unforgettable experience and I would like to give my sincerest thanks to Manong Unyol, Mommy Weng, Albert the Backpacker, JC, Ka Freddie, King and Kaye for the warmest welcome and company. More adventures to us in the future! SALAMAT!
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Finding solace at the port of Abra de Ilog |
We savored the high noon delight under the bridge to take shelter from the scorching heat of the sun until we saw the under rated beauty hidden under the port's bridge. The beams that hold the bridge look so classic with the strong waves hitting the steels that hold the ramp.
Leaning back on one of the beams gave me a cold sensation, as if there was small voltage of electricity that have run over my body. I could say that the cool hideaway beneath the port was a perfect refuge to find solace at the moment of distress or sadness. Eureka for me as I have finally discovered another place where I could reflect and just be ME where I could work my imagination especially when a writer's block attack. Viva Viva! But oppps, the ferry suddenly blew it's alarm for departure and we needed to run towards the deck and headed on a comfortable spot and waited for 4 hours until we safely reached the port of Batangas.
Our trip to Abra de Ilog was another unforgettable experience and I would like to give my sincerest thanks to Manong Unyol, Mommy Weng, Albert the Backpacker, JC, Ka Freddie, King and Kaye for the warmest welcome and company. More adventures to us in the future! SALAMAT!
Schedule of RORO to Abra de Ilog from Batangas Port and Vice Versa
Batangas to Abra de Ilog
|
Abra de Ilog to Batangas
|
2:00 am
|
6:00 am
|
10:00 am
|
2:00 pm
|
6:30 pm
|
Maraming din Love Mindanao sa pagsama napilit ka nmin hahaha bago ang lahat di ko alam yung Bisay Falls ni isa sa atin wala idea hahaha
ReplyDeletedito lang ang bangag pag kailangan mo ng kakulitan...hehe...asan na yung vedios hahaha...see you again sometime....ingats Love
ReplyDeletethanks mommy weng .. hopefully makasama ako this summer .. if sched permits :D
ReplyDeleteThankful nga ako sa inyo dahil at least we were able to bond for the longest time na . :D
ReplyDeleteSir as of 2014 po ba ung schedules of RORO?.. plan nmin magbyahe to sablayan in 2 weeks.. thanks in advance.. :)
ReplyDeleteyes Bernard .. that is the recent schedule of RORO to Abra de Ilog and vice versa
ReplyDelete