Manila 2009 Day 4

It was the outdoors again today! We were going to visit the Pagsanjan (pronounced as Pag-sang-han) Falls in the Laguna province, and according to Moses, it was going to be a slightly-more-than-two-hour journey there.

On the way to Laguna province

Along the way, we had toilet breaks to drink some fresh coconut juice and stretch our legs.

A roadside stall selling bags and bags of ... ...

... snails, eeek!

We stopped for lunch at Jollybee at some unknown shopping centre.

Slug playing some shooting game after lunch

We reached a spot along the river where Slug's brother rented two kayaks for Slug and I, and his two nieces. We needed not do the rowing - a guide would be rowing the kayak against the riverflow and taking us upriver to the Pagsanjan Falls.

Cruising along the river

No easy feat to go against the river flow

Some mini waterfalls cascading down the steep rocky valleys

Coming to a stretch of the river whereby the riverbed were strewn with boulders and rocks

Amazing guide had to bring the kayak up these rocks amidst the shallow waters

Guide got out of the kayak to pull it up the rocky riverbed

We arrived at the Pagsanjan Falls and the guide brought us onto a bamboo raft. I thought that the experience was to sail through the waterfall and into the dark damp cave hidden behind the waterfall. I felt nervous at the thought of the waters plunging down onto us and that slamming impact on our heads.

Pagsanjan Falls

Getting ready for the waterfall tour

The impact of the falling waters was painful but brief. We were thoroughly drenched from head to toe. Far from what I expected, we did not go through the waterfall and into the cave. We merely passed the edges of the waterflow, just enough for us to be soaked and not be hurt by the pounding waters. What a bummer.

After the experience the guide took us back to where we came from, and along the peaceful river we spotted some locals swimming, fishing and playing in the water. By the time we got back onto land, our clothes had more or less dried up. We had dinner before embarking on a two-hour journey back to Manila. The highways were more packed on a Sunday evening than yesterday as the people were returning back to town for work tomorrow.