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| Welcome to the forest spring Mambukal enchantment! |
It was all gloomy and windy afternoon at around 4 pm when I set foot to the gate of Mambukal Resort. The trip was longer than the usual time, compared to the reviews I'd read on the internet. Before going there, I have done my assignment, reading articles and travel itineraries, one of those was written by Journeying James. Reviews were all lovely compliments and the yearnings of coming back to this place. At first, I tend to cancel this itinerary due to the added costs on my Bacolod budget trip. But then, as I've read about the seven falls in the place, my heart started to long of seeing a real falls. I think, I had not seen a waterfalls in my life yet, and to say seven in one place would be great! And so,that is the reason why I push through. Right after the convention, I decided to part ways with the group and told them about my plan of going to Murcia, about 16.557 kilometer away from Bacolod City according to the map. Ma'am personally advised me not to go there alone considering the typhoon was about to land at Bacolod the following day but I told her (the typical hard-headed basang), I wanna go, and so she just let me go and said very firmly that I should take care. With a determined heart, I headed to the Libertad Terminal to board a mini bus going to Mambukal- one of the unforgettable solo trip ever.
After registering in the Admin office, colorful plants came into view and as the wind pass by, they begun to wave their leaves at me. It was a very common view to me since I came from Los Banos Laguna, where trees and plants are abundant, but then, there is a mysterious enchantment that pulls me to go further inside the place.
There is also this smell that I can't understand. And as I walk further inside, the smell gets stronger.
I was not good in directions that even though I had a huge map given to me at the Admin office, I was lost looking for the Tourist Lodge I rented at 600 pesos for one night. Along the way I saw interested spots wherein I was so excited to explore. There were also bats (huge bats of sort) flying up high the trees that give me some push and so I hurriedly look for the place where I'll stay so that I could put down my bag and explore the area, and have a little dip of water, which I've been passing by. At last, I had found the lodge, and after a little rest I went down armed with my umbrella, because it seems that the rain may fall in any minute at that time. I discovered that it was a sulfur spring near the lodge that was farting off all that strong odor around. There were also caution signs for boiling mud around.
It was windy all right but that does not hinder me from wandering off the place as if I was very enchanted by the place, and I was like a little child being put down to run and explore around. Upon seeing the beautiful family cottages, i went near it and discovered a scenic view of the boating lagoon, which has no full water by that time and so I can see well the natural falls that supplies its water. It was a lovely moment with the fresh air, the beauty of the nature thus calm mind and spirit too.
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| Contemplating the beauty of life out in the nature with God. |
With the strong wind, I move to explore more and so, I have behold the lovely views of the Mambukal Resort.
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| A short bridge as docking site for the boats and the sulfuric mud floor of the lagoon |
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| Ishiwata Bath House |
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| Flying foxes around the area with the narra tree as their home |
After the leisurely walk, my mind and my eyes were full of picturesque memory of natures beauty. My stomach started to get noisy. To satisfy its concern, I went to the food court and ordered for a simple meal for dinner at 100 pesos and finished up with a ginger tea, after of course, of a calming massage from the spa near the food court. What a treat!
It was starting to rain when I was about to go out from the spa and that it was already dark at around 7 pm. Luckily, I'd remember the small but "very useful-on-time" flashlight I've been keeping in my bag. I safely arrived at the lodge with the background of bat's cries above the trees in the dark path to the lodge. At the lodge's door, I luckily meets some new friends and they were all very kind and funny people. We exchanged some personal stories and philosophical riddles. Then we call it a night and prepared to sleep.
But wait, it was not an easy night! For the winds has become stronger and the sounds are like hollows in the space. I was frightened and what makes it more scary is that the lights went out and I keep on praying and preparing my things if ever, I thought, something happens then I am ready to go.. I call my father at home and somehow, it soothes my scared thoughts and feeling. I keep on praying and I can feel God's at my side for the lights tuned on after I prayed then I was fast asleep, with ease. It was an unforgettable typhoon night away from home though.
As I woke up in the morning, the sound of the winds are gone and there were morning "tiktilaok" call that serves as an alarm clock. It was another fine day as if nothing happened last night. As I go downstairs and look outside, hints of typhoon are visible, branches fallen off, the leaves are scattered along the cemented road and in the pool. That day, I planned to start the trek. I want to invite my new friends but this morning as I knocked on the door, they were still deeply asleep and so I need to go through solo. I watched first the bats flying around the area, which were literally huge. Then I saw the signboard that leads to the waterfalls. It was so inviting that I really wanted to go. But since there is no one with me, I went back to the lodge and knocked on my new friends' room again but to no avail. I told myself, I need to do it now or else there may be no next time. And there I'm back to the stairs that will lead me to more enchantment.
What would one expect after a night of typhoon? As I said, branches and twigs were fallen everywhere. As I walk through the not so difficult trek, I say a prayer and kept asking myself if I needed to do this and go forward, seems that every step is one thing near to the unknown, to a bliss or to a danger. The typical hard headed me, I kept on thinking this would not happened again, but I am sure that was not true. Then I became so much absurd with my adventure this morning that I stop worrying. I am really TUCKED INSIDE a forest! I seem to see tree spirits just like in the Princess Monokoke Studio Ghibli movie.
Different interesting life forms appears everywhere-interesting plants, insects and the sounds of the falls as I approaches makes me so excited. Times like these were very rare and I was really happy. I am so full of energy and my heart beats really fast especially when the beauty of the first falls reveals its beauty.
I paused for a while and inhale the fresh air around me. It was a total bliss and drives me to seek for the other falls. and so I went on and on...
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| Third Falls |
I am glad I made the trip and so far, I had four more to see. It became more exciting as the trek begun to became harder due to the steepness and the rocks that comes the way. I love walking with rock eversince I experienced it on the Mt. Maculot, The Rockies climb and the Mt. Balungao trek. I felt like little Mae on the movie, "My neighbor, TOTORO" who was so curious and a real wanderer of sort!. I even saw a part of the way which resembles the way to Totoro's tree. I never thought that as started to climb those rocks, it will lead me to something better that the falls I've been dreaming to see, the falls which was really the main reason I came here at Mambukal.
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| Mae as she run after the little friends and discovered about the secret way to Totoro's tree. I felt like little Mae.! |
With so much awe on what I am seeing, I am very grateful that I had gone this far. As I often say appreciatively, I could stay here forever!
But I realized something, I'd lost the trail! There were no directions to follow, no people to ask, no signs of places to go! I even saw a dead baby snake in one of the rocks! I am not worried because I can still go back, but there is no turning back but trying different possible ways that seem to have marks of foot trails. There were lot of bushes but the trail only lead to another part of the river. And so I tried the other trail that seems to go upward the mountain. I suspected at first, this was a trail to Mt. Kanlaon. But better try than never. Much to my astonishment, I arrived at a community at the top of the hill!
