It was sunny, instead of the rain one of the other guests at Harold's predicted, so Bee and I were able to spend the rest of the afternoon at Balinsasayao Nature Park.
The Nature Park is the gateway to the Twin Lakes - two small, but deep crater lakes situated between four mountains and separated by a narrow mountain ridge. Lake Balinsasayao, which is near the mountain that bears the same name, is the bigger of the two. The other lake is called Danao, a word which actually means "lake" in the local dialect.
We went through the Sibulan access road in going up to the nature park and it is tricky. I advise getting a driver who knows where the road turns, and have a vehicle that can withstand a bumpy ride. The road is paved and cemented in some places but gravelly in other places. One wonders who decided which part of the road gets cemented. If I observed it correctly, the parts of the road that turns around the hills and mountains are the cemented parts. I guess I should be thankful there is even a road that vehicles can pass. A decade or so ago, one had to trek up the mountains to get to the lakes, and that could take two days.
Upon reaching the Nature Park entrance, one pays an entrance fee per head. At this part of the mountains, getting a cellphone signal is a hit or miss thing... sometimes you get a bar or two, most times you get no signal at all.
To go to Balinsasayao Lake, one goes farther up but vehicles are only allowed up to a certain point. From there on, a boatman or boatwoman will greet you and lead you down a stone staircase going to the lake. You pay a separate fee for the boat ride, by the way.
Bee hates walking and hates stairs the most, which is why she wasn't pleased with having to go down the stone steps. You go down farther than you went up from the park entrance.
Veni, vidi, vici. I came, I saw, I conquered.
Bee in what I dub her conquistador pose as she took a short break at the part of the steps where one finally gets a glimpse of the lake.
At the perimeter of the lake are shaded picnic tables where one could eat. Moored at the edge of the lake and near the stone steps are the boats.
Our boatwoman told us to wear lifevests before assisting us into the boat we rented. Correction - the boatwoman assisted Bee and had no inkling by the way I clambered on board that I feared going into big bodies of water. I think she thought I wouldn't have a problem getting in a boat as I had no problem going down the stone steps. Bee would later comment how poles apart we are in that she loves the water but hate climbing, while I fear the any body of water larger than a small swimming pool but negotiated the stone steps like a mountain cat. Ofcourse, I think using the term mountain cat is exaggerating things as I would probably lag behind and give up earlier than a person with a fitter body.
A typical boat ride should first take you across the Balinsasayao lake to the mountain ridge. This is where you climb out of the boat and go up another set of steps to the elevated hut/tower/cottage (whatever you want to call it).
This watchtower of sorts happens to be on the mountain ridge that separates the two lakes, and therefore gives one a view of both Lake Balinsasayao and Lake Danao.
I missed going up to that watchtower as Bee was not keen on climbing up and down another set of steps. I didn't push Bee to do more climbing in much the same way that she didn't push me to swim far from shore in Dauin. Besides it was her birthday. We asked the boatwoman to just paddle us around the lake.
A forest growing on the mountainsides surround the lake. It is estimated that more than a hundred species of trees and more than a hundred species of birds could be found there. I saw a couple of very tall trees stretching out from the lower rocks and reaching a height of twice that (or more) of the trees growing on the upper rocks above it. I think those were Almagica trees - the tallest kind of tree to be found in the Philippines.
We took pictures of the scenery as the boatwoman paddled across the calm waters. The only sounds to be heard were our hushed voices, the dipping of the paddle in the water, the clicks from our cameras, and the chirping of birds.
In the 1980s, cutting of the trees threatened to lower the water level of the lakes. These days, with the trees protected within the Nature Park, water could sometimes rise so high that a few picnic tables are submerged in the lake.
Bee wanted to take a dip in the lake but the boatwoman told her she could not. I think someone drowned in the lake not long ago and the locals realized it was difficult to pull out someone from the depths of the lake. Bee had to be contented with dipping her feet in the water, which the boatwoman allowed.
I jokingly, but half-seriously told Bee that if she does anything to tip the boat and put us in the water (which she just might do to have an excuse to take a swim), I wouldn't forgive her.
We got back to where the boats were moored just before sunset. Mang Danny told us on the way to the Park that some boatmen/boatwomen don't like going into the lake after sunset because they believe in the presence of the supernatural.
Since her camera was still in the dry box being carried by the boatwoman, Bee grabbed my camera and took the picture below after we got out of the boat. I must admit, it is a postcard worthy picture.
The sun would be setting in a few hours as we climbed back up the stone steps to where the van we rented was parked. I lagged behind Bee, deciding to take a few more shots of the lake before leaving it.
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