Labor Day Adventure Part 2: Panguil River Ecopark

After resting, we traveled to the Panguil River Ecopark. It was a thrilling ride. The road is like a 1 hour long roller coaster

And the sights varied from the lake,

rolling hills,

and rice fields.

It was already 5PM when we arrived at the Panguil River Ecopark. A sign outside says entrance fees are P60 for 6AM to 6PM and P80 for overnight. We waited for somebody to ask for our payment but no one approached us. Haha. So we just made our way inside. We were greeted by a hanging bridge.

Abs po yan. Abs with a T.... Tabs.

We went straight to the guide's table hoping to participate in the trek to Ambon-Ambon Falls but according to them, the last trip left at around 4:30 PM. We were 30 mins late. Aww. So instead, we looked for a spot by the river for a quick dip.

The river was cold and clear. It looks green from afar because of the moss that grew on the rocks.







On the part where we stayed, the water was only mid leg to waist deep. But, I think there are parts where the level reaches the chest to shoulder since some kids managed to dive in.



After about 15 minutes of swimming, we had to leave because it is still a 3-hour long drive to Mendez. We went to the shower rooms but as expected, it was jampacked. There are only 5 shower cubicles in the shower room we entered. We opted to change in one of the toilets instead. After freshening up and changing clothes, we headed home.



We parked by a mall and ate our dinner (Jollibee 1 pc Chicken with Spaghetti + the rice cooked by Dad + Sundae Mixins Cookie Berry) with bare hands. We had some sort of a picnic inside the car. It was so much fun.



I realize a lot of things after this impromptu trip.
1. Don't get disheartened when your plans don't materialize. Open your eyes. God must have a better plan.
2. Your friends will inevitably leave you. People will get mad at you for screwing up. But, your family will always accept you for who you are and will support your craziness (if you want it badly enough).
3. If you care for the people you are with, you will always have fun no matter where you go, no matter what you eat.
4. The world is full wonder. Explore! Curiosity may kill but ignorance is suicide.

Labor Day Adventure Part 1: Daranak Falls

It was 5:30 AM, May 1, 2013. I had a lot of plans for that day. Needless to say, none of them materialized but was I going to let this stop me? Nah. So I called up my dad. He said he is in a poultry farm in Tanay Rizal.Perfect! Daranak Falls is in Tanay, Rizal! So I dragged my sister off her bed and prepared to go to Tanay.

We were in the Pasay area so we boarded the MRT and got off at the Shaw Blvd Station. We walked on the EDSA Shang side of the MRT to the direction of the Boni Station until we reached EDSA Central. It is a mall with call centers on the second floor. We walked a little further south and made a left turn on United St. Then, we saw an old barrel like building. We headed towards that building because behind that is the parking lot where the jeeps and FX's bound to Tanay are parked.

Because it was a hot hot day. We opted to ride the air-conditioned FX. Fare to Tanay was P70 per person.

After almost two hours of travel, we arrived at the Tanay town proper, hopped on Dad's van and headed to Daranak Falls.

The place was jampacked. The nearest parking was not near at all! We had to rent a trike for P20 each which we haggled for P50 for the 3 of us.

Entrance fee to the falls and river was P20 for adults and P15 for children. You can opt to rent a cottage for P300 or a table for P150. We chose not to rent either. What is more exciting than eating your lunch sitting on the huge rocks by the river?

After paying the entrance fee, we passed through this bridge to the cottages area.

From the bridge, you can see the the downstream part of the river. To our disappointment, the water is a bit murky. Maybe due to the fact that a lot of people bathed there that day.

Below the bridge, we found these amazing rock balancing sculptures.

After eating our lunch (grilled tilapia stuffed with onions and tomatoes) by the river, we headed to the falls and we were astounded by the number of people there!

 

Minus the people, the false was still beautiful. The water is a nice shade of green (despite the number of bodies soaked in it at that time). Probably the best time to visit this place is sometime February or December.

I will definitely come back. I am looking forward to seeing this place without the people, with only the sound of the falls to hear, with only the leaves swimming in the water and with only the huge river stones to keep me company.


After taking a few pictures, at around 2PM, we left the place. Since it was so hot and the van lacks air-conditioning, it was virtually impossible to drive around without having a heat stroke. So we went to one of the farms my dad is supervising. We rested for a good hour and headed to our next destination: Panguil River Ecopark.