Iloilo and Igbaras 2007 (Day 2)

Jorn picked me up around 7:30. Accompanied by his dad and sisters Goldine and Glyza, we began our Good Friday morning drive to Igbaras. As the Tamaraw endured the rough “roads,” stories and information were exchanged. By coincidence it turns out Jorn’s family knows my cousins the Hao Chins (through Lisa). Friendster really does unite us all.

On this trip I didn’t wear a watch (avoiding that annoying wrist tanline), so I wasn’t sure how long we traveled (or hiked afterwards, for that matter). Our guide Roger welcomed us and we were escorted to his humble home and fed a vegan breakfast.

As a certified meat-eater this was a first for me. My friend Julie (who introduced me to Jorn as the go-to-guy for this trip) already told me that as 7^th Day Adventists, Roger's family would serve a “semi-vegetarian meal.” Well, from the first uraro rootcrop to the camachilli I knew this was going to be one flavorless meal for me. But I’m a guest so I politely accept, chew and swallow while Jorn’s dad -- a Taoist – espouses the benefits of food that comes from the earth. Turns out Jorn’s family won’t eat anything that bleeds or “crawls on all fours.” Personally I prefer veggies growing out of the earth, but I don’t say anything. After 1 banana dessert and light coat of sunblock (I’m a real pussy for sunlight), we started our nature hike.

This summer was drier than usual, so most places where rivers were supposed to be streaming instead looked like newly emptied aquariums. This reduced our chances for a swim in one of the caves. When we reached our original destination, Nadsadjan Falls, it was already teaming w/ people. Roger suggested we climb up higher to a more secluded waterfall. One look at the dirt trail and my inner Jew thought, Oy.

This was where I felt most of the work, mostly on the legs. It helped that I brought my MP3 player (playing The Dennis Miller Show). It didn’t help that my shorts kept riding up and restricted leg movement every time we were climbing. We went though dried swamp, forests, grasslands and places where you better watch which branch you grab, lest it be teaming with big-@$$ ants. Fortunately the ants didn’t bite, but the cuts and scratches I got from the local flora were more than enough to remind me not to f*ck w/ Mother Nature.

The climbs were definitely perilous. For the most past we were so close trail’s edge that one misstep would’ve been fatal (or really, really painful). Strangely enough this dispelled my earlier misconceptions that if you’re closer to the edge the greater gravity's pull on you.

Another surprise for me was how easily, almost instinctive, I climbed, by now on all-fours. I noticed that when climbing I get tunnel-vision; instead of looking where I’m going (peripheral vision to see where the people ahead of me were) I look at where to place my foot next. My real fear was the ground collapsing from stepping on the wrong rock or patch of dirt. My other fear was the ground giving way on the people in front of me and we’d all tumble down. Third fear: damaging the digicam. When we reached the rocky areas I was like Jackie Chan and leaping instead of climbing. It’s like my feet know where to land. Guess those hikes I did in China helped. (Eat it, wall-climbing!)

Waterfall In Igbaras

Finally we reached of destination. It looked to me about a hundred feet high (uneducated guess, of course, since I suck at math). We were still a good 50 meters away from the actual falls but still felt the spray from the water crashing down. Argh, digicam’s getting wet! No swimming pictures for now. Brrr, water’s freezing! Tough it out. Ugh, the ground’s slimy! Argh, the waterfalls’ pounding my back like I’m pizza dough and I’m getting foot cramps! All in all a relaxing swim.

It didn’t feel like we stayed long at the falls. Not that we could, since there was still the long trek back down to look forward to. Sigh. All the relaxing we did might get cancelled out. The trail back was mostly different from the one we took getting to the falls, but no less arduous. I grasped at long stalks of dried grass for leverage during the climb, hoping the ground they were rooted on was solid enough. We passed by several long black tubes running through the forested areas. These were probably carrying water to bring to the dried out crops. I even saw my first rice terraces up close. Albeit covered in topsoil. I joked that this was where they buried the hikers who “gave up.” During one of our breaks from climbing Roger pointed to the top of a mountain and said that’s where he brings his kids for hiking. I asked if he was punishing them. ;)

Finally, FINALLY we made it back to Roger’s house by early evening. My feet weren’t killing me, but my toes just wanted to die. We were served buko juice (not my drink of choice but I was too thirsty to complain) and more uraro. I tried to pay my share but Jorn’s dad, bless his Taoist heart, refused to take my money. In the end I just sneaked 500 bucks in one of the empty fruit trays and hoped Roger's wife or kids would see it after we left.

Save for the one incandescent and fluorescent bulbs each in Roger's house the rest of the area was pitch black. Walking back to the truck was a trip, as I used the light from my digicam’s viewscreen to make sure I don’t fall into the ditch. The drive back to Iloilo felt longer. We even picked up some hitchhikers along the way (no psychos; it’s a family trip). When we reach Iloilo I was invited to have dinner w/ Jorn’s family before they took me back to the hotel.

The house was 3 stories up, w/ Oriental string music playing in the background. Dinner was vegetarian (‘natch), but thankfully cooked. Afterwards Jorn’s mom even invited me to stay over at their place instead of the hotel. I politely declined, as their hospitality and generosity was more than enough for today. I didn’t eat too much, since I was supposed to have dinner w/ ‘Sen and friends later. But since we got back so late it didn’t happen, and stupid Jollibee was closed by 8pm, or at least didn’t deliver after 8… so why’d they answer the phone?