Whisking Through the Jumog Waterfalls Twin Falls

I still feel nervous when I hopped back on Wazit’s motorbike after that motorbike accident to Suku Temple but I really have no choice but to go with him. I did notice he’s more cautious now as I told him to be very careful after showing my nasty wounds to him. We were on our way to Jumog Waterfalls which is just 1.5km in the vicinity. I really wanted to squeeze this in despite the short afternoon we have here. I think I needed something like this to refresh my senses after all that happened.

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The Big and Small Bulalacao Falls in El Nido

It’s funny how naming conventions of tourist sites go as far as El Nido is concerned. When island hopping its amusing when people would say they’ll be going to a “Secret Beach” (which I won’t tell where because it’s supposed to be a secret) or the “Big and Small Lagoon” in Miniloc Island to name the sites based on size description. Now my new favorite waterfalls in El Nido, the less-visted Bulalacao Falls in Pasadeña, will also get the same treatment as the Miniloc Lagoon. Welcome to the Big and Small Bulalacao Falls, personally the most beautiful waterfalls in El Nido.

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El Nido Nacpan and Calitang Twin Beach Playful Waves & Stunning Views

If life’s a beach, El Nido is full of it. About 17.5km up north from El Nido Town proper, passing through rough and dusty road to the town of Bucana is probably one of the most scenic beaches I’ve seen. Facing west together hand-in-hand are the Nacpan and Calitang Twin Beach. I don’t remember the last time I’ve seen one and it’s definitely worth an hour’s tricycle ride to get away from the crowded island tours in Bacuit Bay.

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Lake Balanan, a Lake Borne from an Earthquake

Weather can be a bummer at times. Just when I brought my full snorkeling gears (which I rarely do these days) as I was ready and excited to commune with sea turtles at Apo Island but found out later we can’t cross the seas because of the weather. “So where are we going now?”, Adi and Jacq, our gracious host from GoHotels handed me a brochure for Lake Balanan while having dinner. Okay, this bone-shaped lake looks interesting with a few waterfalls, I thought but I still remained skeptical. So next day, we took a drive south of the island for the town of Siaton in Negros . While I still feel glum as the weather, I kept an open mind on what we’ll see.

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Divilacan Isabela, a Wonderful Diversion

It’s a shame it took us a delayed flight to visit this gem of a place. “Of all the places we’ve mapped in the coastal towns, Divilacan Isabela is the most beautiful and is our favourite!” said one of the NSO Mappers we met at the flight check-in counters in Maconacon. The working duo has been mapping Eastern Isabela for months already and are ready to go home. But the fickle status of our flights had other plans in mind. Our flight was cancelled and had to stay here for another day which is not unusual for this region. But wonders never cease as we met the cheerful Tourism officer of Divilacan, Natalie, who was also waiting for the flight. In no time she quickly whipped up an endorsement letter and then found ourselves riding a motorcycle to Divilacan.

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Maconacon Attractions and Nature Regeneration

Nung dumating yung mga rescuers dito, di sila makapaniwala sa lakas ng hangin. Yng mga puno ng niyog di lang nabaluktot, naputol din sila at maraming nabunot. (When the rescuers came in, they couldn’t believe how strong the wind was. The coconut trees were not only bent, they were cut in half and many uprooted.)” Narrated our 60-year old forester guide with us, recalling the harrowing experience with the 2010 Typhoon Juan as if it happened only a few days ago in Maconacon. Almost a couple of years have passed, Maconacon is showing signs of revival despite the scars left by the typhoon. The houses and government buildings have been rebuilt and they now have electrical power (albeit only 7 hours a day). Nature however is slow to recover, the once bold wall of a mountain-face still shows significant scars and the landscape changed as we have discovered while exploring some Maconacon attractions.

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