Foot and Fire

Karsts and Pine trees define the short trek in Bucari, Leon, Iloilo. Cool breeze, verdant mountains, breathtaking views are only a few finer things nature can give us in that part of Panay Island.⛰🌏 The karsts above and rocks below pepper the mountain of Mt. Mansiga. 🌲⛰ Reaching the heart-stopping heights of Mt. Mansiga is all worth it. The bird's eye view of the mountains and routes, the clean air deeply processed by the lungs, the cool greeneries of the forest trees, the happy sturdy trunks of pine trees are all worth the effort of going up. Going down is easy so I can guarantee that you can go home. 🤣 View this post on Instagram Nan, selfie pa more. #bucari #bucarileon #leoniloilo #pinetrees #karst #limestone #naturetrip #naturetrekking #trekking A post shared by Gerlie Uy (@sassy_gerlie) on Feb 5, 2020 at 4:27am PST Pine trees are forev...

  After doing the trek on the campsite and the deck where the Pine Trees of Bucari abound, we went to see the falls. We did not expect to pass by many makeshift four bridges before reaching the Combong Falls and Imoy Falls plus the farthest Nabuduwan Falls. The falls are part of the tourism offering of Bucari aside from the campsite and the viewing deck. The location of the falls is about two kilometers before reaching the campsite. The roads widening and construction is underway last October 2018 when we got there and must be ready by next year. At any rate, it was fun to have my friends car pass by a small creek like those in the movies and adverts before reaching the barangay hall where we registered our names and proceeded to trek going to the falls accompanied by a guide.  Bridge 1. This is the first bridge we just pass by. It is headed to a different direction and used by the residents to go to their farms and do their trades on the other side. Offi...

  I have a tip to myself: I'll go camping next time. It would be a wonderful treat to one's stressed out brain to sleep under the tall pine trees of Bucari, located in the mountainous terrain of Leon, Iloilo. Pine trees abound in the camping site and you would wonder how old they were and whether they were planted intentionally to make a pine tree playground. Well, when I go back, I know what to do. I'll go camping or if I'm in a company of scared bunch, there are cabins for rent in the camping ground. For food, we can buy fresh vegetables displayed nearby from lettuce, cucumber, sweetpeas, cabbage, rootcrops and cook them in the camping ground, or simply buy from the turo turo available around.   From the camping grounds where taking in fresh air was a wonderful exercise, our bunch decided to go up the Mansiga viewdeck which has 772 steps and made into a way of the cross. We made our inhale exhale every three stations. It was tiresome but a rewarding ve...

We ended our day tour at the old Spanish house located at the end of the island of Gigantes Norte. It was a sight during sunset given the ambient light given off by the sun and the rustic paint and structure of the old house. It withstood the test of time because it is made of cement mixed with shells found in the locality and eggs, just like how old Catholic churches were made then. *** I mentioned we enjoyed the ambient light of the sunset..  Here are what we took during our brief visit: *** The lighthouse is a recent one and it is said to be Japanese-funded. *** ***  And Kodjack, our tour-guide and water-fetcher, becomes an instant photographer... Just check this out: *** *** Ah, the view.... *** *** And please don't forget to buy trinkets for souvenirs from these lads: *** *** Check out how Gigantes got its name here.. And my other blog posts on Gigantes here. .. Don't forget ...

Our group had a grand time sampling the trail going up the cave and partly towards the opening. We did not move forward anymore than the first touch base because we were not properly dressed for spelunking as we were dripping wet with saltwater after the day's Island hopping. Nevertheless, we enjoyed the introduction to this Bakwitan Cave, so-called because it is used as evacuation place for families from lowland during the past typhoons and this cave saved many lives.  Please check out the allure of this cave. There are sporadic live rocks that still have the potential to grow. Also, as in any other caves which are not regulated, there are occasional graffittis on the cave walls...  Jun "The Cavekeeper," our cave tour guide, is trained regarding caves by the Department of Tourism and he displayed some wisdom regarding taking care of the Bakwitan Cave. *** A makeshift bed used by the cave's temporary resident in the past. *** ...

Malalison Island is only a small island with a population of 750 and registered voters numbering to 400. The only populated area is concentrated at the back of the sand bar which serves as entrance to  the Island. There, the barangay hall is located as well as the basketball court which serves as their plaza as well. It was a quiet afternoon in November when I visited Malalison the first time and I can sense that the water was not as high as when I revisited the cave part in April shortly just after noon. What I immediately noticed about the rock is the a human head bust in the rock formation. Also, I sensed immediately that the summer sun dried out the same and it looked lifeless, unlike the rock I first visited. See the difference here.  At any rate, here are the quick snaps I managed to get featuring the cave! *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***