It was the second day of our Bacolod-Iloilo-Guimaras trip and a long day we have ahead of us. Why? we are going to the Mambukal Resort in Brgy. Minoyan in Murcia which is around a 20-min drive from the city proper of Bacolod if you have your own transportation but if not, it could take you 3-45min by public transportation. For us, we got there by hiring a taxi that we hailed near downtown. We got a contracted rate of between P500 to P800 (I don't remember the amount exactly) for all 6 of us for an Avanza cab.
It was a good weather day that morning though it slightly drizzled before we went downtown. But the sun was perched, not too high yet not hiding, from us. We arrived at Mambukal and we were excited at what awaits us.
For me, it was my 3rd time already to be here yet I haven't been to all 7 waterfalls that this place offers to its visitors, that is if you have enough stamina to reach all of them. Our goal was to reach at least 4-5 of them, that would be great already.
Here's our experience in photos:
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| Of course, picture first in this landmark =) |
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| Bats were everywhere up in the trees though I thought they wanted to sleep in the dark as they are nocturnal creatures..hmm..maybe not these species in Mambukal |
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| Our jump-off point on our way to see a few of the falls. All of us still looking fresh-faced hikers |
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| This was creepy looking. Like creepy-crawling eewww-feeling! The insect was huge if you see it upfront..and it was being killed slowly by these ants. Poor creature! |
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| My 2nd photo from this vantage point. My first one was taken like last 2007 |
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| Still not reaching the falls but we were told that we were near |
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| There it is! The 1st Waterfall. Yes! X marks the 1st spot. It would have been cool to at least dip our feet in the water but we were hurrying up for the other falls. It was so refreshing there, just feeling the soft breeze with sprays of water dotting our faces |
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| We got to at least dip our hands in the water to test its coolness |
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| Yey! The 2nd Waterfall. The path going here was getting steeper and steeper and higher as well. I definitely felt the urge to give up and go back down but I did not. I'm not a quitter. It's embarrassing to actually stop at waterfall #2. Haha! |
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| Picture! Picture! |
Our guide informed us that we can't go and see the other falls as there were reported small landslides of some sort due to the rain earlier that day. Of course, we could not take that risk. It's much difficult to go back down if you're injured, or worse, well, worse.
We went directly to the 6th Waterfall. We skipped the others but that does not mean that we got off easy as we still climbed higher and higher. I remember the exact moment that I was wishing that if I can only roll down the slope, I would, because my legs felt so strained already. Exertion was not really my thing. There were local kids who acted like our mini-guides and one of them offered his hand to me to assist me. I was thinking that if I fall, I might take this boy down with me. But I was touched by his offer, and sincerity.
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| There's the thoughtful boy, jumping from that cliff and landing in the water that is near the edge of the falls..Scary! Dangerous! But he did it without apprehension. Bravo! Good thing he made a perfect jump. |
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| The 6th Waterfalls area. Because I was so tired and parched, I finished off 2 bottles of Sparkle to rplenish the liquids in my system, as well as keeping me cool. I really appreciated this cold drink at a time like this. |
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| I remember that I slipped a little bit here. Charge it to experience. =) |
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| Crossing the other side as we are going on a different path going down. Our guide said that this was a much easier way, no more climbing steep stone slabs for stairs. But before we got to the easy part, there was still climbing done. Whew!! Exercise! |
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| On our way back but going up first. Climbatize! |
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| This I what we saw at the top. A goat resting. Lucky him/her! |
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| Mickey Mouse plant/flower. |
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| We were up high above sea-level. The 360 degree view has a calming effect on our pent-up nerves and muscles. |
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| I wished that there was a zipline or cable car to take us back to base. Hehe! |
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| Don't fall. Falling not allowed. =) |
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| The tracks were a bit muddy and slippery. I slipped again like several times, so did my friends, I think. |
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| As we began our trip down, it was drizzling again. Good thing we were boy & girl scouts coz we were ready with our umbrellas |
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| Simple countryside life of simple folks. |
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| Back down, back to normal. The trip took us around 20-30 mins, I think. Better wear sturdy sandals when you take this trip. I'm relieved my lola gave me a pair of sandals (not necessarily the type for this trip but it gave me a lot of security and comfort rather than wearing my trusty Havs. Whew! I survived the hike! |
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| Boiling mud?? Does not look like it but I'm not willing to prove it =) |
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| See the steam at our back? Hot! |
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| Smelled really bad like rotten eggs! |
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| Happy to have conquered Mambukal's waterfalls. Or just plainly goofing around. |
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| Our kind tour guide who also carried my bag. We gave him a tip that, we think, made him happy. We sure hoped so. |
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| It's the bus for us on our way back to the city. We were again in a rush as we have reservations for the fast ferry going to Iloilo so we paid for more than half of the passenger capacity of this mini-bus so we can start the travel back. I think we paid for like P700, I think. The wind blowing in our faces was so refreshing. And the sight was a stress-buster! |
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| Yup, this is Murcia! =) |
Though we did not make it to the 7th Waterfall, we still came out victorious. And the guide said that the view of the 7th waterfall was not that fabulous as it was more of a flat area already since this is the mother of all 7 falls. So alright, we're convinced. Plus we were so tired already. To get there, that would be a 30-min more hike. No more!
Overall take on this experience..It was a physical thing and once you start to climb, be sure that you can finish. Ready your body and mind. Haha!
For details on Mambukal Resort, check out:
http://www.mambukalhaven.com/
For more posts on this trip, check these out:
Awesome post! You had quite an adventure back there! I'm thinking, the next time we head there, we should really start early so we can go all the way to the 7th waterfall.:)
ReplyDeleteP.S. Thanks for dropping by my site.
That is true, better to start a bit early. From the 6th waterfall, the guide said that it's still a 30-min hike/walk going there. =)
ReplyDeleteWill wait for your next post. =)