Journey to the heart of the country

We are at the tail end of our Journey to the Heart of the Philippines trips. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to make it to the Mindoro leg but I was told it holds a lot of promise. I did go twice to Sibuyan and it was so much fun!
I actually went on the ro-ro — 2Go for the first time! Twelve hours on the ro-ro, and it was a blast. 2Go Travel allowed exclusive use of the top deck for us for a few hours since we were so many. We had parlor games, cheering competitions, and singing. Time just slipped by without us even knowing. And when I went off to sleep I was told the group stayed up late and sang and danced the night away.

The next day we got to Romblon and went straight to frolic in the gorgeous white sand of Tiamban Beach. There we exercised, played Frisbee, relay, dodge ball and other team sports. The trip with the Miss Earth winners was particularly fun because the girls were so game! They are young so they had a lot of energy notwithstanding the fact that they looked amazing in bikinis — beautiful inside and out. My first trip had the Bantay Bata staff, the second had Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission (PRRC), Kapit Bisig para sa Ilog Pasig and Miss Earth.

At noon we took a two-hour boat ride to Sibuyan. Even that was fun, with the deep blue sea and fresh air, the girls sunbathed in the roof deck. It was our journey to the heart of the country. Upon arrival, we settled in Sanctuary, a very charming hotel in the island, embraced by lush landscaping and the magnificence of Mt. Guiting Guiting in the background. Most of the rooms face the mountain.

After getting settled, we went to Lambingan Falls and had a sumptuous meal. It helped that we were ravenous after the two-hour boat ride. I was happy that the place showed distinct improvement since I last went there a year ago. There was a script they now had as we went through the forest trail to the falls. It was easy now to go to the falls up to the fourth level because of the railings and additional steps. For the urban crowd, jumping from a stone ledge to clear sparkling water below was a real treat. Since those that jumped got extra points, eventually one very courageous Miss Earth Ecotourism who didn’t even know how to swim decided to jump! It was just arranged that the moment she jumped there were two swimmers who would make sure she would be led to safety. She did this several times. Brave!

Click this link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8E2_obNOt-k&feature=youtu.be or type “Miss Earth Philippines Ecotourism 2014 jumps in Lambingan Falls” to watch. Note the two male swimmers that go forward the moment she jumps. It was so amusing!
After that we went to Magdiwang Beach where beach games were again played before dinner. Feeling the sea and the pristine-ness of the place just as the sunset was a treat on its own. Dinner was festive. We sang, danced and joy filled the air.  The next day would be even more packed.

Our first stop was Dagubdob Falls where there was a scavenger hunt — and again, there were waterfalls. Sibuyan is the world’s densest forest so it is not a surprise that there are 38 waterfalls on the island, all unique in their breathtaking majesty. We climbed up to the fourth level and jumped our way down. Fun!
After meeting beneath the canopy of a thousand-year old-tree while winners were being announced, we trooped to Bila Bila Falls. In our post mortem, the unanimous feedback was that Bila Bila Falls should be first the next time. It is a one-hour trek to the fourth level and it is something else. I even stopped several times, feeling the majesty of the surroundings. What a healing respite from city life. 
Bila Bila, if developed well, can even be a whole day affair. It has so much bio diversity, and the islanders are not even aware of it. I am looking forward to the visit of the California Academy of Arts and Science, who agreed to help us assess the biodiversity there. The whole trip could be an educational cum fun adventure that could be offered to schools.

In the afternoon we went to Cajidiocan where we biked! In the sunset, no pollution, no cars, just sea on one side, Mt. Guiting Guiting on the horizon. 
The evening saw the mayor hosting a dinner for us.
I had to rush back by chopper for a meeting but I was told the trip back on the ro-ro was just as much fun. They played Taboo and card games. 
The unanimous take was in the level of nine nearing the tens. We had a post mortem and got ideas on how to improve the trip. For the young and adventurous, for the young in spirit – this is the trip to go to.

We had a lot of fun. Click this link to watch our funny video plugging Sports Unlimited: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jopZw0ZbssQ&feature=youtu.be or type “Watch Sports Unlimited”.

Let me also share with you this video of Bantay Bata employees’ visit in Sibuyan Island last May 13-16, 2014: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Exk4rrsGaY&feature=youtu.be or type “Sibuyan Island with Bantay Bata.”

The money goes to the community. All of us were enamored by the bamboo straws they offered and feel it can be offered and even sold in Manila because it is reusable and so much more Earth-friendly than paper straws. It also looks quite pretty. They were producing honey and taro chips, but the hot seller here will be their water. I already got water samples and will have it tested in the lab. Imagine water from the world’s densest forest! And I will maneuver it so that the community is benefitted. There is a bright bright future for this small island of 59,000 people — a promise for them — and a direction for our country to go. 
Those interested in bringing groups to this trip, call Rajah Travel at +632-894-0886 or email us at green.initiative.ph@gmail.com. If you can get together groups of minimum of twenty, we can employ facilitation and tour guiding services for you. We can orient and model the tour to your liking.

I can be reached at regina_lopez@abs-cbn.com.