Pangan-an island

Going to Pangan-an island by boat is easy, but if boat rides make you dizzy, you can take a walk….

Pangan-an is an island-barangay that belongs to Lapu-Lapu City.  It is situated east of Mactan and right next to Olango.  It used to be a legendary fishing ground with fish stock abundant enough to feed China.  Fishermen from faraway places regarded the waters surrounding the island as a place in which to fish, and the island itself as the place on which to eat - kan-anan (dining area).  In time, kan-anan became Pangan-an and the name stuck, but the fish stock gone.

An old riddle asks, in the middle of the sea, what can you see? The letter “e” you say?  Wrong!  In the middle of the sea is - a waiting shed!  Yes indeed, a waiting shed stands proudly right in the middle of a channel that separates Olango Island from Pangan-an.  It is used by tricycle drivers waiting for riders, and vice versa.  Tricycles, in the sea?  That’s right.  At low tide, the area will be completely dewatered as if a hole underneath sucks the seabed dry.  This is not your typical sand bottom seabed, but an immense flat-coral-bedrock.  You can see the two-wheel mark that snakes across the channel and thins toward Pangan-an.  It is a visible nautical highway.  But who needs a ride, when you can walk?  You will see flocks of birds in v-formation against the backdrop of all imaginable cloud formations.  If you are lucky you will see a distant rainfall or a rainbow.  It is a walk you will not soon forget. 

Halfway through on our way back, water started to seep on our path.  As if having minds of their own, little headwaters crawled toward our feet.  The sea has awakened.  Within minutes, this vast expanse of flat rock was covered with sparkling ankle-high water.  At this time, the waiting shed was half-submerged and we were soon surrounded by waste-high seawater. It feels like Moses’ Red Sea crossing.  The walk was longer and tiring, but the open space and the ultimate freedom it brings was worth tiring for.  On the edges are coconut islets, protected from strong waves by walls of mangrove forests. 

It was late afternoon.  The clouds already started to pale on the horizon.  We met locals along the way, traveling the same path as we did.  I waved hello and was rewarded by shy smiles.  I figured, our ancestors from faraway places came here not necessarily on land bridges, but on foot, just like I did at low tide when seawater retreated to reveal that flat bottom bedrock….

River Trek

One of my favorite outdoor pastime is river trekking with my mountaineering group. Clad in cotton shirts, polyester shorts, all weather shoes, a wet proof daypack with some provisions and water in Nalgene (mountaineers are gung-ho about this container brand) we trooped to the Barangay Hall to inform the local authorities of our presence in the area. Since we wouldn’t want to go trekking in a flooded river, we check the latest weather bulletin and look up for any rain clouds.  If we got clear skies and sunshine, we are set and ready to go! For river trek aficionados, here are some hot tips: 

Watch your step

Have a leisurely pace, trek one step at a time. Stepping in between rocks instead of on them can be dangerous. One time I sandwiched my foot between two submerged rocks with a gap small enough to grip the bone in my ankle - this instantly shot pain to my brain! Take caution, what you don’t see can hurt you. When negotiating your way on rocks in the river, always get a secure foothold, more often than not they are slippery or loose. So don’t jump on rocks, chances are, you will slip and bang your head, or the rock tips, gets you off balance and you go splashing in the river.

Watch what you’re holding

Sometimes the water is deep or the current strong that you need to go up the banks or mountain passes and wade through bushes. When there’s a wayward branch on the path, hold it and look behind you before slowly releasing the branch. Don’t yank it. It will snap back at your face. And be careful with what you’re holding, it could be one of those thorny plants (touch-me-nots), or you could be mistaking a tree branch for a snake!

Give directions

When trekking in a group, the one who leads is called the assault, the one who stays last is called the sweeper and those in between are called pacers.  Feel like a pro by giving directions to those lagging behind: In diverging paths stack three rocks to mark the path taken.  If you have seen Blairwitch Project, you know what I mean, but do not stack rocks as high. It’s better to cross the river in pairs or more - It’s for balance and strength in withstanding the river’s rushing water. 

There. River trekking 101. See you in the rivers and streams of our dreams!

8th Wonder

The rice terraces look majestic but there is more to it than meets the eye. The concept of the terraces is simple enough: In order to grow, rice needs water, which the mountain slopes can not hold. But what was borne out of necessity has become something else - a terraced masterpiece, a baffling transformation, a phenomenal sight worthy of UNESCO’s world heritage list. Due to its sheer size, the rice terraces flood your vision. But it is as much a feast for the eyes as it is for the other senses. The vast space, the absolute quiet, and the wind softly brushing your skin almost bring you back to the dawn of civilization when our ancestors were carving those mountains. Come. Be there. Be awed. And let your spirit be lifted up the heavens.

Stairway to Heaven

There are as many rice terraces as there are little villages in the canyons of Ifugao. The world famous Banaue Rice Terraces is just one amongst many. It offers a stunning panorama you can view from a platform on a bluff surrounded by shops selling souvenirs. But the best way to go is visit Batad, one of the more famous and photogenic rice-terraces-villages. From the bus station, a tricycle will bring you in an hour on its foot. From there, a good one and a half hour trek on backcountry trail will bring you to Batad’s view deck, making those postcards come alive, and your adrenaline pumping for more. When I came, a shaft of light fell directly on one of the terraces squeezed beneath two slopes. It was long and narrow, and creeping up towards the mist and low clouds. It was mesmerizing, surreal, literally, a stairway to heaven.

Thousand-year-old walls

The massive 10-foot rock walls that hold the rice terraces together is the heart of the matter. No special mortar was used, just plain rocks, mud and hay, but strong enough to survive generations. Water from springs on mountaintops is channeled through irrigation canals beside slope fissures which are then brought to individual paddies by hollowed out bamboo poles - What struck me the most is its simplicity in such a grand setting, and the fact that it hasn’t changed for thousands of years.

The 8^th wonder experience has brought a fresh perspective of who I am. I suddenly became proud of my heritage, of who we are as a people, and of what we have contributed to the world. It is time to pay homage to what our ancestors have ingeniously created and which has given them immortality. I did already.

Bungee

I haven’t updated this blog for a long time. So, here’s something that will make your heart race and your adrenaline pumping for more!

The GX5-Reverse Bungee on the left, G-Max Swing on the right

If you haven’t tried bungee jumping, do it at Clarke Quay in Singapore City. There are two kinds, first is the catapult or GX5-Reverse Bungee. On a platform, we were strapped on our seats. One guy handled the controls. Smoke rose as we leaned back on the headrest then boom! We were catapulted up a hundred feet in midair. The harness was pressed on our bodies as we were jerked, twisted and turned. Our heads snapped and nodded back as the seats rotated downwards. Then the bungee cord pulled us down very fast as if we were going to get smashed on the ground. We shouted in delight but also of fear. The thrill of letting go is exhilarating. Up we go again while we struggled instinctively against gravity. We were slammed against empty air. My stomach felt like being sliced in two over and over again.

The other is the bungee swing called the G-Max. Now this one is the better ride, which means more challenging, all right, scarier. 5 people can enjoy it together. Imagine a gigantic swing – because that is exactly what you are going to get. From the bottom you will be pulled backwards by the machine on the highest point of the swing, slowly. Tik-tik-tik is all you hear. The city grows as you rise higher and higher into the cool night air while you hang facedown. You will see a good stretch of the Singapore river mirroring the mesmerizing lights of Clarke Quay. You feel the harness tightening around you as gravity tries to pull you downward. Your arms and legs dangle, longing for solid ground. The people below looked like ants and they are holding their breaths too. Then the green light is turned on. Somebody pressed the lever and you are released! The sudden falling sensation is so intense that your heart seems to rise to your mouth. Gravity takes control and you are swinging at 9.8meters per second. You try to breathe normally but can’t. Your muscles tighten and your heart race. You scream and hold on to the one beside you like your life depended upon it. Then you rise up again on the opposite side. You look down just when the swing peaks and reverses direction. Gravity pulls you backwards. And you let go. You close your eyes, feeling the wind on your face and butterflies flying in your stomach.

  Bungee at night

The anticipation of seeing that green light was scary. Couple that with the pressure of being the one to press the button, and you’re sweating ice. At the time, I was seated next to Ping who gripped my arm so tightly her handprint remained in my arm for days!