Caves and Kayaks and Walking the Plank

Another jam-packed day

It’s my birthday today so Stacey had a special day planned for me. After sleeping for 13 hours straight, she woke up feeling a lot better. I was awakened by a rooster or maybe a few. I haven’t heard a rooster for years until I came to the Philippines. Fully awake, Caelin called me and said, “Happy Birthday, Nanna!” During the day, I received texts from the other five kids plus one from my new daughter-in-law who’s honeymooning in Japan.

Our host, Annabelle had made fresh bread. What a treat! Accompanying the bread was real butter, scrambled eggs, ham and freshly brewed coffee and fresh juice. She had the same juice when we arrived yesterday afternoon. It’s the little things that make places special. On the table was a bunch of bananas, sliced mangoes and grapes. We managed to eat the mangoes, but we left the bananas and grapes on the table which was very foolish as we didn’t stop to eat all day.

First up was Cabagnow Cave Pool. It’s a collapsed limestone cavern about 4 metres down to the water. It looked divine. The only way in was to jump. I desperately wanted to get in that beautiful cool water. It was early but I was already saturated from perspiration. After much coaxing, cajoling and hesitation, Stacey finally jumped. One of the local boys had to jump first to prove to her it was deep enough. The water was so clear it definitely didn’t look deep at all.

Apart from taking photos and videos, I sat in the shade with the guys and shared my last four chocolates. It was hellishly hot. The heat didn’t seem to faze them but I was putting my Thai fan to good use.

Stacey eventually emerged up the ladder, dried herself perfunctorily and put her clothes back on behind the semiprivate palm-woven wall. We almost ran to reach the car a few minutes away down the dirt track and collapsed into the aircon.

Next activity for the day was the Lomonok Island Mystic Experience. Stacey had researched this and chosen this for my birthday. Of course, we drove straight past it! The information Stacey had was it was a kayak/canoe ride to Lomonok Island in order to see prehistoric cave paintings and other interesting caves. There was a boardwalk to access the canoes. So I was looking for an exit from the road when it was low-lying and down near the water. We drove on for many kilometres before we realised we must have driven past it.

We did drive along a long concrete wharf to see the seaweed farm and the fishing village on stilts out in the water. Then back along the road we had already driven to where we saw a sign on top of a hill saying Lomonok Mystic Experience. We had seen it but assumed it was advertising for it and the actual entry was further on. Nope, this was it!

The “stairs” down the almost vertical slope were uneven and some could only be meant for giants. If I sat on one stair, my feet might just touch the lower one. “This had better be worth it,” I was thinking as I made my way down to the first hut and took a swig of my water. The women were friendly and looked me up and down to assess if I was physically able to do the tour. There was some disagreement but Stacey convinced them I’d be fine.

The next test after the “stairs” was to walk the 150 metre “boardwalk”, which I later found out was 630 metres! It was the longest “150 metres” mostly in the sun but occasionally shade was offered by some scraggly mangroves. The rickety boardwalk was in the process of being renovated so in parts, the bamboo handrail was missing and bamboo planks were missing from the deck. On one stretch, we had to walk the plank — literally — there was a plank placed lengthways across the broken bamboo which tested my balance. I didn’t fancy falling into the murky muddy mangroves and worse still, getting out again!

I persevered and reached the end of the “boardwalk” and sat down in the little hut in the shade to recover. The next step was to somehow manoeuvre myself in to the outrigger canoe with our boatwoman and guide who paddled us all the way to the island. At least I didn’t have to paddle.

On reaching the shore, I managed to disembark. ( Fell out of the canoe and into the water like a beached whale.) I wasn’t prepared for this and I found it difficult to walk on the coral beach in my wet joggers but I did not fall over. I was so concentrated on where I put my feet that I neglected to watch my head. Ouch! A low hanging branch.

The guide took Stacey and showed her several caves. She decided it would be too difficult for me to climb up to them. I looked up into the cliff face and agreed. Stacey saw a pirate cave that was used for smuggling, the shaman’s cave, the burial cave and the hematite cave paintings in another.

I sat in the shade chatting to the boatwoman. She has 5 adult children and one 21-month-old grandson. The big difference was in our ages. She was 55 to my 73. She took me to show me her hut or what was left of it. It hasn’t been repaired since the typhoon in December, 2021.

By the time Stacey and her guide returned the tide had turned and it was now low tide. Stacey and I climbed into the canoe and the poor boatwoman and guide couldn’t get the boat off the bottom. It was obvious the four of us couldn’t get across the shallow lagoon. Another canoe was paddling towards us with the boatwoman’s daughter and her 21-month-old grandson! Stacey climbed in with the daughter and her baby and helped paddle.

I followed with my two oarswomen. All went smoothly until we reached the dock. I managed to get up and stand on the bow of the canoe. All I had to do was step over to the jetty but somehow I wound up on my knees. The wooden deck was burning hot. The pain was such that as soon as I was dragged up I started vomiting, luckily just water. I don’t know if it was heat stroke or pain or both but I sat down in the shade to recover. Great birthday this turned out to be!

I still had to traipse back on that 630 metre “boardwalk” and then climb the “stairs” to the car. I pulled myself up from that last step through sheer willpower. I collapsed into the car totally exhausted. I think Stacey realised I’d had enough for one day and headed to our special accommodation for my birthday night.

After getting lost, well, not so much getting lost, but unable to find our accommodation, we finally arrived at Kim’s Garden — a tropical paradise where the huts are totally hidden. It was not signposted at all. We thought we were going to Kim’s Garden camping site. Once again we were the only visitors. We had paradise to ourselves and our lovely host Shari whose husband is in Germany for surgery. He’s a landscape architect which may be why the jungle feels so pleasant and relaxing.

Shari took one look at us and asked “Hungry?” It was after 3pm. What could she prepare quickly for us? Fresh fish and vegetables from her garden for Stacey and a platter of fruit for me — a whole mango and three slices of watermelon. We walked around the jungle admiring the gardens and checking out the snorkelling spots. Shari tells us they took the full brunt of the typhoon and lost many of their trees. This combined with the pandemic has made running this resort a tough gig so she also has a restaurant in town where we plan to go for my birthday dinner.

Showered and fed, we both lay on the comfy bed for a rest before heading out to the restaurant. Five hours later, we woke at the same time. Too late to drive into town for dinner, we grabbed a beer out of the fridge and played cards till midnight. My birthday treat!

Here’s the link to out first day…

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