MONTHLY CHALLENGE — WATERFALLS
Don’t Go Chasin’ Waterfalls
You may end up “forest bathing”
My eldest daughter, Stacey, has a thing for waterfalls. She loves them more than anything else in the world. Don’t get me wrong — I like waterfalls. I especially like swimming in the pools at the base of the waterfall. I don’t particularly like the leech-ridden walk on slippery, wet paths studded with tree roots and errant stones to reach the pools.
I didn’t know exactly how much she loved them until we were in the Philippines after attending my son, Rowan’s, wedding. She had marked a few waterfalls on our itinerary. I had read about Kawasan Falls here on Globetrotters so we booked a tour including them in a day’s itinerary. As luck would have it, they were closed on the day of our visit. There was a safety problem that needed to be addressed. Tumalog Falls were substituted.
After the walk in, we were hot and sticky and looking forward to cooling off in the pool at the bottom of the falls. We relaxed in the cool water and when I looked at Stacey, she was crying.
“What’s wrong?”
“This is just so beautiful,” and it was but it didn’t bring me to tears.
If you think Tumalog Falls was the only waterfall we visited in the Philippines, you’d be wrong. It was the most stunning in that the limestone walls had been carved out by the water and spray into the most fascinating and interesting patterns. Because they were continually kept moist by the misty spray, mosses and lichens thrived. The waterfalls we saw required a scary motorbike ride in to the start of the trail. They were just too far to walk in the heat and humidity. One of these falls was the Can-umantad Falls. I had to have a photo of the name because I knew I would never remember it.
It was the first time I had ever ridden on the back of a motorbike and I insisted on wearing a helmet. They had spares that fitted my big head.
The enterprising villagers charged a few pesos to go to the falls but didn’t suggest driving our car due to landslides (mudslides). It was a long walk so they provided young men on motorcycles. I put on my brave face and hopped on the back of one of the bikes trusting the rider not to crash. ( I have never ridden or been a passenger on a motorbike.)
He gave me a helmet to make me feel safer. I hung on to him so tightly I thought I may break a rib or two ( his, not mine!) I decided I wouldn’t go for a swim, not because it wasn’t hot enough, but because it was a long rocky, slippery climb down to the pool and then there was the problem of getting out again.
Can-umantad Falls is the tallest waterfall on the island of Bohol. If you’re wondering, Can-umantad was named after its height (can-uman or 60) since it is 60ft high, not nearly as high as the tallest waterfall in the Philippines. It’s actually a little taller than that rough measurement. Aliwagwag Falls holds that honour. This series of over a hundred falls totals a height of 1120 feet.
In three weeks in the Philippines, we visited or swam in three waterfalls. In four months in Europe, without Stacey, I visited but did not swim in one. Plitvice National Park. The waterfalls were gorgeous but the whole park was stunning even though we visited in December. I’d love to return in summer but I know I couldn’t tolerate the crowds.
In our recent six day fast travel road trip around Tasmania, we visited three waterfalls, but that’s another story.
My girlfriend Erilyn poses for the camera. I asked her to climb on that rock like all the Chinese tourists did. She not so politely refused.
This is a response to the March writing challenge at Globetrotters. Read the article below for all submission guidelines:
Victoria Hydes visits Plitvice National Park in summer. Check out her photos. Victoria is standing on the rock I wanted Erilyn to stand on.
Liam James H wrote about Kawasan Falls which is why I wanted to visit, not jump off the cliff, just swim in that cool, clear water.
And Julia A. Keirns writes about Sitting Bull Falls. It’s nothing like any of the waterfalls I’ve visited.
If you need help tagging two stories from Globetrotters, try typing “waterfalls” in to the search option on Globetrotters, and you’ll find dozens!
