This is getting to be a weekly habit, I said to myself. Two weeks ago, we climbed Mount Batulao Batangas. Last week, we powered thru Mount Pulag. This week, I’m on my way to Buntot Palos Falls in Sta. Cruz, Laguna.
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| Meditating under the falls. Photo credits to Cze Montefalcon. |
This was a spur of the moment thing. Instead of the usual suspects, involving 6 to 10 hikers, there were only 3 of us; 2 ladies and yours truly.
- Cze the promotor: A Filipina beauty who is the epitome of a weekend adventurer. I suspect, on weekdays she can’t wait for the adventure to start. On weekends, she is busy planning next week’s adventure while on the trail, beach or surf.
- Less the young
at heart: Kaladkarin to the bone. Ask me out on a hike and I’ll rarely say no.
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| From left to right: Less, Cze, and Dianne. Photo credits to Regine Dianne Diaz. |
We only had the most basic of itineraries: meet up time 7:00 to 8:00 am in Sta Cruz bus station and budget of 800 pesos. We didn’t even know exactly where we were going. But that’s okay; we’ll figure it out; it’s part of the adventure!
A few minutes after 8:00 a.m., I alighted the bus at Sta Cruz terminal. Almost immediately, I was greeted with shouts from my fellow hikers who had just ordered their breakfast from a small carinderia.
After breakfast, we rode a jeepney and headed to Pangil. We had no idea where we were going to alight so I decided to chat up a fellow passenger. As it so happened, he was also getting off at our stop. He even gave us a sample of the local rice cake “tupig”. He had loads of the stuff; apparently he was going to send it to relatives in Canada. Ah, dessert! Don’t mind if we do!
Like a Sore Thumb
It didn’t take us 5 minutes to find, or rather, for a local guide to find us and bring us to the barangay outpost. Yup, we stuck out like a sore thumb. On hindsight, we got off at the National Highway, Palacio St. and walked to the extension road, heading to the mountains. This was a 10 minute walk to the barangay outpost. And another 10 minutes walk from the paved village road to the trail proper.
Sizing Up the Trail
It was a relatively easy hike with minimal ascends and not many heart attack hills. The trail itself can be divided into two categories. The first is boulder filled and the second is thick muddy soil. We were lucky, because it did not rain the days prior to our trek, otherwise the trail would have been muddy and slippery.
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| It Could Be Worse (at least it wasn't muddy) Photo Credits to Cze Montefalcon |
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| Rocky Road Photo credits to Cze Montefalcon |
Dakel!
10 to 20 minutes away from Buntot Palos falls, we started a steep and slippery descent. We knew we were close because we could hear the waterfalls from a distance. We turned on a sharp bend, and walked a few more meters towards a clearing. And then we saw it. WTF, pictures didn’t give it justice! This is a big assed, picturesque waterfalls!
The last few meters were the most perilous. We had to cross a slippery log perched between 2 boulders. Don’t fall. If you do, the water would sweep you towards a 10 to 20 meter drop, and from there, another plunge, which would probably lead to your untimely demise.
The time it took us to get to the falls was around 1 hour and 10 minutes. This was a relatively slow and steady climb with several rest stops along the way.
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| Unang Sulyap Photo credits to Cze Montefalcon |
RSVP Only
Due to a stroke of luck, the only other group who visited Buntot Palos were about to leave when we got there. All throughout our stay from 10:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. we had the entire falls to ourselves! How awesome is that!
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| Birthday Girl Photo credits to Cze Montefalcon |
Conquering the Falls
The rock and pebble floored plunge pool was the size of a large swimming pool, maybe 30 to 40 meters in diameter. At its deepest it is probably 8 to 10 feet deep. The water was a little bit murky but it was clean.
Immediately I saw the opportunity for rappelling, but alas I had no rappelling gear. Maybe next time! So we settled for swimming across the ice cold plunge pool; and then traversing the semi sharp rocks towards the bottom of the falls itself. Sadly, it was too strong for us to take pictures directly underneath the raging waters. So we settled for pictures a few feet away!
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| Palos Assault Photo credits to Cze Montefalcon |
Chibog Muna
After our mini assault, we swam back to partake of a simple meal. I brought my pork and beans. Dianne brought awesome chicharon. And Cze, she brought the best tapsilog I have ever tasted, hands down!
Plunge Pool Jumping Anyone?
After lunch, we were at a loss for what to do. Kuya Ariel, our guide, told us we could ascend to the left side, towards the falls, and there we could jump 5 to 10 meters into the plunge pool.
And so we did. And I will admit, the relatively low fall gave me pause. For one, I could not see the bottom of the pool. I only had Kuya Ariel’s word that it was at least 8 feet deep below. Second, the jump off point was not a sheer drop, but a rounded rock face that protruded outwards. Third, I knew the water below was freezing.
Yung Sinampay Ko!
Initially I did not want to make the jump. But Cze had been eyeing the edge for more than 15 minutes now. I knew I had to go first, or we would be there all day. And it was starting to drizzle. I looked towards our camp and saw the clothes I was air drying, getting wet. $#it, I had to jump and get to my stuff before they got soaked. And so jump I did, followed by a mad scramble towards the camp. Cze followed, and several minutes later, Dianne did as well. Yup, all of us survived.
Let’s Call it a Day
Exhausted and freezing, we called it a day. The hike back was easier, because this time, we were going down the mountain. For a small fee, we had a quick shower at a resort and the headed back to civilization and some food!
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| One Last Look Photo credits to Cze Montefalcon |
Calle Arco Pagsanjan (Happy Birthday Cze)
Cze, having just celebrated her birthday a few days ago, decided to treat us in Calle Arco; a place famous in Pagsanjan for its homey ambiance and good food. Famished, we ordered paco salad with singkamas and quesong puti; pancit habhab; sinigang na baka with langka; and crispy pata! We dug in, shared a few life stories and had lots of laughs.
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| Calle Arco Food Trip Photo credits to Cze Montefalcon |
Beautiful scenery, gorgeous company, good food, free food, new friends; it was a good day! So much so that I did not mind the 4 hour trip home I still had to make. But then again, what kind of weekend adventurer are you if you sweat the little things like travel time!
Next week, nasan naman kaya ako? Hindi ko alam, pero tiyak na, sigurado pa, I’ll be hiking or jogging outdoors. Sama ka?
Hike Difficulty: (2/9)
Special Concerns: very muddy during the rainy season
Travel time from DLTB Buendia Station to Pangil 3:30 hours
Necessary Expenses
- Bus fare: ₱280 (round trip)
- Jeep fare: ₱60 (round trip)
- Guide fee: ₱100 per person (₱300 divided 3)
- Hike fee: ₱25
- Bathroom: ₱25
- Total: ₱490
Unnecessary Expense
- Breakfast: ₱45
- Packed lunch: ₱50
Brought to you by: Kules the adbentyurer
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