It's a beautiful morning, the weather's good, not too hot, a little cloudy- a perfect weather for long a hike, trek, and a spelunk side trip.
It is an advantage that I can easily access nature every time I want to recharge my physical and mental well-being and get ready for a long work week ahead. Not to mention the preparation and checking of school forms next week as the school year 2022 will be about to end. (Ugh I need to restore some energy!)
Whenever possible, I hike in the mountains, on the street, and in the parks. I find pleasure in immersing myself in the outdoors as I hike and trek at my own pace. It gives me both the adventure and a sense of freedom that is hard to find elsewhere. So this weekend, I decided and chose to hike in the mountains. My destination would be the mountains near the beautiful yet vulnerable cave the "Dose Kwartos".
With my backpack ready, a bottle of water, a towel, and some snacks I was good to go. The trek started in the open field. It's refreshing to see the lush view of the countryside. For about 30-40 minutes I passed a small river and then entered a mini forest full of palm trees. I hear the sound of the wind, the birds chirping and the soft earthly feels. I could feel that I am starting to regenerate. Lol. Kidding aside. I feel alive. In less than an hour, the heavy hike began, climbing and crawling as the way is rocky, bushy, and abrupt. (Nothing to fear coz my hiking buddy and ever-supportive life partner is with me. (Insert heart emojis) We brought with us an "itak" a bolo/blade used for cleaning our way and also for protection if in case there are wild animals along our way. (Safety first). And finally, we reached the cave.
My hometown, Tabogon Cebu, has a few caverns ignored and left unexplored. Ignored by the local government unit and left unexplored by cave experts, one of these is the Dose Kwartos. Well, neighboring locals are coming in and out of the cave. Sadly, some locals are taking some bird's nests (I don't know if it's the nests or what ) and selling them on the market for a high price.
"Ibaligya man na nila sa Mercado Maam, mahal na Maam oy" They are selling it to the market and the price is high Maam", said one of the kids I interviewed last time.
This breaks my heart and I feel so sorry for the cave.😔 As a nature lover myself, I make sure to visit the cave every other year. It's just sickening that insensitive people keep on abusing the cave.
The cave- Dose Kwartos
Dose Kwartos is beautiful and mysterious. It sits at the peak of the mountain just like an Octopus firmly holding its prey with its tentacles. The cave has many passageways. It is wide and open as you came into, but the cave has a mysterious underground, wider and as dark as the night. They said only old folks dared to get inside.
The "Dose Kwartos" or 12 Rooms in English got its name from the old- old folks in the village. They said it is called "Dose Kwartos" because it has 12 chambers underground. How fascinating! What is more fascinating is that old folks living near the cave said that their grandparents took refuge in the cave during World War II. The cave must be really old then! Even my grandmother shared this story with me. There was even a tale circulating that there is this giant old snake still living underneath. Curiosity and astonishment pushed me to take a look myself and witness its beauty with my own two eyes and get blown with awe and wonder! Behold! She was glorious. I am deeply enchanted!. ( A glory I never thought would fade eventually).
First visit
Way back, my classmates in college and I bravely tried to explore the cave. (Thank God I had convinced them. I need company!) We wanted to see if there were 12 chambers underground. As soon we head down, we could feel the soft earth beneath our shoes. The ground is wet. Just a few more steps below, we could hear droplets, first, a few and slow drops, as we moved forward we heard lots of droplets, it seems like its raining underground! I started imagining great pictures beneath, the mighty stalactites and stalagmites and the amazing rock formations! But to our dismay, we couldn't see anything. Our flashlight wouldn't work due to the thick fog! Everywhere we point our flashlight, we could only see a white cloud of fog.😣 So we decided to turn back, as one of our classmates was already panicking too. At that time I remembered, we only passed two chambers? Are there other 10? What would it look like?
I have a list of unanswered questions about the cave, for it has remained a mystery to me. And the more I had the chance to visit the cave, the more I got enchanted. I've witnessed its change: the plenty numbers of stalagmites and stalactites, the crystal stones on the wall, and the unique rock formations - are getting scarcer every time I make a stop.
What lies ahead and beneath?
How I wish that our Local Government Units together with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources would finally make a glance at this beautiful cave, and protect and preserve her. So nobody will take advantage of its vulnerability and the richness that it offers.
(Ps. I had tried talking to one of the tourism heads in our Municipality and opened up on the potential of the cave as a Tourist attraction in the town and at the same time preserving it and he said that the Municipality has no allocated budget yet for tourism, partially it has, but the cave is not on the list of the priorities).
Downwards,
On my hike downwards, I also passed the so-called Little Batanes in my town. It is called so because of the Batanes feel that it gives to hikers and campers in the place. The trail got famous during the height of the Covid19 Pandemic since many people resort to hiking and exploring nature. Moreover, the place became a trail for motor bikers. Tourists from different towns came to hike and enjoy the beauty of Little Batanes. Campers and sunset lovers flocked to the top of the hill to enjoy the scenery and the serenity of the place.
For the Nth time, hiking and trekking never failed to boost my mood and gave me a sense of fulfillment for free.
🔋🔋🔋full.
Hike and Trek with care.🌱