Enchanted River - A Beauty Worth Discovering

Enchanting as it is, the Enchanted River is located at the mountainous area in Talisay, Hinatuan province of Surigao del Sur in Mindanao.

The water is comparable to the Blue Lagoon of Coron, Palawan (if not better.)

It is said that the depth of the water is at 80 meters, enough to attract some divers to explore the area. 

The brackish water of the river is due to the salty water coming from Hinatuan Bay met by the water from the mountain.

Big fishes can be seen swimming in the river. And amazingly they are not afraid of people. (I think they are the fairies of the river. Hehehehehehe.)

Caretakers feed the fish everyday and people are not allowed to swim during this time. 

We had fun swimming and snorkeling in the area. I didn't know I can swim without a life vest until I tried. I guess it was part of the river's mystery. (Don't take this seriously.) 

PS: I used a point and shoot camera, SoRrY for the blurry pictures. Next time I'll bring Paul with me to take pictures of Surigao del Sur. But for now kindly bear with me. :)

Tapulao Traverse

Mt Tapulao peak. After 3 days 2 nights.. :D

When I saw the video Mayk made for our Tapulao, the memories returned. All the hardships gone replaced by the reality that we made it through the toughest mountain yet. Hey we made it!!!

River crossing nth time

Four days and three nights in the mountains (we crossed three mountains) that made our parents ground some of us for the next months or so. We thought we can make it in three days but the fact that the course made us cross a river almost 10 times, walked a minimum of 9 hours a day, endured bruises and cuts, faced the HEAT of the sun and had a little supply of food and water, all I did was thank GOD we were safe.

Relaxing

Now this is no joke.

This climb made me reach my boiling point, Almost made me cry. Almost took the best out of me. Almost drained me of the last energy reserves I had inside my body.

We had to sit to go down the 70 deg slope

But this climb showed me the best in everybody. I saw how each one in the team cared for one another. I saw how tight our bond was. I saw that through good times and bad times the team will always be there sharing your pain, sharing your sadness, sharing your sorrow and of course sharing your happiness. And these made us strong, made us move on, made us want to fight back and made us realize this was just a piece of cake.

I never had time to compose a blog out of this adventure because I never had time to digest everything. I never knew how to start. All the memories came to me like fragments. Piece by piece. Giving me at times pain, but most of it laughters.^_^

Guys let me just put some pictures of the trip. I think everybody can interpret how happy we were and how fulfilling this trip made us.

Relaxing view

Soooo clear

Rest mode

 Mt. Tapulao peak

Play dead guys!

Ngeee pose

Yey!

Lunch 4th day

Six hours more. 

Awesome view

Sweet wild berries

Till next time.=)

PS: Here's the link to Mayk's video. I hope he will not get mad that I linked his video here. =)

Mayk's video

Tinuy-an Falls

At 95 meters wide and 55 meters high, Tinuy-an Falls (dubbed as Little Niagara falls of the Philippines) amazes her visitors with her white water curtain that flows in three levels. 

The elegant waterfall is located in Bislig City, Surigao del Sur and is considered one of the many tourist attractions in the province. 

It is said to be one of the widest falls in the Philippines and one of the most beautiful I’ve seen so far.

My friends and I went to Surigao del Sur for a side trip after joining a 21km International Rugged Mountain Trail Run in Mt. Kitanglad, Bukidnon. 

I was really astonished when I saw Tinuy-an Falls. It was like heaven on earth. We relaxed our aching muscles (from the rugged race) by letting the water run though our backs soothing every inch of it PLUS the bonus of seeing a breathtaking view. 

My other set of friends are planning to visit Surigao del Sur next year. I hope this plan will push through. I can’t wait to see Tinuy-an Falls again.