San Carlos Cave: Knee-deep Mud in Wilbur-Ness

This was a Cave Day, indeed. After a hefty serving of batil-patong in a nearby barrio, we, Wilbur and Andoy, were set to visit San Carlos Cave.

The batil-patong was the best ever, most “naimas” (delicious) pansit I have ever tasted. It came with a cup of soup which was sautéed from the pan where the batil-patong was cooked. The soup tasted rich. I put off on eating meat products some years ago. So I just know right away that the soup’s base was meat or liver. It tasted good.

Then finally, served on our table is the fully-loaded (with vegetables and liver) batil-patong. Just what we needed to restore all those energy we lost in trekking the Callao Mountain. We had one big serving at P70.00 extra special, each. We did not talk to each other, we just ate. Every time I crave now for pansit, my taste buds travel back to that barrio, for fresh from the pan, Batil-Patong.

Carbo-loaded, I rode the motorcycle with the 2 explorers. In a short 10 minute-travel, we were there, jump-off point to San Carlos Cave. My thoughts: this is truly a solo adventure, with 2 strangers. Wilbur is the one who is so eager to bring me to that cave. That’s why I called this adventure to Wilbur-ness.

We trekked along grasslands. We saw sheep and children.

We reached San Carlos Cave. I was given a headlamp. I was told by Wilbur that the mud is knee deep. My thoughts: What knee-deep is he talking about?

We entered. Just like any cave, there were stalactites and stalagmites. And the most unexpected happened. My camera battery got discharged, empty. Good I had my cellphone camera.

This is what I saw.

When we reached the knee-deep mud, and it was getting darker inside the cave, I retreated.

I wished I had gloves, so that I would have not touched the super-sticky and muddy stalactites and stalagmites. The other cave explorers, who have been here, would hold on to them, thus they are packed of mud.  Some stalactites are broken, maybe because of too much holding on to them by the explorers. They were hanging too low and so many of them.

I backed away also since I was told that it would take us half an hour more to reach the end. And that it will be sundown when we get back to the entrance of the cave. And I would still go back to Tuguegarao City, a 45-minute ride. And I remembered that this is not Manila. There might not be a ride for me going back. These were my bothering thoughts.

And on our way back, I looked up to appreciate the crystallized-stalactites. They were like diamonds tucked into the white rocks. They were twinkling and alive. There were some formations which were hiding from the bigger rocks.

I did not want to reach the end of the cave. I wanted to savor and capture with my eyes the growing rocks formations. So I did. And it is all in the memory card of my brain.

It was a big sigh when I finally saw the light at the entrance. 

We were heading to the Lagoon. The lagoon where there is an opening of the San Carlos Cave underwater. We just cleansed our muddy sandals, legs and arms.

It was a still lagoon. It had a small narrow stream going somewhere. It was cold. I wanted to stay and just sit on the shallow water. But the sun was ready to set.

While there was still light, we trekked along the grasslands, back to where we parked the motorcycle. We had a long way to reach the point where I can ride a tricycle going to Tuguegarao City.

Where I was standing, waiting for my ride, from the bluish-gray skies, came out millions of fruit bats from the Bat Cave near Callao Cave. 

In their circadian flight, I witnessed 3 groups. This was a bonus for me. They were noisily sounding off their flight to make known that it is their time to fly-out from their whole day just “hanging out” inside the caves.

With that sighting, and as darkness enveloped the entire surrounding, I had to be braver on my way back to Tuguegarao City.

And that’s the way it should be, especially when on foot, alone, in a strange wilderness: to be brave. To be faithful, that everything is going to be allright.