Our Lady of Piat: A Visit

It was the third day of my Up North adventures. After caving for three days, I was obliged to include in the itinerary the place where religious people, like my mother, Gloria, set out when planning a visit in this part of Cagayan: Our Lady of Piat.

From N.Domingo in Tuguegarao City, a tricycle led me to the van and jeepney terminal. The van would be the first to be filled in capacity. I hopped in as the last passenger. Inside the van, were people, who were also heading to Our Lady of Piat. I was seated beside two old women. And I can imagine my mother, together with her church mates. I would like to think that they would pray for longer life and healthier aging years with Olay-like skin :).  There was also a mother and a little boy. And I would like to think that the mother would pray for better welfare of her family, while the little boy would pray for a PSP  or a simple toy.

It was a quiet, breezy 45-minute trip. The van driver and his assistant were talking and I noticed that they have a different dialect, which was not Ilocano nor Ibanag. It was Itawis as I was told.

When I arrived from the back of the church compound, I can imagine myself, during those days when I used to visit Our Lady of Manaoag in Pangasinan.

A mass was being celebrated. And I just sat down and quietly took photos of the side of the church. After the mass, I went to the front of the basilica.

I was looking for the commemorative inscription of the history of the church. I couldn’t roam around much since there is a consecutive mass. So, I was't able to locate it.

Devotees also lighted candles and offer prayers. 

There were also vendors of a variety of souvenirs.

Since I was catching too much attention to church goers, I took quick photos and left.

As a young child, I grew up to be religious. As I become older, and as challenges in life make marks and changes in how I view the universe; each day, I understand better what faith is all about.

What a beautiful church of bricks filled with miracles and faith this is, where people gather to pray. Where my mother frequents. And what could be her prayer? I will ask her when I see her. :)

As a wanderer, wherever I may be, I always whisper a prayer for a safe trip. and a lot more. :) A prayerful journey-er, eh.

Be safe in your travels everyone! Enjoy Life!

Buntun Bridge: The Second Longest Bridge in the Philippines

This is the fact I found courtesy of wikipilipinas.org:

Buntun Bridge is 2.50 kilo- meters from Tuguegarao City proper. It is the second longest bridge in the country and offers an unobstructed view of the majestic Cagayan River. This 1.098 km-long bridge links Tuguegarao City to the 2nd and 3rd District Municipalities of Cagayan Province & the Apayao Province.

And it took me a 3 month long vacation from writing about my experience when I was in Buntun Bridge.

Following the write up on my visit to Our Lady of Piat is this post. Because before going to the Church, I passed by this bridge, from Tuguegarao. The van terminal going to Our Lady of Piat is just a few minutes away.

Journeying Pinay (to the van driver): Dadaan p ba ito sa Buntun Bridge?  (Is this van passing through Buntun Bridge?)

Van Driver: Oo. (Yes.)

Journeying Pinay: So, pwede po ba tayong tumigil sa bridge, kuha lang ako ng pictures? (So, can we stop there and I will just take some photos?)

Van Driver: Matagal ba? (Will that take long?)

Journeying Pinay: Hindi naman po, kasi baka po hinahabol ng mga pasahero yung misa sa Piat. (It will just take a while, as your passengers may be catching the mass in Piat.)

And guess what? Yes, we did stop in the middle of the bridge. And yes again, I took some quick shots.

From Piat, I got off from the van, walked under the heat of the sun, and was welcomed by this carabao, which was at the foot of the bridge.

As I looked for a nice spot in the ricefields to take a wide shot of the second longest bridge in the Philippines, a woman shouted

“Mabud-wan ka ditta!” At first, my non-Ilocano ear didn’t quite get that. As I moved farther, the woman kept shouting, and finally, maybe she realized that I didn’t quite understand the dialect, she said: “Baka mangati ka dyan.”  In English, “You might get irritated and itchy.” Maybe from the grass. So I immediately walked towards the more solid ground.

Then I took photos. 

Then, a bunch of children came and were asking me, “Bakit? Bakit?” (Why? Why?). Maybe they meant why I was taking photos.

I asked them, “Sino gustong mag-picture?”  (Who likes to take photos?) They were all excited to get hold of my point & shoot digicam.

Journeying Pinay: Nakikita nyo ba yung bridge? Yun ang kukuhanan ninyo, tapos ako naman tatayo sa gilid. (Do you see the bridge? Take a photo of that, then I will stand here.)

Kids: “Wen, Wen, Manang.” (Yes, Yes. #Manang is a term in Ilocano which is addressed to an older woman as a sign of respect)

And tah-dah! These children are amazing photographers. And lucky them, they can see this bridge all the time.

It was around late morning, on a Saturday, and the bridge was busy. There were buses, private vehicles, tricycles, motorcycles, and calesa (horse and carriage) that travelled all the way through. So you are the second longest bridge. How valuable you are in this northern part of the country.  And the Cagayan River, the largest and widest river, literally looks up to you. And so was I, from where I was standing.

Buntun Bridge was so stretched that I could not even see the bridge’s other end.

Napa-Buntun-hininga na lang ako. (sigh)

And so I hit the road again for my next destination.

When you go to this part of the North, stop in the central point of Buntun Bridge, savor the view of the Cagayan River, as it extends up to the farthest that your eyes can ever reach. Oops, look left and right for passing vehicles. 

Enjoy Life! Enjoy the Bridges!

Thanks to them:

Callao Cave: Fun Thoughts for the Coliseum-like Cave

I travelled from an event in Luisita, Tarlac, passed through McArthur Highway in La Union, all the way to the coastal Ilocos Region, just to be in Tuguegarao, Cagayan to catch the skylight inside Callao Cave. I arrived sundown. And it was really so dark inside the cave. I met Wilbur and Andoy, the volunteer tour guides. I arranged to meet with them the next day, instead. Andoy, was the youngest tour guide featured by Ms. Korina Sanchez and whose story was tele-played in “Maala-ala Mo Kaya”. 

After being on the road for almost 24 hours, I desired to take a break and have some sleep, on my birthday. I went to Hotel Carmelita and booked a simple room at P350.00. I had 3 beds, a television, and my own bathroom. I went around the small city, to look for trekking sandals. I think it will be better footwear to explore caves. I found one at a small mall, Mart One. It was around 7 o’clock in the evening and almost all of stores are closed. There were also lesser people in the streets. So I headed to the hotel.

At morning, I woke up, excited. I dropped by at Jollibee Tanza for breakfast-to-go. I proceeded to N. Domingo Road where the rides to Callao Caves were. In the terminal, awaited a tricycle which I was told was at 7 people capacity, plus the driver. Imagine this, 4 people inside the sidecar, and 3 people behind the driver, or 4 people on the motorcycle; total: 8. I was back riding and I couldn’t imagine how one more person would fit. Good that the other person chose to ride on top of the sidecar. That gave us more room. :D

On my way to Callao Caves, there is a part where there is a wrecked bridge, Tawi Bridge in Penablanca. We had to get off so that the vehicle could pass by the fabricated temporary wooden bridge. Or was that a pile of lumber laid to bridge the broken pathway?

A few meters away, there I saw the ruined bridge. 

After some 35 minutes from Tuguegarao City proper, I was brought near the river, Pinacauanan River. 

I was instructed to ride a boat to cross the river to where Callao Cave is. The fee was P10.00 to cross and another P10.00 to get back. Jun, the boatman, would ask what time I will be fetched from the other side. On the other side, there was Wilbur and Andoy waiting for me.

There was a 180-step stairs to the entrance of Callao Cave. 

I brought with me breakfast for my tour guides and myself, corn-beef pandesal and hot chocolate. We could eat inside the cave but I had to offer a little bit to the spirits, said Andoy. That gave me goose bumps. So I did offer.

Andoy & Me having breakfast

Now, is the time to explore. Kalaw is a name of a hornbill- bird. These birds used to flourish in this cave. This is where Callao Cave got its name. I am sure there are a lot of descriptions of Callao Caves by travel bloggers in their sites. I would simply say, there are dead stalactites and stalagmites. I could feel the sadness inside the cave like it was abandoned. There is a Merlion-shaped rock, a whale, a Lion’s Head (like the one in Kennon Road in Baguio City), a rock version of the Rice Terraces of Banaue, and a lot more shapes that you can imagine.

I can actually go by thru this entire cave on my own two feet without much supervision. It was a self-lead tour around the cave. I passed through the 7 chambers or cave openings. I looked up to the skylights, which was like a sunroof to the cave. There was no need for a headlamp. The sunlight would be enough to shed light on. 

It was like entering a big mansion with spacious rooms. I was imagining the cave people who owned this cave, were so well-off that they even had their own swimming pool. Or was this a big Araneta Coliseum? Or was it a Sports Arena? Can you imagine a concert being held here? Or basketball games? Or Olympics, maybe? Or was this a mall?

As I reached the end of the cave, I thought, these rich cave men had a back entrance or exit. Cool. They had so much breathing space to move around. 

They were so free inside this enclosure. To run, and even to play hide-and-seek, maybe. Foolish to play this game inside the cave, but maybe, the cave men did. 

And I am sure that those people who lived before us certainly had so much fun and entertainment that they felt so protected inside this big rock shelter.

It amazes me to see these big cave creations and wonders. All I can do is imagine how people  during those times enjoyed life!

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.