Update

We met Kim in Kyoto and have been here for the last few days. Today is out last day here and unfortunatly I dont have time to catch up the blog with the big meaty posts I usually do. But after here we are getting a train to Yoshino and doing the kumano kodo pilgramage. We are going to be up in the mountains for the next 10-14 days so wont have any posts for a while.

The cherry blossoms are just starting here in Kyoto and if we were here in about 2 weeks I think it would be full bloom, still the occassional bloomed tree here and there really adds to the majestic scenery in some parts of town. Theres definitly a lot of tourists here so we have been visiting the smaller temples to stay away from them, The main temples are soo crowded. Today will be pretty much all big temples though so we will wade our way through the tourists to catch a glimpse. Price also dictates our destinations, some temples charge 600 en to get in the door so we don:t even bother. Its an interesting system, a lot of time they call the charge a *woshiping fee* Which always brings the 700 club to my mind.

Mount Talinis

Since we've gotten here we have become fairly skilled in gathering information. We've gotten capable of finding out of the way places by asking locals etc. One of the more major tourist places in this area is Twin lakes, so we decided... not to go there. Instead there is another lake out in the wilderness as well as a waterfall.

Oddly enough we would later see an advertisement for a hardcore adventure company advertising a 3-4 day hike into the very mountains that we ventured off into, just the 2 of us.

Anyway, we decided to start at the most familiar point and basically hike a few dozen kilometers into the mountains, hit the falls and a few lakes and then come back.

The first day was hot, but being that it's been two weeks since we have really done any hiking, I was full of energy and ready to go. The trail was pretty hard heading at a steep grade (steep is a word that we laugh at in hindsight), but it was fairly well traveled. By this I mean it wasn't over grown with plants and the trail, albeit a single person wide was clearly visible.

Our only concern that first day was with water. The trail kept going up and up an up for hours and as per the usual, the distance to our destination was grossly underestimated. We made it to an area where we met a crew of guys laying pipe to run from a local lake to the town. We reaffirmed that we were on the right path and kept heading up.
(about as steep as the M @ home)

Coming to a split in the trail (the first of many that no one ever mentions) we explored a bit down one before coming to the conclusion that it was the less traveled of the too and less in the right general direction. About the time we made our choice of which trail to follow we heard another group of guys coming up the trail to head to meet up with the pipe laying crew, they(what seemed grudgingly) confirmed the direction we thought to be correct.

While exploring the 2 paths I had the opportunity to see some of the largest ants I've ever seen in my life. I know there are probably larger out there, but compared to where I'm from, these suckers were huge. The one that managed to bite me through my socks was a little bit bigger than my thumbnail. Had the equivalent sting of a horsefly with a nice swelling after effect. -Noted to myself not to stand in place for too long again.

After that split the path started to thin and there were bits of over-growth here and there. A few times the trail split but it wasn't hard to figure out which was the more traveled path and discern whether or not it was the right direction. We finally reached the ridge line and it wasn't long before we were headed (dare I say) down hill, ever so slightly.

We continued to the path and I ran out of water in the 90 degree heat but Nathan still had a bit and we knew that water had to be close by. Luckily we were right and after 4 hours of hiking (it doesn't seem like much but in the 90 degree weather up hill for kilometers at a time we were plenty ready for rest.) we finally found water, and as though it was meant to be, next to the stream there was a hollowed out flat area with brush overgrown off the mountain side making a cave of flora. (this place is called Miano as we would later find out)

We set our packs down and eagerly filtered water for drinking. We gathered wood and started to make camp. Wood here is a bit harder to get going and since we couldn't find fuel for our pocket rocket we had to rely on fire cooking. Too tired to care we made use of the iso we had and had a fire started shortly. The problem is that wood here needs constant attention to keep burning so we only had it long enough to cook an awesome meal. Spaghetti with meat sauce - man it was amazing.

-I continue to be amazed at how early we start off. This is our "vacation" and we are up at nearly 0700 every day (about 2 hrs after the sun though) and ready to hike by 0830.

The second day had us following the river, and in it for a good portion. The trail had thinned way down by now and was little more than a single light path with a fair amount of overgrowth. Following it became increasingly difficult as it crossed the stream. There were times when the path disappeared all together as who ever traveled it simply walked in the water upstream. Areas where the trail had simply been washed away for 100s of meters at a time became more and more frequent.

The trail once again split and we took the more traveled of the two that headed more to the south (toward Dauin) This would bring us into a clearing that, if you had a helipad there, would be the most amazing piece of realty I could imagine.

I'll quote from my journal for this one.

"...30 minutes from the branch (in the trail) we came into a clearing with a farm; as though straight from a painter's imagination a huge bowl cut in the mountains, towering peaks covered in rain forest on all sides, a cow and calf grazing in the clear green fields. A single hut sits along side a stream that has dug a gully deep into the landscape. The remnants of a 1/2 planted garden. Below a font for a natural spring and above a lone cat meows us a greeting."

We explored the clearing and followed the path we were on.... It lead right up to the hut and stopped. Crap.

We looked around the area for a bit, searching for another path leading out as the idea of back tracking was in no way appealing to us. We even tried knocking on the hut.

In the end, backtracking was our only option and we headed back to the split at the stream. The loss of about an hour or so is fairly expected considering we are hiking around without a map or guide, with only a compass and directions from locals.

At some point, I think it was when we saw that we were walking through something in between a crevice and a valley, looking at the vines hanging from dozens of meters above us dangling into the water, that we realized we were backpacking through the rain forest.

It seems like such a simple thing when you think about it. But maybe because we were caught up in what we were doing at the time. Each step, each day, that we didn't see the big picture. Were trekking through the freaking rain forest. Not 2 days ago we were in a cozy little hotel and now We are sharing a tent that would fit in a walk in closet, pulling spiderwebs from our faces and wading through thigh deep (and deeper) streams... in a rain forest.

I wish there was some phrase or quote that I could come up with but the only word that comes to mind right now is - wow.

Anyway, making our way along the stream brought us to all kinds of beautiful scenery. We came across a small unnamed waterfall that had carved deep into the rock bed. It was the kind that you know the water had been flowing there for an unfathomable amount of time in order to cut the rock so deep.

Walking along the stream did another thing for us as well. It ade us realize that our trail continued to dwindle and become more and more overgrown. Luckily we were able to follow it long enough to come across another local working on building some sort of structure. It's amazing how we go for hours and hours without seeing a soul and then right when we start to question our path we blunder across some random local. (hopefully luck like this keeps going)

The guy told us that our first point (twin falls) was only 5-10 minutes from our where we were and that lake Nailig was "that way". (off to the west). We continued up the stream and it wasn't long before we could hear the roar of the falls. Twin falls was as amazing and different as all those we have seen thus far. There is just a particular beauty unique to every place we come across. To some I could see how it seems like the same stuff over and over. Maybe it has to do with actually being there or maybe its just in Nathan and my blood but there is no repetition for us yet, it's all a new adventure.

Twin falls was not as high as Casaroro, but it was still at least 20-25 meters. It's flow bouncing off the rocks in thousands of places rather than careening airborne all the way to the bottom. The side falls (the twin of the primary) held its own sort of wonder as well. It wast multistaged, falling into multiple pools before finally joining he stream.

We dropped our packs and explored the area. We found a way to climb up along the side of the main fall and we managed to get up to the top. It wasn't exactly rock climbing but lets just say when we climbed back down it was with our face to the mountain. Even if it wasn't a 90 degree incline (more like 75) it was riddled with slippery mud, trees that would give way when you put too much weight on them and downed branches making for obstacles. Definitely not an easy climb but fun non the less. The view from the top was far less impressive than from the bottom but it was more about the climb than anything else.

Again this was one of those places that we could have stayed all day at but we just didn't have the time. We had no idea how far the lake was and we needed/wanted to get there before dark.

We headed up the mountain side for about an hour or so and as we cleared past some brush we saw an opening in the jungle. Peering though we could see a field... with a cow, calf, a small hut, and a stream running through it... Crap.

We had managed to spend the entire day only to end up in the same field we were at that same morning. Deciding that it was too late to explore some of the other trail splits we headed down to make camp.

The trail that we entered the clearing from was a different one than this morning, coming from the north of the field rather than the east end. As we came out of the forest and into the clearing we looked back and it was as though the forest had simply consumed the trail. It was not visible from the field at all. Unless you knew exactly where to look there is little chance that you would see it. There was thick overgrowth hiding it away.

We camped in the clearing next to the small stream that ran through it and we had just finished collecting wood when the owners of the hut came out of the forest on the same trail that we came from. We watched them make their way across the field, said a quick hello, and asked permission to stay where we were (we assumed it was their land).

We cooked up some of the rice we had and decided that that variety of rice (I don't remember the name) was absolutely disgusting. Sleeping out in the field we were able to see the stars clearly, as there wasn't a canopy of jungle over top as the previous night.

The next day we again headed off early and started back to where the trail to the North split. We followed it 15 minutes or so only to find it ending. Along the way there were various snares and traps so back tracking once again to the field we decided it must have been a game trail.

At this point we were out of trails to check so we went back to the hut hoping the mother and son were still there. They were and after asking directions the woman told us some of the best directions we have ever had in the Philippines. She even drew out a little map in the dirt (something no one has EVER done before).

She showed us the start of yet a different path, leaving to the southwest of the field. Once again it was overgrown and started behind the house and over a bit of a ridge. Not nearly has hidden as the paths heading strait into the jungle it was still one that you would be very unlikely to find without knowing.

We started off heading toward the sulfur springs. We could see the scorched area of blight from the trail. it was like a scar amidst the green that would not heal. We didn't head down to the springs to get a closer look, one of the few times we didn't feel like exploring further. We had a fairly good view from the trail anyway.

So we came to the split that she said we would find and headed to the uphill one. It winded through the jungle for a bit taking us over logs, and under caves made from tree roots. When I say caves I'm not describing a few roots, I'm talking about huge masses that completely cover the path, causing us to be on our hands and knees for 2-3 meters at a time.

By now the trail was almost completely overgrown. At this point we could hardly call it a game trail. We were relying on our meager tracking skills to see the occasional footprint, scuffed moss on a downed tree, or the occasional machete mark in a tree. It was thick, and it wasn't long before it became steep.

Steep hiking is something I use losely here, as for a good portion of the "trail", we were heading straight up the mountain side if 75 degrees or more. It was more like climbing a ladder that was caked with slippery mud and loose roots than it was any kind of hiking. We pulled ourselves up faces plastered to the dirt hand over hand as we made our assent. At one point we climbed straight up what was obviously a small waterfall during the rainy season.

To say this day was brutal, is as much of an understatement as saying Einstein could do algebra. I will admit right here, for thousands to see, that it was one of the most exhausting work outs I've ever had. Only wrestling training has ever even come close to the kind of physical struggle that this mountain held. Arm over arm, climbing up near cliff sides with 30 kilos (66 pounds) on your back and only mud covered rocks and rotting roots as your hand holds is not something I would suggest to any one.

After clearing one such mud wall we found an overlook that was little more than a rock jutting out the side of the .... cliff, I will say that it was more of a cliff than a slop because if we had to turn around and go back down, we would have to do it 30 feet at a time, leap frogging so that we could lower our packs to each other. We knew that it was pretty much a one way trip. After clearing the cliff and coming to the rock we rested and I dropped by pack and fell limp on the rock, legs sprawled and lungs heaving. I tell you that for 10 minutes that nothing existed in my mind. Exhaustion had brought me the closest to prajna that I have ever been and am likely to ever be.

I managed to take a few bites as it had been hours since our breakfast of a few oz of peanuts and I rose blearily. With only will power and the knowledge that there was no realistic way back down or back the way we came, started back up the cliff side. We made the top and looked out. We were not quite yet to the top but there wasn't much higher that we could get.

I've underestimated the Philippines for its oddities before and I have done it yet again. After finally reaching the ridge line, instead of following it, the trail led down the side and right back up to the same ridge line... It's as though what ever person or animal we were following had wanted to punish themselves and vicariously, us.

I say now that when we crossed the trail split that the woman had described to be 15 minutes from the lake I nearly went giddy. Just the idea of an end in sight was enough to give my will power fueled body a boost. It didn't take long before the lake proper (Lake Nailig) was in sight but the trail again teased us. Bringing us within meters of the lake only to pull back up the mountain side. It wasn't until we had walked another few kilometers to the other side that it would finally give us a chance to reach the water. We had finally made it. Checking our GPS and making a point we found that we had hiked over 1500 meters (4500 ft) above sea level to reach the lake.

Before we settled in and collapsed, we set about to gathering wood and setting camp. We had a very early start today and reached the lake after only 6-7 hours of merciless climbing. The lake was a large pool of water nestled in the crater of the mountain, it too was surrounded by rain forest on nearly all sides.

We rinsed the layers of sweat and mud away in the waters, we sat in silence most the rest of the evening going about our chores in a near daze. Before sun down we set about to regaining our strength with a feast of tuna in rice with ramen and tea. The clouds rolled just barely over head often dipping over the ledge of the crater to drink from the lakes water, filling the crater with an ever moving fog. As the light dimmed and the stars brightened, little motes of light began floating in the tall grass, lazily making their way to the waters edge, a few coming to a pulsing rest on our tent.

This was the first time I have seen fireflies and it is not something I will forget. It was not just the iridescent balls of fire floating from leaf to rock and back but the fullness of the moon (about 2 more days to full) the slight warmth from the fire (the temp actually gets a bit cool up here) and the rolling in of the clouds as they kiss the mountain top. All of it mixed together to make a unique memory.

Once again we awoke early to clear camp and get the most out of the sun light. We said our goodbyes to lake Nailig and headed back to the trail. From the ridge just off lake Nailig we could see another smaller lake nestled in the next crater over. The jungle completely consumes the lakes waters and there is no realistic way to camp or sit along the waters edge so we satisfied ourselves with a short exploration of the area before returning to the path.

Now heading east we took off along the trail confident (who knows why) that we would be out of the jungle and make it to Dauin by this evening. There were only a few moments that the trail came close to being as steep as the cliff side we climbed earlier but after 3 days straight our pace was slow and plodding.

This side of the mountain, while still covered in the beauty of the rain forest did not hold the same wonder as the other side. It lacked the shear cliffs and the flowing streams, but it was easier going than the previous day. But that's a matter of scale I suppose, to say it is easier is only by comparison. The slopes were still no less steep than hiking the M, and not the cross backs either, the straight up the mountain way.

The path crossed by another small lake that we only took a few moments to take in. We still had a long hike and only so much daylight.

The path emptied out to a ridge that overlooked the sea. In this picture you can see the highest ridge that we had come from. On the other side of it is lake Nailig. The path we traveled cannot even be seen as it is completely over grown. Though since we had left the lake and headed toward Dauin the path had started to become a bit more substantial.

After the clearing, the trail dove down (thankfully not as steep as the previous day) and on the way we ran across a group of fellows heading up the trail. Once again confirming we were on the right path we continued down the slope.

The rain forest expelled us into a clearing, the trail barely visible behind us. the clearing led us to a road.

"I'm not sure if it was because my brain knew that there was no more jungle ahead or if it was the exact moment that my muscles were ready to give out. As soon as I set foot on the road my legs began to shake with a fury I've only known a few times in my life. As though the anger in my calves were joined by the rage of my thighs. I could not take another step until they had finished berating me for my mistreatment of them. In a few moments they calmed their complaints and with renewed co-operation we made our way into the road and headed down."

The road, albeit boring was a welcom break to the constant climb and descent of the mountain behind us. We were still a long ways from Dauin but at that moment, it didn't mater. We passed by a few huts which turned into a few more, then a few shops, then paved road. We didn't measure the day on time any longer, only on how close to civilization we were getting.

After a few kilometers we took a habal habal (its basically a motorcycle with and extended seat to fit on more people than a motorcycle has any right fitting) that made our trike rides seem like child's play. Too tired to realize just what kind of suicidal choice we were making the two of us got on the single motor cycle, packs still strapped to us and headed down the road. A habal habal's seat might be extended but with our packs I was sitting side saddle and Nathan sitting on the back, with his pack extending beyond even the "extended" seat.

Our time in the Philippines has given us a new definition of what is safe and what is dangerous and we have both concluded that growing up in America, we are all taught that just about everything is way more dangerous than it is. Compared to what these people do on a daily basis, Americans are akin to children sitting inside all day on a padded couch wearing helmets, afraid to go out.

We've learned a lot on this trip and continue to become more "traveled" every day, shedding ourselves with the ingrained misconceptions we burden ourselves with.

Apo island

2/22/10

As I said before, we are only kilometers from some of the best diving in the world. We had the pleasure of learning in Dauin, with some of the most diverse marine life around. Today we are going to dive Apo island.

We started off early and prior to heading out of town stopped by for a "sack lunch" philippino style. Basically take some stews, rice, soups and various dishes and put them in individual plastic baggies. We got to the pier and being from Montana we did our part of the workload, packing the boat up and getting it out of dock.

We headed out early in the 4 man banka loaded up with dive gear and 7 people. I'll just say that its a good thing I remembered to bring dry bags. The waves crashed over the bow soaking the first 1/2 of the boat. The water here is so warm that its actually refreshing, other than the taste of salt water.

We got out to the dive site and did the dive. It was similar in Marine life to Dauin but here we were able to dive a reef wall. It was basically a wall of coral that drops strait down from 5 meters to 30 meters (15ft to 90 ft). I'm still a novice to being able to spot all t he rare things here and its very easy to glance over things if your eye isn't trained.

Its hard to describe a dive, at least it is for me. Theres such a sensory overload the memory turns into more of an emotion, a maliable thing that can only be experianced and felt. To describe it would cheapen it and be ineffective any way. I can't even keep track of all the life that I saw.

We broke for lunch and tied to a tree, banka bobbing just off shore. We had about 90 minutes for food and decompresion. Nathan and I, per our usual, took off to explore a bit, looking for just the right spot to eat our food. The islland was bigger than we expected and had way more people living on it that either of us thought possible, or even desireable. There was a resevior of sorts not 50 meters inland and while we didnt taste it we postulate that it was fed by seawater being filtered and re eemerging on the other side. But its all guess's here.

We found a beach on the opposite end of the island that was the original marine preserve. Now the whole island is loaded with sea live but some people come to this specific area to dive and snorkle even though theres a "park fee". We decided this was a good enough spot to sit and havee our lunch.

Remember I said our food was in plastic baggies... These aren't ziplocks, they are just regular baggies. So here we are, no sivlerwear, no plates, biting little holes in our baggies and sucking out our "sack lunches" staring off into the ocean. I'm not going to say the food was bad because it was the same as everything else we have been eating but I will say sucking it our of a plastic baggie not only gives an interesting texture but makes me have a bit more respect for astronauts.

The second dive was much like the first but still amazing and before we knew it the day was over. The evening was our usual wandering around town finding cheap food and relaxing.

Casaroro Falls

Its hard to even start this, I'm/We're so far behind in our post I sit down to the keyboard with a shudder. But even though its not possible, I must share with everyone reading those amazing experiences that we have seen.

As Nathan said earlier we were in Dumaguete finishing our classes. After getting our new certifications we shopped around to get a good price for diving Apo island. Its one of the top rated dive sites in the world and we can see if from the balcony of our hotel.

We took the opportunity to take our lives in our own hands again and rent another scooter to head south to check out some of the dive shops. It turns out that "Snoopy" had the best prices. As a recap "Snoopy" is the instructor and owner of the dive shop in Dumaguete right next to Herold's mansion called "Underwater ventures"

If anyone is in the oriental Negros and plan to dive, they need to look him up. Dumaguete is a small enough town that if you ask around someone can point you to him.


2/20/10
The trip south to check prices wasn't a total waste though, we stopped by a roadside stall and picked up an unmarked 1/2 gallon jug (that looked like an old bleach container only translucent) filled with a brownish liquid called Tuba. Its basically coconut liquire akin to bathtub made moonshine. Tastes like drinking strait yeast, or really REALLY underdone bread, with a hint of coconut. But it packs a kick without having the burn of hard alcohols.

So off we went down the road on our scooter with no lights, a bent brake, broken rear shocks, and no working console (broken speedometer and fuel gauge) Me driving and Nathan on the back with our 1/2 gallon of booze in one hand.

We headed up to the falls and had a bit of a walk when we made it to the end of the paved road. I've taken a bike out on the dirt road with the too of us but the gaps between these rocks i would cringe to take a four wheeler across. We walked the rest of the way and were ready for a bit of a trail to get to the falls.

No such trail awaited us but a @#$* ton of stairs did. Well over 200 stairs that we knew with every step down, we would have to eventually make in reciprocity. At first reaching the bottom teased us with being a disappointment. There was a falls maybe a meter high at best with a fair stream running by. We followed a little concreate path leading up the stream.

We found a little bridge that lead to a covered area. It wasn't until crossing the bridge that we knew that any thoughts of disappointment were (almost literally) washed away.

Casaroro falls is like something you see in a movie (as I suppose a lot of what we have seen here is) over 30 meters tall, water careened over 90 feet to a huge pool at the base. The roofed area we were in was the end of the path but there was no way that we weren't going to go swimming.

We crossed the stream and made our way in up the stream to the base of the pool. The sound was defening and though I got video I would need a waterproof camcorder to get any closer. The spray from the falls could be felt over 30 meters away from it.

The water brought us memories of home, a chilled mountain water that makes you gasp when you first step in (either that or were getting used to the heat). We made our way toward the fall and could feel the current long before even getting close. The massive amounts of falling water made a natural barrier that only a well practiced swimmer could hope to penetrate. We made our way to the wall just tot he side of the falls and contemplated how deep the pool was (we would find out later that the pool was over 35 feet deep!). The exhilaration of the view and the experience took me and handed the reins over to lunacy. I slowly made my way around the back of the falls more rock climbing than swimming as the current pulling down kept me well aware that thousands of gallons of water were pushing down to the bottom.

I came out the other side to the sounds of Nathan calling out to see if I was ok. The task took me a few minutes to accomplish even though I had only traveled a few meters. We swam to the bank in time to see some other people watching us from the covered area down the stream. I so much wanted to see if i could swim directly through the falls but that was too much lunacy for even me.

I wish we could have stayed longer but the sun was setting and we had a fair drive ahead of us. Neither of us feel cheated on the amount of time we had but there would have been nothing wrong with staying there a bit longer and getting a bit deeper into our tuba.

fast update

Yup were doing fine, don't have time to make a proper post b/c there's so much thats happened. Right now were in Moalboal, on the western side of Cebu island. Were going to cebu city tomorrow then a ferry to Ormoc. Were going to look around in ormoc for a bit to see if we can dive this island to the north called meripipi. If that doesnt pan our we will head south to padre burgos instead. Then we fly out of Tacloban to Manila and leave the phils. will give a better update when we can! Look forward to it.