Morning found us waking up on Ford’s living room floor while Mayette was starting breakfast. Eggs, pandesol, mangos, and coffee were the menu for today.
Jordan and Bev had spent night at Mana Lilia’s so they could go with us today. They showed up around 8:30 with a borrowed Ford Everest so we could all ride together and not worry about public transportation. The plan was to leave at 8 and we left around 9, per normal for this kind of situation.
Jordan has been driving while are here so he piloted us safely to our first stop at Sohoton Caves and Natural Bridge Park. We paid our entrance fees and got our plans and schedule figured out.
The guide told us a little about how the cave formations are formed and then toured us around the cave. As we went through, the guide pointed out different formations and what they looked like to him: a mother and baby elephant, an eagle, a bouquet of flowers, a baby’s foot, the Great Wall of China, a spot that looked like the Chocolate Hills, the Banaue rice terraces, and some small stalagmites that looked like people mostly representing people of the Nativity, in particular, Joseph and Mary and Jesus. His imagination was vivid but once he explained his ideas you could actually see the object in the rock. It was definitely the most unique cave tour I’ve ever been on! The cave was really neat, maybe not the most beautiful I’ve ever seen, but definitely a worthwhile stop. Oh, there were a few bats in there, too.
One other good story that gets told here: the guide shut the lights off while we were in the cave so we could hear the noises of the cave. Click! The lights go out. Silence. Rrrumble, goes Jordy’s stomach.
After the cave, we loaded onto kayaks, two tourists and a guide on a two man open top kayak, and they paddled us upstream 15 minutes or so to the Natural Bridge.
We estimated the top of the bridge to be 60 feet. Almost all the way to the top on the inside we could see a railing and on the outside there were steps disappearing into the woods. Apparently there used to be a trail up to there with access through a cave or something. It is supposedly unsage now so we didn’t try getting up there but if you could it would be an amazing view. We swam a while, jumped off a rock, and then loaded back onto our kayaks and headed back to the dock at the cave. From there we road the motor boats back to the lodge.
The river is really neat too. The banks are limestone and there are small caves and tunnels and overhanging rocks and ledges. Some places we estimated the walls to be 250′ high.
Back at the lodge, we feasted on fried milkfish (very bony but excellent flavor), fried chicken, vegetables, rice, banana-Q, and Coke.
After lunch we headed up the road a little farther to Balantak Falls. It’s a ten minute hike from the parking lot to the falls and the trail “paved” with rocks. It made a cool walkway, but was a little treacherous after the rain because the rocks got slippery.
Balantak Falls are another beautiful piece of Samar. The waterfall is 50′ or so high and there is a pool at the bottom to swim in, which we did for a while. It is definitely a spot to visit if you’re in the area.
By then it was 4 o’clock and time to head back to Tacloban. Jordan again got us safely home, even in the busy traffic in town. Ford’s had invited a few people over for supper so we needed to get back in good time.
Jordan and Bev and KC were here for supper. Mayette made pork, rice, lumpia, and mango homemade ice cream!
We sat and talked a while then walked to Mana Lilia’s house to play games because she has more room on the floor. We played dutch blitz, spoons, and heart attack then sat and talked til about 12:30! Then bed…
restless feet 