Iyan, kasi

Nature trip lang!

San Juan, Batangas -- My elders used to tell me that our clan (Mayuga) originated from this town. Well, historically, Mayuga really came from Batangas and what made ours, meaning my ancestors (Lolo Martin Mayuga) to migrate to Panay Island is one hell of a story. So let us skip that part. I was in San Juan with some of my colleagues in the media covering the "Environment Beat" on 25 and 26 April, 2008 for a nature trip in this beautiful town. Ahhh yes, the white beaches and pristine sea. Unfortunately, it didn't turn out well. But it is worth the adventure. The thrill. We did a shallow river trek to the foot of the Laiya Aplaya Mountain. Six of us, which include me, rode horses, of course, guided by the horses' owners.

The horse, Alasan, and me

The horse owners are actually farmers who are trying to be tourist guide on that particular adventure - the trip to Bat Kingdom. The Laiya Aplaya Mountain is home to two species of giant fruit bats. Well. The place was indeed swarming with giant fruit bats.

The giant fruit bats

On the foot of the mountain, we needed to scale the mountain on foot because it will be too difficult for the horse to go up, much more, to go down. It was 45 degrees to 90 degrees elevation. As expected, I had a very hard time catching up with the younger ones. Fortunately, I stopped smoking a year ago which perhaps helped me stay fit to eventually make it to the Bat Kingdom. Uhaw, pagod and gutom, not to mention. There we saw the bats. Really plenty of them. Flying and hanging unto those trees. We can't get close enough to see if they really taste good. He he. Of course, the Municipality of San Juan has banned the hunting of bats in the area, because they really wanted to promote the place as an ecotourism destination. I say it's good. The place has the potential. A lot of nature tripper will be willing to try the place. On our way back, it's a lot easier. Kung pwede nga lang gugulong na lang ako eh. He he he. Anyway, the trip was, well worth it. Unfortunately, not all good trips are good trips. The bad thing about the trip is that, on our way back, I fell from the horse. The horse that I picked on our way back was somewhat picky. She doesn't want someone pulling her hair. She doesn't want some horse getting near her, too. Why and how I fell from the horse? One stupid horse got too close to her and she kicked the other horse. She was hysterical. She was jumping up and down. The guide can't seem to stop her. I lost balance and fell. Fortunately, I was able to avoid falling from the big bolder nearby. Otherwise, I could have sustained serious injury. Anyway, the guide blamed me for jumping from the horse. Well, I wouldn't want the horse to fall with me. My God, I'm 100 kilos and I can see why she's so uneasy. He he. Anyway, I rode her again and went on. We were able to reach the river where our vehicles were waiting and finally, I'm safe. Another thing... after I fell, my sister's canon camera fell and nearly soaked in the river. It was wet so I guess it needs cleaning. Fortunately, it is still working. After the horseback riding and visit to bat kingdom, we went to join a boat ride to see the mangrove forests. There’s nothing new in there, though. Nothing amazing, either. But the boat ride was exciting. It was already noon and the wind was strong. The waves could have caused our small motorized banca to capsize. Luckily, we were able to go back alive. Well, as I've said, not all adventures are can be considered great. My colleagues were dismayed because our host sent us to a place to spend the night with nothing except a small kubo (hut) a pillow and a blanket. Of course, the food was good but the place. Well, it's too much a nature trip for the girls and boys. Thanks anyway to our hosts and I will say, that they have been a generous host and sponsor to us all.