Nueva Vizcaya - chilling out the afternoon at Imugan falls and shooting the stars at night
We arrived in Imugan at lunchtime and even with a late lunch and catching up on a bit of sleep, there was still time left in the afternoon to spare. Since the Kalahan community dormitory was on the way to imugan falls and the good weather was holding, we took off for the falls.I don't wear a watch so i approximate the hike time to around 30-35 minutes, going through forests redolent with the smell of wet grass and leaves, the air still and quiet disrupted only occasionally by shrill bird noises. There is only one distinct trail and is easy to follow save for a path where flowing water breaks it. As we neared the falls, the sound of gushing water was unmistakable.I personally have a thing for waterfalls. I love to shoot them but there's still a part of me that remembers what happened to my Nikon D200 in cCamiguin. More often than not, i'm afraid more for my gear than my footing. But then again, Imugan falls is a charming one with a catch basin alive with fresh water small crabs, a smaller falls on the side and a viewing deck near the major cascade. (later that day, we heard from our dormitory-mates, researchers from an NGO, that there are two other falls that feed this one. the rough trail leading to it takes that out of our itinerary though). I couldn't resist packing my gear early so i can take a dip. Oh, did i say that the water feels like it has just come from the freezer? But after the initial shock, the water felt good. Even more the mini-cascade on the side of the major falls, where the strong pulsating water beats any pulsating shower.One of the fringe benefits of spending the night over in an un-touristy forest town is the privilege of watching the star-filled sky. With the clear, cloud-less sky and little light pollution, the compulsion to spend the after-dinner hours just watching the night sky becomes greater than the determined bid of mosquitoes to discourage us to spend more time outside. There was little to do anyway apart from share stories, sing songs, swap silly jokes while waiting for our long exposure shots to be processed.We stayed up way after the only radio station broadcast, Spirit Radio FM, signed off at 10pm, swapping ghost stories and counting spiders and insects on the walls before letting slumber take over in the chilly hours of the night.
We arrived in Imugan at lunchtime and even with a late lunch and catching up on a bit of sleep, there was still time left in the afternoon to spare. Since the Kalahan community dormitory was on the way to imugan falls and the good weather was holding, we took off for the falls.
I don't wear a watch so i approximate the hike time to around 30-35 minutes, going through forests redolent with the smell of wet grass and leaves, the air still and quiet disrupted only occasionally by shrill bird noises. There is only one distinct trail and is easy to follow save for a path where flowing water breaks it. As we neared the falls, the sound of gushing water was unmistakable.
I personally have a thing for waterfalls. I love to shoot them but there's still a part of me that remembers what happened to my Nikon D200 in cCamiguin. More often than not, i'm afraid more for my gear than my footing. But then again, Imugan falls is a charming one with a catch basin alive with fresh water small crabs, a smaller falls on the side and a viewing deck near the major cascade. (later that day, we heard from our dormitory-mates, researchers from an NGO, that there are two other falls that feed this one. the rough trail leading to it takes that out of our itinerary though). I couldn't resist packing my gear early so i can take a dip. Oh, did i say that the water feels like it has just come from the freezer? But after the initial shock, the water felt good. Even more the mini-cascade on the side of the major falls, where the strong pulsating water beats any pulsating shower.
One of the fringe benefits of spending the night over in an un-touristy forest town is the privilege of watching the star-filled sky. With the clear, cloud-less sky and little light pollution, the compulsion to spend the after-dinner hours just watching the night sky becomes greater than the determined bid of mosquitoes to discourage us to spend more time outside. There was little to do anyway apart from share stories, sing songs, swap silly jokes while waiting for our long exposure shots to be processed.
We stayed up way after the only radio station broadcast, Spirit Radio FM, signed off at 10pm, swapping ghost stories and counting spiders and insects on the walls before letting slumber take over in the chilly hours of the night.
