Dusk and the Mother Falls | San Luiz, Aurora

in Worldmappin2 years ago

Hive_WE85_Stop Fixing People.png


What a fine day to be talking about another place I explored in my quest of finishing my #Project81PH. Any idea where we're headed today? 🤔

Just when you thought we're done with Baler or the Province of Aurora, in general, we're not! Today we are going to explore Ditumabo Falls or what people in Aurora dubbed as the Mother Falls.

Ditumabo Falls is located in San Luis, Aurora approximately 18km away from Baler. We arrived here past lunchtime, I didn't even realize how hungry I was until I saw a few carinderias or food stalls lined up before we reached their Tourism Office. So Kuya Jaime and I ate our lunch (yup, lunch at 3 PM!)


River trekking

Kuya Jaime retired for a few minutes as he's not officially allowed to guide me here. The Tourism Office assigned their local guide for this adventure.

Just like any waterfall I've been to, this one required a few minutes of trekking from their Tourism Office. If you'd look it up in other blogs, the author might mention 40-45 minutes of trek time. Yup, reaching this waterfall isn't easy peasy. A few minutes from the Tourism Office, we saw these huge pipes by the mountainside. The pipes served as our guide on which path to take.

IMG_20190226_151841.jpg

IMG_20190226_151853.jpg

IMG_20190226_152203.jpg

IMG_20190226_152206.jpg

As you can see, we had to cross rivers just to reach the day's destination. Luckily, it wasn't raining that day so it wasn't hard to trek. Gladly, I wasn't alone in this journey. A few minutes later, we saw other tourists still trekking in the direction we were going. There were kids and a dog, too!

IMG_20190226_153324.jpg

A few more minutes of walking with the guide and all I've seen were huge rocks along the way. According to our guide (unfortunately, I couldn't remember his name, but yup that's him in the photo), these rocks used to be part of the mountains, and due to natural calamities in the past, some rocks were eroded and formed part of the river.

IMG_20190226_153327.jpg

When we finally reached the paved road (which the local government initiated), the tour guide finally broke his silence "We're near!" I honestly was in a hurry as it was already getting dark. I know it was nearly 4 PM but dark clouds gathered above us signaling heavy rain.

IMG_20190226_153534.jpg

IMG_20190226_153541.jpg

The worry intensified when I saw some tourists on their way home. But the guide was calm and collected; I just thought maybe we wouldn't be allowed here if it's dangerous to trek late in the afternoon. And oh, before I forgot, I was one of the last tourists allowed to visit the falls that day. They have a cut-off time because if one starts trekking very late, they might end up spending the night trekking on their way home. It can be scary there, trust me!

IMG_20190226_153617.jpg

Without delay, we kept moving forward towards the waterfall. Despite being in a hurry, I couldn't help but be amazed by the simplicity of the surroundings. You could barely hear anything except for the birds singing and the flow of water in the stream.

IMG_20190226_153638.jpg

IMG_20190226_153650.jpg

IMG_20190226_153719.jpg

When I went here, I had no idea why it was called Mother Falls. And I honestly didn't have the energy to ask my guide. I was worrying if we'd make it on time. But when I saw small waterfalls, I thought these are the kids of the Ditumabo Falls. I was only able to take a photo of one of the smaller falls but there were few we saw on our way to the Mother Falls.

IMG_20190226_153831.jpg

IMG_20190226_153836.jpg

We took exactly 27 minutes to reach the falls including stops to take photos. Not bad afterall! We could cut it into 18 minutes without picture taking! But travel without pictures won't for me. You know I love to take photos! Lot of them! 😂

IMG_20190226_153940.jpg

IMG_20190226_153947.jpg

IMG_20190226_154000.jpg

IMG_20190226_154007.jpg

IMG_20190226_154021.jpg

IMG_20190226_154026.jpg

IMG_20190226_154035.jpg

Then we finally reached Ditumabo Falls. I was a bit disappointed as I expected a huge waterfall, the likes of Kawasan Falls in Cebu. It may be huge compared to the smaller ones we've seen along the way, but it ain't too huge. Maybe my expectation was just too high.

IMG_20190226_154315.jpg

IMG_20190226_154202_1.jpg

IMG_20190226_154244.jpg

IMG_20190226_154322.jpg

But despite being a bit disappointed, I was still glad I made it to the falls. Just like any waterfall in the Philippines, the water was crystal clear and it's ice-cold, too! I actually had to take a few minutes to decide if I'll swim or not. It was an easy decision to make tho. Since I was already there I hiked almost an hour back and forth, might as well experience the waterfalls to its fullest. So yup I swim but didn't last long in the waters. I felt relaxed and my muscles were able to release tensions gathered after a day's tour in Baler and neighboring towns. It has been a long day for me and surely what a way to end that day!

IMG_20190226_154310.jpg

IMG_20190226_154329.jpg

IMG_20190226_154425.jpg

IMG_20190226_154332.jpg

IMG_20190226_154556.jpg

Although I was already starting to fall in love with the place, time wasn't on my side. We wrapped up the pictorials and prepared to start trekking back at the Tourism Office. It wasn't advisable to stay longer since it was starting to get dark. We need to reach the Tourism Office before sundown, that's the goal.

But before finally heading back, I posed and took a lot of photos of the place:

IMG_20190226_155007.jpg

IMG_20190226_155025.jpg

IMG_20190226_155013.jpg

IMG_20190226_155048_1.jpg

IMG_20190226_155056.jpg

IMG_20190226_155015.jpg

AS you can see, these photos aren't edited. I was really the last one to leave the place! Everyone headed back while I was still striking these poses. haha

IMG_20190226_161652.jpg

IMG_20190226_161649.jpg

IMG_20190226_154709.jpg

IMG_20190226_161808.jpg

Perks of being the last one to leave, a photo of the falls without photobombers! Yay! 😁

IMG_20190226_161713.jpg

IMG_20190226_161725.jpg

IMG_20190226_162034.jpg

I was supposed to pay Php 30.00 ($.58) for the entrance fee but they waived the fee. Perks of being a friendly tourist! haha I get a lot of free stuff (food, transpo, etc) in my travels. Although I insisted to pay, they wouldn't receive it and mentioned to just give a tip to the guide, which I did. Although, it's nice to receive free stuff (free entrance fee in this case), as much as possible, let us not exploit the locals as this is their source of income.

IMG_20190226_165138.jpg

That would be all for today for our #Project81PH featuring the Province of Aurora. Have you been to a falls recently? What was your experience? Let's chat in the comment section!

I'll see you in my next post. 😁

G0236645.JPG


IMG_20190518_173638.jpg

Patsitivity

Living life intentionally every single day, she believes that there’s no limit to one’s potentials. Right now, she’s on the loose for the pursuit of endless holistic self-growth and development. She wants to light the way for others. She believes there’s no better way to leave a legacy than to pay it forward.

Her ultimate goal in life is to reach the state of enlightenment where there’s nothing but peace, love, happiness, and contentment - nothing more, nothing less.

If you are captivated by what this girl just wrote here, an upvote is pretty appreciated. Follow her as she tells her stories full of positivities. The next story might be for you! ❤️

Sort:  

An unforgettable adventure, thank you for sharing your experience.😁😉☺️🤗😊👍🏼

I haven't been to a fall before and this certainly beats all the fall adventures I have read about.

Sorry about getting there late and being jumpy about the time, and your safety.

Glad you were able to see all of these, take these shots and share them with us.

I love everything here including the way you described the thoughts surrounding each shots. ❤️❤️

Thank you for taking the time to drop your insights about my post @iskada! I truly appreciate it. We have a lot of waterfalls here in my country. And I have a few more adventures of the same kind that I'd probably share in the future.

That's nice. I'll be looking forward to reading your future adventures. Cheers. ❤️

Wow the place looks amazing, thanks for sharing 😊

I'm more than happy to share my travels here @aurzeq! Have an amazing weekend, fella! 😊

Thank you for sharing this amazing post on HIVE!
  • Your content got selected by our fellow curator @ashikstd & you just received a little thank you via an upvote from our non-profit curation initiative!

  • You will be featured in one of our recurring curation compilations and on our pinterest boards! Both are aiming to offer you a stage to widen your audience within and outside of the DIY scene of hive.

Join the official DIYHub community on HIVE and show us more of your amazing work and feel free to connect with us and other DIYers via our discord server: https://discord.gg/mY5uCfQ !

If you want to support our goal to motivate other DIY/art/music/homesteading/... creators just delegate to us and earn 100% of your curation rewards!

Stay creative & hive on!

Wow! Thank you @diyhub and @ashikstd for the support. You guys rock! 😁

Thank you for taking us on your incredible journey!

It's my pleasure @deeanndmathews! Appreciate you being here. 😁

Very interesting trekking route, very much stunning areas, I also noticed the waterfall.

Glad you're here @triplug! How's everything going in your area now? Hope you and your family's safe.

We are safe, but the war is not over yet, it is more and more aggressive, especially with Ukrainian citizens.

What a cool spot! I love waterfalls although, in my part of Australia there's not many. Too dry. So, I make the most if it when I come across one. Great snaps and post.

Hi @galenkp! Fortunately, we have too many waterfalls here in the Philippines. Everywhere you go, you'd probably find one or two or if you're lucky a dozen in just one Province. We even do waterfall hopping and canyoneering, too!

Thanks for dropping by! 😁

I've never been to the Philippines but have seen many waterfalls and love them all. Maybe I'll get there someday and see the ones up there.

I am sorry for your disappointment. But, maybe because of the seasonal flow of water?
This place looks great for the summer vibe. We had some similar to these falls here. It gets packed!!
It's Refreshing!! Loved going through.

Maybe it's partly because of the season, too @suzn.poudel. It was the start of summer when I visited. Nonetheless, I still enjoyed the place. 😊

Congratulations, your post has been added to Pinmapple! 🎉🥳🍍

Did you know you have your own profile map?
And every post has their own map too!

Want to have your post on the map too?

  • Go to Pinmapple
  • Click the get code button
  • Click on the map where your post should be (zoom in if needed)
  • Copy and paste the generated code in your post (Hive only)
  • Congrats, your post is now on the map!

Wow, this place looks amazing. It's a good place to relax.

It is, one just have to come early. You need at least 45 minutes for the trek back and forth. 😁