GOOD GOD! =D / APRIL 10,2007

I thought it’s about time I did a series on my adoptive province—since we end up spending practically every long holiday there. This post appeared originally in my friendster blogsite. Minor changes, mostly only on the names of the characters, from the original. =) In any case, I thought I’d repost it as the first in the series in honor of our slightly more successful “return trek” (haha) sometime between Christmas '07 and New Year '08, this time with Cousin Dooders (who was home for the holidays) and his Special Girl MJ. (Kahiya-hiya when our guide's face lit up in recognition after he saw me, "Ikaw yung nung summer! Uy, natakot ako sa'yo nun..." HAHAHA!!! 'D Waaaaahhhhhhhhh!!!) What happened? Read on…. =)

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Marooned in Marinduque over Holy Week, Hubby Sweet and I decided Friday evening to get our butts off the couch and explore the parts of the island I haven't seen yet. It was going to be Black Saturday the following day and even the Moriones activities tend to lay low then. Patay daw kasi ang Diyos sabi ng mga nakatatanda.

Hubby Sweet offered to take me on the "Round-Marinduque" tour, but I knew exactly what I wanted to do: I was adamant about conquering the Bathala Caves in Santa Cruz.

The following day saw the Hubby waking up before 6:00 a.m. to try and sneak in an early-morning tennis match in Mogpog. "I'll be back by 8:30, Tweet. Promise!" He kissed me goodbye as I lay in bed, still half-asleep. He was out the door before I could protest.

Left alone, I stayed where I was for a few more minutes, taking advantage of the unhurried morning pace. Lazy mornings are unheard of in Manila. In Manila, even our weekends are packed with chores--early morning run / brisk walking at the Ultra, breakfast usually in Ateneo, weekend house cleaning, all before packing our bags for the usual overnight stay in House Better. Not so in the province. In the province, lazy mornings are allowed. I stayed in bed for a few more minutes, staring at the lace curtains stirring lightly in the morning breeze, my mind blank.

Soon enough, the house slowly came alive. People stirred. I heard Stu, the resident pet beagle, climb up the stairs. He soon started nudging the bedroom doors, scratching and moaning in frustration. I think he made it his life's mission to wake people up as soon as he sensed daylight. Despite the papers that prove his purebred lineage, I honestly think he's part beagle and part rooster.

It was time to get up.

I went down the steps to find Mama Yemy (Kiko's paternal grandmother), Mama E (his mom) and Lorns (their helper) already busy in the kitchen. Mama Yemy had just come back from her regular early-morning trips to the palengke and was busy inspecting her loot of fresh veggies and meat, enough to cover the day's meals. 'Told them there was no need to prepare lunch for that day. Hubby Sweet and I are going to Bathala Cave. AA and Ira (The Hubby's cousins) plus their gang will be skipping Boac; I think they plan to spend the entire day at the beach in Poktoy instead.

That lone comment triggered another flurry of activity with everyone shifting from meal-preparation-mode to meal-packing-mode. I sipped my morning coffee wearing a half-smile. "OK lang po, Mama. Relax. Ako na lang magpa-pack," I volunteered in an effort to ease the frenzy I seem to have instigated.

"May lechon paksiw pa dyan. Yun na lang a-baunin niyo?" Mama E offered.

“Ay, magdala kayo ng suman! Chaka bibingka!" Mama Yemy suggested at about the same time.
“Lorns, magsaing na lang ng bago," Mama E said before turning back to me, "Yung bago na lang a-dalin niyo. I-fried rice na lang namin yung natira kag-abi."

"Ay, Lorns, may yelo pa ba? Kuha na kina Noemi," Mama Remy ordered at about the same time before turning back to me, "A-lagay niyo na lang sa thermos para malamig."

I looked to the side to find Lorns shaking her head and chuckling uncontrollably at the commotion I had caused.

The lechon paksiw, rice, suman and ham sandwiches (!) soon made their way into the portable ice chest. The thermos was soon filled with ice to the brim (it will melt anyway) and placed on top of the ice chest. After all the flurry, the only thing left to do was to wait for the Hubby to get home. It was way past 8:30. Hmp.

He finally came barrelling through the door at half past nine, apologizing profusely. (He knows how anal I can be about punctuality.) After a quick breakfast and a quick shower, we were off to conquer the caves!

The Bathala Caves sit on 19 hectares of private land owned by the Mendozas. (I really don't know who they are, but that's what our guide told us, haha.) It is a system of seven (some say, eight) major caves with countless "minor caves" yet to be explored. It was more than an hour's drive from Boac (the provincial capital) without traffic (!) and even Hubby Sweet who grew up in Marinduque had to stop every so often to make sure we were going the right way. It had been a while since we went on a road trip by ourselves, and this was a welcome break.

"Tweet, let's just go to one or two caves lang, then let's go around Marinduque na," Hubby S suggested.

"No! There are seven caves," I protested, "I want to go to all seven!" getting more excited by the minute at the thought of this exciting new adventure. I haven't gone wall-climbing in a while, and I was pretty psyched up about the possibility of having another go at it. Woohoo!!!
After several starts and stops, asking for directions, making sure we were on the right off-road track, we finally got to a small clearing slightly off the off-road (haha). There were several SUV's parked in the vacant lot.

"Tourists," I thought. There was a makeshift nipa hut selling water, chips, etc. Manang pointed us to a small "gate" and told us to walk along the beaten path. It will take us to the entry point of Bathala.

The Bathala Caves of Santa Cruz supposedly has a rich religious / cult history. I read somewhere that it was said to have been the refuge of the Pulahanes, a fanatical group who believed their amulets could protect them from the bullets of their declared enemies, the American colonizers. They stayed in the caves to pay homage to their "Supreme God" in the belief that doing so would help them regain the potency of their amulets. In the early 1900's, members of the "Samahang Persona Solo Dios", a group originally formed in the mountains of Banahaw in Quezon, found refuge within its confines, believing that Mount Banahaw and the Bathala Caves are spiritually connected.

On this particular Holy Saturday decades and centuries hence, however, the Bathala Caves were home only to a handful of tourists, most stylishly clad, backpacks in tow. It was almost noon by the time we got there, but both being relatively full, we decided to just have lunch after we got down from the mountain.

After registering at the makeshift nipa hut decorated by a lone banner that read "SPELUNKING 2007, Bathala Caves, Santa Cruz, Marinduque" (looking at the pic now, mali pa pala tanda ko, haha! 'D). After paying the P280 entrance fee (P140 per person), Kiko and I were off to the first of the caves, led by our guide.

The Cathedral or the Church cave (ang Kuweba ng Simbahan) is the biggest. It was supposedly the central place of worship and the primary dwelling place of its early inhabitants. It would be an understatement to say that it was HUGE. Standing in the middle eeriely felt like standing within the dome of Saint Peter's Basilica (the dome lang ha, not the entire basilica!). Our guide directed his flashlight to several rock formations that the cultists believed to have been engraved in the cave by nature, the hand of God. At the main entrance was the face of God the Father and of The Son. On the ceiling was the Holy Spirit, represented by the figure of a dove with spread wings. There were also references to Mary, a church bell, and a huge stalagmite that was supposedly The Altar.

The Cathedral is easy enough to get to. Most tourists, I've been told, actually just go to the Cathedral and move on to other tourist spots in Marinduque. Only the "serious" adventurers move on to the other caves.

Understandable, I suppose. To get to the other caves, one has to climb up the rock formations on one side of the Simbahan and crawl through a hole to get to another clearing that will lead to two other caves, the Python Cave and the Cemetery Cave. Most families (especially those with young kids and older people in tow) would see it and decide that seeing the Church cave is enough. The younger, more determined set would look at the rock formations and smile.

I, personally, couldn't stop grinning.

With a burst of energy, I climbed up the wall and crawled excitedly through the hole. "Woohoo!" I thought, "WOOHOO!!!!!!!!!!!!" I was screaming myself silly inside my head, giddy at the chance to climb walls again. I haven't done so in the past two--almost three--years! Hubby Sweet is more into tennis; he tried climbing with me once and found that it wasn't his cup of tea. All my other friends whom I used to climb with have also gotten married and have set aside the weekly wall-climbing activities in favor of their more urgent domestic requirements. Climbing the walls of the Simbahan--which was a relatively easy wall when you think about it--gave me a rush that, I realized only then I really, really, REALLY (!!!) missed!

Our guide was waiting for us outside. "This path leads to the Python Cave and the Cemetery Caves..." he explained.

The Python Cave only has one entrance and is guarded (to this day!) by 11 pythons, widely believed to be the pets of Bathala. Countless snakes supposedly also occupy the upper portions of the cave. I cringed at the thought of encountering these slithering, hissing creatures. If there is one stupid animal on this earth that I cannot take, it is the snake, regardless of length, width, color. Ack!

"Not to worry," our guide explained, "The pythons of Bathala are harmless. They have never been known to attack anybody."

"Yeah, well, there's always a first time," I thought.

"Besides," he continued, "sa dami ng tourists during Holy Week, they usually go into hiding. Ayaw nila ng maraming tao. Come back during the off-season if you want to see them."

Uh....sure.....

We found ourselves stopping mid-trek to give way to another group climbing their way out of the Python Cave. Instead of waiting for our turn to enter the Python Cave, our guide decided to climb up, instead, to the Cemetery Cave, believed to be the ancient burial site because of the human skeletons that were supposedly previously found by German spelunkers. The trek up was particularly steep. I was practically crawling, legs on footholds, hands grasping at tree trunks to keep myself steady. The noonday summer sun beat heavily down my back, sweat dripping, my shirt starting to soak. It was then that disaster struck. I all of a sudden realized that I was tired. I was very, very, very tired. No. I was very, very, very, VERY (!) dead-tired.

Breathing heavily, I barely made it to the flat ledge at the mouth of the cave. I sat on it and leaned against a tree stump, trying to control my breathing in an effort to slow down my racing heartbeat. Darn! I cursed myself for being so out of shape, I couldn't even navigate a climb that I would have completed without batting a eyelash two years ago! Augh, augh, augh! I signalled for our guide and the Hubby to continue their trek down to the Cemetery Cave. I would stay on the stone ledge until my breathing normalized. Hubby Sweet refused to leave me. For a good half-hour, all three of us just stayed were we were--on the side of the mountain, saying hi to all the other groups who passed by.

Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!

Soon, even the Hubby sensed that I was breathing normally already. I made the decision not to go down to the cave anymore. "You go, Sweet," I told him, "I'll stay right here and rest."
He didn't stay long inside the cave. Heck, he was actually there only because I insisted we go! He probably took one look around, said "OK, cemetery cave," and went back up. Hahaha! After making sure that I have rested enough and that I was at least ready to manage it, we all started our trek down. Along the way, we passed by the trail that leads to the Python Cave. Heck, it was on the way down anyway, 'might as well go! Besides, I reasoned with myself and with the Hubby, I think it was the heat and not necessarily the steep climb that got to me. The Python Cave was in a relatively shaded area of the cave. It shouldn't be that bad. Reluctantly, Hubby Sweet agreed to take the side trip.

The climb down Python Cave was a bit better. The shade and the canopy of trees made the noonday heat a bit cooler, the air even a bit damp.

"This is the mouth of the cave," our guide gestured, as I started taking pictures.

"What's down there?" I gestured toward the deep abyss, not even attempting to look down lest I fall. (I was admittedly still a bit light-headed from the Cemetery Cave episode.)

"Well...that is the cave....Would you like to go down?" he asked.

Hubby Sweet put his foot down and said no, probably thinking I was in another one of my bullheaded moods. I did not protest. I was going to say no anyway. Despite my stubbornness, I actually know when to quit. While I realized I had the energy to climb down, I was not entirely sure I would have the energy to climb back up in lightning speed in case some stupid python decided to have me for lunch. Hahaha! The rest of the caves would just have to wait another day.

We trekked down the mountain, my ego bruised but my spirit renewed.

"Mag-e-exercise lang ako, babalik ako dito!" I told our guide.

He laughed, "Oo ba! Come back anytime."

Yes. You can be damn sure, I will!

=P

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To get to Marinduque, drive to SM Lucena, look for directions to the Dalahican Port and ride the roro from there. There are so many beautiful eco-tourism spots on the island, it is really a shame that tourists only go there for the Moriones Festival. Aside from The Bathala Caves, I heard the Paadjao Falls are worth seeing--and swimming in! (I haven't seen it yet, but I intend to take a dip the next time we go.) They also have their own version of the hot springs in Malbog, as well as a million and one (OK, I exaggerate) butterfly farms in Gasan. If you're tired of the crowds in Boracay, go island hopping in Tres Reyes and Natangco Island instead. They're beautiful (the white sand in Natangco, in my opinion, is comparable to that in Bora), but they're much quieter and yes, so much better for the soul. =)

P.S. - Yes, this makeshift basketball court with a cow parked next to it is almost right outside the Bathala Cave compound. I love this pic! Isn't it so charmingly provincial? =)

One More P.S. - Yes, we hiked in our flip-flops! Santa Barbara. Hahaha! While I found it convenient (since I could easily take off my slippers whenever I need to go through "small holds"), I doubt it is really how things should be. *Sheepish grin...=D* Ask your friendly mountaineer what the proper attire should be before you go up. Oh! Yes. ALWAYS bring a small water bottle! =D