Catbalogan, Samar
Any mention of the island of Samar is usually preceded by the word “rugged”. Basically the minute you step foot in Samar you’re considered off-the-beaten track, although the National Hwy does run down the island’s Western flank, sprinkling the trappings of civilization here and there (tricycles, Jollibee, Rizal statues*, noise pollution, Mercury Drugstores, prostitution … ). The biggest town in Western Samar, Catbalogan bears many of those trappings, although the noise commotion is lesser than in most cities because of a welcome ban on motorized tricycles in the town center.
Samar is one of those islands with massive potential to become an adventure-sports mecca. Surfers speak in awe of the waves on the east side of the island, although many of the breaks involve being towed in and/or are accessible only by speedboat (a relatively new surf resort in the southern part of the island could change that). The dense forests of the interior are among the only places in the Philippines where you might spot the national bird, the endangered Philippine Eagle, the world’s largest eagle (it’s also known as the monkey-eating eagle - can you guess why?). Then there’s the caving. Some of Asia’s longest and most capacious caves burrow through Samar’s heavily forested, karst-laden interior.
I was here for the caving. I’ve always had a love-hate relationship with caves. I’ve been drawn into dozens, but more often than not it’s just a relatively simple walk-through and I don’t get over-excited. Stalactites and Stalagmites alone don’t do it for me (at least not when I’m sober). The exceptions were underwater cave tubing in New Zealand, and the cave-to-cave adventure that Karin and I did last year in Sagada. The latter was interactive, exciting and involved real risk as we belayed into dark abysses and squeezed through impossibly tight holes. I was up for another genuine spelunking experience (or one that felt genuine). If Joni’s tour could even hold the jock strap of the Sagada adventure, I’d go home satisfied. Joni talked a good game, but did he have the goods?
Uh, yeah. This was far from your run-of-the-mill adventure. From the trailhead a short drive out of Catbalogan, we walk through the bush for about 30 minutes. With me are Joni, a porter and an American father-son tandem (they are in town visiting family of the mom). Next thing you know, I’m wearing a full-on spelunking suit, and there’s a live calcium carbide gas flame coming out of my helmet. That’s right, I got a fire on my head. Cool! The first 30 minutes or so we’re high and dry and working our way through some tight spaces, much like on the Sagada tour (though not quite as hairy - only once do we require rope to get down a tight little rabbit hole). My spelunking suit, while undeniably smart looking (see photos), is sweltering. The cave seems hot for a cave; most caves I’ve been in are relatively cool. Before long I have about a liter of sweat sloshing around in my spacesuit.
We wouldn’t be hot for long. Next thing you know we’ve donned life vests and we’re wading through chest-deep water. Next we’re on our bellies dodging stalactites and scooting through the mud, ‘Nam-style , to slip under a low overhang. Then we’re back in the water again, swimming this time, through a wide chamber and then through a natural tunnel with only about two feet of clearance over our heads. The flames on our domes cast an eerie pall over the tunnels. Shadows bounce to and fro. I feel like I’m in the movies swimming through a sewer, only this is much more interesting (and much cleaner) than a sewer.
For much of the remainder of the trip, which involved a transfer to another nearby cave and had us underground for about 4 hours, we were fully or partially submerged. We passed a couple of small waterfalls and some pretty rad cave creatures along the way – a snake, a big spider, some weird crabs and the usual bats and swiftlets that dart around most caves and somehow manage to narrowly miss your head. We had lunch underground and were treated to a 45-minute river bangka ride back to civilization at the conclusion of the tour.
The boat was late (or rather we were early), so I joined some local villagers eating cassava and drinking iced tea mixed with Emperador (cheap Philippine brandy) at the terminus of the second cave. Some women were washing clothes in the flowing river. A kid with an amazing voice was playing acoustic guitar and crooning Jason Mraz lyrics. It was a Friday family outing, local style. Emperador and iced tea in the sun after long day of spelunking? A combination of kings, I dare say.
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*Speaking of Rizal statues, check out the photos of the masterpiece holding court in Catbalogan’s town plaza.