Doppleganger update
My elusive double has re-appeared again! She's eel-slippery I tell you, escaping from the grasp of my friend Leslie. read all about it in her blog
Please, please people. Everytime you run into her, y'all are so stunned speechless that you couldn't work up the gumption to approach her even if she's staring at you in the face! Get over yourselves. Slap yourself. Splash water over your face. No it's not me and you know it! Unless I had the the ability to either teleport or the gift of bilocation (I wish), or suddenly had the personality of a mouse, then it couldn't be me! Please help me solve this mystery!
Back to our story
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I woke up at 8 am, ready to face the day. I took several photos of the lake, and woke Thom up for breakfast. After a lackluster meal and a bath, we checked out of our stinky room and booked us a rapids ride.
The ride itself was uneventful, as our boatmen skillfully navigated our way through the river. We had many stops along the way, and Thom and I rolled our eyes at the noisy Korean and Japanese honeymooners that constantly streamed from the opposite direction. He was impressed by the foliage and scenery, which miraculously remained intact.
We got to the falls, and I was honestly less than impressed. Commercialism was everywhere. Locals did everything to milk a few bucks from the tourists, selling food and even altering the landscape, at the expense of the pristine beauty of the place. The boatmen even charged 90 pesos for an overloaded raft ride through the falls, into a cave behind it. Koreans apparently had to be "decently dressed" even while soaking wet. The women still had their jewelry and high heels on, while the men wore slacks! Thom decided to take a dip. I was not confident enough to do the same, because the current seemed too strong.
What we really wanted was to swim, not a view of the falls. Our boatman took us aside and said that we could swim at a spot off to the side of the falls. The path there was extremely rocky and unpredictable, and the waters were a little too deep, so we had to leave our equipment behind as we went to the direction he pointed.
What we discovered was a small pool, a trickle of a waterfall, and two or three rapids that led into a small dipping pool. It was perfect.
The best pictures I took were the ones not captured by my camera.
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The trip downstream was faster than the way to the falls. Upon disembarking, the boatmen demanded that we give them extra money.
Thom felt that the money we spent for the trip was enough, and that they didn't deserve a tip. He said that he had a policy of not tipping anybody who asked for it.
At this point we had an argument, because I felt bad for not tipping the men. I could hear them again make snide comments.
The boatmen heckled us on our way out of the resort, up until we reached the road, waiting for a ride out of Pagsanjan. All that time, I tried to convince Thom to give the boatmen money. He stubbornly argued that the money could be better spent somewhere else, as we could have unforseen expenses in the trip.
In a wounded voice, I told Thom "We should have just given a tip, even if it was just a hundered pesos. It is better to give them money that have them harass us like this!"
I let the boatman take a jeep ahead of us, so we could be rid of them.
With a sigh, He admitted that he may be wrong. We agreed to bring separate wallets in future trips.
I know that I will now avoid going to commercialized "nature" destinations.
Next Stop: San Pablo, Laguna
some of the pretty pictures
NikkiAlfar
Tobie Abad
Gabby Lee
Andre Mischa Cleofe
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