PH & Beyond: Calinawan Cave and Daranak Falls in Tanay, Rizal Sunday, February 1, 2015

There's this sense of mystification embedded within the structure of waterfalls and caves. In terms of aesthetics, we are obviously attracted to such locations...but it's more than that. We are drawn to them because they pose as concrete remnants of history that establish the theory that our earth was indeed cultivated in a matter of eras. We are born as skeptics, innately questioning the forces that dominate the universe whether it be biological, political, or religious. For some reason, however, these doubts seem to decompose when we feel the water literally falling from these strategically patterned rocks or see the paintings that encompass the walls of caves, animating the existence of our fore mothers and forefathers. Why is that?

It's because humans not only strive to learn about history, but to witness it through all five possible senses: We want to touch it, we want to see it, we want to feel it, we want to hear it, and we want to taste it. Exploring through Calinawan Cave and swimming in Daranak Falls is not an opportunity, but a privilege. The whole premise of riding shabby jeeps and feeling the wind on your back, walking on unpaved roads and gravel, and eating on banana leaves is a privilege. To experience life in its purest and most natural form is a privilege. Hence, the inevitable desire to capture all aspects of reality that confirms our history as well as our existence.

There are these rare moments that connect us with the past and reveal to us that humanity is truly subsistent. Yesterday, February 1, 2015 contained one of those moments and I realized that we'll probably spend our lives wondering about the mechanisms that lie behind nature, but I guess that's the beauty of it too.

 Words by Ysabella Ashley de Jesus, Iphone Photos by RV Panambo 

This entry was written by my 18 years old cousin, Ysabella Ashley de Jesus for the blog, Chasing Adventure. Before moving to the Philippines mid-last year to study pre-medicine in the country, she lived her entire life in the big city of New York. One time, I was browsing her ipad, I saw this journal that she wrote about her moving, that very moment I knew that she can be a good writer. Yesterday, with her dear friend, Mikaela who is on the other hand raised in California, we went and explored this town nearby called, Tanay in Rizal. 

I think having fellow explorers write for Chasing Adventure and share their travel story with us will now be a regular feature of this blog.