It was almost an hour into
our hike when we reached the edge of a boulder ravine dropping to more than a
hundred feet. I saw our guide took out his rope and instantly proceeded
behind the trees. “Wait for us, we’re
just going to fix the rope” he told us in Tagalog. I took a peek and
figured it would have been a very hurtful fall - with major broken bone ramifications, if one slid down to the bottom. This was just one of the many obstacle
course-like trail characteristics of the path leading to Ambon-Ambon falls. It looks
moderate when you consider the distance of two hour and a half away, but going
through all presents a set of challenging yet fun adventure moments.
 |
| The refreshing cascade of Ambon ambon Falls |
Kiss the Wall and Slide your Butt
Despite of my many hiking
experiences negotiating a variety of mountain trails, I still found the path
leading to Ambon-Ambon falls an exciting one. After our guide fixed the rope,
one-by-one we took turns in passing through the wall I mentioned earlier. To go
about it, we need to hold on to our rope like our life depended on it and
carefully slide our feet sideways, as we position our self as close to the wall
as possible.
“Kiss the wall, kiss the wall” commands our guide. I found that part
the most thrilling one – although falling a hundred feet below never crossed my
mind, the sensation of lurking danger added another layer of excitement.
The last part consisted of
cutting through an almost 45-degree slope of loose soil and rocks. Keeping your
balance is impossible so we found ourselves surrendering to gravity by letting
our butt slide and stretching our feet to step on a tree to break our momentum –
otherwise, we’ll slide into another deep ravine.
Ambon-Ambon Falls: High Drop, Small Basin
After two hours of
trekking, the soaring Ambon-Ambon falls finally appeared. Shrouded in the
forests of Bagac, Bataan; Ambon-Ambon Falls situates near the more popular and
easier to access Limutan Falls. On most weekends, locals would troop here and take a dip on the cool waters and gather for a picnic under the
shades of the towering trees.
Ambon-Ambon falls is more
bare – just what I would want it to remain. The single straight cascade towers
to approximately 60 meter high which flow directly into a surprisingly, small
basin. It is like having a super-sized Jacuzzi below a waterfalls. Since we
were a small group, we all fit perfectly into the natural pool.
I found the environs
surrounding Ambon-Ambon falls, a refreshing sight. The weather couldn’t have
been more perfect as well; the skies all bright and blue plus the sun shining directly above us, gives a more appealing gleam to the cascading
waters.
We had lunch by the
waterfalls (you can do so too, as long as
you make sure not to leave any trash and leftover food behind) and took
advantage of the opportunity to further bond with our guides and get to know
miss Leslie of Bataan Tourism Office.
Cashew Plantation
Our way back became easier
as we’ve learned from our silly mistakes earlier – such as holding on to thorny
plants belonging to Dendrocnide, for
support. Before we reached the CENRO office, we passed by a cashew plantation.
Known locally as Kasoy, it is one of
the main agricultural produce of Bataan. We picked up a few to familiarize
ourselves with the fruit itself – since most of us only knew about its nut.
I found the taste of the
fruit a little strong especially the after taste, but our guide told us once
you get used to it, people start loving eating them. Plus it is a good source
of natural minerals and vitamins.
A few strides and bouts of
animated conversations and laughter later, we capped our little day hike with
an afternoon snack at Choco
Late de Batirol. It was a fun day that made me to appreciate the province
of Bataan because as I later learned, it has a lot of great outdoors attraction
waiting for adventure travelers to enjoy.
******
I
joined fellow travelers Christine, Dennis and Kara on this trip sponsored by
the Bataan Tourism Office. Travelers wishing to visit Ambon-Ambon falls are
requested to register and hire tour guides at the Community Environment and
Natural Resources Office (CENRO) in Barangay Binukawan, Bagac.
