Wednesday, April 11, 2007

Casarororo Your Boat...

One of the hidden gems of Dumaguete would have to be the Casaroro Waterfalls. It's a perfect three-hour activity for a diver visiting Dumaguete, usually on the morning before the flight out since diving wouldn't be possible anyway.

The falls are only about a 45-minute drive from Dumaguete, south and west towards the volcanic mountains just outside the city. The roads are surprisingly well paved, except for the proverbial last mile. Here concrete turns into a dried-mud track that runs into an incline which, during the rainy season, should only be attempted in a four-wheel-drive.

Another surprise is that the path down to the falls is a concrete stairway with a steel-pipe handrail. Obviously the local mayor has been good enough to make the trek more comfortable for tourists.

There's also a local lady in a little hut collecting a P10 entrance fee (half that for Tyrone and other under 12's). It's anyone's guess how these fees are ever accounted for, but at P10 perhaps everyone's just honest about it. (Hey, this is Dumaguete, not Manila!)

Our guide says it's only 368 steps down to the falls, but each of the steps rises a good 10-12 inches from each other, so by the time we get to the bottom I've had a good workout. From there, it's another 200 meters to the falls itself, but once you've arrived, it's well worth the effort.

Tyrone and I got there around 4 P.M. and there was only one couple enjoying the view, and probably wishing we hadn't shown up. Despite the summer heat, the waters were surprisingly cool, almost as cold as the Sagada waterfalls up in the Luzon mountains.

The river at the bottom of the falls has carved a deep chasm through the rocks, all of which is now overgrown with foliage. With the sunlight streaming through the leaves, it's a great place for a small picnic.

All I had were a couple of apples, some cheese and our water bottles. But with the birds chirping, the crickets going full blast and the waterfall's mist spraying us, that's all we needed to enjoy the afternoon.

All of which was great, until we realized we had to walk back up those steps!

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Great Father & Son moment.
Have a feeling you prefer to have Ty to stay at this age for a little while longer. :-)

 
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