Backpacking Buhisan 2B: Toong

.

Cliffs with grass. A river more than ten feet below, which leads to a waterfall. Fine sunshine. Fine weather. My adventure for this day was shaping up great.

Until my foot slipped on a loose rock of a slope and tripped, bringing Sir Leo with me in the fall. The fact that the farm where it happened was not as steep (thus, no damage has been really done except for a slightly bummed bum and a more bruised ego) did not assuage the humiliation I felt. Of all places, of all those hours of “practicing”, I tripped on a very relatively safe slope. Gah.

This day was intended for the documentation of the remaining individual farmers of barangay Toong, Cebu City. I am particularly excited for this trip because we would be exploring a possible ecotourism site—waterfall, to be precise. Another would the fact that we’d be trailing more ravines in this trip than those two days combined.

This truly was the farthest trail we’ve taken because of those mountains we crossed; the distance from one farmer’s house to the next is twice than the previous trip. It was also on this day that we experienced being rained on while traveling. Fortunately, rain fell exactly when we stopped at a farmer’s house for lunch. When I went inside their home to help prepare the food, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that the farmer’s son is one of the Bosconians who were given trainings on basic carpentry and masonry, a livelihood component we also implemented for this project. Alfred—that’s his name—shared that he was already using the skills he learned in strengthening some posts of their home and is planning to look for work after harvest time. I am glad to find out that the training helped him boost his confidence and that it provided him the security belt he needs for his family.

See more photos on my Posterous

Alfred’s family is one of those who had the largest farmlands to tend. Almost 2/3 of the total farmlands we visited are tenured by them. He joined us for the remainder of our adventure after lunch since he knew the best—and shortest—route from their farm to the falls.



It was at the point that we have to pass the most dangerous grassy ravine I ever faced. I literally had to stop for a while and stare at the unseen depths of that particular ravine, my legs shaking at the very strong pull of gravity. It spelled double-edged danger—not only will you fall on the ravine on both your sides, but roll on the path in front of you because its trail is going down. My backpack and camera did not help me with the pull-of-gravity at all, and for the first time I was considering if this adventure is worth my survival. But the fact that these people walked through these areas for years (and had no complaints) and did not acquire any collateral damage helped me face my fears. And sensing my phobia, they took my bag and camera so I only need to contend with my weight and hold on to the shirt of the one in front of me—sir Leo—so I could calm my nerves. Too bad I wasn’t able to photo-document it, though—that was how terrified I had been!

The waterfall was the greatest treat I received after that adventure. Even before reaching the waterfall, you’d pass little pools of water that are deep enough for swimming and rocky rivers that make the trek exciting. It’s called Sanggaan falls, which stays true to its name. It is composed of two pools, and the upper-layer pool “catches” the water from the source first before it overflows and spills the water to the next bigger pool. I had to restrain myself from jumping right through—despite my lack of swimming skills—the water and drench myself since my blood, they warned, is still boiling hot. So I had to settle with sitting on the bank and staring at the water, marveling at the utter completion I felt after seeing the site.

I will be showing more photos of Sanggaan Falls on a separate blog, but for now, it’s my eureka time:

• Sangaan Falls is located at Buwacao. If you continue to walk past the waterfall, you will eventually reach Bulacao, Cebu City.
• In Toong, most of the crops that grow are of the pinakbet variety, as I call it. Squash, tomatoes, eggplant, string beans, and gabi, among others, abound here.
• Beside the area that I slipped—shame on me—is an ampalaya plantation owned by a doctor—done commercially (chemically) and not organically. You will realize that most renowned “professionals” are the main culprits of…shall we say…irresponsible farming and business practices?
• Toong farmers are also inventors—I just bore witness to a unique invention that allows you to grill food with less use of charcoal (you use a dynamo-powered machine). The machine also allows you to control the intensity of the heat you made on the burned charcoal. 

.