The Adventurous and Valuable Journey at Mabuli: The Exploration of the Three Caves (Part 1)

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A little touch of nature is my best turning point to be refueled and to be rejuvenated for the energy-draining weekdays and the weekend is the perfect time for this. My uric acid this time too had risen a lil, so I need to trek for this to gradually disappear.

With my travel team @callmesmile, @jobeliever, my travel buddy RM, and our co-teacher Sir Kim, we have decided to experience another fun-filled adventure, the caving!

In this blog, I'm going to share our humble adventure of the first cave visited that is truly extraordinary during our 3-in-1/2 day trekking of Mabuli's caves.

Mabuli has a great natural landscape: mountains, rivers, grasslands, farmland, and caves. It is an upland barangay in Tabogon. Since this is located nearby our residency, we have decided on a wonderful Saturday that we will be exploring the wonders that this barangay could offer to all hikers and nature lovers.

Many local tourists come to witness the dramatic scenery of their caves which are shrouded with wonders. They are situated at the top of the mountain which is needed to be traversed for 45 minutes from the foot of it.

The kickoff

We started our journey at 6:45 in the morning. The sun was blazing already. We decided to ride our motorcycles so we will get closer to our destination as this is too far from the main road where we had our kickoff.

The road is made from limestone and it has a portion that is too uphill and bumpy. I was anxious if I can do it, however, my strong will and determination urged me to keep on going without any hesitations. I surpassed the tricky road with RM as my back rider.

Let the adventure begin

The pathway is descending and was challenging already. Even if it was still early in the morning, the extreme heat of the sun was already felt. To reach our itinerary quickly, we did a shortcut.

We were not following any tracks from this shortcut. We walked in the middle of the grassland where the fully grown Amor Seco plants are flowering. It's in the name of the plant Amor which means love, so upon passing amidst them, their fruits stick to our leggings easily.

We were welcomed greatly by these hairy plants but their welcome was not appreciated much as they were very itchy and irritating to our skin.

The temperature started to low here this time. A variety of huge trees surrounded us. We passed this small creek with clean flowing water and finally, we reached the foot of the mountain after our 15-minute walk.

Ascending was exhausting for me. I have difficulties going uphill because I gained more weight. When I climbed the mountain before, I didn't have much difficulty. This trek needed great stamina to overcome all the obstacles that we might encounter along the way.

I stopped a few times to regain my strength. Good thing the atmosphere is colder. One of the things that worries me about this climb is the path. We didn't see any trail, so a higher chance of getting lost will happen however, our persistence is unstoppable.

I was so glad when suddenly someday called us. Three kind kids whom we met along the way followed us and volunteered heartily to accompany us. They are knowledgeable about this journey and we're all delighted about their presence.

The First Caving at Dose Cuartos (12 rooms)

Finally, we reached the mouth of the cave. Before reaching it, it was arduous for me because it is upsloping. One mistake could get me injured or I could fall into the deep end.

After an extensive trek, at long last we had stepped into the hidden paradise with an overwhelming beauty. A big "WOW" was uttered. The opening hole is not wide and huge but as we got inside, everything is so splendid. The towering stone walls, the stone floor, and the incredible appearance inside that look like a tunnel brought me to amusement.

At the entrance portion, the sun's light provided sufficient brightness to illuminate the area. There are big holes where the light can pass through.

_{If we will not be cautious in our moves, into this deep hole we will fall.}

As we headed forward, the dreary scenario was about to experience. We have entered the dull place of the cave. So bad we weren't able to bring our flashlight with us. We turned on the flashlight of our cell phone to see clearly what was in the dark.

The inside is too wide, and so huge. We cannot predict what awaits us amid the darkness. We are so blessed the children continued guiding us because there are portions of the cave that we can fall under. One wrong move, we could step on the ground with a deep hole and it would cause disaster.

We were challenged by Sir Kim to go down by passing the man-made little bridge to see the wonders of the cave. It is so narrow and creepy to pass. Each side is a bit deep and the area is gloomy. My legs were trembling in fear as I crossed it in a sitting position. I got goosebumps while doing it.

The aromatic smell of the soil is relaxing in my mind. Even if we were inside, we can breathe with no difficulties due to the wide area inside.

I was expecting more stalactites and stalagmites will surprise us on this visit however, it was the contrary. Only a few of them are left. More than half of them were ruined.

_{The remains of the rocks that were blasted by the locals. It turns to black color.}

The Dose Cuartos is known before to have fantastic beauty but now it was vanished. The marks of the massive destruction done by human beings were very evident. Blasting was done to remove the precious stones that they were after too. Selfishness was what pushed them to do this cruelty to nature.

The Dose Cuartos continues to thrive after the devastation. We can hear the dripping water, and gradually the stalactites and stalagmites started to vigorously grow. The birds started to build nests and we are hoping this will continue and be given the full chance to live freely and happily.

This cave has 12 rooms that's why it is called Dose Cuartos. Since we were not well-equipped with the stuff needed in caving, we weren't able to explore the whole area. We have checked only 2 rooms as we cannot handle the very dark and vast cage. We were afraid that maybe later on, we will perish. It will take time too if we wanted to eye-witness the 12 rooms inside. One day would not be enough to explore inside and we need a pro who will guide our ways.

These are the crystalized stones that the locals took and are to be sold at high prices. They will glitter if they will be placed under the sun's light.

_{This is the only bigger stalagmite left as the others are ruined. They keep on growing. As I touched them, they are freezing and honestly, I was totally amazed with their coldness. This was my first time touching them}

Despite the destruction done to Dose Cuartos, the vandalism that can be seen in the walls of the cave, and the blasting inside, it continues to shine and amuses people. This is what makes the cave adorable.

This was a great adventure that had given us the value to give worth to nature. It was during this journey that my mental, physical, social, and emotional state continued to flourish.

It is on this trip that I learned the importance of constancy like a cave. Being constant will help me fully understand the imperfections in life. That I have to be mindful and never surrender even how hard life will bring.

In this half-day caving, we visited three caves. In my next blog, I'm going to share our incredible adventure of another Mabuli's impressive caves.