Canibad

Four years ago I have been to Canibad beach in Samal Island. We went there together with the family with pickup truck. I was impressed with the place. It was a secluded beach and the sand was white. The beach front was not more than 200 meters long and about 10-30 meters wide. There was this almost vertical cliff, 50 meters high and planted full with coconut trees. From the road which lies on top of the cliff, the beach is almost not to be seen.

Not many people come to the place in contrast with other known beaches where throngs of people go on Sundays. The place was then owned by the peasant farmers who were siblings. People who went there were younger set and wont to stay the night among the simple huts and cottages or bring their tents. They bring their own food provisions and cook their own meals over wooden fire. There not much amenities then.

Since then I have been planning to come back to the place from one side of the island, Penaplata to Canibad on foot. Fortunately, on an earlier date, riding motorcycle, I realized that there is a shorter road to Canibad.

Finally on 24 October 2009, we went there again on foot. Me, Alex with his kids, Cookie and Alexis last 23 October. But first we have to buy provision for an overnight stay. Then we have to take a shuttle bus to the island. It was 1020 hrs. The sun was shining bright. As soon as the bus drove into the ferry boat, we went out of the bus and went up the observation deck of the roll-on roll-off ferry boat for 10 minute crossing of the narrow strait separating the island and the city.

It took us more or less an hour to reach Penaplata for the bus had to go Babak and off load passengers along the way. At Penaplata market we bought more provisions and took our lunch.

Then we started our trek under the heat of the shining sun. The climb was sharp. Luckily we take advantage of the shades given by some taller vegetation along the road. After three-quarter of hour walk we reach this viewing post at Barangay Licup. It was a beautiful sight. It was about 200 meters from the sea level and some 3 kilometers from Penaplata.

Alexis and I rested a few minutes and then continued our trek. Alex and Cookie were left behind in the viewing deck to pause for more.

The road was leveling off. We hiked for more than 2 hours more before we came to a steep climb lasting a kilometer. It was the last ridge to cross. The sun was hot. We just had to walk more slowly, pausing frequently under the shadows of trees. When the top of the ridge was reached, we can see the coast on both sides.

On the last crossing, we turned right. After less than a kilometer, there was the path going down Canibad beach. It was a very steep downhill. Finally we reached the beach after 3 hours and 40 minutes of walking.

We sought for the appropriate hut. Asking price, 200 pesos, 3 euro. Entrance 30 pesos per person 0.43 euro-cent. Good enough to have a sleeping place. We can cook also in the kitchen.

In a jiffy I took a bath. But the water was a bit salty. I felt sticky afterwards. Later the caretaker said the water cam from a well. For sweet water, one can take a bath at a water tap near the kitchen. As night fell, I took a bath again.

Alex and Cookie came an hour later.

When evening came, we had only kerosene lamps as light. The caretaker said the generator could not be started. There was no diesel in the tank. He has to buy it tomorrow.

At 1900 hrs we cooked and ate our meals dried octopus, dried fish, rice, tomatoes, eggplant.

We slept in the hut with no walls. It was a warm and moonless night. No problem sleeping shirtless and only malong as bed sheet.

At 4:00, I took a bath. At 4:15 I took a picture of sunrise. Seen is a number of small fishermen fishing in their small boats. The water is calm. Through the night the sounds of small waves at regular intervals splashing the shore kept me from time to time awakened. No problem with mosquitoes, there were none. So one can restfully sleep through the night.

Here is cookie still sleeping at 5:15 in the morning. Well, time for coffee. There was a kettle where we could boil water. For fuel we had only wood. Alex and I had a nice warm pure native coffee in glasses with brown sugar.

We made breakfast of dried fish and octopus, rice and cassava, salted eggs and tomatoes. Then I took this picture of the beach. Well it seemed like an empty beach for now. The caretaker said that the visitors usually come later on a Saturday if they wish to stay overnight. Sometimes they stay on cottages, otherwise they pitch tent.

My brother was impressed with the place. With such an isolated sphere, quiet and far from traffic. He would like to come here again.

A fisherman came and sold us freshly caught fish, about a kilo or so. Good enough for lunch.

Then Alex, Cookie and Alexis went swimming and snorkeling towards the barrio Aundanan, to the right. It must have been two hours when they came back.

We had an early lunch afterward.

They went swimming again on the opposite side to the left.

We paid a little more than 400 pesos, for the shed use, entry fees, refreshments and biscuits. Then we left. The full view of the beach is nowhere to be seen even if we were not even half-way in the climb. Man, it was a steep climb towards road which is maybe some 50 meters in height. Everybody have to catch their breath.

The guys were just exhausted from the earlier snorkeling that we have to ride a motorcycle soon as possible. We stopped at Licup to enjoy the view. We paused for half-hour or so at a sari-sari store. We took our refreshment and biscuits. We asked the store owner about the distance between Licup and Penaplata. The old man said it was 2-1/2 kilometers or a leisurely 45 minutes walk going down. We walked afterward.

Upon reaching Penaplata, we found the place where they were making maruya, deep-fried cooking bananas. We ate something like 12 sticks of maruyas. It was so delicious.

We took again the shuttle bus going to Davao. We reached the city at 5 pm.

Todaya Falls here we go

I have heard stories of how beautiful Kapatagan is. Nestled in the mountains far from the sea, where the air is cool by several degrees, a far cry from the sweltering heat of the lowlands. It must be refreshing there. But it is not only the climate that the places is blessed. From here one can see Mount Apo, very clear in the morning. And then there is still one place worth visiting, it is Todaya falls. The waterfall they say is the highest in Mindanao. To go the waterfall one must past to this barrio first.

Alex, Alexis, Cookie, Christian and I were together at the crossing Kapatagan road in Digos, some 60 kilometers southeast from Davao City. At 1540 hrs we were ready to go. It was not hard to hire 125cc motorcycles to take us to Kapatagan some 30 kilometers away west of Digos. The motorcycle drivers said it would take us 1 hr. It would cost us 80 pesos (1,10 euro) each. Todaya Falls from Kapatagan would be 15 kilometers further. We could hire motorcycles in Kapatagan going to barrio Todaya. That would cost us half-an-hour. From the barrio we would have to walk for an hour to reach Todaya Falls so they say. In any case, I was in doubt if we could make it to the falls considering it would be sundown in two hours.

It was a steady gradual climb to the mountains. I could sense we were taking on of the ridge of Mt. Apo. After 30 minutes ride we got this view. It was 1610hrs in the afternoon. The air was getting cooler. Something like 25 degrees centigrade or lower on this height. Definitely better than at sea level.

The road was alternated between cemented and rough stretch of the road. You can bet the motorcycle rides were exciting for us.


Arriving in Kapatagan just before sundown, we began to look a place to sleep. Good that we found Campo Linaw, a lodging place. For P150 or roughly a bit little more than 2 euros per person and a place to cook one's meals, common toilet and bath, it was good enough. A quick return to the market to buy provisions for dinner and tomorrow's meals.

So what did we buy? Well corn grits, fish, some pork, vegetables, cooking oil, sugar, coffee, mung beans, biscuits, toothbrushes and toothpaste. Oh we forgot to buy bath soap.

Simple beddings had been provided, mats, pillows, thin blankets, but no towels. Luckily I brought mine. I took a bath before dinner, they didn't for they find the water too cold for their comfort.

We slept comfortably. Not really that cold in the mountains. After all we were only a little more than 1000 meters above the sea.

We plan to be up early at 430 hrs. I was up early before the time and boiled kape mais wich is a combination of roasted corn grits and coffee beans. They finally were up at 500 hrs. We drank our coffee and prepared to pack our provisions for the trip. We were going follow our plan. To Todaya falls on foot.

At 530 hours we were off. It was cool morning when we saw our first view of Mt. Apo in an open field. The volcanic mountain was beautiful to see. She was crystal clear.





I could not help but use 3x magnification power of my compact camera to take a closer picture of the mountain. At 2,960 meters, she can only be seen clearly in the morning. In the afternoon she will be covered with clouds. The mountain is regarded as sacred by the Bagobos, a tribe in the area. There is also an andere sort of climate surrounding the mountain. Thundershowers occur often in the afternoon or early evening. That is another reason to start the trek early in the morning.

It was surprising that there was no steep up and downs of the road. Rather the slopes were gentle. For Kapatagan is really situated in a plateau. that is why the place means flat land.

At 640am we casted long shadows on the road. Still a long way to go. No molre cemented road to tread om, only gravel. At least it was all-weather road.

On the hillsides one can see clearings to be planted with temperate vegetables like cabbage, potatoes, broccoli and the like. To transport the goods to the market, sometimes the people use packed horses. However, often it meant motorcycles and trucks. In this foto, it looks like a peasant is carrying a half sack of beans to the market to sell, or corn to the corn mill to be milled.

We took a a few minutes rest in this fast-flowing creek.

To the natives in the area, this is the place to wash clothes and to take a bath. The water is refreshingly clear and rather not lukewarm. However this is not a source of drinking water for sure. For potable water people rely on springs. This means also that there is no water system in this area.

After two hours and 10 minutes of hiking, we took a rest in a sitio, a small village. There we be served maize coffee by the barrio councilor in his house. His tribe is Tibauan or Bagobo. They usually lived east and south slopes of Mt. Apo.

I took a picture of the mountain. One cannot see the peak anymore. One can still see however the open limestone side of the mountain. Here is also found a path to the peak.

We did a great U-turn between two plateaus. On the left side of the picture one can see a foot trail on the other side of the canyon going down to the bottom. This is what the people there call the short-cut. But short-cut is only negotiable by foot and it is deep and steep.

In due time we arrived at the construction site of the dam and spillway of the Sibulan hydroelectric plant. Past the construction site, we walked atop the 1,3 meter penstock pipes for more than a kilometer. It was better than walking on the road and biting the dust of the construction trucks. But it was also a bit dangerous, for as one slip, one can fall down by 3 meters.

At last we took a left turn away from the road. A hundred meters further we began our trek town the canyon. The foot-trail was steep and a little bit slippery so we have to be bit careful every step of the way.

People there say it will take us 30 minutes slow hike to reach Todaya falls. With the natives however, it will take them 15 minutes. To facilitate the trek down the canyon, some steps and bamboo rails were built on very steep parts of the trail. The rails were in need of repair but one still can hold on them.

We took a a few minutes rests on this massive rock overhang. Then we continued further. Sometimes the trail became so narrow, practically a foot-wide. Most of the time, the canyon cliff was almost vertical and full of vegetation. Due to the greenery, we could not see the river even if it was just below us. But we heard the sounds of the rapids.

Further onwards, we could hear now sound of the waterfall becoming louder. The canyon became also narrower. At 1050 hrs. finally the waterfall can be seen. After 5 hours and 20 minutes trek including pauses. For me it seems the total distance we have travelled must be more than 15 kilometers. Allow say 4km/hour walk, an hour worth of pauses, the estimate was reasonable enough.

Down we went further. The mist spray of the waterfall around us. Reaching the ground level, we found a place to place our things to prevent them becoming wet from spray.

The noise from the fall was thunderous. We just have to speak louder to communicate. Stripped to their shorts, the boys were looking around for a favorable place to bath. They didn't dare, for the water was murky brown in color because of the spillway construction activities upriver.

We were hungry now. We opened our provisions and ate beside the river. For me I didn't eat much. No appetite. Just as we were about to finish our combined breakfast-lunch, the rainclouds appeared. It began to rain.

We decided to go back. Quickly we got our things and began our climb. I used my umbrella this time and covered my camera and cellphone securely with plastic for it was beginning to rain cats and dogs.

Along the way on what I thought firm ground to step on because it was covered with grass, I slipped and fell to the cliff. Luckiy my fall was stopped by a firm small trunk of a tree, a meter below. Anyway it was not that dangerous for the cliff was full of vegetations. Alex helped me. But first I have to lighten up, so I threw my pack back on the trail and then pulled myself out with ease.

It cost us more than an hour to climb up. Fortunately the rain stopped.Near the end of our climb I was beginning to suffer from cramps on both thighs. We tooked a rest by a hut. Drenched wet, with rain and sweat, we have to wring our clothes of excess water. The sun shown bright. We could now let our t-shirts dry under the sun. The Bagobo woman of the house graciously received us. She prepared coffee and let us refill our water bottles. For her effort we gave her 100 pesos. She graciously accepted.

We rested there for two hours. Enough for me to take a nap on a bench. The host gave me a pillow. Later, she let us tasted her sweetened ground bisol (a taro-like tuber) paste with not so young rasped coconut. That was delicious. Epecially if one is hungry.

Back on the road. It was 1430 hrs. we reached the dam construction site after following the penstock pipes. We decided to look for motorcycles to take us back to Kapatagan. We found none available so we moved on further, till we to rest on a small roadside store. We bought drinks, biscuits and lanzones. We found one motorcycle. But that was enough to carry all of us. Thus Ayan was tasked to look for another motorcycle.

He did find another. Off we rode to Kapatagan at 50 pesos fare for each passenger. I suffered cramps in my legs and we had to stop twice to rest my legs. It had to do with cramped leg posture I had due to limited leg space to rest on.

Nearing Kapatagan, we chance upon a horse-fight. We stopped a took a look. It was a well attended affair. Two male horses fighting over a female horses. The crowds were enthusiastic audience. My first time to see and I was just curious. We ate some fried bananas. When the fight was finished we moved on.

At Kapatagan, we found a passenger van. The dispatcher said it was ready to go with 7 passengers. So he had to find two more. It we were already ready to go, when one passenger woman said there were other passengers to be picked up elsewhere. It so happened when we reached the place to pick up the other passengers, there was a whole bunch. We protested and got off the van. Had we rode with them, the space would had been so cramped that I could not rest my legs.

So back to the motorcycles. Two were hired at 240 pesos each. This time I had enough foot rest and didn't suffer cramps. It was all the way night driving. Our motorcycle suffered a flat front tire, so we had to stop at a vulcanizing shop along the way. The host of the shop treated us with maize-coffee. A quarter of an hour the tire fixing was finished.

Reaching Digos, Alexis, Alex and me took an aircon bus to Davao. The fare was 70 pesos each. I arrived at ponce at 9, tired and dirty. I immediately took a bath and changed clothes.

Alex and Me

(Blogger's note: Made a mistake with age gap. Alex is 16 years younger than I am instead of 13 years. So I will revise the sentences containing the age discrepancy.)




Alex is my youngest brother and I am the oldest. Between us our age gap is 16 years. He was born in 1954. He was a toddler (3 months old) when I left the house in 1957 at 16 years of age to study in U.P. Los Banos. I saw him from time to time when I was studying and working in a multinational company only during vacations. It was only in 1967 when I resigned from the company and returned to Davao to worked on my father's projects.

The age gap between us was telling so there was not much of a camaraderie. He was only studying in elementary then just not yet old enough to go on adventure. For a time being he did not went with us older boys to go the ranch in the mountains.

In that time, your lolo had a ranch-lease elsewhere in Mapula. It straddled between Kabanlasan creek and Mansuhi river. The only time we can go there as brothers was during school vacation or Christmas vacation. With the money I save from work and Papa's, we bought cattle from Maramag, Bukidnon to stock the ranch. Your Lolo let me go it alone buying some heads of cattle for the experience. I don't remember if your Tio Bobot was with me then. He was studying in Los Banos too, majoring in animal husbandry.

We contracted a 3/4 truck. Loaded the cattle. It was not easy then to travel. The road was rough, prone to landslides, potholes, deep ruts, and when it rains the road was slippery. The trip was so long for we have to pass by Carmen, Cotabato. The only cemented road was in Davao City. Today when you go to Maramag from Davao City, one has to take the Buda road, the one that goes to Cagayan de Oro.

I don't how long was the trip, for sure 12 hours was not enough for we have to go to Mapula, the outermost barrio. The estimated distance was more or less 200 km. We have to consider that we have to travel slow so as not to injure the animals. And then we have to drive the cows to the ranch over a foot trail.

We rested the cattle in Mapula for the night. The following morning Bobot, me, and Nato together with Beryo, the ranch hand, drove the cattle. I don't know if Cesar was with us (studying engineering at Mapua then) Sometimes Beryo would have to cut the thick undergrowth to let the cows pass the trail. Being young men then, strong and healthy, it was not a problem to work from sunrise to sunset. It took us one day to reach the ranch. Now we considered Alex too young for this endeavour, so he was left out in the city.

When he was older, he came with us for the first time to the ranch. Everybody must bring provisions for a week stay in the least in their backpacks. Naturally Beryo carried the heavier loads.

For provisions sometimes we have to buy them in the city, Vergara foods, for tres-B (the name of a chewing tobacco) udong ( a kind of noodle), betsin (monosodium glutamate), ligo sardines, bulad (dried fish) in small cans. From Bangkerohan market, your lola (grandmother) would usually buy a kilo or two of fried pork fat scraps, a high energy food considering it is mostly fat. For back-issues newspaper to be used as cigarette paper, we had no problem. We had ample supply for your lolo subscribed daily paper. Rice also brought along. Sometime Beryo would carry a can of 19.5 liter kerosene.

We usually take a jeep going to Panabo. From there, we make our last-minute buy before taking a full-loaded up-to-the-bream 3/4 truck going to Paradise. Crossing Lasang river once till the 3/4 stops at a creek. It can't go further for the logging road is already impassable. Landlides, deep ruts, and other obstacles come along the way. So we trekked further by foot to Mapula to rest for the night. The hike can take 5 to 6 hours.

The following day we moved again early in the morning. The trek runs along a creek, a side-cut trail along a ridge and finally a climb over the hill and dowm towards Kabanlasan creek. For us city-dwellers, it would take us 6-8 hours. The foot trail was not frequented by people so there was always undergrowth trying to smother the trails. We suffered cuts from almost razor-sharp leaves of the bugang, pricks from sampinit, a plant with many thorns and blood-sucking leeches.

Needless to say the life in the ranch was in survival mode. We ate pako, squash and its leaves, casili (fresh water eel caught by Nato), corn cobs, wild mushrooms, wild pigs even monkeys and of course native chicken, cassava and camote.

We slept in a small hut. Big cockroaches abound but no mosquitos. Good enough we did not suffer bites from them. No electricity, only kerosene lamps to light us for an hour or two in the night before we go to sleep. We woke up early in the morning. We cooked and work whatever is to be done in the place.

After spending sometime in the ranch, it was time to go home. Several hours on the way we were caught up by a heavy rainfall. Luckily we were out of the trail and on the logging road. One last obstacle we have to ford was a creek that in times of no rain was only at most below the knee. It was 10 meters across. But the creek was now swollen and flooding. The water was waist-deep and the current was fast. Forest debris was also being carried away. We struggled against the current. Alex was being carried away. (He was not yet a teener then). I was able to hold his hand. With utmost exertion we manage to reach the other side, to safety. Whew.

I don't remember the name of the place. I wish Alex could remember it. Maybe twenty meters from where we crossed was Lasang river. It was swollen and brown and meters deep. One cannot see the big boulders anymore. The current was exceptionally fast. So dangerous. The forest debris of uprooted small trees, dead branches floated and were carried fast by the current. That was a close call.

When martial law was declared, I left home on 23 Sept 1972. Since then there was practically no contact with Alex. When Bobot died in 2007, we did saw each other again. But time was not enough for both of us to know each other.

He worked in Saipan for 7 years and then in Fiji for 3 years.

Finally he came home. On 12 October we saw each other again. This time we had time together after 36 years. When he had his medical and dental checkup, I was with him. We visited the houses. We talked to the carpenter regarding renovation. We preliminary things with Betty regarding repairs and work procedure.

Then we made plans to go to Todaya Falls the weekend of 17 October, Saturday with his kids.

Een moment in de tijd van Durian

Davao is de provincie van vruchten. Tropische vruchten zoal doerian, mango, banaan, mangoesten, pomelo, lanzones (lansium domesticum), ananas, groeien veel hier. In de Filipijnen de meeste cavendisch banaan die naar Japan geëxporteerd zijn getild hier wegens goed klimaat (genoeg regen de gele jaar) en vruchtbaar grond. Maar mensen hier eten deze soort banaan niet. Meestal eten we eten meer aangenaam soort banaan, die heet lacatan.

September tot Oktober elk jaar ia de seizoen van Doerian in Davao. Voor de liefhebbers van Doerian is dit een ontzettend leuke tijd. Doerian prijs per kilo kon wel dalen tot 20 peso's of 30 eurocent per kilo. Maar meestal het lig op 25 peso's of 36 eurocent per kilo. In dit geval de arme mensen vinden de prijs redelijk genoeg dat ze de vrucht kunnen kopen.

In de foto is stapelvol van durians die weeg een tot drie kilo per fruit. Je ziet een man aan het snijden van de vrucht.

Durian is in Nederland geïmporteerd en verkrijgbaar in bepaalde toko's. De prijs voor een diep gevroren fruit is ongeveer 3 euro.

De doerian (Durio sp.) is buitengewoon fruit. Het is een grote fruit vol van scherpe doren van buiten. Het heeft een dikke huid. Het weeg een tot drie kilo. Het kan groeit tot 30 cm. long. Het heeft vijf compartimenten waar de zaden met vlees zitten. Zonder een grote mes is het moeilijk om de fruit fruit te openen. Met een mes moet men in juiste plekken de doerian kunnen snijden, hard snijden dat is, anders wordt het moeilijker om de fruit te openen.

Het is een "stinkende" fruit. Mensen die niet gewend of voor de eerste een doerian fruit geur reuken een zeer "onaangenaam" geur. Soms vergelijken mensen de geur alsof er een lekkende gaspijpopleiding.

Doerian is beschouwd als de koning van de vruchten. Niet alleen in Davao, of Mindanao, maar landen zoals Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand en Vietnam. Plaats verschillende vruchten naast elkaar, het mag niet uit of het mango is, of banaan of andere fruit, is het zeker dat mensen die doerian eten zullen altijd eerst doerian kiezen en eten.

In de foto hebben we 10 kilo's doerian gekocht. We waren vijf in de partij en eten we 5 kilo's van doerian. De rest hebben naar huis meegebracht. Andere keer mijn nichtjes kochten ongeveer 13 kilo's. Gisteren, 4 oktober, mijn nichtje en ik kochten 6 vruchten die wegen in totaal ruim 15 kilo's.

Meestal pakken we doerian zaad met vlees met de handen. We bijten de vlees die zo romig is van smaak. Het is lekkerder als men eet met de handen.

De calorie gehalte van de fruit is hoog. 150 kcal./100 gram. Na het eten, men krijgt een warmte gevoel.