In English: the trouble everyone had to go through to see Limunsudan Falls.
1. Getting up at 3AM.
Lisod? For someone whose body really wants to be glued to bed? Yes,
lisod, but our itchy feet kicked ourselves awake to get ready for our five–hour journey to Limunsudan Falls (and another five hours for the journey back).
2. Getting up earlier than 3AM? It must have taken more will power and/or many cups of strong coffee for these 30 soldiers who were waiting for us across the pension house, ready to load us into their three army trucks.
Three army trucks, thirty soldiers, one prayer
Photo by Jeffrey Wong
3. Convincing these soldiers to accompany unimportant people like us? No trouble at all for they weren't there to be our bodyguards but to answer a call of duty—to bring supplies to the Higaonon Tribe living in Barangay Rogongon. We were just the
burdensome excess baggage, hitching a ride. (Actually, the Iligan Bloggers Society went through all the trouble to arrange transportation in the form of an—as in one—army truck because the long road to Limunsudan Falls would require a sturdy set of wheels. Hats off to Iligan Bloggers Society (IBS) for the transportation arrangement
!)
At DSWD to load the supplies
4. Limunsudan Falls is, according to various web sources, just 55km from Iligan City but to cover that distance, one has to go on foot which would take at least three days of hiking up and down mountains, and in and out of jungles. To cut the travel time to five hours, we took the long way round: from Iligan City (Lanao del Norte) to Cagayan de Oro City (Misamis Oriental) to Talakag (Bukidnon) and through a small portion of Lanao del Sur to reach Barangay Rogongon, which is a part of Iligan City. We drove through three provinces just to get back to Iligan City!
4. Five hours of sitting on the wooden truck bench or on the flat truck bed or on lumpy sacks in an army truck that's rolling over partially smooth roads but mostly rocking over bumpy roads? A big pain in the butt. Literally. And machine guns pointing at my feet? Toe–curling. Yes, I had to curl my toes try to make my feet as small as possible in case one of the machine guns go off, it wouldn't blast my toes off.
Crossing a river
5. The entire Higaonon Tribe gathering, the datus (tribe chiefs) performing the ritual (IBS had to prepare white chickens as offering), and the chiefs giving a welcome talk. These humble and welcoming people went through all that trouble.
The datus performing the ritual
6. The datus and soldiers sparing some time to lead the short and easy hike to the viewpoint, where another ritual was performed, before we could take photos of the two–tiered 870–ft. high Limunsudan Falls. From the viewing area, it's hours of steep descent (that none would dare endure) to the waterfall.
Limunsudan Falls, so near yet so far
Even my camera lens couldn't get too near
7. The Higaonon Tribe preparing a program of dance and song for us bwisitors. Oh the trouble this lovely tribe had to go through to welcome strangers.
8. The selfless soldiers getting soaked in the rain when they insisted in letting us sit under the tarpaulin while the trucks we were on rocked and rolled over rocks, puddles, mud, and slick roads on the way home.
I am grateful for Iligan Bloggers Society for making this arduous journey possible (and for letting me join WAT). I bow to the Higaonon Tribe for their hospitality. I salute the
4th Mechanized Infantry Battalion of Iligan for delivering the goods to the Higaonon Tribe and for letting us, the excess baggage, tag along. Thank you all for going through all that trouble just so we could marvel at this mighty body of water that is Limunsudan Falls.
Waterfalling Adventure Tour (WAT):
With the support of:
Keepsakes
Iligan | Adventist Medical Center- Iligan | NPC Nature's Park | Bob NY
USA | The Good Type | Margeuries House of Goodies
