Exploring Caramoan. Hidden Valley
JULY 1, 2007. We rented a pumpboat from Gota beach for a 20minute sea journey to the small inlet that serves as the only access to hidden valley from sea. Mang Bonong’s family who treated us like their own family sent us a plateful of Bihon and local kakanin called ibos as part of our baon. It never occurred to our mind that the hike is a tedious one that sent off our limbs trembling. From the small inlet, we started traversing the mountainous area characterized by steep pathways. Mature coconut trees grow in seclusion about 3 hectares in diameter surrounds the portal of the small inlet. According to Mang Moyong, the hike is only about 1hour but for us, it took us 2hours to reach his place! I’ve never been into mountain climbing before but this one is a good way to loose my fatty deposits. Large twisting lianas adorned the trails way up the mountain. Canopy trees and mountain springs are everywhere. There’s much to see in hidden valley. From endangered species like the Tarictic hornbill, famous Macaue to different species of plants, stranglers, epiphytes to insects and fruit bearing trees. I was in awe how Maricris Tucson explains in vernacular dialect how these plants grow and how insects and even snakes managed to survive. I nearly tumbled twice from the steep slope and my hands are already trembling when I got hold of the camera. My clothes are soaked in mud. No such words could describe how hungry we are; thanks to Mang Bonong’s family who packed foods for us. We feasted on a small plate afterwhich drank water from the cold mountain spring before we started shooting.
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