Tag Archives: Daranak Falls

A Tanay Excursion-Part I

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Posted by on in collaborating, Hiking and Nature, impediments, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving, Travel

October 26, 2024, Manila- The ants came marching, ten by ten, and the little one did NOT stop to do it again. The little black sugar ants were all over a piece of bamboo fence. When I rested my hand on the fence, they were all over me-and my camera. They don’t bite, but I brushed them off anyway. I warned Kathy about them, as she was about to put her hand on the same area. She wasn’t concerned, as they are not biters; but she also didn’t put her hand on the fence.

This was our introduction to Daranak Falls, which was officially closed, due to the effects of Typhoon Kristine. The caretaker let us take a few photos from the overlook and from just inside the walkway to the shuttered tourist huts. As you will see, there was no waterfall today. That is what severe typhoons do to rivers.

Tanay River, where the Falls usually hold forth. (above and below)
Four friends on a bouncing bridge (We didn’t jump around)

Next, we headed to a nearby cave attraction.

We all wore plastic hard hats, during the tour. That didn’t faze my favourite lady.
or the rest of us, for that matter.

Now, here are some views from inside the cave.

Near the entrance
Stalactite time
Into a crevice
In the Great Room
A goblin hangs out
A pillar has formed(Fusing of a stalactite and a stalagmite)
One last scene in the cave,
and one at the far entrance. We could not exit the cave here, as there was waste-high water in the final cavern room. So, we went back the way we came, and circled around on the surface. You can see how disappointed we all were.

Going back into Tanay City was its own little adventure. Being told by villagers that the short-cut to the main road was washed out, it took the four of us going to the back of the van, in order for the driver, Arjun, to back it up a hill and turn around at the small store.

In the next post, we look at the in-town delights of a church that was built in 1563 and a small park, on Manila Bay, that is centered on a lighthouse.