SAGADA!!!

Spelunking in Sumaging Cave in Sagada, Mountain Province, was fun, nothing really difficult or unbearable. Yes, there was bat poop all over the entrance and the descent. The rock formations are unique. And the tunnel presented a challenge. But passage through the tunnel was an extraordinary experience for me. It may not be the same for all, but I was there with the people dearest to my heart, my children. I realized then how much I am willing to give of myself just to make the passage through the tunnel easier for them. We all had our share of slipping, stumbling, crawling, groping, climbing, swimming, rappelling, squeezing through rocks, shivering from the cold, and swinging from rope to rope. But not all experienced the same bonding my small family had while in the cave. I whispered to my son, “don't be afraid, Mama is here,” every chance I get to let him know that everything will be alright in the end. I hugged my daughter so many times just to share the warmth of my body. My children did not complain even if they were afraid, tired, and cold. Not even once.

Baluarte del Pozzino

Last Saturday was the annual summer outing of the family. By family, I mean my Inang (grandmother), parents, aunts and uncles, and cousins. All in all, there were 16 of us. The one-day swimming galore was spent at Baluarte del Pozzino in San Rafael, Bulacan. It was my mom who chose the resort (much to my dismay, as you will find out later) as it was near my Inang's place; it was probably just 10 minutes away. It is quite difficult for my mom to travel long distances, so finding a resort that was within the vicinity of my Inang's house was the utmost goal.

On the way to the resort

Here are some pics of the place.

There were 3 adult pools and 2 kiddie pools,
but one of the adult pools was under maintenance when we were there.

The pools were ok. The cottages? They were ok too. But what really pissed me off was the terrible comfort rooms the resort has. There was just one ladies' room for the entire resort. It had only one sink with no mirror and two cubicles. The cubicle doors were chipping off and didn't have locks or knobs; you have to hang your clothes by the door so it won't just open and show you naked for all the world to see. Inside, there was a shower, an old plastic container used to store water (with an old empty cut plastic bottle for a dipper), and a toilet with no tank (thus, manual flushing is required, meaning you have go get water from the drum using the makeshift dipper). There were no trash bins, hangers, or hooks to hang your clothes with for when you're changing. Too bad I wasn't able to take pictures of the terrible ladies' room, but here are some pics to give you an idea.

The toilet looked much like this.

The makeshift dipper in the cubicle I used.


This reminded me of the much worse dipper in the other cubicle.

So you get an idea of just how disappointing it was? Anyway, despite the awful sight, I still enjoyed the day. Nothing beats spending an entire day frolicking in the pool, eating to my heart's content, and taking tons of pics with my family!

For more info on Baluarte del Pozzino, here are contact details:

Baluarte del Pozzino
F. Viola Hi-way, Caingin, San Rafael, Bulacan
0927-307-7543
Contact person: Lourdes del Poso