from Leyte to Samar island. It's the longest bridge in Southeast Asia.
My goal for the day was to visit the Sohoton Caves.
I needed to find an official from the Department of Environment and
Natural Resources who could issue me a permit to explore the caves.
An old street in Basey.
Getting water the old-fashioned way.
Corner store.
Not far from here, men were arranging cock fights.
Pedicabs are a popular source of transport in Basey.
This is our rented banca, a native boat common in Samar. After the issuance
of my permit, I met Mano, the cave guide. He was one of the first professionally
trained spelunker-cartographers in the Philippines. He mapped many of the ancient
caves on these islands. He secured this boat for us to take up river to the caves.
of the boat, and you can see Dedes next. The two guys in the back
were our boat crew.
A few river villages would appear here and there
along the miles and miles of jungle and mangroves.
Here's the welcoming committee at the dock near Sohoton.
We quickly became friends.
Dedes and Mano taking a break before our hike to the caves.
This is the very beginning of our hike.
The dogs escorted us all the way.
This is the Sohoton Natural Bridge. Close to here, the natives often ambushed the colonial Spaniards
by dropping boulders on them as their boats passed. Mano discovered the remains of buried Spaniards
in the caves. He said many of the locals are very superstitious and would rather stay away from the spirits
lurking in the caves, and that's one of the reasons why the caves have stayed so pristine over the years.
The caves were amazing! I was the only visitor to the caves that day, so Mano said
he would take me off the usual tourist trails and let me experience real spelunking.
We climbed up and down through difficult, slippery and narrow tunnels and caves most
people will never see. He showed me incredible rock formations I will never forget.
There were plenty of BATS on the ceilings.
In the dark, something jumped on my shirt, and I quickly brushed it off.
It felt like a giant spider! When I was able to get some light in the area,
I saw this giant creature.
These are some of Mano's crew who assisted us through the caves.
The caves were awe-inspiring and well worth the trek.
After visiting the caves, Dedes drove us to this grand 16th century church in Basey.
This church was built by Jesuits in 1591. During World War II, it was converted into a
theater during the Japanese occupation, and it later became an evacuation center during
the liberation period. It was a great place to relax before our long drive back to Leyte.
Thank you, Dedes and Mano and both crews for an awesome adventure!