For a sleepyhead like me, waking up at dawn to go with my NITI friends to Sipalay is pure torture. Rather than endure it, I instead chose not to sleep at all. Migraine is easier to deal with than the guilt of being the cause of delay. Promptly at 4:30 am we left Bacolod City.
The five of us ladies are representing the NITI Tour Guides while Radjie Caram and his staff will be featuring Sipalay City in the Island Living Channel.
It’s better to leave by dawn not only to avoid the traffic but also to witness the sunrise. We were already in Pontevedra when the sun’s rays burst behind Mt. Kanlaon, flooding the horizon with hues of red and orange. What a great way to start the day.
We took a short stopover at Punta Sojoton Lighthouse in Cauayan. Most travelers stopover to use the restroom and for a quick snack and short rest from the long travel. I hope the local government can develop this area since it has a scenic view of Lina-on Bay.
We arrived in Sipalay at around 8am. We were met by Mark Torillo of Sipalay Tourism Office who will be our guide and also the one who prepared our itinerary. We will go boating, spelunking, hiking, and go swimming to our hearts delight. If that’s not adventure then I don’t know what is.
We checked-in at Artistic Diving Resort and afterwards we visited the different resorts at Punta Ballo beach to know what amenities are present so that we can give recommendations to tourists. We also had a chance to visit the private resort and residential subdivision managed by Joel Dabao.
We let Mark guide us through our tour and he told us that Artie Lacson (our classmate in NITI Tour Guiding Course already in his 60s) survived the same itinerary. Nobody wants to lose face so we are prepared to finish until the end, whatever it takes.
First on the itinerary was Matlag Cave. It’s one of the numerous caves in Sipalay which according to Mark, only about 5% were explored. Matlag Cave’s entrance is a gaping hole right beside the road going to Punta Ballo. The cave was discovered in 1972 and when the road going to Punta Ballo was constructed in 1992, that’s the time when more people visited the cave. The road is directly on top of the cave but since its construction, there was no sign that it might cave in.
Unfortunately, we were not able to go inside since we don’t have the proper permit. Radjie Caram and Bang Agustin went just inside the mouth of the cave to take a peek. Radjie immediately climbed up upon seeing a snake. Bang, well she loves spelunking among other sports, wasn’t bothered by the snake and even took a picture of it. It was black. I would have heart attack if I’m alone with it in a dark and cold place.
Mark informed us that snakes only stay at the cave entrance but cannot survive inside the cave. What you will see inside are stalactites, stalagmites and troglobites. These are creatures that has adapted to the dark surroundings of the cave and evolved without their eyes. Science stuff that gives me the goose bumps. I want to see where I’m going, thank you. I leave the spelunking to Bang. But if you are braver than I am, secure a permit from the Tourism Office and explore Matlag Cave.
Next cave we tried to visit after lunch was the Mamara Cave. We weren’t far from the main road and it just started to rain when the local folks ran after us cautioning us not to proceed. It’s been raining in the mountains and the river inside Mamara Cave usually gets flooded. We heeded their advice since they know the place better. We can always go back and explore the caves in Sipalay.