Diving into the Deep Waters of Kawasan Falls
When I Was Invisible, Scared, and Brave All at Once
🎬 Sometimes the story keeps writing itself even after it ends – A behind-the-scenes moment is waiting at the end of this post, for The Secret Journey members only.
📍 Moalboal, The Philippines
I wandered between the stalls on the main street, collecting offers for attractions in the area. What was there to do here anyway? I'd heard terms like "canyoneering" and waterfalls, but only now that I was actually here did I begin to understand what they meant.
Strange how I arrived at this vacation without a plan at all. I allowed myself to "go with the flow" and left plenty of room for missing things, for making mistakes. I can't say I actually planned a vacation.
I found a stall where the seller seemed confident. He gave me a polished sales pitch, showed videos of the attractions, and I watched more and more people booking tours through him. Looked promising.
I understood that the canyoneering attraction at Kawasan Falls is best done as early as possible because in the later hours, the place fills with people and everything takes much longer. I requested the earliest departure time - 7 AM, and the nice seller said a car would pick me up from the hotel around that time. "There might be a 10-15 minute delay, Ma'am," he noted.
"Yes of course, completely understandable. And you're sure a car is coming? Because other places told me a tuk-tuk or motorcycle," I replied.
"Yes, definitely, a car will arrive," he said confidently.
The next morning I waited at the hotel, absorbed in my phone, and noticed vehicles starting to arrive, but none for me.
Suddenly I saw it was already 7:45. What's going on?
I messaged him saying I was still waiting for the 7 AM pickup.
"The driver is picking up your friends right now, don't worry," the gentleman replied.
What? If there's one thing I'm sure of, it's that I don't have friends here.
This began a strange conversation where he kept saying the driver was on the way and would be here any minute. Until he called me and I could no longer keep my feelings inside.
"It's been an hour and I'm still waiting! Why isn't the driver here?!"
I was torn between "This is Filipino time, relax, you're not really in a hurry to go anywhere" and "He's lying to me, something happened and he's not telling me."
When the driver finally arrived, the truth was revealed.
"Sorry ma'am, we didn't receive your name."
The "kind" seller simply forgot to send my name to his manager yesterday, and even if I had waited another two hours, no one would have come because they simply forgot about me.
How dare you forget me?!
How? Dare? You??????
Who are you to trigger this reaction in me?
Who are you to make me feel invisible again?
Who do you think you are?????
I walked a couple of steps with the driver only to see he was here with a motorcycle, not a car as promised.
"Call your boss!" I was already boiling with anger.
On the phone, I let out all my frustration that started with them not arriving at the agreed time, not in the vehicle we agreed on, and that they f*cking forgot me!!!! And continued with the fact that I hadn't had coffee yet, hadn't eaten, and I was just angry!
I tried to figure out if my day was ruined and if I should just give up, because with such energy how could I possibly enjoy myself?
"Just go," I told myself, trying to release the anger, tired of everything turning into drama.
"It's the seller's fault," the boss told me.
As if I care whose fault it is.
I decided to go anyway because what good would it do to stay angry at the hotel? Maybe during the day I'd manage to calm down.
That thought lasted exactly one second until I realized my motorcycle driver didn't have a helmet, and certainly didn't have one for me.
"Are you serious that you're asking me to get on with you without a helmet on these pothole-filled roads?"
"It's a kilometer ride, until we reach the vehicle that's in the town," he said. Not clear if he was trying to reassure me or stress me out.
"Blow everything up so I don't have to get on a motorcycle without a helmet?" "Get on a motorcycle without a helmet????"
Okay, I have two bad choices.
I got on the motorcycle, held on tight (not to say I closed my eyes), and hoped this decision wouldn't cost me dearly. A ride that felt like eternity ended safely, and I was transferred like cargo to a truck full of people who had been waiting just for me.
I wondered if they had received a message to stop midway and wait for me, or if I would have been waiting here as well. For a moment I thought they probably assumed I was just late and wasted their time. I wanted to shout "They forgot about me!" but the anger just consumed me and I reminded myself that I don't really care what they think of me.
The landscapes we passed on the way to the falls calmed me without me noticing. I found myself admiring the vibrant colors I was seeing and washing my eyes with all this beauty. Perhaps instead of digging into negative thoughts, nature itself dazzled me and released the bad energy.
When we arrived, we filled out forms, received vests, helmets, and a personal guide.
"Why does everyone need a personal guide instead of going as a group?" I asked my guide, who didn't really understand and didn't talk much during the three hours we were together.
During the tour, I realized that everyone progresses at a different pace, so it makes more sense to move individually rather than depending on a large group. There were still groups, not large ones, but I understood the preference for a private guide. So essentially I got a porter, photographer, guide - all included in the price.
The nice guy photographed me non-stop - all my jumps from every cliff, the surrounding landscapes, the waterfalls, and even carefully guarded my smart glasses when I asked.
He carried my phone throughout the journey, and I wondered how he managed to keep it dry. I jumped from cliffs and saw him jumping from the lowest rock and simply holding my phone in the air as my heart sank.
We passed through streams, waterfalls, rocks, cliffs, and while other people may have walked this route, I can definitely say I ran it.
The young guide simply put the pedal to the metal, hopping from rock to rock, running downhill, skipping uphill, and only halfway through did I realize - 'I can barely see the landscape around me because I'm just busy looking down at the ground to see which rock to step on.' I thought about how I'd probably later watch the videos, just like you, and marvel at the beautiful scenery I hadn't looked up to see.
In the last part of the tour, I took the glasses out of the bag because I'd already gone through so many fears today - riding a motorcycle without a helmet on a rough road, jumping from five different cliffs at heights of 5, 7, and 10 meters. So now I'd be afraid my glasses might get wet? Better to capture this moment through the lens because I probably won't come back here again.
The route was truly amazing, nature at its finest, the water was cold and pleasant, the waterfalls hit the rocks with force, the air was clear, and the weather was perfect.
On the way back to the hut from which we started the tour, a 40-minute walk passed extremely quickly because I spent it chatting with a German guy. He told me he was on a month-long vacation because any place is better than Germany's weather right now. He already knows East Asia well, and this is his first time in the Philippines.
He told me about the places he'd been, how he prefers to visit less touristy areas, experience authentic experiences, and get to know local cultures.
This made me think about the number of times I've recently heard people talking about visiting new countries in non-touristy places, in remote villages. I even saw that they called it "off the hummus trail" - referring to the route all Israelis take, but really meaning all tourists who visit touristy places.
Maybe it's no coincidence that most, if not all, of the people I've heard talking like this are men. Perhaps people think it's brave to wander the world alone as a woman, but in these areas I feel very safe because there are so many people around me. It's actually the less touristy places, the forgotten villages, the behind-the-scenes of countries where I still haven't found the courage, or the reason, to go.
I love touristy places, love what big cities have to offer. It's no accident that so many people are there.
We returned the equipment and received lunch - as usual, fried chicken, white rice, vegetables, and cold tea. This is basically the meal that if you put it on a table with dishes from all countries, you could immediately identify the Philippines. And that's great because it's a meal I enjoy.
The food was indeed tasty, and I ended up being absorbed in my phone for quite a while, again on Substack, again writing, until it seemed that quite a long time had passed, too long.
I looked around, and we were eight people out of those who had arrived together in the jeep in the morning. Three girls were missing.
I asked the guide if we were waiting for the girls to return and she said yes.
The French couple beside me were also very ready to go back. We chatted about it, but it seemed there was no choice but to wait for the three girls. I thought about how my guide ran, and I followed him, while the girls were taking their time, and all of us here were waiting for them.
Two hours passed (!) since we returned, until the girls arrived, sat down to eat leisurely, and announced to us that we could return to the city.
So apparently this day was a test in patience, which I did not pass successfully, I must say. On the way back in the jeep we sat in the back - the French couple, the three girls, and me.
It started as a nice conversation, even though the three of us were fuming, until I blurted out "You know we waited for you for two hours?" with a smile, because I'm nice. The French guy also rushed to vent.
They immediately apologized, and one of them explained that it had been really difficult for her. For a moment I remembered the route - I may have run it, but it was indeed challenging, especially for someone not in shape at all. Ahem ahem (I was sore afterward for three days, with every muscle in my body aching).
The conversation very quickly turned into the most amusing one. We talked about every topic in the world, got to know each other in depth, everyone told about themselves and the stage they were at in life. I was happy to meet other people, and this was another opportunity to present myself. I'm starting to improve at this.
I thought about how often people in their everyday routines get to present themselves and really talk about themselves. Most people live for long periods around the same people who already know them, and they don't get to talk about themselves and introduce themselves anew with such high frequency, certainly not to change their definition with such high frequency.
And I thought about how nice it is that my journey around the world gives me the opportunity to improve at this immediately.
I told the girls about my blog, about how I'm at the beginning of my path, and I'm living my dream, after years of working very hard to afford it.
I found it important to point out to people that I'm not selling dreams, that there are no shortcuts, that I wasn't born rich, and didn't find a magic way. I simply worked hard to allow myself the life I want, and not everything is as shiny as influencers on social media try to sell you.
Your support helps me keep experiencing new worlds – and sharing them with you through my words. Sometimes, one cup of coffee can make all the difference.
Thank you for being part of this journey.
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