A Magical Night in Donsol River

A magical night in Donsol River
By JO ERLINDA G. NEBRES
February 10, 2009
Published in Philippines Today US
http://www.philippinestodayus.com

Fairy tale stories will come alive in river boating in the long Donsol River in Sorsogon. It’s an extraordinary experience and a different kind of river boating. Night rowing might seem eerie to you, but in Donsol, magic reveals when the sun sets in.
An imaginable experience starts around 5:30 in the afternoon. River cruising in a small boat while waiting for darkness to envelop the place is worthy doing. You’ll be awestruck by the beautiful view of the sunset and feel yourself melt as the color of the sky changes to a deep orange and the sun falls into the calm Donsol river waters.
As the sky blackens, the mystery unfolds as few tiny lights start to emerge around you. While observing them, you can’t imagine the thousands to millions of little lights already there surrounding you.
The unfathomable fireflies swimming in the air, glow-dancing and forming like a giant Christmas tree around the lined-up mangrove trees beside the river. You could even see its lights reflecting on the river water.
The river is like an enchanted place which comes alive from the fairy tale story. The site of thousands to millions of little fire balls with wings swimming around you, the moon and the billions of stars twinkling above you makes you young at heart. It’s delightful to watch the entire place. The only light would be the stars and the moon and the immeasurable numbers of fireflies that brighten the area. At times, you cannot even tell the stars from the fireflies!
When the boat river tour is over, one can't help but shed tears. How beautiful the world really is!
The picture of glowing lights from the water up to the skies above will continue to dance in your mind!
Rarely do we see fireflies in nowadays. In fact, firefly-watching tours are not available in all countries but only in three countries in Asia and Philippines is one of them.
Visual feast of fireflies won’t end during your visit to Donsol. Donsol is rich with locally known Butanding or whale shark. You might want to have an interaction with giant whale shark while you are there. A once in a lifetime experience to see fireflies and whale sharks!
Let the magic unfold before your very eyes. Witness the enchanting place like Donsol River at night. Let the magical experience starts by emailing gagabytes@yahoo.com.