We are born as adventurers

by Jojie Gabot


Many read my column about my travel adventures. You have to know me and the places I’ve been to or of some activities I have been involved in to better appreciate my writings. There's no doubt one enthralled with my travel accounts would notice my love for travel and to discover new extraordinary things, foods, places, animals, culture, history, places and people.
We might have been gone to the same places but we may end up with different opinion. Traveling around is not just about seeing the beautiful world God provided us but to enjoy it, to explore it and continually expand our experiences and how we touch other people's lives, especially our loved ones, when see places. Writing my accounts is not just about crowing about the unique and beautiful places I’ve been to but also to make my readers know that there is more than the beauty of these things, people and places. Earth is our planet and our big playground!
My adventuress eyes give me never-ending reasons to explore the delightful world. Each experience gives me an amazing encounter with the nature that each awe-inspiring place I’ve been to leaves me in venture to seek another spot like it and discover its own uniqueness to behold, promising different joy to indulge in.
The steep and risky way paths up the mountains during my teenage life didn’t prevent me from climbing and reaching the peak. I spent numerous mountainside travels during my school vacations. I love jazzing around, from place to place. Grabbing every opportunity when low-budget expedition comes my way, I was able to reach different places and discover their simple or complex beauty which sometimes even appear to be dangerous to people. And each escapade has been and is truly a meaningful one, always different from the other.
All of us are born adventurers. For our life itself is a never ending lesson and experience and adventure. Each one of us faces day-to-day obstacles in life. Confronting new challenges, searching for new opportunity, testing and processing our ability or knowledge to discover our own unique potential is exercising our adventurism or being adventurous.
Do you remember the first time you recited the whole alphabet? Do you recall the feelings of having done a remarkable thing to yourself? For three or four years old kids, it takes time and it's hard to memorize them all. A lot of memory exercising and reciting were spent but giving up wasn’t our option that time. We already know we have done something remarkable when we first recited the whole alphabet seeing our parents loudly clapping at us and saying worthy praises at us. With the astounding discovery of new joy that made us overwhelmed and proud at the very young age, we euphorically began reciting the whole alphabet more than ten times a day!
Making each gallivanting significant depends on the heart of an adventurer. Some enjoy the risky venture or in search for one, others relinquish a position of watching delightfully or sightseeing, many enjoy curiously study of many things and places, and many activities entail a full life of traveling. Others possess all the characteristics of every adventurer but the solidarity of all is their quest for more in life…
Like for instance, Ferdinand Magellan is famous for his great exploration, Casanova is noted for his amorous adventures and for being a philanderer and Neil Armstrong was a naval aviator who became the first man to touch the moon’s surface. They have different kinds of adventure but in commonality were their pursuit to quench their thirst for knowledge in their curiosity about life, hence, every find calls for a search for more, and more. They put their lives at risk in pursuit of a remarkable life and to satisfy their cleverness.
The lust of learning, the thirst of knowledge, playful mind of imagination, and the worth of every dream will take you to a great adventure - the adventure of life in the beautiful planet we live in and the great universe around us.
So, go for broke!
For comments, gagabytes@gmail.com .

Palawan's enchanting underground river

TRAVEL TIME

Jo Erlinda G. Nebres

Published in Philippines Today

http://www.philippinestodayus.com

Palawan's enchanting underground river

Marvelous! Enchanting! Extraordinairy! Wow!

These are a few words to describe this-must-see Underground River !

This simply unique underground river has been known as the world's largest underground river and is found in Puerto Princesa, Palawan.

The mystical eight-kilometer St. Paul Subterranean River runs under a mountain range hollowed out by a cave system at the bottom of karsts limestone cliffs, topped in rich rainforest cave system of sprouting and most awesome stalactites.

Outside this cave, you can lie down sunbathing on a pristine, powdery white sand beach or begin snorkeling on the emerald blue waters on the coast! Nothing beats the excitement of cruising in a mystical underground river!

From Puerto Princesa it will take you two hours drive to the pier where a boat ride takes you to the underground river. Going to the underground river is an adventure itself. Upon reaching the island, there is a little bit of trekking on a forest trails leading off into the jungle. One of these leads to a boat landing point where you charter your boat and boatman to take you into the caves. While hiking, there are monkeys and large monitor lizards roaming freely. You can hear and watch many beautiful birds there! The entrance to the underground river is a sight to see with its calm deep blue green water encased by sharp, pointed rocks!

Now, going inside the underground river is another totally different experience. More mystery unfolds. If you’re afraid of the dark and deep water, then this adventure could pose a problem for you. Each boat carries one light only that primarily points to fantastic stalagmites. The boat ride is quite long, more than 30 minutes and if I remember correctly, covers at least four kilometers of the distance but when riding on kayaks it will push farther.

On your way back, when you see the opening of the river, you kind of heave a sigh of relief because the ride is almost over. Then again, you’ll see breathtaking sceneries that make you want to stay a bit longer.

Marveling at this one of the Seven Wonders of the World , interesting rock formations are very noticeable, and the thousand of bats and swiftlets, including the one that produces the edible birds nest.

Puerto Princesa, capital of Palawan, prides itself as the cleanest city in the Philippines. To protect its mega diversity, only eco-friendly programs are adhered to by tourist establishments. And there are strict ordinances against dynamite fishing, with only net and line fishing allowed. Palawan may have opened itself to tourism but it has also taken serious efforts to preserve this last frontier.

So come to the Palawan underground river and find out for yourself why it is now leading in the search for new wonders of the world.

For comments, email gagabytes@yahoo.com.