The Bucas Grande Adventure (Part 3)

We arrived at the Sohoton Cove Tourism Center shortly before noon. Lots of people were there already, awaiting for their Sohoton Cove experience. We patiently waited for our turn until it came. We were asking Dharil, "where are our life jackets?" He sheepishly answered, "Nahutdan ta maam? (Everything's been used already)". We were shocked but then he said, "We'll be assisting you ma'am." and then there were 4 guides who came with us upon entering the cove, which included our guide.

And so it began..

Sohoton Cove Entrance

Upon entering the entrance (the cove itself),we were greeted by crystalline, green, calm waters. The guides said the passage could only be accessible during low tide, which means the time frame where you can stay inside the cove is so short, but the memories would last long. The cove in itself is so cool, you would want to get down from the banca and take a plunge. But of course, you wouldn't do that since what you are getting into is still waiting for you to come in.

Horse Tail, or as the locals call it, Horse Foot

Sohoton Cove houses the most number of Philippine Iron Wood (magkuno) that I have seen. Such wood is the most durable wood in the Philippines that sometimes the maxim that say "Gahi pa man ka's magkuno (You are as hard as an iron wood)" refers to those people who are stubborn and hard-headed or sometimes, those people who are lazy. :-)

Another formation you can see inside the cove is the very famous Horse Foot, or some call it Horse Tail (I guess it depends on how you see it). Our guides said it is refered to as the North of Sohoton Cove. Meaning, if you ever get lost inside the cove (which is very unlikely, since you cannot go in without the guides), just look for this formation and you can find your way out. I prefer to call it Polaris, the North Star. Star of Sohoton.





HAGUKAN CAVE

Stalagmites in Hagukan Cave

We first entered the Hagukan Cave. It was derived from the Bisaya word 'haguk', meaning snore because if you enter such cave in between high and low tides, the waves would sound like snoring. Getting in would require you some swimming skills as the waters are too deep and I am not such a fan of deep waters. Yes, I know how to swim, I just get freaked out by the fact that it is too deep. But once you are inside, you would forget all the fear and be amazed at the magnificient view that is inside. Though it's dark, the stalagmites and stalactytes are enough to illuminate the whole cave with their crystals.

Swimming at the Hagukan Cave

Pose first before going to the next cave, where we have to jump
cliff high to come down.

MAGKUKUOB CAVE

Next stop is the Magkukuob Cave, wherein, you will have to crouch before you get in. It is a lot smaller than Hagukan Cave, but the view is still magnificent. Here you can see gold glitterings that envelopes over the cave. Still you have the stalagmites and stalactytes everywhere. Apart from the wonderful view you got in here, one thing that enticed me the most to try out this cave is the cliff jump. Yes, you have it,cliff-jump. The only way to get out of this cave is to jump off the cave itself. Steep and slippery way are what you are going to encounter first upon climbing up. A friend once said that she wouldn't continue but we told her that we have to conquer the fear and be enable to jump off since this is one of the things that we wanted to do.
Reaching the drop-off point, you can see the neighboring islets in Sohoton in its grandiose moment. Serene, green,fresh, name it you got it. Never have I experienced this kind of feeling from before. When it was my turn to jump, I had my doubts but since the guides are there to catch and save you (since we do not have life jackets anyway, they have to :-D ), I took away all the cares I had in the world and jumped straight to the water about 20 ft. When I surfaced, I was so happy I would want to do it again. But no, the line was too long already so I couldn't go back up anymore. It was for me, I believe, the best part of the trip. Another friend then joked when we were on the water surface that 'Probably this is what the people who commit suicide feel upon jumping off the building. They realize at the very last moment that they should not have done it but they couldn't undo it any more and jump to their death.' Morbid as it may sound, but yes, she has a point.

JELLYFISH LAGOON

The Sohoton Cove trip won't be complete if you will not go and visit the Jellyfish Lagoon just on the other side of the tourism center. It houses the country's, if not the world's, famous no-sting jellyfishes. When I went there, there were only a few jellyfishes that I saw but nonetheless, I have touched one of them and it felt so super soft. We were not allowed to jump off since that would probably cause a stir for the jellyfishes and they will swim away. Well, that was how we were informed. So we followed anyway. :-)

Overall, the Sohoton Cove adventure that I had was so far the best I have ever had. The guides, the people, the atmosphere, it just felt like, wow. I can't wait to come back this time with my closest friends and make them experience what I had gone through.

Next blog: Good Friday in Bucas Grande Group of Islands