Sohoton Natural Bridge Tour

As mentioned in my previous story (also on my cruise to Mabini), tourists 'usually' paddle kayaks from the cave to the natural bridge. And this here, was even the last photo in that previous blog story, right?

On sunny days (like during this visit hehe), the river is placid, so the paddling is easy-going as the river current is not that strong. Importantly, no rush during this tour as we were the only group. No one else was waiting for their turn on our kayaks! They have a lot of these colorful kayaks anyway - by the way!

Oops wait, did I go to Sohoton Natural Bridge or the Sohoton Natural Bridge Park? Let's clarify that!

Confusing but yes and yes! A silly and oh well, a really interesting merry mix of terminologies that I am learning and getting familiar with, while enjoying my travels around Basey, Samar! Okay okay, Western Samar -- itself another confusing jumble of words - parang Cotabato, remember? Makabuang. Gayud!

Let us extensively dissect "Samar, Eastern Western, Northern" in a later blog entry. For now, the matter at hand is Sohoton Natural Bridge Park. Like "Cotabato" I did not really care (keber ko!) about all these nomenclatures, until I went traveling to/in them. Travel educates us. We learn things like.. Sohoton!😜

I can 'expound' on this, I already asked the manongs, manangs, boatmen, guides, tambay, miron, etc.! First, there is Sohoton Natural Bridge. A natural bridge is a naturally occurring bridge usually made of limestone/s or other earth/rock combinations. Sohoton Natural Bridge where we are going is like that. And as you can probably discern, this kind of bridge is/was gawa ni Lord, and not by DPWH, arrright?!

What about the "Park" thing? Ah eh, si Dylan yung 친구 kong K-pop, Park yun, Park Hong Joo hahaha!

Seriously, the "Park" here is used in the context of "National Park", for indeed, even before World War II this was declared so, by Proclamation No. 831 creating the Sohoton Natural Bridge National Park and signed on 19 JULY 1935 by William Francis "Frank" Murphy, the last Governor General of the Philippine Islands and the first High Commissioner of the Philippines. Yep, as early as the American occupation!

Mabanggit ko lang, do you know "Murphy" in Cubao? Siya yun, it was named after him - Frank Murphy!

Sige okay, while we're in this, (nag-research ako!).., the Sohoton Natural Bridge National Park became part of Samar Forest Reserve (Proclamation 744, 20FEB1996 signed by Fidel Ramos). Wun Manong! Then in 13AUG2003 it became part of a much wider protected area named Samar Island Natural Park or SINP, signed by Gloria! And in 2005, still part of SINP it formally became Sohoton Cave and Natural Bridge Park. So, Sohoton Natural Bridge is part of Sohoton Cave and Natural Bridge Park. Yun, ganun!

You want to muddle things up in your head a little bit more? Ganito..,

Sohoton Cave and Natural Bridge Park is made up of 5 caves, 3 rivers and 1 natural bridge! They are:

• Bugasan Cave
• Capigtan Cave
• Panhulugan I Cave
• Panhulugan II Cave
• Sohoton Cave
• Basey River
• Sohoton River
• Bugasan River
• Sohoton Natural Bridge

Hiyay jusko gino-o ko, it's complicated pala, parang relationship sa FB! Yes it is. And these caves plus the natural bridge are either adjacent, contiguous or across each other along these intersecting rivers! Yeah, even rivers have Y-Intersections! If there are "forked-roads" there are also "forked-rivers". Ganun!

But wait wait wait teka teka teka kadjut kadyut kadiyot anay daw dali lang gid.., this is getting too long like a book chapter, e I only wanted to tell and show you photos that I went to Sohoton Natural Bridge!

Okay, here we go.., these are samples of what you see as you paddle along the river/s..,

Mesmerizingly awesome, mysterious-looking limestone cliffs towering over you as you paddle along.

The thing hanging is not a rope. It's a vine. And what lurks in those dark crevices, I didn't wanna know!

While the paddling is not that far, it is also not very near. But there is respite in shallows like this..,

You get up and off the kayak, and walk up to that deeper bend so you can continue paddling. But as a paying tourist, you are spoiled with the services of boatmen and guides. They will ask you to leave the kayak where you got off, then they'll be the ones to drag them up there for you! You walk on the water.

While treading on that cool clear shallow water, you will pass-by and get curious what those boys and men are doing. They're fetching drinking water [Tagalog: nagiigib, Waray: na-alog] from that very water that you're walking on! No, it's not a show. It's a fact of their rural life here. They live at nearby villages.

Then, out of guilt, you suddenly start to walk carefully slowly, making sure you do not stir the silt that much as those could go into their containers! But don't worry there is no sand on this portion. They're mostly little stones and pebbles. That round thing at right? Thats where they scoop water to avoid silt.

Look here, these are some of my companions who were just arriving at the shallows..,

On foreground, that's the edge of my yellow kayak being dragged by a boatman. And do you see those containers? Those are already full with 'drinking water' waiting to be transported to the locals' homes.

After pictorials and selfies, and when all kayaks are in and afloat at the deeper end, time to move on..,

I just noticed, the pics I chose always have the lovely ladies of the pack! Maybe I'm too proud of them!

On with the paddling and rowing.., bugsay mga sangkay bugsay! Huwag maging dayuhan..,

Oist! Look at the lower left corner of the photo.., that is the left hand of my kayak partner. Is that how they hold a kayak paddle in Saipan? Hahaha, peace mana peace! But that only shows that this tourist destination in Basey is easy to conquer - even if you are an executive not used to physical adventures!

If I may say it here (please), I was very proud to be traveling with this group. Mga bigatin! Oops, I mean not on the weighing scale point of view but on their successes, in what they now do at their respective domiciles. But let's not talk about my coterie. I maintain this as a travel blog.., not about people's lives!

Pero alam nyo ba..? Hahaha, don't me!

Awesome views continued as we paddled on. Some are unbelievable if described without pictures!

Sorry there was a water droplet in my camera lens, but I wanted to show this photo as an example of some portions having surfaces that look like they were carved by human hands. And the beauty of all this is you can go to them, touch them, circle around them or row your kayak through ticklish crevices!

Until your guide says "sir, this way" perhaps worried you might be swallowed by the hollow darkness!

Eto na.., finally we arrived at THE Sohoton Natural Bridge! That's it? Yes, that's it, tara uwian na!

Wait.., wait lang! Pictures can't actually justify the famed magnificence of this thing, because it is just so enormous! In that shot, we were like ants under a bridge. Where's the bridge? Above. As in way up!

It would have been better if I took the photo from farther away. But, 'no can do'! Eh, behind the camera (therefore me) is/was already an equally towering vertical craggy limestone cliff - the other side of the river! In fact, I was actually floating on water (care of the kayak) when I attempted that shot! Difficult!

A guide told me someone already attempted using a drone to no avail. But video was good he said.

Not giving up, perchance to take a pic of the enormity of the land above, I inched nearer and had this

But I was still not satisfied! The 'land mass' above this hollow (what would be the 'roadway' if this was a real human-constructed bridge) is also too wide and thick I could probably build a house on top of it hehe! Ayan, in my amazement and amusement of this natural work of art, kung anu-ano na naiisip ko!

Still not giving up (because I wanted to take good pictures for my beloved blog readers, that's you all!), I asked the guides, what if I went out there beyond this wondrous unsupported arch of pure earth! Not recommended, they told me. For one, I would have to walk, as the river is too shallow from that corner (where the green kayak is parked) onwards. Then I'd need to go far, just to fit the tall ridge on my lens.

Okay, I gave up! But I learned from the guide and boatmen that, you can go up to the top of the natural bridge, but it would entail a very long walk to the passable path away from the craggy limestone cliffs.

Some of them have been up there, telling me that you won't feel it is hollow underneath the 'earth' they were standing on. They said they could not even see the edge or ledge of the "bridge" from up there as the forest is so thick. I'm still curious and wish to experience how it is up there, though I think they will not encourage tourists going up there. What if it gets too heavy? Simba ko, it may crumble and crash!

Trivia: one of them told me motorcycles can run thru the dirt path that crosses up there. Bridge nga!

Alright and anyway, what do you do when you have given up trying to take more pictures of the natural bridge's totality? Have fun in front of that parked green kayak in the picture above! It is actually this...

This is a nice swimming spot. And oh yes, if you are still not tired rowing and paddling coming to this place, you can do that here. Even keep circling that fallen boulder, or try 'entering' those dark crevices!

And there's (mini)cliff-jumping at this very spot! Even good for (brave) children who can swim! Do you see the blue arrow I drew on the picture? You can swim or kayak to that point behind the boulder. The rock-face has "steps" you can use to clamber to the boulder-top, then down to the tip of the red arrow

And JUMP! See our guide in orange shorts? He's not standing. He just jumped and floating in air..!

And look at the top of the boulder! It's now full with a bevy of lovely ladies eager for their turn to jump!

We spent quite a time in this place, until boatmen told us it was time to paddle back and go home!

On our boatride going back to the Sohoton Visitor's Center, I noticed things written on my life vest. Got a little bit curious since the material it is made-of, seemed to be of rather better quality. Well and aba..,

It's a 'branded' thing! Not the so-so orange or yellow vests we see everywhere life vests are required in this country. I'm guessing this were part of the donations of Gina Lopez and her ABS-CBN Foundation.

It says, "this is a buoyancy aid and not a life jacket". Da! Something to learn about. Travel is education!

Anyway.., it was fun, and could be called a light adventure enough! So.., that was it!

But before we end this, I have a few pointers for those wanting to visit this place:
Everything starts at the Sohoton Visitor's Center and Eco-Lodge where the tour package would usually already include both the Sohoton Cave Tour and the Sohoton Natural Bridge Visit. You depart wearing a lifevest (okay, buoyancy aid) that you can remove (leave with boatmen) once you go up to the caves.

After the cave, don't forget to return the helmet before you board your kayak or else the manongs and manangs there will come running after you. It's so tiring for them! Then wear your buoyancy aid again.

If there are not many visitors, you can each have your own kayak. Otherwise, it's 2 persons to a kayak. If you don't know how to paddle and row, or if you just do not want to, your boatman or your guide can do that for you, and you sit it through like a king! Do this if you are taking pictures or recording videos!

Note: if no one asks boatmen and guides to paddle for them they still go with you in their own kayaks!

A visit to the Natural Bridge means everything about you will become wet (you're on a kayak). Is your phone or camera waterproof? If not, you already know what to do! Same thing with your wallets, etc.!

There are no comfort rooms, showers nor changing rooms other than at the Sohoton Visitor's Center and Eco-Lodge where you start and end the tour. Changing room ka dyan! Sa masukal na kagubatan?

The best to do is to already wear your "wettables" (swimwear) at the visitor's center. Do just note that you do not probably want to be romping inside a dark dry cold cave in your signature two-piece bikini!

Lastly, there are no trash bins at the natural bridge area. You already know what to do, right?

Okay, that's about it. Next, let's go to the sea!