I was born and raised in Manila, cuddled by pollution, lullabied by the blaring sound of traffic in the playground such as city streets and once clustered among delinquents of the slums. The only glimpse of a pseudo paradise is when I stepped into the automatic door of a mall and served an artificial dream in a silver platter that feeds you to the bottom while draining your hard-earned money in the form of contrived needs. While I grew up grappling the clout of hardships and declared myself a slicker when it comes to evading the decay of life, I always long for a place where I can plant my foot firmly on the ground and call it my own. My age is finally catching up on me. I am coming nearly half-full circle and when you get to the time that you’re looking for a place to settle and make amends, you want a place wherein even the air resonates peace. That is the air that I breathe when I went to Cavinti, Laguna.
Time
reels slowly in Cavinti, as if the morning lasts a lifetime and the sunset
settles in your eyes like a smell of brewed coffee lingering in your taste.
It’s almost a hundred kilometer ride from Manila to Cavinti, yet you can
absolutely feel the meridian of microclimate alteration as you cross peripheral
boundaries. The wind carries a chill that instantly define distinction of the
place that you’re in.
Regional
life almost always tries to imitate what’s in the urban areas as of being the mighty
sign of industrialization and progress, thus taking for granted the gem of
innate traits of the rural place—but not Cavinti. It still preserves the
natural element of beauty, the stillness and the laid back attitude of the
rural folks that resonates in every corner of the streets echoed by the
mountainous landscapes and lush vegetation as well as the old structures of the
four century old Transfiguration of Our Lord Church in the town of Lumbang. The
four century old church serves as a hollow voice declaring the historical
significance of Cavinti and the religiosity of the folks that are living there.
This is their legacy, an invaluable heirloom for the next generation.
Enjoying
the amenities of a vacation-like travel is just the second nature of the
leisure industry. But I won’t wallow much more on the “come and enjoy” inviting
attraction of the place, I will leave the glossy tourist brochure speaks for
itself in that area. I will speak most of the milieu where the travel
catalogues can’t define—which is the feeling of being there, and being there is
like time travel. You get to the navel of the forest to look for the monumental
Cavinti Falls. But it isn’t just that easy. Trekking will prove to be momentous
while rappelling down hundred feet down to the bottom of the virgin forest,
serves like descending an endless emerald pit with the raging river welcoming
you at the bottom. And huge stoic rocks staring at you and it ends with the
fuming mist of storm-like Cavinti Falls, gushing in between gigantic stone
formation filled with moss and vegetation. The experience is simply magnificent
and will humble you down as just another speck of God’s creation.
Go
ahead and travel through time. Skip the clock, feel the breeze, feed your mind
and experience how the hour stops. But turn off that mobile phone. Throw that
gadget. You don’t need the city life’s blinders and distractions. Let your eyes
and feelings guide you to truly enjoy nature as you time-travel through
Cavinti’s natural wonders and be one with nature.
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#CavEAT: Cavinti Eco-Adventure Tour
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Cavinti Water Sports Olympics 2015
Municipality of Cavinti
Caliraya Lake Mountain Resort
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Camarin Resort
Lago Fishing Village
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