Tinipak River

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Emie and I decided to visit the Tinipak River in Rizal province. We didnt really know how to go there. We just asked for directions along the way. It's not that we like it that way. We just didnt really know how to get there but we knew we'd find our destination somehow. We heard about this place from some friends who went there. Emie and I love to swim and hike so off we went even if it was just the two of us.

After about two hours of jeepney rides. We finally got to the Tanay station where there was a jeepney that could take us to Daraitan. Unfortunately, we got there a little late, about 9 AM. We didnt know that there were only two trips per day. The next trip leaves at noon. The jeepney was already there though. It just wasnt going yet. So we decided to explore the area a bit. There was nothing much to see in Tanay so we just had breakfast at Jollibee. When we got back to the jeepney it was almost packed. We saw a group (2 guys and two girls) that had camping gears, so we figured they were going the same way. They looked like good people so we befriended them and we tagged along in their trip. Then a larger group came. There must have been 15 of them, going to Daraitan as well. We didnt get to talk to them. Large groups are intimidating when your group is a lot smaller.

The jeepney left past noon. The road was good until we got near our destination. The jeepney had to cross the river. I didnt think we were gonna make it across the river, but the old beat up jeepney pulled through miraculously. We were told that we had to register at the town hall when we arrived in Daraitan. The town was so quiet. We arrived at about 3PM and maybe everyone was having their siesta. People in small remote villages still do siesta. But the houses looked decent and they have electricity. There were only two trips out of that small town. One in the morning and one in the afternoon. There is no hotel so if you fail to catch the jeepney you sleep in your tent. Which we wouldnt mind. The attendant at the town hall was sleeping and we had to wake him up. They charged five pesos per person for registration. There were two trails. One was to the mountains and the other was the Tinipak river. We decided to see the river and the caves instead. It was a short trip. If you dont rest it would take you only about 45 minutes. But the girls the the group that we tagged along with were not in shape. They were city girls who've never gone hiking before. So we had to stop and rest several times. Which we didnt mind. Stop and smell the roses and all.

The river was beautiful. It was clean and wide. Deep at some parts. Surrounded by the mountains of Sierra Madre. There were treacherous areas though because it rained recently, the rocks were slippery. We had to climb a lot of rocks. I almost fell. At some points you would have to jump from on boulder to another. Luckily Matt was there to catch me or i would have fallen into the deep part of the river. We had to be very careful because the rocks were sharp. There was a flimsy little bridge that we had to cross. It was basically just a tree with no handles. So you had to have very good balance. It was almost sunset when got to the campsite. The larger group got there earlier and their tents had already been set up.

We had a lot of fun. Cooking was fun. We had to gather wood. Which wasnt easy coz they were wet. Matt and Tristan had cooking equipment. I dont know what its called. Like a small gas range. I plan to buy one. The water in the river was freezing cold. But i had to clean myself.

We were tired so we decided to go to bed early. The ground was a bit uncomfortable because of the pebbles. It rained hard that night. I didnt get to bring the cover of my tent so rainwater flooded our tent. Matt's tent was big enough for us all to sit in so we went there until the rain stopped. The tent wasnt big enough for all of us to sleep in though, so Emie and I went back to my tent. It was wet inside, so we slept wet. We laughed so hard at our predicament. Sleeping wet! It was uncomfortable but we thought it was funny. All we could do was laugh. Complaining wouldnt get us anywhere.

Woke up early the next morning. It rained for the most of the day. Still we went swimming and explored the place. It was so cold and i was shivering. Matt's group was so cool. They never complained. We had so much fun hangin out. Singing and telling stories. Filipinos love to sing. It may be strange in some culture but we sing a lot. Out of nowhere sometimes. I would even dance. We also got to talk to the bigger group. There was a girl there who works for the same company that i work for. They were cool as well but were not as friendly as Matt and his friends. They had cool gears though. Ronald had the coolest camera. Some of the photos that ive posted here are from Ronald.

The jeepney that leaves for the city leaves at 4 PM. We didnt make it on time. But i had to go to work the following day. And so did most of us. We found a local who had a van and asked if he could take us to the terminal. We only had to pay him 700 pesos. Which was cool. It was a two hour drive.

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